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But in a work of this kind the utmost care may fail to secure perfect accuracy, and the Editor will thankfully receive notices of any faults or omissions, if directed to the care of Mr. Murray, 50, Albemarle Street. * LONDON: PRINTED BT WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS. STAMFORD STREET, AND CHARING CROSS. CONTENTS. Section L— BERKSHIRE. Page Introduction 1 Routes. *** The names of places are printed in italics only in those routes where the places are described. Route Page 1 Windsor : the Castle and the Great Park 11 2 Windsor to Reading, by Road : Clewer , Winkfield , Warfield, Binfield , Hurst . . . . 31 3 Staines to Reading : Gunning- dale, Ascot, Wokingham, Bearwood , [ Wellington Col- lege, Sandhurst] . . . . 33 4 Maidenhead to Didcot : Bray, Shottesbrooke, Twyford, Read- ing, \_Aldworth], [ Walling- ford], the Wittenhams . . 37 5 Didcot to Swindon: Sutton Courtenay, Wantage , [. Let- combe , Sparsholt], Stanford - in - the - Vale, Uffington , White Horse Hill, \_Faring- don], Shrivenham .... 49 6 Reading to Newbury and Route Page Hungerford : Tilehurst, En - glefield, Aldermaston ... 57 7 Newbury to Shrivenham : by Welford , East and West Shef - ford, Lamborne, and Ashdown 70 8 Newbury to Oxford, by East Ilsley and Abingdon ... 74 9 Oxford to Highworth, by Cumnor, Besilsleigh, Fy field , Pusey, Buckland , Faring - don, and Coleshill .... 86 10 The Thames— from Goring to Maidenhead, by Pangbourne, Mapledurham, Caversham , Sonning, Shiplake, War- grave, Henley , Medmenham, Hurley, Bisham, Marlow, Hedsor , Cookham , [ Drop- more], and Cliefden ... 92 Section II.— BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. Introduction .. 109 Route Page 11 London to Taplow and Maiden- head : Colnbrook, Eton, Rat- chet, Wraysbury, \Stoke Poges, Burnham Beedhesf . 115 12 Maidenhead to Thame : Woo- burn Green, High Wycombe, Hughenden , West Wycombe, Prince’s Risborough, [ White- leaf Cross, Ellesborough , Chequers Court , Great Hamp- den], Bledlow . . . . .126 Route Page 13 London to High Wycombe by Road : Denham, Bulstrode Park, Beacons field . . .138 14 London to Aylesbury by Road : Chal font , Amersham , \Che- nies, Chesham], Missenden , Wendover, Hartwell, Dinton 142 15 Aylesbury to Buckingham: Quarrendon , Creslow, Hard- wick, North Marston, Pad- bur y, Stowe 152 IV CONTENTS. Section II. — BUCKINGHAMSHIRE — continued. Route Page 16 Aylesbury to Bicester: Over Winchendon , Brill , Boar- stall Tower, Ludger shall, Grendon-under-Bernwood . 160 17 Bletchley to Bicester: New- ton Longueville , Whaddon, Winslow, Clay don . . . . 162 18 Tring to Roade : Drayton Beauchamp, Aston Clinton , Route Page Ashridge Park , Ivinghoe , Mentmore, Wing, Stewkley, Bletchley, Fenny Stratford, Stony Stratford, Castle- thorpe 164 18 A Wolverton to Newport Pag- nell and Olney: Gay hurst, Clifton Beynes, Weston Underwood, Ravenstone . .169 Section III.-OXFOEDSHIEE. Introduction Route Page 19 London to Oxford . . . .185 I. Colleges, p. 178. II. Chur- ches, 212. III. Other Ob- jects of Interest, p. 214. Excursions, p. 220. Blen- heim, p. 236. 20 Henley to Oxford by Road : Rotherfield, Ewelme, Ben - sington, Dorchester . . . 257 21 High Wycombe to Oxford by Road: Stockenchurch, Great Milton 261 22 Thame to Oxford : Rycote Park, Alhury, Wheatley . . 263 23 Watlington to Oxford by Road .: Pyrton, Shirbourne Castle, the Britwells, Chal- grove, Chiselhampton, Gar- sington, Cowley 265 24 Oxford to Cropredy : Kidling- ton, Rousham, Deddington, Adderbury, Bloxham , Ban- Index Page 174 Route bury, Broughton Castle, Wroxton Abbey, Hanwell Castle ....... 269 25 Oxford to Witney and Bur- ford : Yarnton, Eynsham, [Coggs, Ducklington, Bamp- ton-in-the-Bush, Black Bour- ton\, Minster Lovell . . .279 26 Oxford to Chipping Norton: Stonesfield , Charlbury, Bland- ford Park, Wychwood Forest, Shipton, Churchill, Rollright Stones ? Hook Nor- ton , . 287 27 Oxford to Chipping Norton by Road : Nether Kidding- ton, Ditchley, Spilsbury, En - stone, Great Tew, Heythorpe, Cold Norton 293 28 Oxford to Launton : Bicester, Middleton Stony, Cavers - field . 297 299 MAPS AND PLANS. Windsor Castle to face page 12 Oxford „ 174 Travelling Map of Berks, Bucks, and Oxfordshire . . at the end • HANDBOOK FOR BERKS, BUCKS, AND OXEORDSHIRE. SECTION I. BERKSHIRE. INTRODUCTION. J? age Boundaries and Divisions ... 1 Geology 2 Rivers, Canals, and Railways . . 3 Climate, Agriculture, Manufactures 4 History 4 Antiquities 6 Churches Views . Country Seats . Picture Galleries Dialect , Skeleton Tour . Page . 8 . 8 . 8 . 9 . 9 . 9 ' Boundaries and Divisions . — Berkshire, written Barkshire by Leland, and so pronounced in the locality, is styled by the Saxon Chroniclers Bearrucscire, and by mediaeval writers Bercheira. The real meaning of the name is doubtful. Asser fancifully derives it from “ the wood of Berroc, where the box-tree grows most abundantly ” {Life of Alfred ) ; others from some great “bare oak” (“ such is the meaning of Berroc”), under which public assemblies were held. The name given by Caesar {Bell. Gall.) to the people of the western part of the district is Bibroci, which does not assist in the solution. Berkshire is bounded on the N. by Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Bucks, from all of which it is separated by the Thames ; on the W. by Wilts ; on the S.W. by Hants ; on the S.E. by Surrey. The extreme length of the county (from Shrivenham to Old Windsor) is 50 m., and its extreme breadth (from the Thames N.W. of Oxford to the border of Hants below Newbury) 31 m. Its area is 752 sq. m. Population in 1861, 176, 256; in 1871, 196,475, and in 1881, 218,382. The county, with its included boroughs, returns 8 members to Parliament. “ Berkshire naturally divides itself into 4 districts. Of these the [Berks, &c . ] b * Geology . Introd. northern district is the Yale of White Horse, and the southern the Yale of the Kennet. Each of these vales runs E. and W., and between them the hill district, a high chalk range, the continuation of the Wiltshire downs, runs right across the county, from Lambourne and Ashdown in the W. to Streatley in the E. At Streatley the Thames passes through this range of hills, which, after the temporary interruption, march away N.E. through Oxfordshire and Bucks ; but, as though unwilling to let the queen of English rivers slip entirely away from them, the hills recross the stream into Berks at Wargrave, and from that point to Maidenhead, confine the Thames again in a chalky embrace. This small outlying district of chalk forms the N. part of the fourth or forest district of Berks. The remainder of the forest district, comprising the towns of Windsor and Wokingham, Windsor Forest, Ascot Heath, and the neighbouring villages, is separated from the Yale of Kennet by the river Loddon. “Each of these four districts has its distinct characteristics, and each has minor divisions of its own. Thus, the Yale of the White Horse comprises on its N. side a low range of secondary hills, which run along the bank of the Thames from Faringdon to Radley, and include Cumnor and Bagley Wood. These are sand-hills, while the soil of the vale proper is for the most part a strong grey loam, mixed with large quantities of vegetable mould. “ The hill district includes the high chalk range, of which the White Horse Hill and Cuckamsley Hill (or Scuchamore Knob) are the highest points. Towards the N. the range is bold, and the descent into the vale steep, and the hills are indented with a number of little ‘ cooms’ or meadows clothed with copse, while towards the S. it melts gradually away into the Vale of the Kennet. There is very little soil over the chalk on the hi gher part of the range, which is still used chiefly for sheep-walks. “The Yale of the Kennet comprises the low lands which lie along its banks, and ijnclude clays, gravels, and a large and deep bed of peat ; and the strip o f wild and high sandy common land which runs along the extreme S.l boundary of the county. “ The Fores! district comprises the small outlying piece of the chalk range which hsj.s strayed back over the Thames at Wargrave, and leaves it at Maidenhead, and the forest proper, which, however, includes towns and flourishing; hamlets, and many hundred acres of good enclosed land, from Windsor do the Loddon. Formerly the forest stretched right away up the Yale of Kennet to Hungerford, some 40 miles as the crow flies. ,, — Quarterly Review , No. 211. Leland speaks of a “great warfeage of timbre and fie r wood at the W. ende of the (Maidenhead) bridge ; and this wood,” he adds, “ cummith out of Barkshir, and the great woddis of the forest of Windelesore and the greate Frithe.” Windsor Castle stands on a solitary mass of chalk, surrounded by stiff clay. Geology.-- The geology of Berkshire is interesting, and it has been studied by Rfrestwich, Rupert Jones, Whitaker, and others. The oldest Berkshire. 3 Rivers , Canals , and Railways . rocks belong to the Oolite, and are found in the N.W. of the county, in the form of Coral Eag, Oxford Clay, Kimmeridge Clay, and Portland Sand. The Cretaceous system is well represented, and constitutes the central portion of the county. The Eocene is represented by the Beading Beds, and the London Clay near Newbury. There are also deposits of alluvium, and many remains of prehistoric man have been found in the barrows of the Berkshire Downs. Rivers^ Canals , and Railways . — The Thames, which becomes the boundary of the county near Lechlade, in a circuitous course of 110 m., divides it from Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Bucks. The lower part of its course is extremely beautiful, and the river itself — “ Though deep, yet clear ; though gentle, yet not dull ; Strong without rage ; without o’erflowing, full.” — Denham. At Abingdon it receives the Och , which rises near Shrivenham, and during its course of 20 m. has several small tributaries ; the pike in this river are esteemed remarkably line. In the parish of Sonning the Thames is joined by “ The Kennet swift, for silver eels renown’d ” (Pope'), which, rising in Wilts, enters Berkshire near Hungerford, and, flowing E. for 30 m., receives — 1, near Newbury, the Lamborne, which rises in the chalk-hills above the town of that name, and has a course of 15 m. ; 2, near Aldermaston, the Enburn, which rises near Inkpen, and flows E. for 17 m. Both the Kennet and the Lamborne are good fish- ing-streams, and produce trout, eels, crayfish, roach, and dace. The trout of the Kennet are of great size ; those of the Lamborne are of paler colour and not so much esteemed. The Kennet has been made navig- able from Newbury to the Thames, a distance by the stream of 20 m. Between Shiplake and Wargrave “ The Loddon slow, with verdant alders crown’d ” (Pope), falls into the Thames at Beading. The Black water rises near Aider- shot, in Hampshire, and forms the boundary between Surrey and Hampshire for 7 m.'; then for 8 m. or 9 m. it forms the boundary between Berkshire and Hampshire, till it joins the Whitewater near Swallowfield, at Thatchers Ford, for which for 7 m. it forms a boundary, and afterwards flows for 12 m. within the county, passing through Hurst Park, and receiving the Emme brook on the way. The small river Cole rises near Shrivenham, divides Berks from Wilts, and falls into the Thames near Lechlade. Berkshire has two canals : 1, the Wilts and Berks Canal , which leaving the Thames just below Abingdon, is carried through the Yale of White Horse, past Wantage, into Wiltshire; 2, the Kennet and Avon Canal , which commences at Newbury, forming a continuation of the river Kennet navigation, and passes up the Yale of Kennet by Hunger- ford into Wiltshire. b 2 4 Climate , Agriculture , Manufactures , History. In trod. The Great Western Railway traverses Berkshire from Maidenhead to Shrivenham, with branch lines from Didcot to Oxford, from Maiden- head to High Wycombe, and from Reading to Hunger ford. There are also lines from Reading to Basingstoke, and from Didcot to Newbury. The South-Eastern and South-Western Companies have some mileage in the county ; their lines unite at Wokingham, and have a common stat. at Reading. Climate , Agriculture , Manufactures . — The climate of Berks is esteemed one of the healthiest in England. The chalk-hills in the W. are remarkable for their invigorating air, and the vales, having pure streams running through them, are considered no less healthy. Agri- culture has attained only a moderate degree of perfection in Berks. In the rich soil of the vales great crops of corn are obtained with slight trouble; and the county abounds in yeomen, who cultivate small farms of 40, 50, or 80 acres, and are slow to adopt modern improvements. Jethro Tull, the famous agriculturist (d. 1740, set. 60), introduced the practice of drilling at Prosperous Farm near Shalbourn, and professional drillmen now obtain a livelihood by going from place to place and letting out a drilling-machine to farmers who cannot afford one of their own. A valuable manure for clover is obtained by converting into ashes a sub- stratum of a species of peat, of compact vegetable matter, by which the meadows on the Kennet, near Newbury, are underlaid. The country near Reading abounds in market-gardens ; water-cresses are cultivated at Letcombe and elsewhere for the London market on a very large scale ; and the banks and low islands of the Thames are frequently cultivated as osier-beds, and are found exceedingly profitable. Berkshire is celebrated for its pigs. The true breed is black with white spots, but some are nearly white ; their snouts are short, jowls thick, and their ears stand up. The Berkshire sheep, called the Not , is now almost superseded. The clothing trade was very early established in Berkshire, and many places that are now mere villages were once market towns. The chief manufactures now are of paper, on a limited scale, rope, twine, and sacking, and— which is of recent introduction — of agricultural implements, and coarse pottery. Brewers, maltsters, and millers carry on business on a large scale in many of the towns, and the breeding and training of race-horses employs many hands about the Ilsleys and other places on the downs. As purely local, but yet from their extent important branches of business, may be mentioned Huntley and Palmer’s biscuit factories, and Suttons’ flower-farm, both at Reading, and Hyde and Clark’s clothing factory at Abingdon. History . — The earliest inhabitants of Berkshire are supposed to have been the Attrebates in the N., the Bibroces in the S.E., and the Segon- tiaci in the S.W. Berkshire was included in the Roman province of Britannia Prima, and the station of Spinas occupied the site of Speen- hamland near Newbury. Other Roman stations are said, but with less ^certainty, to have existed in the county : Bibracte is fixed by Whittaker Berkshire. 5 History. at Bray ; Pontes, by Horsley (‘Britannia Romana’), at Datchet, though it was more probably at Staines ; and Camden thought that Calleva was identical with Wallingford ; later research has placed it at Silchester (see Handbook for Hants). Under the Heptarchy, Berkshire belonged to Wessex ; but Offa of Mercia conquered a large part of it from Cynewulf. Wantage was a royal seat in the time of Ethelwulf, and there his son Alfred the Great was born. Berkshire was the scene of many conflicts with the Danes, and the figure of the White Horse near Uffington (Rte. 5) has been till of late regarded as the memorial of a victory gained over them by Alfred and his brother Ethelred ; but this idea is now given up by antiquaries in general. We know from the 4 Saxon Chronicle ’ that in the year 871 the Danes took Reading, and shortly after fought three battles, in two of which they were defeated, the last time at iEscesdun (the hill of the Ash-tree), the precise locality of which seems not ascertainable, farther than that it was not near Uffington. Turner (‘History of the Anglo-Saxons’) thinks that Merantune, where the Saxons were soon afterwards defeated, and where Ethelred was mortally wounded, was Moreton, near Wallingford ; and Lysons identifies the Ethandane, where Alfred gained the victory which restored him to his throne, with Eddington, near Hungerford ; but these identifications are now believed to be erroneous. Berkshire was repeatedly ravaged by the Danes, and both Reading and Wallingford were burnt by them in 1006. At Wallingford the Conqueror received the submission of Archbp. Stigand and the principal Saxon nobles, before marching to London. There a castle was built by his chief captain in these parts, Robert D’Oiley, where the fugitive Matilda found a secure refuge in 1141, and there, in 1153, the convention of Wallingford declared that Stephen was to reign for life, but that Henry II. was to be his successor. No great events occurred in the county in connection with the Wars of the Roses, but this was amply atoned for in the Civil War. Then Reading, Abingdon, Wallingford, and Faringdon all sustained sieges, and the two sanguinary battles of Newbury were fought. The army of the Prince of Orange occupied the county, and it was at Hungerford that he came to an agreement with' King James’s commissioners. Windsor, from which Berks has received the name of “the Royal County,” was a residence of the sovereigns before the existing Castle was built : William the Conqueror, William Rufus, and Henry I. kept their Christmas at Windsor. Henry I. was married there to his second queen, Adeliza of Louvaine. In 1263 it was seized by Simon de Mont- fort. In 1349 Edward III. founded the Order of the Garter, and about the same time he began the enlargement of the Castle. From the time of Edward IY. to the death of William IV. the Castle chapel was the frequent burial-place of royalty. George III. and George IV. were fre- quent residents at Windsor, and, from his great love of the county, and his frequently hunting over it, George III. was especially considered 44 a Berkshire gentleman,” and in this capacity presented the organ of Salisbury Cathedral, as the inscription on its front testifies. Introd. 6 Antiquities. Beading Abbey was founded by Henry I., wbo was buried within its walls, with his queen Adeliza, his daughter Matilda, and Prince William, son of Henry II. There in 1359 John of Gaunt was married to Blanche of Lancaster; and there also, in 1464, the marriage of Edward 1Y. to Elizabeth Woodville was first made public. In the town of Beading Archbp. Laud was born, 1578. Earingdon Castle, defended by Bobert Earl of Gloucester against Stephen, was totally destroyed by him when taken. Wallingford Castle defied all his efforts, and remained to stand a siege in the Civil War. Badcot Bridge was the scene of the defeat of Yere Earl of Oxford (1389) in the reign of Bichard II. Bisham contained the graves of Bichard Neville the Kingmaker, and his brother, Lord Montague (1470), and of Edward Plantagenet, the Nevilles’ grandson. Cumnor was rendered famous by the death of Amy Bobsart. Buscombe was the residence of the Quaker Penn ; and Besilsleigh the home of the Speaker Lenthall. Caversham Bridge was the scene of a skirmish (1643), and Newbury of two great battles (1643-44), during the civil wars, when Donnington Castle became illustrious by its brave defence against the Parliamentarians, having been before renowned for its supposed con- nection with Chaucer. Lady Place at Hurley was the spot where the coming of William of Orange was arranged, and the skirmish at Beading was the first sign of opposition to his mounting the throne. Antiquities . — Several Roman roads, in all probability only adaptations of British ones, crossed the county ; that from Glevum (Gloucester) to Londinium entered Berks near Lamborne, and is still traceable as far as Spinas (Speenhamland). The Icknield Street crossed the county in two lines, one represented by “ the Ridge Way,” which runs along the edge of the chalk range, over E. and W. Ilsley Downs, Cuckamsley Hill, &c., and the other by the road beneath the same hills which is known as the Ickleton Way ; the two unite again, when once clear of its hills. Part of the road from Silchester to London is traceable on Bagshot Heath, and is known as “ the Devil’s Highway.” The site of the Roman station of Spinse is unquestionable ; and the vallum which surrounded Walling- ford is still to be traced. The Berkshire hills are in very numerous instances crowned by Camps , about which antiquaries were formerly divided, some considering them Roman, others Danish. It is now ascertained that, in the majo- rity of instances, they are British. Among the most noted may be mentioned, Uffington Castle, on White Horse Hill; Hard well Castle, and Alfred’s Castle, all in the W. part of the county ; Letcombe or Sagsbury, Cherbury Camp, near Pusey ; Badbury Camp, near Faringdon ; and Sinodun Hill, near Wittenham. Coles Pits, at Little Cox well, are probably the remains of a British town. The chalk downs which stretch across the N. of the county are literally studded with Barrows , of which that on Cuckamsley Hill, the group called the Seven Barrows, near Lamborne, and Churn Knob, near Blewbury, are perhaps the most remarkable. Equally noticeable are the “ dykes ” Berkshire. 7 which traverse the hills, and have hitherto been considered merely as roads ; now it is thought probable that they were lines of defence, or at least of boundary between the British tribes. Warton, in his 4 History of Kiddington,’ makes some interesting remarks on the subject. 44 These ramparts,” he says, 44 seem intended to have had some effect even on the eye. Being dug out of a bed of chalk, and belting the hills far and wide with white, more especially if we suppose some assistance from an artificial facing, they must have been visible at a vast distance ; and this whiteness they might have retained for much more than a century, till the putrescence of their surfaces at length created a coat of mould and turf. In the same manner, barrows dispersed over a boundless length of verdant plains were at first conspicuous and striking studs of white for many miles. Here was a savage idea of sepulchral pomp; and these open monuments of Saxon or Danish chieftains by no means exhibited their present figure of common and obscure hillocks, in their early construction. They must have had even a picturesque appearance in the landscape. With the same notions the Saxons conceived and fabri- cated their famous military trophy, the White Horse.” This last is the great antiquity of the county, probably older than is generally supposed; Wayland Smith’s Cave and the Blowing Stone are also both of much interest. They all stand in a district where the sports of the field are actively pursued, and often serve as places for meets of hounds ; so, are little likely to be interfered with. One great sport pursued there is coursing, so vividly described by Sylvester, the Lam- borne poet : — “ So have 1 seen on Lamborne’s pleasant downs, When yelping beagles, or some deeper hounds, Have start a hare, how milk-white Minks and Lun (Grey bitches both, the best that ever run) Held in one leash, have leapt, and strained, and whined, To be restrained, till, to their master’s mind, They might be slipt to purpose ; that, for sport, Watt might have law neither too long nor short.” Of ancient Castles there are scarcely any remains except at Windsor. A fragment of a tower a*nd an oriel window is left of Wallingford ; at Donnington there is a picturesque gateway ; at Shillingford some chim- neys ; of Aid worth only the foundations remain. Reading, Newbury, Faringdon, and Brightwell castles have entirely disappeared. The oldest Manor-house in Berks is that of Appleton near Abingdon, supposed to be temp. Henry II. East Hendred retains its ancient domestic chapel of the 13th centy. The manor-house of Cumnor is destroyed. Fyfield has the solar in a very perfect state ; the hall has Dec. doorways. There are remains of Tudor houses at Wytham, Sutton Courtenay near Abingdon, and Little Shefford near Newbury. The beautiful old timber mansion of the Norreys family at Ockwells, and Ufton Court, the home of Pope’s Arabella Fermor, are now only farmhouses. Shaw House, near Newbury, is a good specimen of the Elizabethan period. The principal Monastic Bemains are those of Abingdon, where the 8 Introd. Antiquities , §c, gatehouse and some portions of the abbot’s house are still standing ; and of Reading, where the abbey mills, and shapeless fragments of the church and other parts remain ; the gatehouse, which stood till 1861, has been rebuilt. The ancient doorway of Bisham is built into the beautiful hut later manor-house. Some small traces are left of the Benedictine Monastery at Hurley ; and the church ofj^he Grey Friars at Reading has been restored. Among the Churches of the county, Avington deserves the first place, as an interesting and perfect specimen of very early Norman. The little church of Padworth, though much injured, presents some good Norm, details. Uffington is a remarkable and perfect E. E. church. Shottesbrooke is a fine specimen of Dec. ; and St. George’s Chapel at Windsor of Perp. The churches of St. Helen Abingdon, Wantage, Faringdon, Bisham, and Sonning are all of much interest. Welford and Great Shefford have ancient round towers, and Tidmarsh and Remenham semicircular apses. To the antiquary and ecclesiologist the following church details will be interesting. Fonts . — Many of early character, and good. Norm . Appleford, Eaton Blastings, Finchampstead, Purley, Sulhamstead, Great Shefford, Welford. E. E. Englefield, Hatford, Wantage; Childrey, Long Wit- tenham, and Woolhampton, of lead, as is also Clewer (Norm.) Dec. Ardington, Buckland. Perp . Chieveley, Compton Beauchamp, Dench- worth* Hagbourn, Hurley, St. Lawrence and St. Mary Reading, Steventon. Glass . — 14 th cent. Basildon, Brightwell, Hagbourne, Long Wit- tenham, North Moreton. 