Part 18
During all this time, Anne, Countess of Warwick, widow of Richard Nevil, had undergone great privations—her possessions being taken from her for her daughters’ husbands—and had been living in obscurity; by Act 3rd Henry VII. she was recalled from such obscurity to be restored to the possessions of her family; “but that was a refinement of cruelty, for shortly after obtaining possession she was forced” to surrender to the king all these immense possessions. After her death, Edward Plantagenet, eldest son of George, Duke of Clarence, assumed the title of Earl of Warwick, but was beheaded on Tower Hill. On his death the title was held in abeyance, and was, after a time, granted to John Dudley, Viscount Lisle, who was descended in the female line from the old Earls of Warwick. This John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, and Viscount Lisle, was made Lord High Chamberlain, a Knight of the Garter, Lord Warden of the North, and Earl Marshal: and was created Duke of Northumberland, but was attainted for the part he took relating to Lady Jane Grey, and beheaded on Tower Hill in 1553. He married Jane, daughter of Sir Edward Guildford, by whom he had a large family, of whom the eldest, Henry, was killed at the siege of Boulogne; the second, John, was called Earl of Warwick during his father’s lifetime; Ambrose, who was created Earl of Warwick; Guildford, who was beheaded with his father; Robert, who was created Earl of Leicester, and others. In 1557 Ambrose Dudley, the third son, having obtained a reversion of the attainder, had the estates restored to him, and was re-created Earl of Warwick. He married three wives, but had no issue by either, and dying in 1589, the title became extinct.
In 1618 the title of Earl of Warwick was conferred by James I. on Robert, Lord Rich, but, not being descended from the former earls, the estates did not fall into his hands. Dying in a few months after his creation, he was succeeded by his son, Robert Rich, Lord High Admiral for the Long Parliament, whose son (afterwards Earl of Warwick) married Frances, the youngest daughter of Oliver Cromwell. After passing through five other members of this family, the title again became extinct, on the death of the last earl of that name, Edward Rich, in 1759.
In November of that year (1759) the title was conferred upon Francis Greville, Lord Brooke, of the long and illustrious line of the Grevilles, and a descendant of Fulke Greville, the “servaunt to Quene Elizabeth, Concellor to King James, and Frend to Sir Philip Sidney,” to whom we have alluded in our account of Penshurst. Francis, Lord Brooke, succeeded his father in the barony, when only eight years of age. In 1746 he was raised to the dignity of Earl Brooke, of Warwick Castle; and in 1759 was created Earl of Warwick, with patent to bear the ancient crest of the earls—the bear and ragged staff. He married a daughter of Lord Archibald Hamilton, by whom, besides others, he had a son, George Greville, who succeeded him as second earl of that line. His lordship married, first, Georgiana, only daughter of Lord Selsey, who died soon after the birth of her only child, a year after marriage; the child, a son, living to the age of fourteen. He married, secondly, Henrietta, daughter of R. Vernon, Esq., and his wife, the Countess of Ossory, and sister of the Marquis of Stafford. By that lady he had three sons and six daughters. Dying in 1816, he was succeeded by his eldest son, Henry Richard Greville, as Earl Brooke, Earl of Warwick, &c., who, in 1816, married Lady Sarah Elizabeth Saville, daughter of the Earl of Mexborough, and widow of Lord Monson: she died in 1851. By this lady his lordship (who died in 1853) had an only son, the present peer.
George Guy Greville, Earl Brooke, Earl of Warwick, and Baron Brooke of Beauchamp’s Court, all in the peerage of the United Kingdom, was born in March, 1818, and was educated at St. John’s College, Cambridge, where he took his degrees. In 1853 he succeeded his father as fourth Earl of Warwick, of that line, and in the previous year (1852) married the Lady Ann Charteris, eldest daughter of the Earl of Wemyss, by whom he has issue living, four sons and one daughter, viz.:—the Hon. Francis Richard Charles Guy Greville (Lord Brooke), born in 1853, his heir-presumptive; the Hon. Alwyn Henry Fulke Greville, born in 1854; the Hon. Louis George Greville, born in 1856; the Hon. Sidney Robert Greville, born in 1866; and the Hon. Eva Sarah Louisa Greville, born in 1860. His lordship, who sat in Parliament for South Warwickshire from 1846 to the time of succeeding to the title in 1853, is Lieutenant-Colonel of the Warwickshire Yeomanry, a Trustee of Rugby School, and is patron of five livings.