15i th cent . Letcombe Regis, Shillingford, Sutton Courtenay, St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, Little Shefford. Tombs . — 13^ cent. Cumnor, Didcot. lA:th cent. Aldworth (very remarkable), Hatford, Sparsholt (wooden effigies), Sonning, Wantage. 15 th cent. Englefield, Fyfield, St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, Little Shefford. Brasses . — Blewbury, Bray, Childrey, Dench worth, West Hanney, East Hendred, Lamborne, Shottesbrooke, Wantage, Windsor, Little Wittenham.* The Views from White Horse Hill, from Faringdon Clump, from Sinodun Hill near Wittenham, and from Cumnor Hurst, command a wide extent of country. That of Oxford from Bagley Wood is of great beauty, as is that of the course of the Thames, from the hills above Bisham, and above Medmenham. Of Country Seats the most remarkable are Ashdown, high up among the downs ; Coleshill, a good and perfect specimen of the architecture of Inigo Jones ; Pusey, from having been given to the family of that name in the time of Canute; Wytham Abbey, with its beautiful woods; * In the dearth of topographical works on Berkshire our readers will thank us for mentioning the ‘Address on the Archaeology of Berkshire/ by the Earl of Carnarvon. Murray, 1859. This little brochure is equally attractive for the elegance of the style in which it is written and the extreme interest of the facts selected. Berkshire. Skeleton Tour. 9 and the modem houses of Bearwood, Beckett, and Aldermaston, the latter of which is also remarkable for its wild park and “ snakery,” and its fine old timber. The best collection of Pictures , after Windsor, are the galleries of Bearwood, and Basildon ; Coleshill, Buckland, and Beckett also contain a few good pictures. The Angler will find abundant employment on the banks of the Thames and of the Kennet, especially near Hungerford, mentioned by Evelyn as “celebrated for its troutes.” The Artist will be chiefly interested in the distant views of Windsor, in the older parts of the Forest, and in the scenery on the banks of the Thames, especially near Pangbourne, Bisham, and Maidenhead. Picturesque bits may also be found at Abingdon, Donnington Castle, Little Shefford, and among the hills near Aldermaston ; and the villages on the downs, often almost hidden in trees, have a character of their own, that will repay the sketcher. The Berkshire Dialect , once very strongly marked, is giving way before the progress of education, but him and her , he and she, us and we, are still constantly misapplied ; a and o are interchanged, z takes the place of s, and v of /, and thih and tliah stand for this and that. A girl, complaining of her stepmother, said, “ Whaat’s her to do wi’ we ? uz doan’t balong to zhee.” A slight specimen of this dialect may be given, which fairly represents the pronunciation of the villagers on the downs; it is from the ballad of ‘The Scouring of the White Horse 5 (Rte. 5) : — “ Tha owld Wheete Haarse waants zetten a reets, Aap’ tha Squyeer haa praamized gud chaar ; Zo waa’ll gee un aa scraap tu kape un in zkaap, Aan’ a’li laazt vor maany aa yaar. “ A wus maad aa laang laang teem agwo, Wi’ aa gurt daal o’ laabour aan’ paains, Bey Keng Aalfard tha Graat, whan a spwiled thaar consate, Aan’ caadled thay wosherds tha Daans. “ Tha Bleaawun Stwun en daays gwoon bey Wur Keng A'alfard’s boogie haam ; Aan’ tha thaarnin’ tree yu med plaanly zee, Aaz be caall’d Keng Aalfard’s thaarn. " Thaar ’ll bey baakzwaard plaay, aan’ climmin’ tha powl, Aan’ aa raace vur aa peg aan’ a chaaze, Aan’ uz thenks aaz hizn’s aa dummell zowl Aaz dwoant caare vur zich spwoorts aaz thaaze.” SKELETON TOUR. The following week’s tour comprises all the chief objects of interest in the county : — Days. 1. Windsor, by the Forest, Binfield, and Bearwood, to Reading. (Rtes. 1 , 2 , 3 .) Skeleton Tour . Introd. 10 Days. 2. Beading , Abbey Ruins and Churches By rail to Aldermaston (and Cfton Court), thence to Newbury. Shaw House and Donnington Castle. (Rte. 6.) 3. By Avington, Wickham, Welford, and the ShefFords, to Lamborne. (Rte. 7.) 4. By the Seven Barrows, Wayland Smith’s Cave, the White Horse, Uffing- ton, and Sparsholt, to Wantage. (Rte. 5.) 5. Faringdon, Pusey, Fy field, Besilsleigh, Appleton, Cumnor, to Abingdon (Rtes. 8, 9.) 6. Sutton Courtenay, Wittenham, Wallingford, Cholsey, Aldworth, Basil- don, Pangbourne. (Rtes. 4, 5.) 7. Rail to Twyford — Sonning, Wargrave, Hurley, Bisham (or by water down the Thames, a most delightful excursion , see Rte. 10) to Maiden- head, whence see Bray, Ockwells, Shottesbrooke. (Rte. 4.) Sect. I. ( 11 ) ROUTES. *** The names of places are printed in italics only in those routes where the places are described. ROUTE PAGE 1 Windsor : the Castle and the Great Park 9 2 Windsor to Reading, by Road : Clewer , Winkfield , Warfield , Binfield , Hurst . . . .31 3 Staines to Reading : Sunning - dale , Ascot , Wokingham , Bearwood , [ Wellington Col- lege , . . . .33 4 Maidenhead to Didcot : Bray , Shottesbrooke, Twyford , Bead- ing , [AWioortfA], Walling- ford ], the Wittenhams . . 37 5 Didcot to Swindon: Sutton Courtenay , Wantage , [Let- combe, Sparsholt], Stanford- in - the - Vale, Ujfington, White Horse Hill, [Faring - don], Shrivenham . .49 6 Reading to Newbury and ROUTE PAGE Hungerford ; Tilehurst, En- glefield, Aldermaston. . . 57 7 Newbury to Shrivenham, by Welford, East and Shefford, Lamborne, and AsA- cfowft 70 8 Newbury to Oxford, by and Abingdon ... 74 9 Oxford to Highworth, by Cumnor, Besilsleigh, Fy field, Pusey, Buckland, Faringdon, and Cole shill 86 10 The Thames — from Goring to Maidenhead, by Pangbourne, Mapledurham, Caversham, Sonning, Shiplake, Wargrave, Henley, Medmenham, Hurley , Bisham, Marlow , Hedsor, Cookham [. Dropmore ], and Cliefden 92 * ROUTE 1. WINDSOR: THE CASTLE AND THE GREAT PARK. Great Western or South-Western Rlys. Abbot’s Pile, p. 13 Barracks, 13 Bridges, 12 Castle, its foundation, 13 4 Age of the different parts, 14 Clewer Tower, 14 Devil’s Tower, 1 5 Domus Regis, 15, 22 Dragon Fountain, Queen Mary’s, 23 Garter Hall, 15, 24 George IV. Gateway, 15 Grand Vestibule, 25 Guard Chamber, 24 Henry Ill.’s Tower, 15 Henry Vlll.’s Gateway, 15 History, 14 Ring John’s Tower, 1 5 Lord Chamberlain’s Office, 13, 22 Lower Ward, 15 Norman Gate, the, 23 Presence Chamber, 24 Public Entrance, 15 Queen’s Audience Cham- ber, 24 Index. Queen’s Closet, 26 Entrance, 15 Presence Chamber, 24 Great Drawing- ' room, 27 Rose Tower, 15 ; 22, 24 Round Tower ; celebrated prisoners, 22 Rubens Room, 26 St. George’s Hall, 24 State Ante-room, 25 State Apartments, 24 Terrace, 28 Upper Ward, 23 Vandyke Room, 25 Waterloo Chamber, 25 Winchester Tower, 22 Wyatt (or Wyattville), re- storations, 14, 23 Wykeham, William of, his buildings, 14 Church, 12 St. George’s Chapel, 15 Albert MemorialChapel,19 Aldworth Chapel, 20 Beauchamp, bishop of Salis- bury, memorial niche of, 19 Beaufort Chapel, 16 Brandon, Charles, tomb of, 20 Bray Chapel, 21 Brooke, George, inscrip- tion, 15 Canons’ Cloister, 22 Chapter House, 18 Charles I., grave of, 17 Choir, 16 Dean’s Cloisters, 21 Deanery, the, 22; parting of Richard 11. and his queen at, 22 Edward IV. tomb of, 18 Exeter, Anne, Duchess of, 18 Garter, Order of the, 16 Gloucester, Mary, Duchess of, 20 Harcourt, Lord, statue of, 18 Hastings Chantry, 18 12 Route 1. — Windsor. Sect. I. St. George’s Chapel — Henry VI., grave and relics of, 19 Henry VIII., grave of, 16 Horseshoe Cloister, 15 King’s Chapel, 20 ; tombs, 20 Lady Chapel, 16 ; Leopold, King, monument, 16,21 Lincoln Chapel, 19 Oxenbridge Chapel, 20 Princess Charlotte, monu- ment of, 16 Relics, numerous, 21 Royal Closet, 16 Tomb House, 18 —— Personages buried, 16 Vault, 16 Rutland Chapel, 16 Scott, Sir G. G., tomb by, [20 Seymour, Queen Jane, tomb of, 16 Test wood, canon, his pro- test against relic wor- ship, 20 Urswick Chapel, 16 Windows, painted, 14 Wolsey’s Tomb - house, 18 Woodville, Queen Eliza- beth, tomb of, 18 House of Mrs. Page, 12 Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, »3 Hundred Steps, 12, 22 Inns, 12 Knights of Windsor, 15 Mausoleums at Frogmore, 29 Queen’s Private Apart- ments — Armoury, 27 Corridor, 27 Council Chamber, 26 Drawings by the Old Mas- ters, 27 English Historical Prints, 28 Queen’s Apartments — Great Drawing-Room, 27 King’s Room, 27 Plate Room 27 Private Garden, 28 Library, 27 Railways to, 12 Town Hall, 12 Visitors, hints to, 13 Windsor Forest, 31 Windsor Great Park, 30 Cranbourne Lodge, 30 Cumberland Lodge, 30 Long Walk, 30 Royal Lodge, 30 Sandpit Gate Heronry, 30 Snow Hill, statue of George III. at, 30 Virginia Water, 31 Windsor Home Park, 29 Adelaide Lodge, 29 Frogmore, 29 Herne’s Oak, 29 Slopes, the, 29 Windsor, Old, 30 Windsor may be reached from almost any part of London in little more than an hour, by proceeding on the Metropolitan or Metropolitan District lines to Paddington (or on the West London line to Southall), and joining the G. W. Ely., on which we travel to Slough (Rte. 11), and thence pass on a branch to Windsor. Or it may be reached, in just as little time,fromCannon-street,Ludgate-hill or Waterloo, proceeding by the S.-W. Ely. through Richmond, Staines, and Datchet ; this line, in the latter part of its course, skirts the Thames, and affords very fine views of the Castle and Home Park. Carriages and flys are to be had at each terminus. The G. W. stat. is in George-street, very near Castle-hill ; the S.-W. is in Datchet-road, and is built in imita- tion of the Perp. style of architecture. Almost contiguous to it, facing Thames-street, is an approach to the Castle, called the Hundred Steps, by which access is gained to the Lower Ward. They are somewhat fatiguing to ascend. The town of Windsor {Inns: White Hart, Castle) stands on the right bank of the Thames, opposite Eton, and has for ages been famous, not only for its fine situation, but for its Castle having been, at least from the early part of the 12th centy., a customary residence of the Sovereign {post). It is an ancient borough, now returning 1 M.P. (Pop. 12,273), is connected with Eton and Datchet by handsome iron Bridges , and is placed mainly to the S. and W. of the Castle, the mound of which occupies the E. side of the High- street. The Church , a modern E. E. structure (rebuilt 1822), has pre- served a few monuments from the old ch., and has also an altar-piece ot the Lord’s Supper, of early execu- tion, which was discovered in 1707 hidden behind wainscoting in St. George’s Chapel, and was in use there till 1788, when it was displaced, and was presented to the parish by George III. A district church. Trinity, erected in 1843, has a hand- some carved stone pulpit, a memo- rial of Col. Stephenson, Coldstream Guards. There are two chapels of ease: the second erected in 1876. The Town Hall , built by Sir C. Wren, has on the exterior statues of Queen Anne and Prince George of Den- mark, and in the hall portraits of handbook map of oxford, berks & Buckingham h Borough/Towns •_ ■*= Devises Pnrlcs & Gentlemens Seals _ Antiquities thus ^Stonehenge ./lutlwn.u‘d Jlailway tines 13 ms — Hamlets __ ■ o-'it Points of View Biycrs. ;==- Xajbv 0=3 Battlefields X Omrdves ; j ...■.! ■ ’ iWatfoi'd ratfbioion ' 1 ■■tobfienr.' TublifhaL by JohjvMurrq y. . UlonAon J882 Berkshire. Route 1 . — Windsor: the Castle . 13 Sovereigns and others, some being the gift of George IY. The Barracks , which accommodate both horse and foot, are near the Great Park. The Cavalry Barracks are at Spittal. The Infantry (Victoria) Barracks are in Sheet Street. Near the river, at the foot of the Hundred Steps, on the rt., was a house, destroyed 1860, supposed, with much reason, to have been that which Shakespeare had in his mind, as the House of Mrs. Page , in the * Merry Wives of Windsor/ This part of the town, then called “ Windsor Underowre,” was formerly the property of the Abbot of Read- ing. The only memorial of this pos- session is in the Abbot’s Pile, a name still retained for a wooden pile on the Eton hank of the Thames, near Tangier Mill (Annals of Windsor). The bridge connecting Windsor with Eton (Rte. 11), commands a fine view of the Castle. A public-house in Peascod- street, called the Duke’s Head , derives its name from having been the house of Yilliers, Duke of Buckingham. Thither Charles II. used to come from the Castle, and thence they used to walk together to Filberts, the house of Nell Gwynne.' Hints for Visitors. — The State Apartments at Windsor Castle are open gratuitously to the public , during the absence of the Court , on Mondays, Tuesdays , Thursdays , and Fridays , between 11 and 4 from April 1 to Oct. 31 ; and between 11 and 3 from Nov. 1 to March 31. Visitors or residents in Windsor may obtain tickets at the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, near the Winchester Tower , at the head of the Lower Ward of the Castle , the tickets being available for the day of issue only . The Boyal Stables and Biding - School may be seen between 1 and 3 by an order from the Clerk of the Stables. The Bound Tower is open on the same days as the Castle , and needs no ticket of admission, but a guide is required. 2 hrs. are hardly enough to see well Castle, Terrace, and Chapel. The Albert Memorial Chapel can be visited every day, except Mondays and Tuesdays, between 12 and 3. St. George’s Chapel may be viewed daily (excepting Wednesdays) between 12^ a.m . and 4 p.m. Divine service on Sundays at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. ; on week days at 10.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. The North Terrace is open all day long, and should be visited for the sake of its splendid prospect; some visitors will also find an attraction in a monster gun from China placed there. The circuit of the three ter- races, which gives a view of the beautiful sunk garden in front of the Private Apartments , can be made only on Saturdays and Sundays, in the absence of the Court. Windsor Castle occupies a com- manding and isolated eminence of chalk, the only one within a circuit of many miles. On all sides it is a most picturesque object, but the best views are those from the South- Western Ely. near Datchet ; from the curve of the Great Western Rly. before reaching the Stat., where the broad river, overhung by the old houses of the town, is seen washing the base of the Castle-hill ; and from the hill at the end of the Long Avenue, whence the “proud keep of Windsor,” as it is described by Burke, is seen rising above a forest of oaks and beeches. Windsor, then called Windlesore, from the winding river, was the pro- perty of Edward the Confessor, who, “ for the hope of eternal reward, for the remission of all his sins, the sins of his father, mother, and ancestors, and to the praise of God,” gave it to the Abbey of Westminster ; but William the Conqueror, “being en- amoured of the pleasant situation 14 Route 1. — Windsor: the Castle . Sect. I. of the place, first built several little lodges in the forest for the conveni- ence of hunting and finally, justly estimating the commanding situa- tion of the hill, obtained it in ex- change for some lands in Essex, and built a Norm, castle on the height, which Henry I. added to. From his reign to the present time, Windsor Oastle has been the frequent residence of the Sovereign ; and many great councils of the realm have been held within its walls. Henry I. married here in 1122 his 2nd wife Adeliza, when the Arch- bishop of Canterbury was so furious at the Bishop of Salisbury putting on the crown of the new Queen, “ that he could hardly be entreated by the lords to refrain from striking off that of the King/’ Here Henry II., as Fabyan narrates, caused an old eagle to be painted on the walls, with four smaller birds, of which three tore its body, and the fourth pecked out its eyes ; and when asked its meaning, he said, “ These betoken my four sons, which cease not to pursue my death, especially my youngest son John.” John frequently resided here, and hence his grant of Magna Charta at Runnymede (see Hand- book for Surrey ). Here many chil- dren were born to the royal Henrys and Edwards, the greatest of whom, afterwards Edward III. (born Nov. 13, 1312), hence derived his appella- tion of Edward of Windsor / ’ In this castle he founded the Order of the Garter in 1319, with the motto, “ Honi soit qui mal y pense ” (lite- rally, “ Shame be to him who thinks evil of it”) ; and, converting the old fortress into a residence for its officers, and for the dean and canons of the Church, he built a new palace higher up the hill to the E., for his own use, under the superintendence of William of Wykeham. Edward the Black Prince married the Fair Maid of Kent in the Castle Chapel. Here, also, the aged King sorrowed over the deathbed of Philippa, the “ good Queen of England,” a scene touchingly described by Froissart. At Windsor was born Henry VI., contrary to the wishes of his father, who is said to have prophesied, — “ I, Henry, bom at Monmouth, Shall small time reign, and much get, But Henry of Windsor shall reign long and lose all.” The Castle was much altered and modernised by George IV. under Wyatt, who was knighted and changed his name to Wyattville. Wyatt professed to preserve the general features of the ancient fortress, and yet to adapt it to the requirements of modern comfort ; but the lover of history must regret that the Castle, added to by so many kings, and presenting memorials of so many ages, should be reduced to a state of uniformity. It is at its W. extremity only that the Castle of the 13th centy. has in any degree main- tained its original aspect to the pre- sent day. The N.-W. tower (Clewer tower, corrupted into Caesar’s) has been used as a belfry and clock- house, probably from the time of Edward III. Norden’s view (temp. James I.) represents it with its cupola very nearly in the same state as it appeared until the commence- ment of the alterations made in 1872. The lower or prison story has remained intact from its foun- dation. It consists of a chamber 22 ft. in diameter, vaulted on plain massive stone ribs; the walls 12 J ft. thick, with arched recesses termi- nating in loop-holes. The whole is constructed of chalk, faced and arched with freestone, and is an interesting and perfect specimen of the period. It may be useful, before entering upon a general description, to note the age of the separate buildings yet remaining, constructed under the different Sovereigns, viz. Henry II. — Foundations and lower storey of S. side of upper ward from Devil Tower to Victoria Towers. 15 Berkshire. Route 1 . — Windsor : St George's Chapel . Henry III.— The outer walls of tlie lower ward, including the Salis- bury and Garter towers (restored) and the Clewer Tower. The wall of the S. ambulatory of the Dean’s Cloister, with its E. E. arcade. The door behind the altar in St. George’s Chapel, which is the W. door of the chapel of Henry III.’s palace. The remains of the Domus Eegis on the N. of the chapel, included in the house of one of the canons, and the King’s Hall, now the Chapter Library. Edward III. — The Gate-house an old Norman Gate, rebuilt by Henry III. and afterwards by Edward III., N. of the Keep or Round Tower. The Round Tower, in which the wood- work of his time remains supporting the existing principal floor. The groining of the Devil’s Tower, and the Rose Tower. The Dean’s Cloister. The Servants’ Halls under the State Apartments ; these retain their groined vaults. Edward IV.— St. George’s Chapel; the arcade in the aisles, with their groined vaults, and the Horseshoe Cloisters, or Fellerlock. Henry VII. — The splendid groined vault of the nave of St. George’s. The Tudor buildings on N. side, now a portion of the Royal Library, and the S. and E. walls of the Tomb-house. Henry VIII. — The groined vault of the choir of St. George’s. The casing of the W. or outer Gateway. Elizabeth. — The Royal Library, and buildings on the W. part of the N. terrace. The Castle consists of 2 great divisions, the Lower and the Upper Ward, separated by the Round Tower, or Keep. Proceeding up Castle-hill, the iron gates at the top form the Queen’s Entrance , leading to the George IV. Gateway, which fronts the Long Walk ( post ). The Public Entrance is by an archway called, from its builder, Henry VIII. s Gateway, flanked by two octagonal towers, and approached by a bridge. It leads into the Lower Ward, where, on the rt. is the long low line of houses appropriated to the Military Knights, with the tower of their governor (Garter Hall) in the centre, beyond which is Henry III.’s Tower, covered with ivy ; opposite to it is the Winchester Tower, so called from its builder, William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester. On the 1. is the Salisbury Tower, for the knights on the later foundation ; the Garter Tower ; and the gateway leading to the Horseshoe Cloister, and the houses of the minor canons and lay clerks of the chapel, beyond which is tli e ancient belfry tower. Opposite the gateway is St George’s Chapel , one of the finest existing examples of Perp. Slightly to the E. of its site a chapel was built by Henry I., and dedicated to Edward the Confessor ; it was rebuilt by Edward III., and dedicated to St. George, the patron of his newly- founded Order of the Garter. The building is 232 ft. long by 66 ft. broad; transept, 104 ft. The nave is of 7 bays, trie choir of 6, with an E. ambulatory and N. and S. aisles. There are 6 chapels, thus arranged S.-W., Lady Chapel or Beaufort Chapel. N.-W., Urswick Chapel. N., Rutland Chapel, also the Hastings chantry. S.