The arms of the present peer are—_sable_, on a cross within a bordure, all engrailed, _or_, five pellets. Crests—first, out of a ducal coronet, _gules_, a demi-swan with wings expanded and elevated, _argent_, for Brooke; second, a bear sejant, supporting a ragged staff, _argent_, muzzled, _gules_, for Beauchamp, &c. Supporters—two swans, wings inverted, _argent_, ducally gorged, _gules_. Motto, “Vix ea nostra voco.”
Having thus glanced at the history of the place, and spoken of the long line of noble and illustrious owners, both of the estates and the title, let us turn to the castle itself, as it stood and was furnished, at the time of our visit. Alas! that we should have to write this in a past sense, and say “stood” in place of “stands.” Alas! that within a few short weeks of our visit, and of our writing these notes, a great part of the building was “gutted” by fire, and many of its most important and interesting features destroyed. It is, however, being rapidly and wisely restored, and doubtless will, ere long, rise “phœnix-like” from the ashes, with renewed beauty. We give our notes as we wrote them before this calamity occurred.
THE Castle occupies the summit of a steep hill, which must greatly have aided its artificial defences in the “olden time.” The present approach to it is by a narrow passage cut through the solid rock, and extending from the main entrance to the porter’s lodge fronting the road to Leamington. Passing through this lodge, the visitor, after proceeding some distance along the rocky passages, enters the outer court-yard, “where the stupendous line of fortifications breaks suddenly upon the sight in all its bold magnificence.” Of the two famous towers that of Guy is on the right, while that of Cæsar is on the left; they are connected by a strong embattled wall, in the centre of which is the ponderous arched gateway, flanked by towers, and succeeded by a second arched gateway, with towers and battlements, “formerly defended by two portholes, one of which still remains; before the whole is a disused moat, with an arch thrown over it at the gateway, where was once a drawbridge.” Passing the double gateway the court-yard is entered. Thus seen, the castellated mansion of the most famous of the feudal barons has a tranquil and peaceful aspect; fronting it is a green sward and the “frowning keep,” which conceals all its gloomier features behind a screen of ivy and evergreen shrubs. Uninjured by time, and unaltered in appearance by modern improvements, except in being surrounded and made picturesque by trees and shrubs, it still stands, as of old, on the top of its mound. The “Bear Tower,” with a flight of steps descending to a subterranean passage, leading no one knows whither, will be noticed, as also will “Guy’s Tower.”
From the inner court a flight of stone steps leads to the entrance to the GREAT HALL, which is of large size; its walls are decorated with arms and armour of various periods and descriptions, and with antlers and other appropriate objects. On one side of this hall are the state rooms, and on the other the domestic apartments, forming a line of 333 feet in length. The Hall, and indeed the whole of the interior, have been “subjected to the deleterious influence of the upholsterer,” and are made gorgeous and beautiful in accordance with modern taste, while they have lost their original features and interesting characteristics. This work was, however, done some time ago, and it must remain as it is: comfort and convenience have been studied certainly; but all associations with the glory of ancient Warwick were rejected by the modern architect in his restoration of the apartments of the venerable castle. In the hall, however, there are many objects of rare interest; among others the helmet studded with brass worn by the Protector Cromwell; the suit of armour worn by Montrose; the doublet, “blood-spotted,” in which Lord Broke was slain at Lichfield, in 1643; and the warder’s horn, the history of which is told in this inscription:—
PHIL · THOMASSINUS · FEC · ET · EXCUD · CUM · PRIVIL · SUMMI · PONTIFICES · ET · SUPERIOR : LICENTIA · ROMÆ · FLORUIT · 1598.