-E., Lin- coln Chapel. S., King’s (or Aid- worth) Criapel, Bray’s Chapel, and the Oxenbridge chantry. The mass of the existing chapel was built in the reign of Edward IV., the stone roof of the nave, which was of wood before, being added by Henry VII., and that of the choir by Henry VIII. In the interior no portion is left unornamented, the walls being covered with a delicate panelling of Gothic work, and the ribs of the columns spreading over the roof in rich tracery, adorned with painted coats-of-arms of the knights of the Garter, and with the 16 Sect. I. Route 1. — Windsor: the Castle . “Rose en soleil,” the well-known cognizance of Edward IV. The usual entrance is by the S. porch, beside which notice a small Brass let into the wall, in honour of George Brooke, yeoman of the guard to four of the Tudors, with the inscription— “ He lyved content with meane estate, And long ago prepared to dye ; The idle parson he did hate ; Poor people’s wants he did supply.” The great W. window occupies the whole end of the nave, and contains some ancient stained glass collected from various parts of the chapel, supplemented by bad mo- dem work. The side windows, by West, are very inferior. On the 1. is the richly-painted Lady Chapel or Beaufort Chapel , containing two monuments of that family : one, an altar-tomb, to the founder, Charles Somerset, Earl of Worcester (d. 1526); the other, supported by Corinthian pillars, to Henry 1st Duke of Beaufort (d. 1699). The Marquis of Worces- ter (d. 1646}, author of the ‘ Century of Inventions/ and the faithful friend of Charles I., for whom he defended Raglan Castle, is buried here with- out a monument. Opposite, on the rt., is the Urswick Chapel , so called from Dean Christopher Urswick (d. 1505). Here, in a golden light, is the monument of the Prin- cess Charlotte, executed by Mr. C. Wyatt , from public subscription, her beatified spirit is represented rising from the couch upon which her corpse is lying. To make room for this, a fine stone screen was removed to the S. aisle. Nearly opposite the Beaufort Chapel, and between two of the pillars of the nave, is a monument erected by the Queen to the memory of the Duke of Kent. It consists of a white marble recumbent figure of the Duke, by Boehm , resting on an alabaster sarcophagus, designed by Scott. In the S.-E. corner of the uave there is a splendid statue by Boehm of Leopold I., King of the Belgians , Her Majesty’s uncle; and near to this a brass tablet records the untimely death of Prince Alam- ayou, the son of Theodore, King of Abyssinia. Between the Urswick and the Rutland Chapel a marble mural tablet, by Count Gleichen, has been erected to the memory of King George V. of Hanover, who is buried in the Royal Vault. Beneath the modern organ-screen the visitor enters the Choir , where the richness of the architecture and splendour of the dark carved oak, of the time of Henry VI L, is in- creased by the effect of the swords, helmets, banners, and mantles of the knights of the Garter, suspended over the stalls. Here the installation ceremonies of the Order have been performed ever since their first cele- bration on St. George’s Day, 1349. The stalls of the Sovereign and princes of the blood are under the organ ; next come those of foreign Sovereigns. The brass-plates at the back of the stalls bear the names, arms, and dates of former knights, among which are those of the Em- perors Sigismund and Charles V., Francis I. of France, and Casimir IV. of Poland, who all belonged to the Order, which Denham declares, — “ Foreign kings and emperors esteem The second honour to their diadem.” Lord Burleigh and the Earl of Surrey are also among the illustrious mem- bers commemorated here. In the centre of the choir is a stone bearing the names of those who are interred in the Boyal Vault beneath. Here Queen Jane Seymour was buried, 1537, with the epitaph by Bishop Godwin, — “ Phoenix fana jacet nato Phoenice, dolendum Secula Phoenices nulla tulisse duas.” Which has been translated by his son Morgan Godwin : — « Here a Phoenix lieth, whose death To another Phoenix gave breath ; It is to be lamented much, The world at once ne’er knew two such.” Berkshire. Route 1 . — Windsor : St. George's Chapel. 17 Here, in 1547, Henry VIII. was buried by his own desire, “ by his true and loving wife Queen Jane.” The tomb which he ordered for him- self, and which is minutely described by Speed, with its 634 statues and 44 histories, was never put up. Charles I. was also buried here “ in silence and sorrow, his pall white with the snow which fell upon it in its pas- sage to the chapel, Feb. 8, 1649, without any service, as the governor would not allow Bishop Juxon to bury the king after the service of the Church of England ; neither would the lords allow of his way. There was therefore nothing read at the grave, though the bishop’s lips were observed to move.” Charles II., from motives that are variously stated by Clarendon and others, professed a difficulty in finding the place of burial ; but in 1813 the coffin was discovered and opened. Sir H. Hal- ford, who was present, describes the complexion of the face as dark and discoloured. “ The forehead and temples had little or nothing of their muscular substance; the cartilage of the nose was gone; but the left eye, in the moment of first exposure, was open and full, though it vanished almost immediately. The shape of the face was a long oval. The hair was thick at the back of the head, and nearly black ; that of his beard was of a reddish brown. On holding up the head, the muscles of the neck had evidently contracted consider- ably ; and the fourth cervical verte- bra was cut through transversely, leaving the substance of the divided portions smooth and even — an ap- pearance which could only have been produced by a heavy blow from a very sharp instrument, and which furnished the last proof wanting to identify Charles I.” The tomb of Henry VIII. was opened at the same time, when, as a bitter epigram declared, he looked — “ Much like a butcher, only somewhat paler.” [ Berks , &c. ] A few steps further E., below the first step leading to the altar, is the entrance to a second Royal Vault (constructed beneath Wolsey’s Tomb- house by George HI.), where are buried, — Prince Octavius and Prince Alfred, children of George III., removed from Westminster Abbey. Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick, sister of George III. Princess Charlotte and Princess Elizabeth, children of the Duke of Clarence (afterwards William IV.). Princess Amelia Princess Charlotte Queen Charlotte Duke of Kent . . George III. Duke of York . . George IV. . . William IV. Princess Augusta Queen Adelaide George V., King Hanover Died. .. Nov. 2, 1810 .. Nov. 6, 1817 .. Nov. 17, 1818 .. Jan. 23, 1820 .. Jan. 29, 1820 .. Jan. 5, 1827 .. June 26, 1830 .. June 20, 1837 .. Sept. 22, 1840 .. Dec. 2, 1849 of .. June, 12, 1878 The funeral of the Duchess of Kent, mother of the Queen, took place in St. George’s Chapel, March 25, 1861 ; but in fulfilment of her own request, her body was afterwards removed to Frogmore. The late Prince Consort was also buried here Dec. 23, 1861, but his remains also have been removed (post). No per- son is allowed to enter the royal vault without the permission of the Lord Chamberlain. The coffins of the kings are covered with crimson, the others with purple velvet. The vault is surrounded by recesses, formed by Gothic octagonal columns, each with a range of 4 shelves, for the reception of the coffins. The E. window of the chapel was filled till lately by a semi-opaque picture of the Resurrection by West, to admit which much of the ancient tracery was removed. This has now been restored, and the aper- c 18 Route 1. — Windsor : the Castle. Sect. I. tures filled with stained glass by the Dean and Chapter, as a memorial of the Prince Consort. The lower com- partments represent “the acts of a good Prince.” The reredos, by Philip, was designed by Scott. On the 1. of the altar is the Gothic iron screen for the tomb of King Edward IV., supposed to be the work of Quentin Matsys. Its elaborate tracery is one of the finest products of the hammer existing, and merits minute inspection. Here hung the king’s coat-of-mail, and his surcoat of crimson velvet, embroidered with pearls, rubies, and gold, which were carried off by the Parliamentarian soldiers when the chapel was defaced in 1643. Above the screen two oriel windows give light to the Royal Closet or pew occupied by the Queen when she attends divine service in this chapel. The view on looking back from this point is especially rich in colour. On March 10, 1863, the marriage of the Prince of Wales, with the Princess Alexandra of Denmark was celebrated in this chapel; as was that of the Princess Louise to the Marquis of Lome, March 22, 1871, the Duke of Connaught to Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, March 13, 1879, and of the Duke of Albany with Princess Helen of Waldeck in April, 1882. In making the circuit of the chapels, the first in the N. aisle is the Rutland Chapel , with a fine altar-tomb for Sir George Manners (d. 1513), ancestor of the Rutland family, and his wife Anne (d. 1528), niece of Edward IY. ; the chapel was founded by her father, Sir Thomas St. Leger, in memory of his wife Anne, Duchess of Exeter (d. 1476) ; he was beheaded in 1483 for conspiring against his brother-in-law Richard III., but was allowed to be buried here, and the effigies of him- self and his wife appear on a brass on the wall in heraldic dresses. Pro- ceeding E. notice on 1. a number of stained windows, which surround the choir, and are filled with portraits of royal personages, commencing with Edward III. and ending with William IY. and Queen Adelaide. Rt. is the Hastings Chantry , built by his widow to contain the tomb of William Lord Hastings, the chamberlain of Ed- ward IY., beheaded by Richard III., 1483, but afterwards allowed to be buried, “his body with his head,” beside the tomb of his master, while the priest appointed to pray for his soul had a special house close to the N. door of the chapel. This chantry is dedicated to St. Stephen, whose life is represented in painting on the wall. Rt. near this, is the statue of Field-Marshal William Earl Har- court (1830), by Sevier. Further rt. is the tomb of Edward IY., who was interred here April 19, 1483, “ with great funeral honour and heaviness of his people.” On a stone near are inscribed the names of two of his children (George, Duke of Bedford, and Mary), who died before him. His queen, Eliza- beth Woodville, was buried (1492) by her children near the king, but with scant ceremony ; her grave is within the choir. Beyond, on rt. is the monument of the Princess Louisa of Saxe Weimar, niece of Queen Ade- laide, who died at Windsor. At the E. end of the N. aisle is the entrance to the Chapter-house , in which the sword of Edward III. is preserved, and where there is a full-length portrait of that monarch in his robes of state. Opposite the E. end of the choir is the entrance to the Royal Tomb-house , formerly known as the Wolsey Chapel , now as the Albert Chapel , built by Henry VII., who intended it for the burial-place of the Tudors before building his chapel in West- minster Abbey. It was granted by 19 Berkshire. Route 1 . — Windsor y Henry VIII. to Wolsey, who there began a splendid monument for him- self, composed of black and white marble, with brazen columns, candle- sticks, &c. It is said Benedetti re- ceived 4250 ducats for the portion which he finished, and that the ex- penses of the gilding had already exceeded 380 1. The unfinished tomb was seized by the Parliament in 1646, and the ornaments were sold by Gol. Venn, governor of Wind- sor Castle, as “ old brass,” for 600Z. The black marble sarcophagus was allowed to lie neglected till used for its present purpose as the cover- ing of Nelson’s tomb in St. Paul’s Cathedral. In the reign of James II. Verrio was employed to paint the ceiling of the Tomb-house, and mass was performed there, which led to its being defaced by the populace, after which it remained untouched till its partial restoration (by Wyatt) in 1800 by George III., who constructed the vault beneath it, in which he and his family are buried. On the death of the Prince Consort Her Majesty caused the chapel to be converted into a splendid memorial under the direction of Sir G. G. Scott. Accordingly the walls were panelled with “ marble pictures” by Baron Triqueti ; Medallion portraits of the Boyal Family were executed by Miss Durant, the windows were filled with stained glass, by Clayton and Bell, the roof was covered with mosaic by Salviati, and the floor in- laid with rare marbles. The altar is a slab of Levanto marble, and the reredos is inlaid with lapis lazuli, malachite, alabaster, and porphyry. In the nave in front of the altar is a magnificent cenotaph by Baron Triqueti, upon which reposes a figure of the Prince Consort in white marble. The body of the altar-tomb rests upon a great slab of black and gold Tuscan marble ; the corners are supported by angels, and statu- ettes in niches adorn the sides. In re- moving a portion of the wall on either : Royal Albert Chapel. side of the doorway leading to the cloisters, several fragments were dis- covered, supposed to be remains of the chapel of Henry III. These relics form portions of the jamb of a door with ogee mouldings, pillars, &c. On one of the stones is an angel’s wing, while the mouldings and sur- faces still bear the crimson, green red, and black colours with which they were decorated in curved and zigzag lines. The whole of the stones seem to have belonged to the Early English or Norman periods. The Albert Memorial chapel was finished in November 1875. Turning into the S. aisle from E. to W., the 1st chapel on the 1. is the Lincoln Chapel , with a magnificent altar-tomb to the Earl of Lincoln (d. 1584), an eminent statesman in the time of Henry VIII., Edward VI., and Elizabeth, in the last of which reigns he became Lord High Ad- miral. He is represented, with his countess, lying upon a mat, with their 8 children beneath. The shrine of Sir John Shorne was removed hither from North Marston (Rte. 15), and the stained windows which once existed exhibited his extra- ordinary history. Near this is the memorial niche of Richard Beau- champ Bishop of Salisbury (d. 1481). In the centre of the arch above he is represented kneeling with Ed- ward IV., before a cross. Opposite is a niche where he ordered a Brevi- ary to be placed, as the inscription tells, “to this intent, that priests and ministers of God’s Church may here have the occupation thereof, saying therein their divine service, and for all other that listen to say thereby their devotion.” The Bre- viary was replaced by a black-letter Bible secured by a chain at the Dis- solution, but the niche is now r empty. A short distance W., notice a black marble slab in the pavement ; it marks the grave of Henry VI., c 2 20 Sect. I. Route 1 . — Windsor : the Castle, whose body was removed hither from Chertsey by Richard III. — “ Here o’er the martyr-kiug the marble weeps ; While fast beside him once-fear’d Edward sleeps The grave unites, where e’en the great find rest, And blended lie th’ oppressor and th’ op- prest.” — Pope. Stowe writes that after his removal here “the meek usurper” was wor- shipped by the name of the Holy King Henry, and his hat of red vel- vet was thought to heal the headache of such as put it on. Prayers to him were inserted in service-books of the early part of the 16th centy. Re- formed opinions spread early among the canons and singing men of the chapel, and the fact was a grief to them, against which one at least ventured to remonstrate. Fox says that “As [Canon] Test wood chanced to walke in the church in the after- noone, and beheld the pilgrims, especially of Devon and Cornwall, how they came in by plumps with candles and images of wax in their hands, it pitied his heart to see such great idolatrie committed, and how easily the people spent their goods in coming so farre to kiss a spur and have an old hat set on their heads ; insomuch that hee could not refraine, but went up to them, and with all gentleness began to exhort them to leave such false worshipping of dumbe creatures.” Lambarde also tells how “ Windsore was polluted with the evil worship of Holy King Henry (as they called him). The seely bewitched people gadded hither on pilgrimage, being persuaded that a small chippe of his bedstead (which was kept here) was a precious relique, and to put upon a man’s heade an olde red velvet hatte of his (that lay theare) was a sove- reign medeeine against the head- ache.” Proceeding W., on rt. is a black marble stone, with a ducal coronet and the name “Charles Brandon; ” 1 it covers the grave of the Duke of Suffolk (d. 1545), who married Mary, sister of Henry VIII. aud widow of Louis XII. of France. Further W. is the Oxenbridge Chapel , founded (1522) by a canon of that name. It is dedicated to St. John Baptist, and contains some pictures of the events of his life, with figures in the costume of Henry VIII. Near this is the screen removed from the Urs- wick Chapel, containing the monu- ment of its founder, with a touching Latin epitaph. Opposite is the beautiful little King’s, or Aldworth Chapel , so called from the monuments of that family which it contains. It is supposed to have been built by Oliver King, Bishop of Exeter, 1492, and after- wards (1495) translated to Bath and Wells, when he built the Abbey Church at Bath. Here are the tombs of two children of his family: — “ Do- rothy King (1630), lent to her parents, but speedilie required againe ; ” and “ William King (1633), being soon wearie of his abode on earth, left his parents to preserve a memorial of him, after 10 weeks’ pilgrimage.” The stained windows above this part of the aisle represent the coronation of William III., and Queen Anne pre- senting her bounty to the bishops. On rt. are portraits on panels of Ed- ward IV., Edward V., and Henry VII., with an inscription beseeching prayers for the soul of their secretary, Bishop Oliver King. Beyond is the beautiful monu- ment by Sir G. G. Scott, which, as the inscription tells, “ was erected by Queen Victoria as a tribute of respect and affection to her beloved aunt Mary Duchess of Gloucester, a.d. 1859.” The top of the tomb is composed of serpentine marble, in which is inserted the figure of the cross, with the rose, thistle, and shamrock enamelled. The front and ends of the tomb are of white marble, and the inscriptions are 1 enclosed in panels of serpentine 21 Berkshire. Route 1 . — with mosaic borders, each panel dia- pered with the arms of England. Immediately above are 4 bas-reliefs by Theed, which represent “ Clothing the naked,” “ Giving bread to the hungry,” “Receiving the weary.” “Visiting the sick.” On the same tomb are commemorated other mem- bers of the royal house of Gloucester, viz. William Henry Duke of Glou- cester, 1805 ; Maria Duchess of Gloucester, 1 807 ; Princess Maria Matilda of Gloucester, 1775; Wil- liam Frederick Duke of Gloucester, 1834 ; Princess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester, 1844. [A monument to the memory of Leopold, King of the Belgians, also erected by the Queen, was once placed at the S.-W. angle of the nave, closely adjoining the Beaufort Chapel. It was re- moved to Esher in 1874. It consists of a recumbent figure of the king, guarded by the Belgic lion, and was executed by Miss Durant.] 1. near the S. door is the Bray Chapel , founded (temp. Henry VII.) by Sir Reginald Bray (d. 1502), who built the beautiful roof of the nave, and is buried here without a tomb. It contains the font, and monuments to Thomson Bishop of Gloucester, 1612 ; Brideoake Bishop of Chichester, 1678 (both had been Deans of Wind- sor) ; the learned Dr. Waterland, 1740 ; and Canon Hallam (father of the historian), 1824. A monument to the memory of the Prince Imperial, who was killed in South Africa during the Zulu war, was placed in this chapel by permission of the Queen in May, 1881. It consists of a recumbent figure of the Prince in white marble, by Boehm. The number of relics of English saints which enriched St. George’s Chapel before the Reformation is worthy of notice. It contained bones of SS. Osyth, Richard, David, Mar- garet of Scotland, Thomas of Here- ford, William of England, William of York, and Thomas of Canterbury, and the offerings at their altars gave v : Dean’s Cloisters . it great wealth of jewels, chalices, &c. Much of this, of course, was lost at the Reformation ; and the building itself suffered terrible maltreatment at the hands of the Parliamentarians. Christopher Wren, the father of the architect, was then dean, but he was driven out, and died in comparative penury. Clarendon, almost incident- ally, gives us an idea of the havoc made, when speaking of the funeral of Charles I. The Duke of Rich- mond and others, he says, by per- mission, “ went into the ch., to make choice of a place for burial. But when they entered into it, which they had been so well acquainted with, they found it so altered and transformed, all tombs, inscriptions, and those landmarks pulled down, by which all men knew every par- ticular place in that ch., and such a dismal mutation over the whole, that they knew not where they were.” After the funeral, the governor, Colonel Whichcot, “ took the keys of the ch., which was seldom put to any use.” Bruno Ryves, the first dean after the Restoration, laboured zealously to repair the damage done ; but, as Rickman remarks, all the modern work is merely a slavish copy of certain detached parts, and so contrasts unfavourably with the com- positions of the ancient architects. Behind the Albert Chapel are the beautiful Dean’s Cloisters , built by Edward III., of which the S. wall is most interesting, as being a frag- ment of the ancient chapel of Henry III., preserved, and adapted to its present purpose, when the rest of the chapel, which occupied part of the site now filled by the cloisters, was destroyed. The details of the carving on the ancient capitals are very curious; and within the 1st arch is a relic of the ancient mural painting, for the promotion of which Henry III. was so remarkable, being a crowned portrait of that monarch himself, discovered behind the plas- ter in 1859. Part of the picture 22 Route 1 . — Windsor : the Castle. Sect. I. was destroyed, but the head remains intact. A deed of 1248 is still ex- tant, for payment to be made to William the monk of Westminster for the execution of this very paint- ing. The projecting window on the opposite side of the cloister is in- teresting as being that of the room once occupied by Anne Boleyn. Behind the Dean’s, we come to the Canons’ Cloister. Here is the entrance to the Hundred Steps ; whence a flight of 122 steps, issuing from an ancient sallyport, open from sunrise to sunset, communicates with the lower part of the town. A pas- sage on the 1. leads, by the beautiful E. E. doorway of Henry III., to the N. side of the chapel, where several of the canons’ houses are situated. In one of these Henry Hallam was born in 1777. In the outer wall of a neighbouring house the Domus Regis of Henry III. is still to be traced. Orders still extant given to Walter de Burgh, 24th Henry III., for con- structing rooms for the King and Queen’s use, exactly tally with the traces of those apartments still existing. In pulling down the other walls of this building, many frag- ments of an earlier construction were discovered, which perhaps belonged to the original castle, of the Con- queror, but had been inclosed and lost sight of in the building of Henry III. Retracing our steps, and passing the Albert Chapel, we come to the Deanery , built by Dean Christopher Urswick, 1500, and bearing his arms and name. It superseded the old Deanery, at which occurred the sad leave-taking between Richard II. and his Queen Isabella, then only 11 years old, described by Froissart : — 44 After the canons had chanted very sweetly [in the chapel], and the King himself had chaunted a collect and made his offerings, he took the Queen in his arms and kissed her 12 or 13 times, saying sorrowfully, Adieu, madame, until we meet again.’ And the Queen began to weep, saying, 4 Alas ! my lord, will you leave me here ? ’ Upon which the King’s eyes filled with tears, and he said, 4 By no means, mamye ; but I will go first, and you, ma chere, shall come there afterwards.’ Then the King and Queen partook of wine and comfits at the Deanery, and all who chose did the same. Afterwards the King stooped down and took and lifted the Queen from the ground, and held her a long while in his arms, and kissed her at least 10 times, saying over, 4 Adieu, ma chere, until we meet again ;’ and then placed her on the ground and kissed her at least twice more ; and, by our Lady, I never saw so great a lord make so much of, or show such affection to a lady, as did King Richard to his Queen. Great pity it was that they sepa- rated, for they never saw each other more.” 1. Behind the Deanery is the Win- chester Tower , once the residence of the great prelate and architect Wil- liam of Wykeham, who built it, as announced by the inscription “ Hoc fecit Wykeham, ” and afterwards the abode of Sir J. Wyattville, the modem architect of the Castle. Just beyond the Deanery, on the 1. is the Lord Chamberlain’s office, where tickets to view the State Apartments can be obtained. Between the Upper and Lower Wards stands the Round Tower , or Keep of the Castle, formerly called 44 La Rose,” planted by Edward III. on the summit of a lofty artificial mound, and surmounted, when the Sovereign resides here, by the royal standard of England. This was the residence of the Governor or Cas- tellan, to whose care distinguished state prisoners were intrusted. John King of France, taken at Grecy, was confined in King John’s tower ; and David King of Scotland, taken at Neville’s Cross, in the tower connected with it by the wall at the S.W. of the Berkshire. Route 1 . — Windsor: the Upper Ward . 23 Upper Ward, which wall is said to have been built in order to enable the royal prisoners to communicate more easily. Here also James I. of Scot- land was long detained by Henry IY. and Henry Y. ; and hence, in the time of Henry YIIL, the gallant Earl of Surrey gazed down from the grated windows upon his fair Geral- dine, and composed sonnets to her in his cell. Under the Common- wealth, too, it had many unwil- ling inmates. The last prisoner of state was the Marechal de Belleisle, captured while crossing the terri- tory* of Hanover in the reign of George II. The most distinguished Governor of this tower was Prince Bupert, who filled the office after the Restoration. Evelyn describes how he “ trimmed up the keep and handsomely adorned his hall with furniture of arms,” and how “ the huge steep stairs were invested with this martial furniture, so disposed as to represent festoons, without any confusion, trophy-like ; while his bedchamber and ample rooms, hung with tapestry, curious and effeminate pictures, were extremely different from the other, which presented nothing but war and horror.” All is now modernised. A flight of 150 stone steps leads into the interior. It is worth ascending them in clear weather, to enjoy the view, which is said to extend over 12 counties. The tower was raised 39 ft., and the flag-turret added, by Wyattville. The Garden at the foot of the keep is gay with flowers disposed in various fanciful devices, as the Star of the Garter, &c. It was whilst walking in this “ pleasaunce ” that J ames I. of Scotland, so long a cap- tive here (1405-1424), wooed succes- fullv Lady Jane Beaufort, niece of the Cardinal and daughter of the deceased Earl of Somerset, whom he took back with him as his wife on his return to Scotland. His poem, called the ‘ King’s Quhair ’ (or Book), describes the garden : — “ Now there was made, fast by the tower’s wall. A garden faire, and in the corners set An arbour green, with wandes long and small Rail’d about ; and so with leaves beset Was all the place, and hawthorn hedges knet, That lyf (person) was none, walking there forebye, That might within scarce any wight espye.” Those proceeding to see the in- terior of the Castle must turn to the 1. of the Round Tower, under the "second gateway, which bears the name of the Norman Gate , after pass- ing which they enter the Upper Ward. On their rt. is the entrance to the Round Tower; on their 1. a flight of steps leads through the wing of the Castle built by Elizabeth, down to the magnificent North Ter- race (post). The Upper Ward occupies the site of the Castle built originally by Henry II., and altered and enlarged by Edward III., which was built by the French king’s ransom, according to Stow, who also says that the Scotch king’s ransom was used in the remodelling of the Lower Ward ; and that these alterations were sug- gested by the captive monarchs themselves while walking with Edward III. At present it forms an extensive quadrangle, surrounded on three sides by buildings contain- ing the State and private apartments, while on the fourth rises the Keep, between the Upper and Lower Wards. The centre of the quad- rangle was formerly occupied by the magnificent dragon-fountain of Queen Mary, now destroyed. At its S.W. angle stands an equestrian Statue of Charles II., erected to that “ best of kings,” as the inscription styles him, by Tobias Rustat, a housekeeper at Hampton Court, who is mentioned by Evelyn as “ Toby Rustate, page of the backstairs, a very simple, ignorant, but honest 24 Route 1 . — Windsor : the Castle . Sect. I. and loyal creature.” The carvings on the pedestal are by Gibbons, “ The fruit, fish, and implements,” observes Walpole, u are all exquisite ; while the man and horse may serve for a sign to draw the passenger’s eye to the pedestal.” There are 2 carriage-entrances to this quad- rangle ; one of St. George, adjoining the Devil’s Tower, the other, called George IY.’s Gateway, between the York and Lancaster Towers, open- ing upon the Long Walk, and com- manding a full view of it from end to end. The State Apartments , situated in the Star Building of Charles II., are entered by a Gothic porch on the 1., adjoining King John’s Tower (or Rose Tower). Their ceilings were decorated with mythological subjects by Antonio Verrio , who was appointed chief painter by Charles II., but who has since fallen Into general disrepute, partly through the satire of Pope — “ On painted ceilings we devoutly stare, Where sprawl the saints of Verrio and Laguerre ” — and Walpole. The apartments are approached by a narrow staircase, decorated with a portrait of Sir J. Wyattville. On the staircase and anteroom are fine old German pic- tures. The rooms are shown in the following order : — 1. The Queens Audience Chamber. — The ceiling, by Verrio, represents Queen Catherine of Braganza as Britannia, attended by the goddesses to the temple of Virtue. The Gobe- lins tapestry represents events in the history of Esther and Mordecai. The portraits are William II. and Frederick, Princes of Orange, father and grandfather of our William III., by Honthorst , and a very interesting picture of Mary Queen of Scots by Janet , with her execution at Fo- theringay represented in the back- ground, and a curious inscription. The frames of these portraits are all exquisitely carved by Gibbons. 2. The Queen's Presence Chamber , with a ceiling by Verrio , has fine Gobelins tapestry, with the sequel of the history of Esther of the tapestries in the Queen’s audience-chamber, and portraits of the Duchess of Orleans, youngest daughter of Charles I., by Mignard , and of the Princesses Elizabeth and Dorothea of Bruns- wick, by Mytens. 3. The Guard Chamber, fitted up with armour. Over the fire- place is the famous shield of Benve- nuto Cellini, given by Francis I. to Henry VIII., on the Field of the Cloth of Gold. At the end of the room, on a portion of the mast of the Victory, perforated by a ball at the battle of Trafalgar, is a bust of Nelson, by Chantrey, with Marl- borough on the rt. and Wellington on the 1., having over their heads the banners of Blenheim and Water- loo, by the annual presentation of which, on the anniversaries of those victories, the domains of Blenheim and Strathfieldsaye are held. The armour in this room is very interesting. It includes that of the Duke of Brunswick, 1530 ; Lord Howard of Effingham, the Admiral against the Armada, 1588 ; the Earl of Essex, Elizabeth’s favourite, 1596 ,* Henry Prince of Wales, eldest son of James I., 1612 ; his brother, Prince Charles ; Prince Rupert of the Rhine, 1630. The two cannons were taken in the Punjab in the Sikh war. Two chairs, made from the wood of “Alloway’s auld haunted kirk” and from an elm-tree from Waterloo, may be noticed. 4. St. George's Hall, in which all the festivities of the Order of the Garter are held, appropriately fitted up by Wyatt, with the coats of arms of all the Knights since the foun- dation of the Order ; the numbers on each referring to the names painted on the panels below. The banners of the original Knights of the Order 25 Berkshire. Route 1 . — Windsor have recently been hung along the top of the wails, immediately beneath the richly decorated ceiling, and their names have been inscribed upon the oak panels in the recesses of the windows. Here are full-length por- traits of the following Sovereigns: — James I., VandyJce. Charles I M VandyJce. Charles II., Lely. James II., Lely. • Mary II., Kneller. William III., Kneller. Anne, Kneller. George I., Kneller. George II., Zeman. George III., Gainsborough. George IV., Lawrence. 5. The Grand Beception Boom , a magnificent chamber, ornamented in the style of Louis XIV., and hung with six fine specimens of Gobelin’s tapestry, representing the story of the Golden Fleece. It also contains a large malachite vase, presented by the Emperor of Russia. 6. The Waterloo Chamber is de- corated with portraits of all the chief persons who bore a prominent part in the Congress of Vienna, They are almost all by Sir Thomas Lawrence , and were painted for George IV. Sovereigns are: — Francis I. of Austria, Alexander of Russia, Frede- rick William of Prussia, 'Pope Pius VII. (the Pope sate 9 times for this portrait, which is the finest Law- rence ever painted), Charles X., George III. ( Beecliey ), George IV. and William IV. — with the royal Dukes of York and Cambridge, Due d’Angouleme, and Prince Leopold. Generals : — Wellington, Hill, ( Bicker sgill) y Anglesea, Picton, Kempt, Blucher, Platoff, Czerni- tshoff, Archduke Charles, William Prince of Orange, Prince Schwart- zenburg, Duke of Brunswick, Ove- roff. Ministers : — Alten, Castlereagh, Liverpool, Canning, Gonsalvi, Met- ternich, Hardenberg, Nesselrode, : the State Apartments. W. von Humboldt, Capo d’lstrias, Bathurst, Munster, Due de Richelieu. 7. The Grand Vestibule contains armour of the time of Elizabeth and Charles I. ; a large cannon, sent by Rajah Brooke from Borneo, and a smaller one taken from Tippoo Saib at Seringapatam. At the N. end there is a fine statue of Her Majesty with her favourite dog, Sharp, by Boehm. 8. The State Ante-room has a painted ceiling by Verrio, represent- ing a Banquet of the Gods, carvings by Gibbons, and a copy in glass of Reynolds’ portrait of George III. in his coronation robes. 9. The Zuccarelli Boom contains a number of sacred pictures and landscapes by Zuccarelli. Over the entrance is Henry Duke of Glouces- ter, son of Charles I. ; on the 1. George I. ( Fountaine ) and II. ; on the rt. Frederick Prince of Wales, and George III. 10. The Vandyhe Boom. — No gal- lery in the world can display so many fine portraits by this great master. They are 22 in number : — 1. Portrait erroneously supposed to be Jan Snellincs, the friend of Vandyke. 2. Charles I. on a grey horse, with M. de St. Antoine, his equerry, on foot. This picture formed part of the private col- lection of Charles I., w T as sold by the rebels for 200 1. to Remd van Lemput, a Dutch painter, and recovered by Charles 11. through a lawsuit. 3. Mary Countess of Dorset, as St. Agnes, probably only a copy. 4. Prince Charles, aged 9, with Princess Mary and the Duke of York. 5. Henrietta Maria, full length. 6. Portrait of Vandyke himself. 7. Sir Kenelm L>igby. 8. Charles II., aged 11, in armour. 9. Lucy Countess of Carlisle. 10 Henrietta Maria, full front. 11. The children of Charles I. In the centre Prince Charles, 7 years of age, with a dog; on his rt. Princesses Elizabeth and Mary; on his 1. Princess Anne with Prince James sitting nearly un- 26 Route 1. — Windsor: the Castle , Sect. I. dressed on a stool. 1637. This picture hung in Charles I/s breakfast-room at Whitehall. 12. Head of Charles I. 3 times on one can- vas, painted for Bernini, who executed from it a bust for Whitehall 13. Madame de St. Croix. 14. Henrietta Maria, in profile, half-length, painted by Vandyke for Bernini to model from. 15. George and Francis Villiers, sons of the 1st Duke of Buckingham. 1635. Be- longed to James II. 16. Thomas Prince of Carignan, in armour, with the commander’s baton. A dupli- cate of this is at Munich. 17. Venetia, wife of Sir Kenelm Digby; a male figure and 2 children bound at her feet, symbolical of Calumny. [18. Queen Henrietta Maria, in white silk her hair adorned with pearls and a red band, taking some roses from a table, on which lies the crown. This picture hung in Charles I/s bedroom. 19. Duchess of Richmond, only daughter of George Villiers 1st Duke of Bucking- ham, painted as St. Agnes, with the symbols of the Lamb and Palm-branch, with which the silk-dress and expres- sion ill correspond. 20. Thomas Killigrew and Thomas Carew, poets. Dated 1638. 21. Charles I., in royal robes, seated; next him his son Prince Charles ; on the 1. Henrietta Maria, also seated, little Prince James on her arm. Beyond the pillar the Tower of London in the distance. 1632. 22. Henry, Comte de Berg. This concludes the series of rooms now shown to the public. Among those formerly exhibited were the following : — (a.) The Queen's Closet , which contained a number of pictures, in- cluding portraits of Erasmus, a copy of Holbein (Pens); Henry VIII. Edward VI., Sir H. Guildford, and a magnificent portrait of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, father of the unfortunate Earl of Surrey (Holbein); and the celebrated pic- ture of The Misers, said to be the picture whereby Quentin Matsys , the smith of Antwerp, is believed to have obtained his wife, an artist s daughter, in marriage, having proved by its execution that he also was an artist. Hence also his epitaph at Antwerp, “ Connubialis amor de Mul- cibre fecit Apellem.” “ The strength of this picture/’ says Kugler , “lies essentially in the effort at character in the painter’s conception of the subject. Two men sit at table ; one, who counts his gold, and notes down the sum in his account-book, ap- pears to be a merchant ; the other, who familiarly lays his hand on his shoulder, and looks with malicious pleasure towards the spectator, seems to have just succeeded in outwitting him. There are several repetitions and copies of this picture in exis- tence, besides free imitations by later artists.” (b.) The King's Closet. — The Em- peror Charles V., and the Duke of Alva, Sir Antony More; portraits of the painter and his wife, Van Cleeve; the Woman of Samaria, Guercino ; St. Catherine, Domeni - chino ; an officer in the Papal Guard, “probably the portrait of Lorenzo Cibo, praised by Vasari,” Parme- giano ; Gardener of the Duke of Florence, with a knife in his hand, Andrea del Sarto. (c.) The Kings Drawing Boom , or the Bubens Boom , entirely filled with portraits by that master : — 1. His 1st wife, Elizabeth Brandt, one of his finest portraits. 2. St. Martin and the Beggar. The compo- sition probably alone by Rubens, the execution by Vandyke. 3. The Virgin and Infant Saviour, with St. John, St. Francis, St. Elizabeth, and St. Joseph. 4. Philip IV. of Spain, on horseback. 5. The painter himself. This belonged to Charles I. 6. Winter. “ The uncomfortable feeling of winter is admirably expressed. Ru- bens, who painted all and everything, has here even put in the single flecks of snow.” ( W.) 7. Archduke Albert, of Austria. 8. Summer. This and its companion-picture belonged to Villiers Duke of Bucking- ham. 9. Sir Balthazar Gerbier and his family. Supposed with much reason to be by Vandyke. 10 Male portrait in ruff. (d.) The Council Chamber. — A fe- male head, Annibale Caracci ; St. 27 Berkshire. Route 1 . — Windsor John, in a landscape, from the col- lection of Charles I., Correggio ; the Countess of Desmond, at the age of 120, Rembrandt ; Silence ; The Vir- gin and Sleeping Jesus, with St. John approaching, Annibale Caracei; Martin Luther ; Stall hof ; a German merchant reading a note ; Head of a young German, Holbein ; 2 in- feriors of churches, the dark effect remarkably good, Peter Neefs ; John Duke of Marlborough, Kneller ; Wil- liam Duke of Cumberland, Sir J. Reynolds. The Private Apartments of the Queen are handsome, and the views from the windows are magnificent. A Corridor , 520 ft. long, by Sir J. Wyattville , gives access to the entire suite of apartments, and runs round the S. and E. sides of the quadrangle. It is filled with choice works of art, and the walls are decorated with pictures, including, Maria Theresa at Presburg on the day of her coro- nation; all the state events in the reign of the present Queen, her coro- nation, her marriage, the baptism and the marriage of the Prince of Wales, &c. ; CanalettVs views of Venice and Rome, among the best that he ever painted : the Grand Canal, St. Mark’s and the procession of the Bucentaur, the Giant’s Stairs, and the Arch of Titus and Temple of Jupiter Stator at Rome are the most remarkable. Other landscapes, in which some of the chief build- ings in London are introduced, are by Zuccarelli. Among the portraits are those of Pitt, Thurlow, Eldon, Canning, Sir W. Scott, Sir W. Curtis, and of the Princess Charlotte when a child, by Lawrence. There are busts of Her Majesty when a child, of her royal uncles, of Pitt, Fox, Sheridan, Lord Grey, Canning, Wellesley, the authors of Great Britain, and many military heroes, including Welling- ton, Blucher, Platoff, &c. Among the many beautiful cabi- nets is one which belonged to Car- : the Private Apartments . dinal Wolsey. The Queen’s private staircase is prettily conceived, and, being triangular in its plan, shows a difficulty ingeniously overcome by the architect. Between the Long Corridor and St. George’s Hall, is a small Pas- sage, panelled with interesting pic- tures of the Tudor family, and of the leading characters of the time of the Reformation, including Luther as “Junker Georg,” and Linacre the physician. The King’s Room, with a large window, looking on the private garden, is that in which George IV. and William IV. died. Hither the Prince Consort was removed the week before his death, and here he died, Dec. II, 1861. The Great Drawing Room is noticeable for its magnificent furni- ture of red silk; the Dining Room for its rich mirrors and gilded Gothic tracery, and for its solid silver-gilt wine-cooler by Flaxman , decorated with vine tendrils, foliage, and grapes, among which little cupids are sporting. The Armoury, com- posed of objects presented to the different kings on various occasions, and arranged under the superin- tendence of the late Prince Consort, may now be considered one of the finest collections of the kind in the kingdom. The Plate Room contains, among its curiosities, the St. George candelabra of silver, 1 ft. high ; a wine-fountain taken in the Spanish Armada : a Mexican bread-basket of gold ; Nell G wynn’s gold bellows ; Flaxman’ s Shield of Achilles ; a nau- tilus shell set in gold, by Benvenuto Cellini ; a jug which belonged to Charles XII. of Sweden, taken at Pultawa ; the footstool of Tippoo Saib, a tiger-head of gold, with teeth of crystal, and a jewelled bird, which crowned the canopy of his throne. The Royal Private Library con- tains a magnificent collection of Drawings by the Old Masters ; those 28 Route 1. — Windsor : the Castle. Sect I. of Leonardo da Vinci are contained in 3 vols., a collection unrivalled, and approached only by those of the ex-Grand Duke of Tuscany, and that in the Ambrosian Library at Milan. The drawings by Michael Angelo are numerous, comprising several studies for the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, and others mentioned by Vasari. 53 drawings are attributed to Ra- faelle , from which Passavant has selected 18 as genuine, comprising studies for the cartoon of ‘ Feeding Sheep’ at Hampton Court, for the figure of Poetry in the Camera della Segnatura, for the Expulsion of Adam and Eve in the Loggie of the Vatican, and for the figure of Jo- nah in Sta. Maria del Popolo. There are also drawings by Luca Signo- relli (a study for Orvieto) ; Fra Bartolomeo; Andrea del Sarto; Filippo Lippi ; Correggio ; Parme- gianino. Several volumes contain drawings of Guido Reni ; 2 those of Rafaelle’s pupils, especially Giulio Romano and Caravaggio ; 11 the Caracci ; 16 Guercino ; 24 Domeni- cliino ; beside several of Claude , Poussin , and Albert Durer . But the gems of the collection are 2 vols., containing 87 portraits, by Holbein , of the court of Henry VIII., com- prising those of Jane Seymour, Prince Edward as a child, Dean Colet, and More. Another collection, of English Historical Prints , perhaps the most valuable in England, was made for Windsor by the Queen and the Prince Consort, and was alphabet- ically arranged by the latter with his well-known taste and judgment. There is also a valuable collection of miniatures of the Royal family from the time of Henry VII. The win- dows of the library overlook the beautiful Eton playing-fields. One is in a recess, which formed the boudoir of Queen Anne, in which the scene of Mrs. Masham and the cup of tea is said to have taken place. The Terrace , more than 2900 ft. long, which surrounds the Upper Ward of the Castle on 3 sides should on no account remain un- visited. It is the finest walk of the kind in existence. Evelyn says of it, “ The Terrace towards Eton, with the Park, the meandering Thames, and sweet meadows, yields one of most delightful prospects in the world.” At the E. end a projection has been thrown out, which encircles the Queen’s Private Flower Garden . From the W. end of the Terrace may be seen the huge inscription on the Winchester Tower, “Hoc fecit Wykeham.” Abp. Parker relates that these words were originally placed hereby William of Wykeham himself while building the Castle, and that the King would have been seriously offended at his thus arro- gating to himself the credit of the building, if the prelate had not adroitly explained the inscription to mean that the Castle made him. Wyattville perpetuated the inscrip- tion by affixing these letters to the ashlar work of the Tower. On this Terrace Elizabeth walked for an hour every day, attended by her court; it was also the favourite walk of both the Charleses, and Charles I. constructed an ornamental gate at its E. extremity, the very gate beneath whose pediment after- wards paced the guard who held him in captivity. The family pro- cessions here, in the time of George III., are described by Mad. D’Ar- blay : — “ The King and Queen, the Prince of Mecklenburgh, and Her Majesty’s mother, walked together ; next them, the princesses and their ladies, and the young princes, mak- ing a very gay and pleasing pro- cession of one of the finest families in the world. Every way they moved, the crowd retired to stand up against the wall as they passed, and then closed in to follow.” The whole length of the Terrace is thrown open on Saturday and Sun- day, and is enlivened on Sunday evenings by a band of music. 29 Berkshire. Route 1 . — The Home Parle — Frogmore. Below the Terrace are the Slopes , planted with a variety of trees and shrubs, intersected by shady walks, but to which the 'public are not admitted. At the foot of the Slopes was the Tournament-ground, where Edward III. used to take part in the jousts, with his shield bearing a white swan, and the motto : — “ Hay, hay, the white swan, By God's soul, I am thy man.” flfhe Home Park, immediately adjoins the Castle, and incloses 500 acres : it was walled by William III. In this Park, and the fields near Frogmore, Shakespeare laid many scenes of the ‘ Merry Wives of Windsor/ It was here particularly that Falstaff, disguised as “ a Wind- sor Stag,” was tormented by the fairies. A withered and barkless oak, enclosed by a railing, long stood in the line of the avenue of elms, and bore the name of Herne’s Oak (ac- cording to tradition, Herne was a woodman who had in some way in- curred the displeasure of Queen Eli- zabeth, and hung himself on a tree that she would have to pass), though it is more probable that the real tree was accidentally cut down by George III. in 1796. It was blown down in Aug. 1863, but a young oak has been planted in its place. “ There is an old tale goes that Herne the hunter, Sometime a keeper here in Windsor Forest, Doth all the winter time, at still midnight, Walk round about an oak, with great ragged horns. And there he blasts the tree and takes the cattle. And makes milch kine yield blood, and shakes a chain In a most hideous and dreadful manner, Marry, this is our device, That Falstaff at that oak shall meet with us, Disguised like Herne, with huge horns on his head.” — Shakespeare. Not far off is Adelaide Lodge , a cottage of the late Queen Adelaide, consisting of 2 unpretending rooms, with a garden laid out by her. Frogmore House , near the road leading to Runnymede and Egham, was formerly the residence of Queen Charlotte, and of the Princess Au- gusta, who died here, Sept. 22, 1840. Here also Her Majesty’s mother, the Duchess of Kent, died, March 16, 1860, after a lingering illness. Her remains are interred in a Mausoleum in the grounds, which was begun by her order during her lifetime, but was not completed till after her death. It is a small circular struc- ture consisting of two chambers sur- mounted by a dome, supported by 16 Ionic columns. The lower cham- ber contains the remains of Her Royal Highness, in a sarcophagus of grey granite, while in the upper one there is a very beautiful marble statue of the Duchess by Theed. In front of the Mausoleum there is a monumental cross of Cairngall granite, erected by the Queen to the memory of Lady Augusta Stanley (d. Maich 1st, 1876), the wife of Dean Stanley, and for 30 years in the service of Her Majesty and the Duchess of Kent. In the same grounds, and within sight of this, is the Mausoleum of the Prince Consort ; a magnificent memorial, erected by Her Majesty from designs by Pro- fessor Griiner and Mr. Humbert. The first stone was laid in March 1862. The body is interred under the dome, and covered by a recumbent marble effigy, by Baron Marochetti. The walls of the interior of the building are panelled with rich marbles, and are further decorated by bas-reliefs, urns and statues in niches, and fres- coes. The floor is inlaid with polished marbles, the ceiling with Venetian mosaics, and the windows are filled with stained glass. In 1881 a memorial cenotaph to the Princess Alice was placed within the Mausoleum by Her Majesty. It is surmounted by an exquisitely sculptured effigy of the Princess in white marble by Boehm. The Mau- soleums are never shown to the public. 30 Route 1, — Windsor : Environs . Sect. I. 2 m. E. of the town, on the right baok of the Thames, is the village of Old Windsor, where, on a site probably to the W. of the ch., near the river, was the palace of Edward the Confessor, which was the pre- decessor of the Castle. Here, ac- cording to Fabyan, the great Earl Godwin died : — “ Sitting at the King’s board, with the other lords, he perceived that the King sus- pected him of his brother Alfred’s death, and said, 4 So may I safely swallow this morsel of bread, that I hold in my hand, as I am guiltless of the deed/ But as soon as he had received the bread, forthwith he was choked. And the King com- manded that he should be drawn from the table, and so conveyed to Winchester, and there buried.” Here William of Malmesbury nar- rates that Wulwin, a blind wood- cutter, besought the King to restore his sight, when the King, mildly answering, “ By our Lady, I shall be grateful if God, through my means, shall choose to take pity upon a wretched creature,” laid his hands on the blind man, when the blood dripped from his eyes, and he saw, exclaiming with rapture, “I see you, O King ! I see you, O King ! ” Here also Boger of Wendover tells that Earl Tosti seized his brother Harold by the hair when about to pledge the King in a cup of wine at the banquet ; Harold caught him in his arms, and dashed him violently against the ground, till they were parted by the soldiers. Windsor Great Park is separated from the Castle by part of the town, and by the high road. Besides large portions used as farms, it contains about 1800 acres, which abound in delightful drives and walks, through forest-scenery, and are occupied by herds of deer. Here Henry VIII. rode forth hawking, and held his great archery meetings, at one of which Barlow, a Londoner, so out- shot the rest that the King dubbed him Duke of Shoreditch : and here also Elizabeth used to hunt in the early morning, and, as a special com- pliment, would cut the throat of the deer with her own hand. The Park is traversed for 3 m. by the great avenue known as the Long Walk (begun by Charles II., and completed by William III.), which passes the site of the Upper Lodge, the residence of the Princess Anne, when under the displeasure of William III., and afterwards inha- bited for many years by George III. and his family. Hither the mate- rials of Holbein’s Gate at Whitehall, removed 1759, were brought by the Duke of Cumberland, who intended to have erected it as a termination to the avenue, but his death prevented the execution of the design. The carriage-road down this avenue was constructed in 1710. Parallel to this, on W., runs the Queen’s Walk, an avenue planted under Queen Anne, 1707. At the extremity of the Long Walk is Snow Hill , where, raised on a block of granite, stands a colossal equestrian leaden statue of George III. in a Koman toga, by Westma- cott. The view of the Castle from hence, with groups of beech-trees in the foreground, is exceedingly fine. J m. S.E. from the extremity of the Long Walk is Cumberland Lodge , the residence of the Duke who con- quered at Culloden. Not far from it stood the Royal Lodge, a cottage in the Gothic style, built by George IV. , and forming his favourite re- treat, in which he spent the last years of his life, secluded as much as possible from public view. After his death it was all pulled down, except the Dining-room and Con- servatory. Near it stands a taste- less modern Gothic Chapel. Close to Sandpit Gate is the Heronry, cele- brated for its beech-trees. 1 m. 1. of Snow Hill is Cranbourne Lodge. (Rte. 2.) A delightful drive of 3 m. leads Berkshire. 31 Route 2. — Windsor to Reading . from Snow Hill to Virginia Water (. Inn : Wheatsheaf), the largest arti- ficial lake in the kingdom, formed at great expense, and fed by a run- ning stream, which escapes from it in an artificial cascade by the side of the Bagshot road. The banks are wooded, but flat and uninteresting : they are adorned on one side by a Swiss Cottage, which has replaced the Chinese fishing-temple , from the gallery in front of which George IV. used almost daily to enjoy the amuse- ment of angling ; and on the other, by fragments of a picturesque Co- lonnade of porphyry, granite, and marble, brought from the ruins of Leptis Magna, near Tripoli. Upon the lake used to float a miniature frigate. Other objects in this part of the grounds are the Hermitage , on a height overlooking the water ; the Belvedere , a turreted triangular build- ing, with a battery of 21 guns, used by the Duke of Cumberland in the campaign of 1745 ; and the Cascade , near the Bagshot road, adjoining which is a sort of grotto, formed of stones dug up on Bagshot Heath, and supposed to have been a crom- lech. At Virginia Water is a Stat. on the branch of the South-Western Railway from London to Reading. (Rte. 3.) The return to Windsor by road may be varied by taking the road by Englefield green. Coopers hill, and Old Windsor. Windsor Forest, which once mea- sured 120 m. in circumference, is now almost entirely enclosed, and con- verted into arable land, but here and there a wild bit of wood and com- mon remains, which, with patches of heath in the sandy soil, still give the country something of a forest- like character. To Dropmore, Cliefden, and Burn- ham Beeches, a drive of 17 m., is a pleasant day’s Excursion. (Rte. 10.) ROUTE 2. WINDSOR TO READING, BY CLEWER, WINKFIELD, AND BINFIELD. By Road. 18 m. The village of Clewer lies 1 m. W. of the direct road, and is well worth a visit. The Church of St. Andrew, originally Norm., was restored in 1855. It contains a leaden font of great antiquity ; also a tablet to Field Marshal Earl Harcourt, the confi- dential attendant for many years of George III. and his family (d. 1830), and a brass plate commemorating the prowess of a Berkshire bow- man : — “ He that lyeth under this stone Shot with 100 men, himself alone. This is true that I doe say, The match was shot at Oldfield, at Bray ; I will tell you before you goe hence, That his name was Martyne Expence.” St. Stephen’s Church, erected in 1872, is a brick building in the E. E. style. Attached to it are middle- class and national schools, and a college for ladies. At Clewer is a large establishment, the House of Mercy , or Church Peni- tentiary, founded in 1849, a red- brick building of ornamental aspect, by Woodyer. About 80 female peni- tents* are maintained in it, under the direction of a Warden and several Sisters, who wear a peculiar dress. The chapel, fitted up with stalls for the Sisters and chairs for the peni- tents, is simple, but very beautiful, adorned with coloured brick-work in the interior, with a high timber- roof and richly-stained windows ; the altarpiece is exquisitely carved. An inner court has a large stone cross. The establishment has been greatly enlarged of late, and now 32 Sect. L Route 2. — Windsor to Reading . comprises also an Orphanage for 40 children, a convalescent hospital, and a cottage hospital for ladies of limi- ted means. The whole is well worth inspection. Clewer Parle (Sir D. Gooch, Bari, M.P.) contains three or four good pictures, including — Murillo , the Assumption of the Virgin, with the Apostles surrounding the empty tomb ; The Virgin seated, showing the sleeping Infant to St. Joseph, the infant St. John in adoration. J. Buysdael , Sea View in Holland ; Weenix, Head Game. The rest of the pictures were sold in June 1876. Passing Clewer-green and Si. Leonard's Hill (Sir T. H. L. Brinck- man, Bart.), we have at 3 m., on 1., Cranbourne , on the outskirts of Wind- sor Great Park. Some huge oaks still remain ; one, 36 ft. in circumference, is called William the Norman. Only a fragment now exists of Cranbourne Lodge , a hunting-seat, built by Lord Kanelagh in the reign of Charles II., and successively inhabited by Charles Duke of St. Alban’s, William Duke of Cumberland, the Duke of York, the Duke of Gloucester, and the. Princess Charlotte. 6 m. Wink field. The Perp. Church has been almost rebuilt, but retains its 17th-centy. brick tower. Among other monuments it contains one to Lord Metcalfe (d. 1846), of Indian celebrity, with epitaph by Lord Macaulay. There is also a curious mural Brass, which represents Thos. Montagu, in his dress as yeoman of the guard, holding his halberd in one hand, and with the other dis- tributing loaves to the poor ( d. 1630). The village contains a group of model cottages similar to those that were erected on the ground adjoin- ing the Exhibition of 1851. N. of the village is Winkfield Park (Gil- bert Blane, Esq.), and beyond that, New Lodge , a very beautiful modern house (Madame Van de Weyer). 7 m. Warfield. Here is a very hand- some Dec. and Perp. Church , with a fine E. window of 5 lights, 3 sedilia and a piscina, 2 stone screens, a Brass (Humphrey Staverton, 1592), and several monuments of the Walsh family, now ennobled as Lords Or- mathwaite. The Church was com- pletely restored in 1876 by G. E. Street, at a cost of £3000. Warfield Park (Lord Ormathwaite). ( 10 m. N. 1 m. is Binfield. The Church , originally E. E., has been almost rebuilt, and added to, in 1848 and 1859. It retains a handsomely carved oak pulpit, with the horns glass stand bearing the arms of the Smiths’ and Farriers’ Company of London (1628). There is also a small Brass , with French inscription, for Walter de Annesfordhe, a priest (1361), and several modern memorial windows. Here also is the grave of Catherine Macaulay, the female his- torian of the last century ; her prin- cipal work was the ‘History of England from the Accession of James I. to the Revolution.’ She died at Binfield, June 23, 1791. Binfield was the early home of Pope, who speaks of his father’s house here as — “ My paternal cell, A little house, with trees a-row, And, like its master, very low,” 1J m. from the ch., in the woods of Binfield Park House formerly the seat of Mrs. Young, but sold in 1877 to Lord Arthur Hill, is a grove of beech-trees, which was a favourite resort of the poet, who is said to have composed many of his earlier pieces beneath a tree which formerly existed here, with the inscription “ Here Pope sung,” but which is now destroyed. W. of Binfield is Billing- bear Park (Lord Braybrooke). 12 m. 2 m. N. is Hurst , with a ch. of little interest externally, but containing some fine monuments, especially that of Lady Margaret Savile, the widow of Sir H. Savile, i the Provost of Eton, and founder of 33 Berkshire. Route 3. — Staines to Reading . the Savilian Professorships in Ox- ford ; and others for the Harrisons of Hurst Place, an Elizabethan mansion, where the Queen of Bo- hemia once resided. Sir Richard Harrison raised two troops of horse for the service of Charles I. : he and his lady have a splendid monument of white marble. Secretary Winde- bank, the friend of Laud, was a native of Hurst, and was visited there by him when Bishop of St. David’s, on which occasion, as he records in his Diary, he preached several times in the ch. (once on the occasion of a public fast, July 20, 1625), and also visited Hurst Place. We rejoin the Reading road at 13^ m. ; and at 18 m. reach Reading, the road and the rly. detailed in Rte. 3 being nearly parallel. ROUTE 3. STAINES TO READING, BY SUNNING- DALE, ASCOT, AND WOKINGHAM. South-Western Railway. 25 m. For the route to Staines and thence to Egham see Handbook for Surrey . The first stat. in Berkshire is 24 m. Virginia Water (Stat.) ; 2 m. E. of the large artificial lake from which it has its name (Rte. 1). At Virginia Water, there is a branch through Chertsev and Addle- stone to the main line at Wey bridge. 28 m. Sunningdale (Stat.). This is a newly settled district on the border of the forest, and abounds in beautiful scenery. The ch. is a brick and stone edifice in the Lombardic style. 1 m. W. is Sunninghill , where \_Berks , &c. 1 there is a small inn called the Wells Hotel , once very celebrated for the 2 chalybeate springs which still re- remain in its old-fashioned garden, and which were a great object of resort from Windsor. The ch. was rebuilt in 1828, and has lately been restored. The churchyard has a fine old yew-tree. In the Vicarage gar- den are 3 trees, planted by Burke, Chesterfield, and Bolingbroke re- spectively. The country here is entirely occupied by a succession of parks and gentlemen’s seats, the largest of w 7 hich is Silwood Fark (C. P. Stewart, Esq.V At Sunninghill Walter Scott visited Canning’s friend George Ellis, and “Mr. and Mrs. Ellis heard the first two or three cantos of the unpublished 4 Lay of the Last Minstrel ’ under an old oak in Windsor Forest.” — See Lockhart's Life of Scott. 30 m. Ascot (Stat.). The Face- course^ with its handsome Grand Stand, is very near the stat., and occupies an elevated situation, which commands fine views over the sur- rounding country, consisting of heathery downs, interspersed w r ith woods of fir and birch. The course is circular, and is only short of 2 m. by 66 yds. The first half is on the descent, and the last half, called the Old Mile, is up-hill the greater part of the way. The last 1£ m. of the above is called the Swinley Course. When the rest of Windsor Forest was enclosed, the racecourse and the avenues thereto were directed by Act of Parliament to be “kept and continued as a racecourse for the public use at all times.” The races, which take place early in June, were founded by the Duke of Cumberland (the hero of Culloden , one of the most conspicuous cha- racters on the English turf of past days, and the breeder of the famous horse Eclipse. “ From the death of Charles II., till the period of the 34 Sect. I. Boute 3 . — Staines to Beading . Duke’s coming upon the turf, racing had languished, perhaps from want of more support from the Crown and the higher aristocracy, and H. R. H. was the man to revive it. This was not effected without difficulty. Having, however, the military maxim of 1 Persevere and conquer,’ he was not deterred from the object of his pursuit, till he became possessed of the best stock, best blood, and most numerous stud in the kingdom.” ( Quart. Rev. XLIX.,DarvilVs English Race-horse). The Paces are held in June, and are very popular, the pre- sence of Eoyalty adding interest to them. A cup was given to Ascot Eaces by the Emperor Nicholas of Eussia after his visit to England; this being refused at the time of the Crimean war, the gift was continued by the Emperor of the French. stead, which had a royal residence, in occasional use as late as the time of James I. The Church , rebuilt in 1867, is in a mixed Byzantine and E. E. style, and retains the pulpit of the old ch., dated 1631, as well as the monuments of Sir William Trum- bull (d. 1716), Secretary of State in the reign of William III., and his lady, the friends and correspondents of Pope, who wrote the epitaph of Sir William, which is extant in his works, but is not inscribed upon the monument. Here is the monu- ment of the poet Fenton, also a friend of Pope, with an epitaph by him, 1732. He had long resided in the Trumbull family as tutor, and he died here, “of indolence and in- activity,” as Pope declares in one of his letters. Notice in the church- yard a noble yew-tree, 63 ft. in cir- cumference. Ascot Heath ( Inn : Ascot H.) now contains many handsome modern residences, a brick ch. in E. E. style, the Eoyal kennels, for H. lM.’s Buck- hounds, some training establish- ments, and the extensive Nursery of Messrs. Standish. To the S.W. ex- tend the Swinley Woods , a large tract of still unenclosed forest-land, containing many picturesque ferny glades, and fine old oaks. Swinley Paddocks are a preserve of deer for the Great Park. Here waving groves a checquer’d scene display, And part admit, and part exclude the day; There, interspers'd in lawns and opening glades, Thin trees arise that shun each other’s shades. Here in full light the russet plains extend ; Pope's ‘ Windsor Forest.’ 33 m. Bracknell (Stat.). The vil- lage consists mainly of one long street, with a handsome modern E. E. church of chalk and flint, the chancel of which was restored in 1874. 2 m. W. is the mother parish of Easthamp - 4 m. N.W. of Bracknell Stat., and about equidistant from Ascot Stat. is Bracknell Eoad, a larger village, with several gentlemen’s houses in and about it. Easthampstead Park (Marquis of Downshire) is a modem building in the Elizabethan style, and occupies the site of the old hunting-seat. 1 m. S. of Easthampstead Park is an irregular fortification, on an emi- nence, with a double ditch, known as Caesar* s Camp, S. of which, run- ning across Bagshot Heath, are traces of a Eoman road, known as the DeviVs Highway. From the camp the handsome buildings of Wellington College (post ) are very conspicuous. 38 m. Wokingham Stat. The line from Staines here joins the Eeading branch of the S. E. Ely. (Inn : Eose). The town (Pop. 3100) stands on high ground on the verge of the old royal Forest, and gave the title of Baron to Prince George of Denmark, the husband of Queen Anne. Before Berkshire. Route 3.— the opening of the rly. it was in a somewhat secluded position, and the sport of bull-baiting is said to have been carried on in it later than at any other place in England. The Dec. and Perp. Church has a grave-slab for Godwin, Bp. of Bath and Wells, who was a native, and died here, 1590; as also some 16th-centy. brasses. It was restored in 1864, when also a district ch. was erected, the pop. having greatly increased. In the centre of the town is a showy pile of buildings by Poulton and Woodman of Beading, replacing the ancient Town-hall. Among various charities is one founded by Abp. Laud, and at Luckley Green is Lucas Hospital , for 16 poor men, the gift of Henry Lucas, 1665. The Bose Inn gave rise to the song of 1 Molly Mog the story being, that Gay, Swift, Pope, and Arbuthnot amused themselves, when detained here by the wet weather, in the composition of a song, to which each contributed a verse in turn, taking the fair maid of the inn as their subject. “ John Mog was then landlord of the Bose, and had two daughters, Molly and Sally, of whom Sally whs in fact the cruel beauty and the subject of the song. But each wit was too far gone to distinguish — “ His senses all lost in a fog ; And nothing could give satisfaction But thinking of sweet Moljy Mog.’' So the honour, if honour there be, has clung to Molly, who, after all, died a spinster in 1766, at the age of 67.” The lover, who is repre- sented as pining for her, is said to have been the last heir male of the Standens of Arborfield (post). 1 m. W. of Wokingham is the fine estate of Bearwood l (J. Walter, Esq., M.P.) a large and beautiful park, retaining much of its wild forest character, interspersed with masses of rhododendrons, which render it a blaze of colour in spring, and con- B ear wood. or; taining a large artificial lake. The House , rebuilt in 1869 by Kerr , is a stately edifice of red brick with stone facings. It has a gallery, 70 ft. by 24 ft., which contains a fine collec- tion of pictures, chiefly of the Dutch school of the 17th centy. The most remarkable are — Drawing Room— Paul Potter , a cattle-piece, nainted on wood, signed and dated 1647. “ At a certain dis- tance the effect of the animals is that of life itself, and the careful- ness of execution is such— for in- stance in the ear of the light- coloured cow— that the delusion of reality is increased on the closest inspection.” (W.) Berghem , 2 land- scapes with figures and cattle. Karel Dujardin. Peter de Hoghe , a Dutch garden with figures. Basso Ferrato, Virgin and Child. Gonzales Cocques, a family group in a landscape : “ one of the finest works of this rare and charming master.” ( TP.) Isaac and Adrian von Ostade. Dining Room. — Jacob Ruysdael , view of the castle of the Counts of Bentheim on the Lower Bhine. There are repetitions of this subject at Dresden and Amsterdam, which are far surpassed by this, which was probably painted as a commission for Count Bentheim himself. Adrian von Ostade , Adoration of the Shep- herds : “ tone golden and clear, ex- ecution spirited and careful.” (TP.) Isaac von Ostade , peasants passing a ford : “ remarkable for clear and glowing colouring and spirited exe- cution.” ( IP.) Middle Dr a wing Room . — Francesco Albano , Christ appearing to the Magdalen. Jan van der Heyden , a landscape, with figures by A. van de Velde. Frans Mieris, portrait of a young painter holding a palette, signed 1667. Nicholas Maas , por- trait of an old woman seated. Hall. — J. Baptista Weenix, a sea- port : “ a rich picture, clear in colour, and careful in execution.” (TP.) Abraham Mipwon, a fruit-piece. Jo - D 2 36 Sect. 1. 