There is also a breech-loading revolving musket, some hundreds of years old probably, which, but for the evidence of Time, might seem a direct plagiarism on the revolver of Colonel Colt. The roof of the hall was designed by the architect Poynter.
The RED DRAWING-ROOM contains many fine paintings and several articles of _vertu_.
The CEDAR DRAWING-ROOM is a remarkably elegant apartment, sumptuously furnished, and having a magnificent and, said to be, unique chimney piece. In this room are many remarkably fine paintings, including “Charles I.,” by Vandyck; “Circe,” by Guido; the “Family of Charles I.,” &c.; and some highly interesting bronzes, Etruscan vases, &c. The main feature of—
The GILT DRAWING-ROOM is its superb geometric ceiling, which is richly painted and gilt—the walls being decorated in a corresponding manner. Among the paintings in this room may be noted the “Earl of Strafford,” by Vandyck; “Algernon Percy,” by Dodson; “Charles I.,” “Henrietta Maria,” and “Prince Rupert,” by Vandyck; “Ignatius Loyola,” by Rubens; “Robert Bertie, Earl of Lindsay,” by Cornelius Jansen; “Robert Rich, Earl of Warwick,” after Vandyck; a “Young Girl,” by Murillo; “Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester,” and many others.
The STATE BED-ROOM. The bed and furniture in this room are said originally to have belonged to Queen Anne, and were presented to the Warwick family by King George III. The walls are hung with Brussels tapestry of the date of 1604. The bed and hangings are of crimson velvet. Over the chimney-piece is a fine full-length portrait of Queen Anne by Sir Godfrey Kneller; the room also contains other interesting paintings and ornaments.
The BOUDOIR is a lovely little room, forming the extreme west end of the suite of rooms. The ceiling is enriched with the family crest and coronets, and there are among the paintings a portrait of Henry VIII. by Holbein;[33] of the Duchess of Cleveland, Barbara Villiers, by Lely; “A Dead Christ,” by Carracci; “A Boar Hunt,” by Rubens; “Martin Luther,” by Holbein; “A Sketch of the Evangelists,” by Rubens; and examples of Gerard Dow, Teniers, Salvator Rosa, Hayter, Vandyck, Holbein (Anne Boleyn and Mary Boleyn being especially interesting), Andrea del Sarto, &c., &c.
The COMPASS-ROOM contains many fine old paintings and much among its articles of _vertu_ that will interest the visitor. In—
The CHAPEL PASSAGE, too, are highly interesting paintings; and in the CHAPEL are some stained glass and interesting local relics.
The GREAT DINING-ROOM, built by Francis, Earl of Warwick, is a noble room, decorated with some fine antique busts and paintings. Among the latter will be specially noticed portraits of “Sir Philip Sidney,” considered the best in existence, and bearing in the corner the words, “The Original of Sir Philip Sidney;” “Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester;” “Frederick, Prince of Wales;” “The Princess of Wales and George III. when an Infant;” and many family portraits. At the east end is the celebrated “Kenilworth Buffet,” manufactured by Cookes of Warwick, from an oak-tree on the Kenilworth estate, and representing in its panels various incidents connected with Queen Elizabeth’s visit to that venerable pile, and presented to the present earl, on his marriage, by the town and county of Warwick.
The private apartments of the Castle consist of a remarkably elegant suite of rooms, which are, of course, not shown to visitors. Of these, therefore, only a few words need be said. The ARMOURY PASSAGE and the ARMOURY contain a rare assemblage of arms and armour of various ages and descriptions, and many antiquities and “curiosities,” as well as mineralogical, geological, and other collections of great interest. In the BILLIARD-ROOM, the OAK SITTING-ROOM, the EARL’S ROOM, and all the remaining apartments, are many remarkably fine paintings.
Throughout the state apartments, as well as the private rooms, is distributed a marvellous collection of treasures of art—“superb garde-robes, encoigneurs, cabinets, and tables of buhl and marqueterie of the most costly finish; splendid cups, flasks, and vases in ormolu, crystal, china, and lava; Etruscan vases, marble and _pietra dura_ tables; bronzes and busts displaying the utmost efforts of art; costly bijouteries, and rare antiques;” more especially a large collection of Limousin enamels are among the treasures which meet the eye at every turn in the interior of Warwick Castle.