'Route 3 .— Staines to Reading. liann George Plazer , 44 2 pictures, richly finished, but crude and un- mannered.” The village of Bearwood, a district detached from Hurst in 1815, has a very pretty small Church built by the late Mr. Walter, who is buried in the ch.-yard. Within the ch. is a monumental effigy by Noble, erected by the Humane Society, to J. Balston Walter, who lost his life in rescuing his younger brother from the frozen lake of Bearwood. There is a fine view from the hill on which the ch. stands, and on the slope are Alms- houses for aged servants of 4 The Times.’ 3 m. W. of Wokingham is Arbor- field , formerly the property of the Bullocks, one of whom was known as 44 Hugh of the Brazen Hand.” Arbor- field Hall (Mrs. Hargreaves). In the old manor-house, described in 4 Our Village ’ under the name of 44 The Old House at Aberleighy’ Mr. Standen, the unlucky suitor of Molly Mog, died at the age of 27. 2 m. W., in the parish of Shin- field, is the site of Beaumys Castle , built by Nicholas Lord de la Beche, 1338, which underwent 44 an out- rageous assault in 1352, when John de Dalton, coming with an armed force, killed Michael de Poynings, uncle to Lord Poynings, Thomas le Clerk, and others ; frightened the chaplain to death ; and carried off several prisoners, among whom was Margaret Lady de la Beche.” — Lysons. 3. m. S.W. of Arborfield is Swal- lowfield , where Clarendon had a house, at which Lysons and others, without much foundation, assert that he wrote his celebrated History. Miss Mitford died at Swallowfield in Jan. 1855, and is buried under a lofty cross in the churchyard. Swal- lowfield Parh (Col. Sir Chas. Rus- sell, Bt., V.C.). [From Wokingham, Wellington College and the Royal Military Col- lege , Sandhurst, may be readily visited by rail, there being stat. for each on the Reading and Reigate line. Wellington College (Stat.). Inn: Wellington Hotel, comfortable. Wel- lington College, founded in memory of the Great Duke, for the educa- tion of sons of officers of the army, the first stone was laid by the Queen, June 2, 1856. It occupies a wild and elevated situation on an open sandy height, and has a fine view over the country. The build- ings are of brick, in the Louis XV. style, with high pitched roofs, from designs by Shaw; to which Sir G. G. Scott has since added a Chapel and Library, in Italian Gothic. The chapel, erected at a cost of 80007, is of 6 bays with apsidal ending, and surmounted by a graceful spire rising to the height of 120 ft. ; the screen and stalls are of carved oak, erected in memory of the Prince Consort, one of whose latest public acts was the laying of the foundation- stone. The entrance-gateway in the centre is surmounted by the arms of the great Duke; and statues and busts of military men adorn the front and the cloister. The plan of the college consists of two quadrangles, surrounded by arcades of commu- nication; the first being the school quadrangle, the second the hall quadrangle. In the former, on the N., is the entrance-gateway, with the porter’s lodge and office on each side of it; also the head-master’s residence on one side, and the steward’s on the other. On the S. side is the school, in the centre of the building, and on the E. and W. sides the class-room and boys’ library. In the second quadrangle on the S. side is the hall, on the E, side the kitchen and domestic offices, and on the W. the under- masters’ rooms and their library. Berks. Bte. 3. — Sandhurst. Bte. 4. — Maidenhead to Didcot. 37 In the kitchen-court is a large plung- ing-bath for the boys. The upper stories comprehend the dormitories, divided into separate rooms, and extending from N. to S. on the E. and W. sides of the two quadrangles ; the hall and school running trans- versely, and being only one story in height. The great Broadmoor Prison for criminal lunatics at Crowthorne, is about 1 1 m. from Wellington College Stat. Blackwater (Stat). Sandhurst Col- lege is near the stat., but 2 m. from the village. It is encircled by fir plantations, and has a rather ex- tensive lake, which is made use of for instruction in pontooning, &c. The College is a plain Doric edifice, with a handsome portico, and was calcu- lated to contain 400 cadets and 30 senior students, besides masters and officers, but the number has not been kept up. A chapel, riding-school, gymnasium, and observatory, are at- tached to the College; and in the grounds are a cemetery, and a rifle range. The first branches of this institution were temporarily placed at High Wycombe in 1799, and were removed to Great Marlow in 1802, by their founder H. R. H. the late Duke of York, whence they came here on the erection of the present building in 1812. The affairs of the college are under the control of a board of commissioners, under the presidency of the Commander in Chief, and the post of Governor is usually filled by a General. The course of study has of late been considerably modified, and now gives especial prominence to modern languages. The cadets reside in the college, but the officers and tutors have separate houses, which form a terrace and a square. Along the Bagshot and Frimley roads extend some clusters of houses, termed York Town and Cambridge Town , which present nothing remark- able. The Church of Sandhurst is modern E.E., but preserves the Norm. font, and a brass, 1608. At Black- water, the 3 counties join. The S.E. rly. continues by Aldershot, Guildford, and Reigate, to London.] 43 m. Earley (Stat.) Earley may almost be considered a suburb of Reading, and has only sprung up since 1867. It includes the site of the once famous seat of White Knights , now divided into a number of residences with spacious pleasure- grounds. Sir H. Englefield built the house on the site of a' hospital for lepers, and it afterwards became the property of the 4th Duke of Marlborough, who rendered its gar- dens celebrated by their valuable collection of foreign trees. Earley Court (Captain J. F. Hall) and Bulmershe Court (J. J. Wheble, Esq.) lie N. of White Knights. At Early Court, Scott, Lord S to well, died in 1836 ; and Bulmershe Court was the residence of Mr. Addington (after- wards Viscount Sidmouth), who here often entertained Pitt, Windham and others of his eminent colleagues. 45 m. Reading (Stat.) (Rte. 4.) ROUTE 4. MAIDENHEAD TO DIDCOT, BY TWY- FORD, READING, PANGBOURNE [WALLINGFORD]. Great Western Rly. 30f m. I m. after leaving Taplow Stat. (Rte. 11) the Rly. crosses the Thames by a very fine bridge with elliptical arches, and enters Berks. Imme- diately N. is the town of Maiden - 38 Route 4 . — Maidenhead to Didcot. Sect. I. head , with a Stat. on the Thame and Oxford line (Rte. 12.) Maidenhead {Inns: Orkney Arms, beyond the Bridge; Bear, in the town), a market town on the rt. bank of the Thames, and on the old Bath road (Pop. 8219); the main street was formerly filled with inns and posting-houses. The beauty of the surrounding scenery makes the place the residence of many opulent fami- lies. The chief attractions are the Banks of the Thames, Dropmore, Cliefden, and Burnham Beeches. The name is by Leland said to refer to the head of a certain British virgin presented here; but it is properly Maidenhythe, a wharf for timber having existed at this spot from very early times. The town is singularly devoid of objects of interest, though Mr. Gorham, afterwards of Bramp- ton-Speke, once a curate here, has filled a volume with its history, the most important event of which is, the incorporation by Edward III. in 1352 of a guild to keep the wooden bridge in repair. This bridge was the scene of a fierce skirmish Jan. 5, 1400, between the new made King Henry IY. and the partisans of Bichard II. ; the Duke of Surrey (Richard’s brother) held the bridge till night, so as to allow his friends to make good their retreat, “and then,” says the chronicler, “stole away quietly, taking away with him all of the town horse and foot, to serve King Richard. ’ ( Cliron . de la Traison et Mort de Rich. II). The bridge was superseded in 1772 by the present structure, a good work by Sir R. Taylor, well seen from the railway. The ch. was re- placed in 1826 by a structure of very small architectural pretensions, but which perpetuates the legendary origin of the name of the town by a painted window. The ch. of St. Luke was erected in 1867, and is of freestone in the E.E. style. The modern ch. of Boyne Hill (in the parish of Bray) is a handsome struc- ture of red and white brick, with lofty spire, and deserving a visit for the sake of its glass, its carvings, and its reminiscences of religious controver- sies. At Maidenhead, in July, 1647, Charles I., after several years’ separation, was allowed to meet his three children at the Grey- hound Inn. The town was strewn with flowers and decked with green boughs. They dined, and drove to Caversham, where apartments were prepared in which they passed 2 days together. Maidenhead Thicket, which lies to the W. of the town, had formerly so bad a repute, that, in the reign of Elizabeth, the Yicar of Hurley, who served the cure of Maidenhead, was allowed an extra salary as amends for the danger of passing it. 1 J m. S. of Maidenhead, on the rt. bank of the river, is the Church of Bray , a large building of E. E. and Dec. style, with a Perp. tower of stone and flint; restored in 1859. It contains some good Brasses , from 1378 to 1594, particularly one for Sir John Foxle and his 2 wives, which is a fine example engraved by Waller; but its chief celebrity in common estimation arises from its versatile vicar, Simon Aleyn (d. 1588), who is described by Fuller as living under Henry YIII., Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth, and being “ first a Papist, then a Protestant, then a Papist, then a Protestant again. He had seen some martyrs burnt at Windsor, and found this fire too hot for his tender temper. This vicar being taxed by one with being a turncoat and an unconstant changeling, ‘ Not so/ said he, * for I have always kept my principle, which is this, to live and die the vicar of Bray.’ ” Hence his declara- tion in the well known ballad ; — 39 Berkshire. Route 4.— Bray : i “ To teach my flock I never miss’d, Kings were by God appointed ; And they are damn’d who dare resist Or touch the Lord’s anointed. And this is law, I will maintain Unto my dying day, sir, That, whatsoever king shall reign, 1 11 be the vicar of Bray, sir." In connexion with another vicar, the story is told that James I., when hunting one day, rode on before his hounds to search for luncheon, and came to the inn at Maidenhead, when the landlord lamented that he had nothing left in his house, for the Vicar of Bray and his curate were upstairs, and had ordered all that there was, but perhaps they would allow him to join them. The king w~ent upstairs and asked permission, which was glumly given by the vicar, but cordially by the curate. All dinner time the king told so many stories that he made them roar with laughter. At last came the bill, when the king, searching his empty pockets, protested that he had left his purse behind him, and could not pay : upon which the vicar angrily protested that he would not pay for him, but the curate expressed his pleasure in being able to make some return for the amusement he had given them. The bill paid, they all went out upon the balcony, when the huntsmen, riding into the town and seeing the king, went down upon one knee in the street, as was then the custom. The vicar, over- whelmed with confusion, flung him- self at the king’s feet and implored forgiveness ; to which James replied, “ I shall not turn you out of your living, and you shall always remain Vicar of Bray, but I shall make your curate a Canon of Windsor, whence he will be able to look down both upon you and your vicarage.” Jesus Hospital , founded by Wil- liam Goddard, 1627, for 40 poor per- sons, is a very picturesque quad- rangle of brick almshouses, enclosing a garden-plot planted with flowers. he “ Perpetual ” Vicar. There is an old chapel, and the statue of the founder remains over the entrance. 1 m. further down the river is Monkey Island , so called from a pavilion built there by the 3rd Duke of Marlborough, covered in the in- side with paintings of monkeys, by Clermont, in various ludicrous atti- tudes. Another building on the island, used as a billiard-room, has a fine carved ceiling. 2 m. W. of Bray are the remains of the picturesque manor-house of Ock- wells, or Ockholt (now a farm- house), which much resembles the timber halls of Cheshire. It is of the time of Henry VII., but is usually placed earlier, from the fact of ante- lopes appearing as supporters of the royal arms in one of the hall-win- dows, which would seem to give the date of Henry VI. The manor was originally granted to Kichard de Nor- reys. the cook of Queen Eleanor, wife of Henry III., in 1267, whose descen- dants remained there till 1786. The old hall formerly contained a series of stained windows in which the Norreys arms were frequently re- peated, with their motto, “ Feytli- fully serve ” 26 m. On 1. 2 m. White Waltham . with a ch. rebuilt in 1868 with the addition of a lofty stone tower. Hearne, the antiquary, was a native of the village, his father being the parish clerk. The moated manor- house (now a farm) was once the residence of Prince Arthur, son of Henry VII. Hearne relates a story of a Mr. John Bower, who held the living for 67 years, dying in 1644. Preaching before Queen Elizabeth, he addressed her as “ my royal queen,” which a little while after he changed to “ my noble queen.” “ What,” said her majesty, “ am I ten groats worse than I was ? ” which pun so overwhelmed the preacher 40 Boute 4 . — Maidenhead to Didcot. Sect. I. that he never ventured on a sermon again, but always read a homily. 1 m. W. further, 6 m. from Maiden- head, is Shottesbrooke (Cap. Eobson), a manor formerly held by providing charcoal to make the crown and re- galia at a coronation, a tenure ex- plained by its owner in the reign of William Rufus being Alward the goldsmith. The park contains the most beautiful Gothic Church in the county ; it is pure Dec., elegant in proportions and complete in plans, cruciform, surmounted by a spire. The fine tracery of the E. window deserves especial notice, as also the external masonry of square close- jointed flint. The ch. was built 1337, by Sir William Trussel, who also founded a college here. He lies in the N. transept, beneath a richly wrought canopy of Gothic arches, and, according to Hearne, is 44 wrapt up in lead, with his wife in leather at his feet.” His daughter Margaret, Lady Pembrugge,is buried near him, under a slab, with a fine brass (1401). There is likewise a brass of a priest and a franklin (c. 1370), engraved by Waller. Here also is the tomb of of Sir E. Powle, 1678, and of Sir T. Noke, “who for his great age and virtuous life was reverenced by all men, and commonly called Father Noke.” His Latin epitaph is by Lady Hoby of Bisham, the learned sister of Lady Bacon and Lady Burleigh. In the churchyard is buried Dr. Dodwell, who here wrote his 4 De Cyclis Veter am,’ and his learned friend Dr. Francis Cherry, the patron of Hearne, with the epi- taph, 44 Hie jacet peccatorum maxi- mus, 1713.” When the ch. was restored (1852), traces of its Norm, predecessor were found. “ A little body of nonjuring friends were settled at Shottesbrooke ; at their head was Francis Cherry of Shottesbrooke House, whose worth and hospitality, combined with gen- teel accomplishments and a hand- some person, rendered him the idol of Berkshire. His house, in which he was able to make up 70 beds for the officers and soldiery who were quartered upon him in the Revo- lution, was always open to the de- prived clergy, and became a com- plete hotel for friendship, learning, and distress. Bp. Ken divided his time between Shottesbrooke and Longleat House. Bowdler and his family were frequent guests, and Robert Nelson would frequently ride over from Lord Berkeley’s at Cranford. Dr. Grabe always found a welcome there. Charles, Leslie, disguised in regimentals, was con- cealed by Mr. Cherry for 6 months at a house belonging to him at White Waltham. The display of his horsemanship in the hunting-field would sometimes pique the emu- lation of King William ; and Mr. Cherry, observing one day that he was closely pressed by the king, risked his life for the sake of break- ing the usurper’s neck, and plunged into a frightfully deep and broad part of the Thames, in the hope that William might be induced to follow. To the Princess Anne he would always pay the most par- ticular attention, riding up to her calash; but when she assumed her father’s crown the queen missed Mr. Cherry from her side, and pointed him out in the distance to her at- tendants, saying, 4 There goes one of the honestest gentlemen in my dominions.’ ” — Memoirs of the pious Robert Nelson. Local tradition tells, that when the architect of Shottesbrooke Ch. was placing the last stone on the top of the spire, he called for wine to drink the king’s health ; after drink- ing it, he immediately fell to the ground, was dashed to pieces, and buried on the spot; also that a coffin-shaped stone was placed over his remains, the interjection 44 O ! O !” which he uttered when dying, being the only thing engraven upon it. Berkshire. 41 Route 4 . — Reading : History . 31 m. Twyford Junction Stat. On N. a Branch Line to Henley (Ete. 10 ). Twyford, takes its name from the two fords over the river Loddon, which falls into the Thames 3 m. N. There is a Charity at Twyford consisting of a chapel, schoolhonse, and house for the chaplain and master, due to the gratitude of Mr. Polehamp ton, a merchant (1721), who, having been found as an infant on a cold night in December, half-fainished and frozen, at a door (of the house opposite the school) in the village, was taken in, cared for, and instructed in those rudiments of learning which laid the foundation of his future prosperity. 1 m. E. is Ruscombe , with a re- stored cli. (Trans.-Norm.). William Penn died, July 30, 1718, in a large house near the ch., pulled down about 1840. 33 m. 1 m. N. is Sonning (Ete. 10). The line here runs for about 2 m. in a cutting, in some parts 60 ft. deep, and 200 ft. wide at top. On leaving the Sonning cutting, on rt. 1 m. is Holme Barh (which recently belonged to E. Palmer, Esq., long M.P. for Berks). The rly. again enters the valley of the Thames at the point where “ Clear Rennet overtakes His lord, the stately Thames,” and traverses the rich alluvial meads to Heading, On S., near the line, is Harley Court (Captain J. F. Hall), where Scott, Lord Stowell, died (see Ete. 3). Soon after, the Kennet is crossed near its junction with the Thames. Next the huge County Gaol is seen, a red-brick building with white stone facings. Close adjoining are the remains of Heading Abbey, amid which is a Eoman Catholic chapel, by Pugin , in which several carved stones from the ruins are preserved. Across the river rises the wooded hill of Caversham (Ete. 10 ). 36 m. Heading Junction Stat. Here the lines of the South-Western and South-Eastern Companies fall in, furnishing communication with Guildford, Eeigate, Dover, &c. (see Handbooks for Kent and Surrey ); and lines are given olf to Basing- stoke, Newbury, Hungerford, De- vizes, &c. Heading (Inns: Great Western Hotel, Queen’s Hotel), Pop. 42,050, is situated on the Kennet, 1£ m. above its junction with the Thames. It is a very flourishing town, which has more than quadrupled its pop. within the present centy. (pop. in 1801, 9742). It possesses few objects of antiquarian interest, being now chiefly remarkable for its great Ely. Stat., its Gaol, and for Huntley and Palmer's manufacture of biscuits. The earliest mention of Heading is in 868, when Ivor the Dane fixed his head-quarters there. Of the Norm, castle, which was held for Stephen, not a trace remains, except in the name of Castle-street. Heading was visited by several kings, and by Queen Elizabeth no less than six times. Parliaments were held here, and in 1625 the law courts were transferred from London during Michaelmas Term, on account of the outbreak of the plague. In 1643 the town endured a siege from the Parliamentary army under Essex; the mound in the Forbury is a part of the intrenchments then thrown up. The town was again occupied by the royalists after the first battle of Newbury, but soon abandoned. In December, 1688, there was a sharp encounter at Heading between the forces of King James and those of the Prince of Orange. The former, though the more numerous, being also fired on from the houses, were 42 Sect. I. Route 4. — Reading : History . driven out. Shortly after, a rumour that the disbanded Ir sh soldiers were ravaging and murdering wherever they went, raised such a panic, that it received the name of “ the Irish Cry.” This anniversary, and the belief that the Irish soldiers intended to massacre the inhabitants during divine service, were long commemo- rated by the ringing of bells and the ballad of the ‘Reading Skirmish/ which told how — “ Five hundred Papishes came there To make a final end Of all the town in time of prayer, But God did them defend.” The Townhall , a building in the French Gothic or Renaissance style, augmented 1882 by additions which cost £60,000, contains a large Concert Hall , Public Library , and Museum. In a house in Broad-st,, now de- stroyed (engraved in Man’s ‘ Hist, of Reading ’), Abp. Laud was born, the son of a clothier : in his pro- sperity he founded charities for his native town, which still remain. Sir Thomas White, the founder of St. John’s College at Oxford, was also a native of Reading, and established 2 scholarships in his new foundation for his native place. “ John Bunyan was well known at Reading, where he sometimes went through the streets dressed like a carter, with a long whip in his hand, to avoid detection. In a visit to that place he contracted the disease which brought him to the grave.” John Blagrave the mathematician, Joseph Blagrave the astrologer, Merrick the poet, and Judge Talfourd, were also natives of Reading. The primary cause of the pro- sperity of this borough was the wealth of its abbey ; but as early as the time of Edward I. it was famous for its cloth manufacture, which has now disappeared ; but it still remains a great mart for corn and agricultural produce. There are also iron foun- dries, engine works, malt houses and breweries. Huntley and Palmer's biscuit manufactory employs 3000 hands, and the Reading iron works 400. Messrs. Sutton’s seed establish- ment extends over more than 3000 acres of land, and is well worth a visit. St. Lawrence Church , erected in 1434, near the market place, has a tall flint tower with detached tourelles, good Perp. windows, and a restored E. E. chancel. It once possessed a silver gridiron, contain- ing a relic of St. Lawrence. There are some 15th-centy. Brasses; and one of 1584 for Edward Butler, five times mayor, but it has lost the inscription recorded by Ashmole : — “ Christ is to me as life on earth, and death to me is gain, Because I trust through Him alone salvation to obtain. So brittle is the state of man, so soon it doth decay, So all the glory of the world must pass and fade away.” The N. aisle contains the monument of John Blagrave, having the effigy in a cloak and ruff, holding a globe and a quadrant, with the epitaph — “ Johannes Blagravus Totus mathematicus Cum matre sepultus.” He left a legacy for the encourage- ment of Reading maidservants : — The churchwardens of each of the 3 parishes were to choose maidser- vants of 5 years’ standing, who were to meet and throw dice for a purse of 10L on Good Friday “ This is lucky money,” says Ashmole ; “ for I never yet heard of a maid who got the 1 01 ., but soon after found a good husband.” St Mary's , founded on the site of a nunnery built by Elfrida, to expiate the murder of her stepson, was for- merly called the Minster, which name still remains as that of the ad- joining street. The ch. is said to have been rebuilt (1551) with the materials of the abbey and friary, “and the singular mixture of good and bad Gothic seems to verify this account ” (J. H. P.). The nave has Berkshire. Route 4. — Reading : Abbey Ruins . a good roof of early character, older than the corbels on which it rests. There is a memorial window to the late Bishop Wilberforce, erected in 1873. The chequered tower of flint and ashlar, the monument of William Kendrick and his wife, and the old poorbox (date 1627) merit notice. Near this ch. was the Oracle , of Jacobean architecture, the ancient Woolmer chants’ and Dyers’ Hall, founded by John Kendrick in 1626, but pulled down about 1863. It de- rived its name from Orchil ( Rocella tinctoria ), a lichen brought from the Canary Isles, and used in dyeing. St. Giles’s Church was much damaged during the siege of 1643: the tower has been rebuilt, and is surmounted by a slender spire. At the N.W. extremity of the town is the Grey- friars’ Church , a fragment of the old monastic ch., which long served as the borough gaol, but was in 1864 again adapted to religious use Notice the beautiful Dec. W. window ; also the side windows of the aisles. There are several modern churches, and numerous chapels, but none of any architectural merit. The chief object of interest in Reading is its Benedictine Abbey, now a mere shell, but formerly the third in size and wealth of all Eng- lish abbeys. Founded by Henry I., 1121, it was endowed by him with the privilege of coining, and he further secured its fortunes by pre- senting it with the hand of St. James the Apostle, which had been given to him by his daughter Maud. When he died at Rouen of eating stewed lampreys, his heart, tongue, brains, and bowels were buried there and the rest of his body was sent to Reading Abbey. His daughter, who was the wife of the Emperor Henry IV. and mother of Henry II., was likewise interred here. Her epitaph is recorded by Camden : — “ Magna ortu, majorque viro, sed maxima partu ; Hie jacet Henrici filia, sponsa, parens.’ 43 Here also was buried William the eldest son of Henry II. (d. 1156). Some of these royal tombs were destroyed and the "bones “thrown out ” at the dissolution in 1539, when Hugh Faringdon the abbot was hung, drawn, and quartered, for denying the royal supremacy. The magni- ficent monument of Henry I. was destroyed temp. Edward YI. Many parliaments have been held at Reading. Here Henry II. held one in 1184, and here he, in 1185, received Heraclius, patriarch of Jerusalem, who presented him with the keys of the Holy Sepulchre and the royal banners of the city. Here met the convocation for the trial of Longchamp Bishop of Ely, regent during the absence of Richard I. ; and two ecclesiastical councils — one under the legate Pandulph in the reign of John, the other under Arch- bishop Peckham in 1270. Here also Richard II. was reconciled to his nobles in 1389, through the inter- vention of John of Gaunt. Henry VIII. converted the abbey into a palace, occasionally residing there himself. It was afterwards fre- quently occupied by the sovereign till its destruction in the great rebel- lion. “ The ruins, though stripped, by destroyers of more than ordinary patience and industry, of almost every stone which cased the walls, still, though built only of small flints, defy the injuries of time and weather, and have more the appear- ance of rocks than of the work of human hands.” — Englefield. Huge masses of the stone were used in build- ing the hospital of the Poor Knights of Windsor ; others by Gen. Conway fora bridge across the Wargrave-road. Among the remains still standing are a portion of the great hall in which the parliaments were held, and where the marriage of Edward IV . with Elizabeth Woodville was first made public; and of the ch , dedi- cated to St. Thomas a Becket, which once contained the royal monuments, 44 'Route 4 . — Maidenhead to JDidcot . Sect. I. and in which John of Gaunt was married to Blanche of Lancaster in 1359. The foundation of a Norm, apsidal chapel may still be seen at the E. end of the Boman Catholic chapel, into the walls of which many Norm, fragments have been built. The site is now laid out and planted as a pleasure-ground. In the Forbury (suburb, Vor-burg) now an open green, is the Abbey Gate - tcay , visible from the Ely. It was rebuilt by Scott , the old gateway having fallen down in 1861. An Assize Court-house, of very incon- gruous appearance, adjoins it. With- in the brick shell of the Abbey Mill , on a branch of the Kennet, just behind this gate, are several Trans. -Norm, arches — one with the zigzag. In the Forbury, close to St. Lawrence’s Ch., was the Gram- mar-School (forming part of the Town-hall), at which Archbishop Laud was educated, and of which the Marian martyr, Julins [Jocelyn] Palmer, was master. This school, which greatly flourished under the well-known Dr. Valpy, head-master, was removed to a new site on the London road in 1871. The various Almshouses of the town form a hand- some group of buildings in Castle- street, erected 1865. The County Hospital , on the Lon- don road, has a fine Ionic portico. Fuller tells the story of Henry VIII. and the Abbot of Beading, how, “As the King was hunting in Wind- sor Forest, having lost his way, he was invited to the Abbot’s table, where he passed for one of the royal guard. A sirloin of beef was placed before him, on which the King laid on so lustily as not disgracing one of that place for which he had been mistaken. ‘ Well fare thy heart,’ quoth the Abbot. 4 for here, in a cup of sack, I remember the health of his Grace your master. I would give 100 pounds on condition that I could feed so lustily on beef as you do. Alas ! my weak and squeezie stomach will hardly digest the wing of a small rabbit or chicken.’ The King pleasantly pledged him, and departed undiscovered. Some weeks after, the Abbot was sent for, clapt into the Tower, kept close prisoner, and fed for a short time on bread and water ; yet not so empty was his body of food as his mind was filled with fears, making many sus- picions to himself when and how he had incurred the King's displeasure. At last a sirloin of beef was set be- fore him, when he verified the pro- verb that two hungry meals make a glutton. In springs King Henry, out of a private lobby where he had placed himself. 4 My lord,’ quoth the King, ‘ deposit presently your 100 pounds in gold, or else no going hence all the days of your life. I have been your physician to cure you of your squeezie stomach, and here, as I deserve, I demand my fee for the same.’ The Abbot down with his dust, and, glad he escaped so, returned to Beading, as some- what lighter in purse, so much more merry in heart, than when he came thence.” Beading was formerly connected with Caversham by a picturesque old bridge, with a chapel of the Vir- gin, covered by a rude fisherman’s hut. A handsome iron bridge has succeeded it, the road to which is raised considerably above the old level. 44 On an island below it, now a verdant meadow, was fought a wager of battle between Bobert de Mont- fort and Henry de Essex, in the presence of King Henry II.” Essex, who was accused of cowardice or treachery in throwing away the royal standard at Consillt (see Handbook for North Wales), was defeated, but he was allowed to save his life by becoming a monk in Beading Abbey. The environs of Beading are ex- ceedingly pleasant, though the low 45 Berkshire. Boute 4. — Basildon Park : Paintings . meadows near the Thames often suffer from winter floods. Three-Mile Cross , 3 m. on the Basingstoke road, was the residence of Miss Mitford, who has described it in 4 Our Village/ Her 4 Recollec- tions of a Literary Life’ is also full of local descriptions. She after- wards lived at Swallowfield , and died there (Rte. 3). Leaving Reading the rly. keeps very near the river, and being carried at some height above, affords fine views of the valley, and the opposite (Oxfordshire) bank, as described in Rte. 10. The line passes through the grounds of Purley Hall (F. Wilder, Esq.), and reaches at 41 J m. Panghourne (Stat.). Inns: Elephant, George, both much resorted to by anglers. The view across the river to Whitchurch is very fine (Rte. 10). 2 m. S. are the almost adjoining villages of Sulhamand Tidmarsh , both pleasantly placed. The ch. of Sul- ham is modern, in a very neatly-kept ch.-yard. ; but that of Tidmarsh is E. E., with a semi-octagonal apse (engraved in 4 Gloss, of Architec- ture ’). The doorway is rich Norm., and there are 2 good loth-centy. Brasses. Tidmarsh House (J. Hop- kins, Esq.). i 4 43 m. On W. the handsome lodge- gates of Basildon Park (0. Morrison, Esq.). Basildon Church lies on the other side of the line, which almost immediately after crosses the Thames into Oxfordshire by a fine 4-arched bridge. The ch., in front of which a Roman pavement w r as discovered in making the rly., has a good Dec. chancel, and an E. E. South doorway. Basildon Park , a handsome white stone building, with Corinthian por- tico. was in the 18th centy. the seat of the Fanes (Viscount Fane of Ire- land). It is remarkable for the works of art which it contains, of which the following are worth notice : — Hall . — A quadrangular Roman altar from the Strawberry Hill col- lection, ornamented with a bas-relief of the death of Opheltes; a land- scape by Turner , in the style of Claude, 44 a chef-d’oeuvre of this great master.” Octagon. — Wm. Hilton , scene from Milton’s ‘Comus’; Sir Chas. East- lake, Flight of Francesco Carrara, Duke of Padua, and his Duchess, from Giov. Galeazzo Visconti ; Turner , a landscape ; Collins , the Fisherman’s Farewell ; Webster , the Sick Girl ; Hogarth , the Punch Club, a well- known picture, showing the various effects of the beverage; Picker sgill, portrait of Alex, von Humboldt ; Wilkie , a young girl confessing (Rome, 1827) ; Stanfield , Italian sea- coast; Hilton , Penelope recognising Ulysses. Library. — N. Poussin , Bacchana- lian scene, 44 one of the finest speci- mens of the master ;’’ Rembrandt , a portrait, supposed to be his daughter ; Rubens , the Virgin and Child, with St. Joseph, “in a powerful trans- parent golden tone”; Parmigianino , Cupid, formerly in the Pal. Barbe- rini at Rome; a fine bronze statue of a Maenad. Pink Drawing-Room. — Leonardo da Vinci , half-length female figure ; over mantelpiece, a bas-relief in ivory by Francois du Quesnoy. Oak Room . — Teniers , an old woman of Antwerp with a doctor; interior of a stable ; Guercino , St. Sebastian pierced with arrows ; Vandyke , portrait of Charles I. ; portraits of two ladies seated, Dorothy Percy, and Lucy Percy, countesses of Leicester and Carlisle (Waller's heroines), from Strawberry Hill ; Sir Joshua Reynolds, his own portrait ; 46 Route 4 . — Maidenhead to Didcot. Sect. I. Poussin , two landscapes ; Watfeau , a group of ladies and gentlemen listen- ing to the guitar of Pierrot ; Hob- bema, , a cottage and trees — “ its effect is equally powerful and transparent ” ; Hujardin , the Farrier’s Shop ; Gys- sels , dead game ; Backhuysen , a sea- piece ; A vow Ostade, room in a tavern after dinner ; Van de Velde , PumZ Potter , PoZ7q landscapes. School-Boom. — Harlow , the Trial of Catherine of Aragon ; Greuze , study for a picture in the Louvre. 44J m. Goring (Stat.) This, and the opposite village of Streatley, will be found described in Rte. 10. [A most interesting visit may be made from Goring to Aldworth, a vil- lage 4 m. W., lying at the foot of the Berkshire downs. The small Church is a good Dec. edifice, with E. E. tower, and has been well restored by St. Aubyn. It is remarkable for 9 fine Monumental Effigies, which re- present 6 knights in armour (5 with legs crossed, and 6 or 7 ft. in stature), 1 civilian and 2 females ; 6 of these figures are under enriched Dec. cano- pies ; 2 are on altar-tombs ; 1 is in the ch.-yard. They represent members of the family of De la Beetle (Flem- ings, who came over with the Con- queror), lords of this manor temp. Edward II. and III. ; the last of them, Sir Nicholas, was tutor to the Black Prince (d. 1347). Queen Elizabeth is said to have ridden on a pillion behind the Earl of Lei- cester, all the way from Ewelme, to inspect these celebrated tombs. “ In the E. ende of ye yle did hang a Table fairly written in Parchment, of all ye names of ye family of De la Beche : but ye Earle of Leicester, coming with ye Queen Elizabeth in progresse, tooke it down to show it her, and it was never brought again e.” — Symonds’ Diary. “ The common people call the statue under the outside of the ch., John Everafraid ; and say further that he gave his soul to the Devil, if ever he was buried either in churche or churchyard, so he was buried under the churche wall, under an arche.” The story — a similar tale is current elsewhere (see Rte. 26) — is still current among the villagers, who call 3 of the other statues, John Long, John Strong, and John Neverafraid. “ The 5 cross-legged effigies were probably Sir Robert de la Beche, Sir John and Wil- liam his sons, and Thomas and William his grandsons, who all died before 1310, and may all have been personally engaged in the Holy Wars. Sir Robert was probably the founder of the ch., and his sta- tue would be that under the S. wall. Philip de la Beche, his grandson, founded the chancel and S. aisle, and he doubtless erected the 5 cross- legged effigies to his ancestors. The 2 tombs on the S. side may be pre- sumed to be Sir Philip, that in the centre of the ch. to be his son Sir John. The other effigies on the same tomb are doubtless Sir Nicholas and his wife Margaret, the last of the family.” — Hewitt’s 4 Hundred of Compton.’ In the churchyard is an old yew whose trunk measures 9 yards in circumference. Nothing remains of the Castle de la Beche but the name in the “Beche Farm,” where many encaustic tiles have been found.] 47 J m. Moulsford Junction Stat. Hence a Branch Line of 3J m. runs off on rt. to Wallingford (post). The small Dec. ch. of Moulsford has been restored by Sir G. G. Scott. The river scenery here is very beau- tiful. 1 J m. N. is Cholsey (the 44 Island of Ceol”), where was formerly an expiatory monastery, founded 986, by Ethelred for the murder of Ed- ward the Martyr. It was granted by Henry I. as a country retreat to the Abbots of Reading. There re- Berkshire. Route 4. — Wallingford : Castle. mained until the beginning of this century a very ancient stone barn, 51 ft. high, 54 ft. wide, and 303 long. A tablet on the wall of its successor records the fact that “ In this barn John Lanesley threshed, for Mr. Joseph Hopkins, 5 quarters 7 bushels and a half of wheat in 13 hours, on March 15, 1747.” The ch. of Cholsey was founded about the same time as Reading Abbey, the lower part of the tower is of early Norm, character. The ch. is cruciform, with very massive Norm, walls and later windows inserted. At the W. end an addition has been made in the 13th centy., of one bay with lancet windows of fine E. E. work. The ch. is much in want of a judicious restoration ; it has been greatly neg- lected. 2 m. N.W. of Cholsey is the in- teresting Church of North Moreton. The chancel is early Dec., and has on the S. side a chapel which preserves some good early glass, and several monuments wdth floriated crosses. The tower is Perp. with a bold open parapet. The curious ^tngle piscina is engraved in Rickman. The mu- tilated Church of South Moreton has a buttress with a niche in which is sculptured a shield of arms ; it also is figured by Rickman. 1 m. W. is Hagbourn , with a fine Church mainly E. E.,but with late Perp. clerestory. The village cross remains almost perfect, and is made to support a sundial. Harwell , 2 m. further W., has a fine cruciform Church , the nave Trans-Norm., the transepts E. E., and the chancel Dec., with some original painted glass. The ch. contains a memorial of the singular legacy of Christ. Elderfield, 1652, who left lands for the purpose of purchasing “ 2 milch cows every spring to be given to the 2 poorest men in the parish, for their sus- tenance.” As it was found impos- sible for the poor men to get pasture for their cows, the trustees of this 47 legacy give it away in meat at Christmas instead. [51 m. Wallingford Stat . (Inn : Lamb). A bridge of many arches over the Thames and adjoining marsh, leads into this dull oldborougli town of 2803 inhab. (1 M.P.) It is nearly enclosed on three sides by remarkable earthen Bamparts , of unknown age, forming a parallelo- gram. Within this it is probable the Romans made a settlement, which is confirmed by the ground plan, two main streets crossing in the centre, and by the quantity of Roman coins found here. Within the rampart in the N.E. corner stood The Castle , of which there are only scant remains, including three moat- ed earthworks and a huge mound now grown over with trees. In the grounds of the modern mansion, called The Castle (residence of Kirby Hedges, Esq., the latest historian of Wallingford), as well as in the Croft and “Kine Croft,” these high banks may be seen. Adjoining it are the ruins of St. Nicholas Chapel , an ivy covered tower, door way, and windows. From the earli- est times the u ford ” over the Thames here was a frequented pass, and the Castle, which commanded it, was an important fortress. The town at the time of the Con- quest was in the possession of Wygod, a Saxon Thane, who received William and the Normans in a friendly man- ner. His daughter and his lands were given to Robert d’Oiley, who, beside, building a castle at Oxford, greatly strengthened that of Walling- ford. This castle was of great im- portance as a fortress during the stormy times which followed. Hither the Empress Maud, mother of Henry II., fled through the snow, after her escape from Oxford Castle, to Brian Fitzcount, its owner by his marriage with the heiress of Robert d’Oiley. She was pursued by Stephen, who I built a castle at Crowmarsh, on the 48 Route 4. — Didcot. Sect. I. opposite side of the river, in order to blockade her more easily, but she again escaped to Gloucester. Brian, however, held out for several years against all the power of Stephen, and when he was apparently reduced to extremity, in 1153, Prince Henry came to his rescue. A treaty was in consequence made at Wallingford, which secured the young prince's even- tual succession to the throne, and Brian then did homage to Stephen. Henry II. seized on the castle and town, soon after his accession, and granted a charter to the burgesses ; he also held a council here in 1155. In 1231 Henry III. granted the castle to his brother Bichard Earl of Cornwall, who transmitted it to his son Edmund, upon whose death it again fell to the crown, and so remained for many years. Edward II. in 1317 bestowed the castle on his queen, and from that time forth it was often used as a royal residence, and sometimes as a state prison. Joan of Kent, the widow of the Black Prince, died here in 1385, and it was the residence of the young queen Isabel during the absence of Richard II. in Ireland. It was afterwards granted to Queen Catherine, the widow of Henry V. Leland, in the 16th centy., de- scribes the Castle as “sore yn ruine;” but Camden, writing some- what later, says that its size and magnificence were still such as to amaze him, coming there, as a lad, from Oxford. Wallingford was the last place in Berkshire which held out for Charles, and was taken by Fairfax, July 27, 1616, after a 65 days’ siege bravely sustained by Governor Blagge. In 1652 it was slighted and destroyed by order of the Council of State. Of the 14 churches mentioned by Leland, 3 only remain. St. Mary’s (restored) is late Perp. ; on its tower (date 1653), surmounted by 4 pin- nacles, is a mounted figure said to represent King Stephen. St. Leo- nard’s (rebuilt 1849, by HakeweU , except the N. wall) has a Norm, doorway and two N. arches in the chancel. St. Peter’s , near the bridge, contains the grave of Sir William Blackstone, to whom a modern Gothic monument has been erected on its S. wall. On the opposite bank, in Oxford- shire, is the small plain Norm. Church of Crowmarsh (restored) ending in an apse, probably the work of D’Oiley.] Leaving Moulsford, the line crosses an open plain, known as Hagbourne Marsh. On N.E. appear the Dyke Hills, near Dorchester, and on W. the high ground and conical hills that form the Berkshire downs. 53 J m. Didcot Junction Stat . Hence the line runs W. to Swindon (Bte. 5) and the West ; N. to Oxford, Banbury, &c. (Btes. 19, 24), and S. to Newbury. The village of Didcot is very small, but the Church (E. E., Dec. and Perp.) has some fragments of good early painted glass, and an effigy, supposed to be that of the first mitred abbot of Abingdon (c. 1270). There is a restored cross in the ch.-yard, and a very fine yew- tree. 2 m. N. E. of Didcot are the 2 villages of Little Wittenham and Long Wittenham. The Church of the first has been rebuilt ; it contains the tomb of Sir Henry Dunch and his wife, who was the aunt of Oliver Cromwell. Long Wittenham Church (restored) is mainly Dec., and of much interest. It retains some ori- ginal glass, has a remarkable leaden font, of Trans.-Norm date, numerous encaustic tiles, and a very singular piscina, a small cross-legged effigy in armour lying on the edge; it is engraved in ‘ Glossary of Archi- tecture/ Six large iron spear- Berkshire. 49 Boute 5. — West Hanney. heads, found in the Thames near this place in 1843, are preserved in Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.' BOUTE 5. DIDCOT TO SWINDON,BY WANTAGE, UFFiNGTON, FARSNGDON, Great Western Rly. 24 m. Leaving Didcot (Rte. 4), we have at 2 m. Sutton Courtenay , 1 J m. N. The manor, which was an early posses- sion of the abbots of Abingdon, was exchanged by the Abbot Rethunus with Kinwulf, King of the Mercians, for the ancient royal palace in the Isle of Andersey, close to the mo- nastery, where the King had kept his hounds and hawks to the great annoyance of the monks. Henry II. gave it to Reginald Courtenay, an- cestor of the Earls of Devon, by whom it was twice forfeited : first by Thos. Courtenay, who fought against Edward IY. at Towton ; and afterwards, when it had been re- stored to the family, by the attainder of Henry Marquis of Exeter, 1539. The Church was given by the Con- queror to the Abbey of Abingdon. It still retains some Norm, work, and a Trans.-Norm. font, but is chiefly Dec. and Perp. One of its Trans.-Norm. windows is engraved in ‘ Glossary of Architecture.’ Here is a monument to Sir R. Hyde, of [Ber&s, dec.'] Blay grave, 1615, a descendant of the Hydes of Denchworth, stating the tradition that Canute gave the Manor of Denchworth to the Hydes in the year 1017. Not far from the ch. is the Manor-house , of the time of Edward III., which was used by the abbots as a place of country re- tirement. The interior is in parts very perfect, its hall retaining its ancient roof and pointed windows filled with Dec. tracery, and one of the chambers at the end of the hall its open roof. 1 m. E. is Appleford, where the small Norm, and E. E. ch. has a singular Trans.