It will be readily understood that the prospect from any of the windows is singularly beautiful; so beautiful, indeed, that if the stately castle lacked all other interest, a look over these grand woods, a fair stream consecrated by the bard of Avon, richly cultivated gardens, and rare trees of prodigious size, would amply compensate the visitor.
In the grounds are many charming objects and delicious spots, concerning some of which the visitor, naturally, will desire information. Of these, CÆSAR’S TOWER is one of the most sadly interesting, from the fact that beneath it is a dark and damp dungeon, in which many a sad heart has died out in solitude. On the walls are some touching inscriptions and rude carvings done by the miserable beings who have been incarcerated there. Among these the following is specially curious:—
Ma_ʃ_TER : IOHN : SMyTH : GVNER : TO : HIS : MAIESTyE : HIghNES : WAS : A PRISNER IN THIS PlACE : AND : lAy HERE frOM 1642 TEll th WillIAM SIDIaTE ROT This SAME ANd if My PIN HAd Bin BETER fOR HIs sake I WOVlD HAVE MENdEd EVERRi leTTER.
That was the last person known to have been confined in the dungeon. Besides this, there are crosses, crucifixes, cross-bows, and other objects and inscriptions traceable on the walls.
GUY’S TOWER (to which we have alluded, and which forms our initial letter on page 206) contains several rooms appropriated to various purposes. Its summit is reached by a flight of 133 steps—a most fatiguing ascent, but amply repaid by the magnificent panoramic view obtained from the battlements. Hence “are seen the spires of the Coventry churches, the Castle of Kenilworth, Guy’s Cliff, and Blacklow Hill; Grove Park, the seat of Lord Dormer; Shuckburgh and the Shropshire Hills; the Saxon Tower on the Broadway Hills; the fashionable spa of Leamington, which appears almost lying underneath the feet, and the wide-extended park; while village churches, lifting up their venerable heads from amidst embowering trees, fill up a picture pleasing, grand, and interesting. In the various rooms will be noticed carvings and inscriptions which possess interest. From the BEAR COURT a portcullised doorway in the north wall opens to the moat, across which is a bridge leading to the pleasure-grounds and CONSERVATORY. In this is placed one of the wonders of the “Stately Home”—the celebrated _Warwick Vase_, rescued from the bottom of a lake at Adrian’s Villa, near Tivoli, by Sir William Hamilton, from whom it was obtained by the late Earl of Warwick.
It has been copied a hundred times, and its form and character are known to every reader. It stands on a pedestal formed for its reception, on which is this inscription:—
HOC PRISTINÆ ARTIS ROMANÆ Q. MAGNIFICENTIÆ MONUMENTUM RUDERIBUS VILLÆ TIBURTINÆ HADRIANO AUG. IN DELICIIS HABITÆ EFFOSSUM RESTITUTI CURAVIT EQUES GULIELMUS HAMILTON A GEORGIO III., MAG. BRIT. REX AD SICIL REGEM FERDINANDUM IV. LEGATUS ET IN PATRIAM TRANSMISSUM PATRIO BONARUM ARTIUM GENIO DICAVIT AN. AC. N. CIC. DCCLXXIV.
From the conservatory, after crossing the lawn, the banks of the river are gained, and after passing the PAVILION, the visitor reaches a spot from which the immense height of the castle on its rocky base is best seen. Returning to the HILL TOWER, the magnificent cedars of Lebanon and chestnuts will strike the eye; but the visitor will pass on to the top of the mount on which, in Saxon times, the stronghold of Ethelfleda was erected, and he will then find much for his mind to dwell upon.
In the PORTER’S LODGE are preserved a number of relics, said to have belonged to the “Renowned Guy”—but, as they represent so many periods, they must have appertained to “Many Guys.” The articles shown are “Guy’s Porridge-pot;” “Guy’s Sword,” for taking care of which William Hoggeson, Yeoman of the Buttery, had a salary of 2_d._ a day, temp. H. VIII.; parts of his armour, of which the “bascinet is of the time of Edward III.; and a breastplate partly of the fifteenth century, and partly of the time of James I.; the sword of the reign of Henry VIII.; the staff, an ancient tilting lance;” the horse armour of the fifteenth century; the “flesh fork;” and other articles, among which are his fair “Felicia’s slippers,” which are a pair of footed stirrup-irons of the fifteenth century. The “rib of the dun cow,” and a joint of the spine of the same, as well as the tusk and blade bone of a wild boar, are also shown, and are still looked upon with wonder, as belonging to veritable animals slain by Guy. There are also other “curiosities” shown in this lodge, and visitors eagerly inspect them, often as greater attractions than matters more worthy. Into the wild old legend connected with Guy, Earl of Warwick, it is not necessary here to enter at length. It was a popular legend in the Middle Ages, and his encounter with the Danish champion, Colbrand, as well as his victory over the dun cow, was a favourite subject of the wandering minstrel. Dugdale has given the narrative of his battle with Colbrand, which he seems inclined to believe to be true in the main features, although “the monks may have sounded out his praises hyperbolically.” According to him, “in year three of King Athelstan, A.D. 826, the Danes having invaded England, cruelly wasted the countrys where they marcht, so that there was scarce a town or castle that they had not burnt or destroyed almost as far as Winchester,” where the king resided, and to whom they sent a message, requiring him to resign his crown to their generals, holding his power at their hands, and paying them yearly tribute for the privilege of ruling; or that the whole dispute for the kingdom be determined in a single combat, by two champions for both sides. The king having chosen the latter alternative, enjoins a fast for three days, and, in great anguish of heart that Guy the famous warrior is absent on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, prays Heaven for assistance. An angel appears to the king as he is on his bed, and directs him to arise early on the morrow, and take two bishops with him to the north gate of the city, and stay there “till the hour of prime,” until the poor people and pilgrims arrive, among whom he must choose a champion, and the choice must fall upon him who goes barefooted, with a wreath of white roses on his head. The king goes and meets the pilgrim, accosts him, and asks his championship, which he hesitates to give, excusing himself on the ground of his weakness with much travel, and exhorts him to seek fitter help. To this the king bitterly answers, “I had but one valiant knight, which was Earl of Warwick, called Guy, and he had a courageous servant, named Sir Heraud de Ardene; would to God I had him here, for then should this duel be soon undertaken, and the war finished; and as he spake these words, the tears fell from his eyes.”
The pilgrim is moved, and ultimately consents, and after three weeks spent in prayer and preparation the battle begins. Colbrand “came so weightily harnessed, that his horse could scarcely carry him, and before him a cart loaded with Danish axes, great clubs, with knobs of iron, squared bars of steel, lances, and iron hooks, to pull his adversary to him.” The giant uses a bar of steel in the combat, which lasts the whole day. Guy in the end proving victorious, and taking a farewell of the king, to whom he declares himself, goes towards Warwick, and thence to a hermit in its neighbourhood, living with him till his death, and succeeding him in his cell until his own decease.[34] The spot is still pointed out, and bears the name of Guy’s Cliff. But this is not the only giant-story connected with the family. Their well-known crest, or cognisance, is said to come from one Morvidus, an Earl of Warwick in the days of King Arthur, “who being a man of valour, slew a mighty gyant in a single duell, which gyant encountered him with a young tree pulled up by the root, the boughs being nog’d from it; in token whereof, he and his successors, Earles of Warwick in the time of the Brittons, bore a ragged staff of silver in a sable shield for their cognisance.” Other stories are the combat and overcoming of the famous dun cow, the slaying of a ferocious lion, and “the greatest boar that man e’er saw,” the killing of “the mighty dragon in Northumberland that destroyed men, women, and children,” and the killing of the fifteen armed knights. Such were the old fables with which our ancient family histories were obscured, or rendered romantic and wonderful to the subordinate classes.