-Norm. font, round below and octagonal at top. 3 m. Steventon (Stat.). The vil- lage lying low, and so subject to floods, has a raised causeway through its entire length, pleasantly planted with trees. The Church , Dec. and Perp., has some rich moulded imposts to the tower arches, ornamented on the one side with the ball-flower and on the other with stalked roses— “a curious and rich specimen.” ( J . U. P.) There is a good Brass for Richard Do and his 2 wives (1476). 6f m. Wantage Road Stat. is in the hamlet of Grove , which has a small modern ch. A tramway connects the station with the town of Want- age, and cars meet every train. Steam power was used here for the first time in England for tramway purposes. 1 m. N.W. is West Hanney , with a fine cruciform Church. The chancel is late and poor Perp., but the rest is well worth examination. The nave has Norm, pillars, some of them altered into Dec. ; the transepts are E. E. ; the S. aisle is Dec., with square-headed windows and a rich panelled parapet ; the N. doorway is good Norm.; the S. doorway equally good Dec. There are Brasses , ranging from 1370 to 1611, one being that of Sir Christopher Lytcot, 1599, E 50 Route 5 . — Didcot to Sivindon. Sect. I. “who was knighted in the camp before Rouen by the French king Henry IV. ; ” he is represented in a highly ornamented suit of armour. The town of Wantage ( Inn : Bear), is 2J m. S. of the stat. (Pop. 3488). It is celebrated as the birthplace of King Alfred , and appears to have been his own patrimony, as he left it by will to his wife. The site of the Saxon palace in which Alfred was born is supposed to be an en- closure called the High Garden , on the S. side of the brook (a branch of the Ock) which runs through the town. The adjoining orchard is still called Court Close. Wantage was at the Conquest re- tained by the crown, but passed afterwards through a series of noble hands, among which were Baldwin de Bethune, William de Valence, Hugh Bigod, Fulk Fitzwarren, and the Bourchiers Earls of Bath. The Fitzwarrens obtained a grant of a market from Henry III., but this was allowed to fall into disuse, and has only been revived since the opening of the rly. The cruciform Church of SS. Peter and Paul is large and handsome, with a central tower, open below, and resting upon 4 magnificent Dec. piers. The nave is E. E., with Perp. clerestory and aisles. The transepts are Dec. ; the chancel Perp., with a restored Dec. E. window ; the font large, E. E. There is a fine alabaster monument of Sir William Fitzwar- ren, a Knight of the Garter, and his lady, of the 14th centy. ; a large brass of Sir Ivo Fitzwarren, 1414, and several smaller ones, including an early brass (1320) of a priest. The ch. has been recently restored by Street. Wantage, though in a purely agri- cultural district, is remarkable for its schools. The National School , by Woody er, is worth visiting from the drawings on its walls. The Grammar-School , built by a sub- scription raised at the jubilee in honour of Alfred, in 1849, has a fine Norm, doorway, a relic of the former ch., and the oldest object in the town. There is also St. Michael’s Home for training girls for service; and St. Mary’s Home for penitents, under the superintendence of the Sisters of Mercy. A fine statue of King Alfred , by Count Gleiclien, presented to the town by Col. Loyd Lindsay, was unveiled in 1877 by the Prince of Wales. It stands in the centre of the market-place. The Town Hall was erected in 1877. Bishop Butler, the author of the ‘Analogy,’ was born at Wantage, son of a Dissenter, 1692, in a house called the Priory, adjoining the churchyard, and was educated at the grammar-school. } m. W. of the town, at the Mead, are King Alfred’s Bath and Well ; the latter a basin of clear water, in a pretty dingle, formed by a number of small petrifying springs. 1 m. E. of Wantage is the hamlet of Charlton, in the manor-house of which, then the property of the Wil- mots, Charles I. occasionally resided in 1643 and 1644. 2J m. N.-W. of Wantage is Dench- worth. The Church, a conspicuous object from the rly., has an early Norm, doorway. The N. transept, or Lady-Chapel, with its squint, is E. E., the chancel and S. transept are Dec., and the font is good Perp. The low Perp. tower contains 4 bells. In the chancel are a brass of Will. Say, 1493 ; and several good brasses, with effigies of the Hyde family (1516-1567). One of these is a re- script, of very early date (1333), probably brought from Bisham Abbey, where it was originally placed to record its foundation by Sir W. de Montagu, and the laying of the first stone by King Edw. III. There are some curious graffiti on it, and it bears the following inscrip- tion ; — Berkshire. Boute 5 . — Letcombe Castle. 51 “Edward Roy danglete qe fist le siege deuant la cite de Berewyk et coquyst la bataille illeoqs et la dite cite la veille seinte Margarete lan de gae mcccxxxiii mist ceste pere a la reqneste Sire William de Montagu foundour de ceste mesoun.” In the S. transept are the monu- ments of the Geering family, who succeeded the Hydes in the Manor. At the Vicarage are preserved, as heirlooms, a “ mermaid’s rib,” presented to the Yicar in 1693, and a library of 150 volumes, for- merly chained in the church, and some of which are of the 15th centy. Near the church is the moated Manor House , where Amy Bobsart lived with the Hydes for some time pre- vious to her fatal residence at Cum- nor (1558-9). Here she was often visited by her husband, Lord Bob. Dudley ; and here also Sir Thomas Pope, founder of Trin. Coll. Oxford, was a frequent visitor. [From Wantage several places of interest in early English history may be visited, the chalk ridge to the S. being the “ Ashdown,” where the Danes were defeated by Alfred. Almost every eminence is crowned by earthworks, on the date of which various opinions may be entertained ; the White Horse, Wayland Smith’s Cave, the Blowing Stone, are all within a moderate distance ; and several picturesquely placed villages are to be met with, that would sup- ply abundant employment to the artist. “ They are queer, straggling, old-fashioned places, the houses being dropped down without the least regularity, in nooks and out-of-the- way corners, by the sides of shadowy lanes and footpaths, each with its patch of garden. They are built chiefly of good grey stone, and thatched; though since 1850, red brick cottages have multiplied, for the vale is beginning to manu- facture largely both brick and tiles. There are lots of waste ground by the side of the road in every village, amounting often to village greens, where feed the pigs and ganders of the people ; and these roads are old-fashioned, homely roads, very dirty and badly made, and hardly endurable in winter, but still pleasant jog-trot roads running through the great pasture-lands, dotted here and there with little clumps of thorns, where the sleek kine are feeding, with no fence on either side of them, and a gate at the end of the field, which makes you get out of your gig (if you xeep one), and gives you a chance of looking about you at every quarter of a mile.”— Tom Brown's Schooldays. 2 m. S. W. is Letcombe Regis , where was a hunting seat of King John ; a moated farmhouse is believed to occupy the site. The (restored) Church , mainly Dec. and Perp., has a good E. window of old stained glass, some Trans.-Norm. and E. E. portions, and a round Norm, font with the scallop ornament. 1 m. S. is the village of Letcombe Basset , with a small and admirably restored church, the transept of which is Norm, and E. E., and the font E. E. To this place Dean Swift retired in April, 1713 ; and during his residence there wrote his pam- phlet, 1 Free Thoughts on the Pre- sent State of Affairs.’ « By faction tired, with grief he waits awhile, His great contending friends to reconcile. Performs what friendship, justice, truth re- quire ; What could he more, but decently retire t" The Letcombes are celebrated for watercresses, which are sent up in large quantities to the London markets ; the training of racehorses is also a source of occupation. On the hill above is the earthwork called Letcombe Castle. It is sup- posed to have been a British town, and contains an area of 26 acres: the form is nearly circular, and it was protected by a double vallum, but. the outer one has been almost entirely destroyed. A remarkable cist, con- 52 Boute 5 . — Didcot to Swindon . Sect. X. taming a human skeleton, with flint implements and early pottery was found in 1871 in this inclosure, under a wedge-shaped stone protruding from the earth. 4 m. W. of Wantage is Sparsholt , where there is a very fine Dec. ch. The N. doorway of the nave is rich and peculiar Norm., and the iron- work of the door seems to be original. The chancel is chiefly Dec., with a mailed effigy in a highly-finished Dec. recess. There is also another early effigy, of wood ; and in the S. transept 2 other wooden effigies on altar-tombs, ornamented at the sides with 9 figures of knights in different attitudes. All these effi- gies are of the 14th centy., and were painted and gilt. They are sup- posed to be memorials of the Achard family. The roof, and a Dec. screen in the transept, are engraved in the 4 Gloss, of Architecture/ 1 m. W. from Sparsholt is the small Norm. ch. of Kingston Lisle. Kingston Lisle House (Victor W. B. Van de Weyer, Esq.) has a pretty glen in the park, and some fine old trees. A short distance S., on the road to Lamborne, under the shade of a tree, guarded by a padlock which requires a silver key, and in front of a public- house which bears its name, is the Blowing Stone , sometimes called King Alfred’s Trumpet, considered one of the great natural curiosities of the county. It is of the species of red sandstone called Sarsen stone, and is about 8 ft. high, 3 ft. 6 in. broad, and 2 ft. thick. It is pierced with holes on each side, of which 7 are in the front, 3 at the top, and several behind; at the N. end is also an irregular hollow place. The sound produced by a person blowing into any of these holes resembles the bellowing of a calf, and, it is said, can be heard in fine weather at Faringdon Clump, 6 m. distant (post). If a small stick be pushed in at the hole at the top, it will come out at one at the back of the stone. The stone is said to have been found on White Horse Hill, and, as a local poet sings, “ Atkins has preserved with care This mystic remnant of the day When Alfred ruled with regal sway : And when the wise decrees of Fate Made friend and foe confess him Great, This trumpet loudly did proclaim His wars, his wisdom, and his fame/* White Horse Hill and Uffington Camp lie about 2 m. W. of Kingston Lisle, but are more readily reached from the Uffington Stat. (post).~\ 10f m. Ghallow (Stat.) The 2 villages East and West Challow lie S. of the stat. near the Berks and Wilts Canal. The Churches of both are of interest. That of E. Challow, though partly rebuilt, has Trans.- Norm. W. and S. doorways, an E. E. stoup, and a good Dec. E. window ; that of W. Challow has a Trans.-Norm. W. doorway, and Perp. chancel with screen of the same date. There is a large agricultural imple- ment factory at East Challow. Half a mile S. of W. Challow is Ghildrey. Thech. contains a curious font, some ancient stained glass win- dows, and some very interesting monuments. The nave was restored in 1878. In this parish there is a house built in the 15th centy., in which Charles I. slept on the night of his march from Oxford to Marl- borough . 1^ m. N. is Stanford-in-the-Vale, with a fine Church , mostly Dec. The very curious piscina, with reliquary on top, is figured in 4 Gloss, of Architecture.’ Notice in the chancel the large Brass of Roger Campdene (1398) ; also the Elizabethan pulpit. 1 m. N. is Hatford, a small E.E. ch., consecrated in 1874, with Norm, door, and the Dec. canopied tomb of a priest. 1 m. S.E. is the small E.E. chapel of Goosey , the door key of which is original. 2 m. E. is Charney Basset , with a ch. originally Norm., but greatly altered. Close to it is a 13th-centy. building, supposed to have been a grange of the abbey of Berkshire. Boute 5 . — TJffington — White Horse Hill. 53 Abingdon. The chapel is now a I granary; other portions, used as a I farmhouse, retain their original windows and open timber roof. 1 m. furtherE. is Lyford, with a small E.E. chapel, having low side-windows. 13 m. TJffington Junction Stat. On N. a Branch line of 3J m. goes off to Faringdon (post). Uffington is a pleasant village under the White Horse Hill. The name is taken to mean Offa’s town ; Offa, King of Mercia, having gained it, 780, by the conquest of Kinewulf, King of Wessex. The place is minutely described in the opening chapter of 4 Tom Brown’s School- days.’ The noble Church (founded by Faritius, abbot of Abingdon, 1105) is mostly of E. E. character, and has a very fine central octagonal lantern- tower, once surmounted by a spire, destroyed by lightning in 1720, with plain windows in four of the faces, and without buttresses. 44 The chancel has 3 lancet windows with detached shafts, having bands and foliated caps ; under these are 3 small circular openings with good mouldings ; the side-windows are also lancets with detached shafts, except one which is a Dec. insertion ; the sedilia and piscina are fine ex- amples of E. E. ; the tower arches are fine and lofty E. E. On the E. side of the N. transept are 2 very remarkable recesses for altars, with high-pitched gable-roofs and 3 win- dows in each of a peculiar form, as if the heads of the windows were cut off by the slope of the roof, but evidently all original work : this example is believed to be unique. The S. transept is nearly the same as the N., but has only one altar- recess. The nave is plain, with N. and S. doorways, and the doors have good E. E. iron work upon them. The S. doorway has a fine E. E. porch, with a groined vault and room over it, in which is an original fireplace and chimney.”—/. H. P. The E. window is filled with good stained glass ; but the only monu- ment of interest is an Elizabethan one to John Saunders, who founded a free school in the village. Several of the details of this beautiful ch. are figured in Rickman, and in the 4 Gloss, of Architecture.’ 1 m. S. of the village rises the White Horse Hill , so named from a rude figure of a galloping steed cut in the turf near its summit, and which has 4 ‘ given its name to the vale upon which it has looked down these thousand years or more.” The figure, which is exceedingly rude, and which certainly is not much like an actual horse, still bears a kind of resemblance to the horse stamped on many British coins. It is cut on the N.W. face of the hill, and, being 374 ft. in length, and stretching over an acre of ground, is visible from a distance of 20 m. when the afternoon sun is shining upon it. It is formed by trenches 2 or 3 ft. deep, and about 10ft. broad; the head, neck, body, and tail are represented by one con- tinuous line, varying very little in width, and the legs are each formed by a single line. According to the local tradition of centuries, which was accepted by Wise and by more modern Berkshire antiquaries, but is now called in question, the horse is a memorial of the battle of iEscesdun (a.ix 871), when Ethel- red and Alfred gained a great vic- tory over the Danes, in which their King Bagssec was slain; and the annual custom of Scouring the White Horse was from early times the occasion of a rustic festival, attended by athletic games. This custom had died out in 1780, but was revived in 1828, 1838, and 1843. In 1858 an unusually bril- liant festival took place under the auspices of the late E. Atkins, Esq., of Kingston Lisle, which gave rise to Mr. T. Hughes* story of the 4 Scour- 54 Route 5 . — Didcot to Swindon. Sect. I. ing of the White Horse.’ The ballad of the Scouring is a curious specimen of the Berkshire dialect. Mr. Hughes, in a communication to the Newbury District Field Club (June, 1871), says : “ I am not sure that our White Horse was cut out on the hill after the battle of Ashendon. Indeed, I incline to believe that it was there long before, and that Ethelred and Alfred could not have spent an hour on such a work in the crisis of 871.” It has been remarked, that any trophy cut by such pious kings would probably be in the form of a Christian cross, as at Whiteleaf and Bledlow (Bte. 12), and not the horse of their idolatrous ancestors. And objec- tors of another class have remarked that the horse is represented gallop- ing with the wrong leg foremost, whence they conclude it to be only the work of idle shepherds. For in- stances of horses cut out on chalk cirffs in modern times, see Handbook for Wilts , &c., under the heads of “ Caine,” “ Chippenham,” “ Marl- borough,” “ Weymouth.” “ Below the White Horse is a curious deep and broad gully called ‘ the Manger,’ into one side of which the hills fall with a series of sweep- ing curves, known as 1 the Giants’ Stairs.’ They are not a bit like stairs, but covered with short green turf and tender bluebells, and gos- samer and thistle-down gleaming in the sun, and the sheep-walks running along their sides like ruled lines.” — Tom Brown. The other side of the Manger is known as “ the Dragon’s Hill,” where, accord- ing to local folk-lore, St. George killed the dragon, “ whose blood made a pool on the top, and ran down the steps on the other side, where the grass has never grown since.” The story is told by Job Cork, the Uffington shepherd-poet : “ Ah, zur, I can remember well The stories the old volk do tell — Upon this hill which here is zeen, Many a battle there have been. “ If it is true as I heerd zay, • King Gaarge did here the dragon zlay, And down below on yonder hill, They buried he, as I’ve heerd tell.” At the summit of the hill, which is 898 ft. above the level of the sea, is the large oval camp known as Uffington Castle , 700 ft. in diameter from E. to W., and 500 ft. from N. to S. It is surrounded by a high inner vallum, with a slighter one on the outside, which have been considered by Camden and other authorities to be Danish. The views from it are very extensive, embracing parts of eight counties. § m. N.W. is another camp, called Hardwell Castle , nearly of a square form, and surrounded also by a double vallum : its dimensions 140 by 180 ft. About 1 m. S.W. is Alfred’s Camp , a smaller circular encampment, with a single vallum. The traditionary account is, that at the battle of Ashdown the Danes occupied Uffington, Ethelred Hard- well, and Alfred the other camp ; but modern investigation makes it highly probable that the battle was fought considerably more to the eastward, possibly in the vicinity of Cwichelm’s law (Rte. 8). Following the hill westward for J m., close to the ancient Ridgeway, the cromlech known as Wayland Smith’s Cave is reached, marked by a spot of ground slightly raised, and a circle of trees. It consists of three large stones, with a fourth laid upon them, and many others scattered around. In plan it is a Latin cross, and the remain- ing capstone, 10 ft. x 9 ft., covers the E. transeptal cells. Its origin is wrapped in mystery. Wise and Gough suppose it to be Danish, the burial-place of King Bagsaec, slain at Ashdown ; Lysons believes it to be British. The local tradition that an invisible smith called Wayland had his abode on this spot, who would shoe a traveller’s horse if left here for a short time, with a piece of money for payment, gave rise to one Berkshire. Route 5. — Faringdon. — Radcot Bridge . of the most striking scenes in Sir W. Scott’s novel of ‘Kenilworth.’ It is believed that Wayland Smith’s fee was sixpence, and that, nnlike other workmen, he was offended if more was offered. At the foot of the hill on which stands Hardwell Castle is the village of Compton Beauchamp. It has a Dec. and Perp. cruciform Church , the Dec. E. window containing some original painted glass ; there is a pillar piscina, a good Perp. octago- nal font, and some ancient encaustic tiles. The moated Manor-house (Sir Jas. Bacon), has a quaint old terraced garden, with a fine dark yew-avenue, known as “ The Clois- ter Walk.” [16J m. Faringdon (Stat.). ( Inn : Crown. Pop. 3525.) Faringdon, under the name of Fearndune , was a residence of the Saxon kings, at which Edward the Elder died in 925. The castle was held against Stephen by Robert Earl of Glouces- ter, and when taken was demolished ; on its site King John built a Cister- cian cell, as an appendage to Beau- lieu. In the Civil War, Faringdon was held for the king during a con- siderable period, and its Manor- house was one of the last places that surrendered to the Parliament. The town stands on the side of a hill, in a sheltered situation, and commands fine views of the Berk- shire downs on the one hand, and the valley of the Thames on the other. Brewing, malting, and bacon curing are the chief occupations. The large cruciform Church (re- stored) is now mainly E.E., but with a low Norm, tower, once surmounted by a spire. The chancel is very fine E. E., as is the S. porch, which has a door of the same date, with ancient iron work. On the N. side of the nave is a small Norm, doorway, with embattled and zigzag mould- ings. The Pye chapel and the Unton chapel each contain some fine alabaster monuments: among them notice that of Sir Alexander Unton and two wives, in tabard and heraldic mantles (1547), and of Sir Edward Unton, who, when ambas- sador for Elizabeth in France, sent a challenge to the Duke of Guise, who, as he affirmed, in speaking evil of his mistress, “ had most shame- fully and wickedly lied.” In the nave is the tomb of Sir Marmaduke Rawdon, who successfully defended the town against the Parliamentary forces. There are also several Brasses , from 1471 to 1547. Faringdon House (Daniel Bennett, Esq.), near the ch., and approached through a noble avenue of elms, was built by Pye, the poet laureate, on the site of the ancient mansion which was garrisoned for Charles I. It was captured June 24, 1646, after a spirited defence of 55 days, and the loss of 40 of its garrison. It was during this siege that the ch. spire was beaten down, together with the whole of the S. aisle and transept. The latter have, however, been re- built in the same style, but may easily be distinguished from the original work. Faringdon Clump , a grove of Scotch firs, planted by Pye, on an eminence of iron-sand just outside the town, is the chief landmark in the Yale of White Horse, and commands an ex- tensive view over the plain — “ Whence White Horse Sends presents to the Thame by Ock, her only flood.” This is the scene of Pye’s poem of ‘ Faringdon Hill.’ It is open to the pedestrian, and seats placed here and there allow the prospect to be con- templated at leisure. A road called Church Path, leading N. towards Littleworth, where there is a small modern ch., commands a noble prospect of the valley of the Thames for many miles. 2£ m. N. is JRadcot Bridge , where Vere Duke of Ireland was defeated 56 Route 5 . — Didcot to Swindon. Sect. I. by the insurgent nobles of 1387, but escaped by swimming his horse across the river. “ Here Oxford’s hero, famous for his boar, While clashing swords upon his target sound, And show’rs of arrows from his breast rebound, Prepared for worst of fates, undaunted stood, And urged bis beast into the rapid flood ; The waves in triumph bore him, and were proud To sink beneath their honourable load.” Thame and rsis . This bridge and Newbridge, are the oldest on the Thames, both having been built in the 13th centy. Notice the E.E. ribbed arches, and the socket still remaining on the crown of the centre arch. The bridge was fortified for the king during the Civil War as an out- work to Faringdon, but was sur- rendered, after a 15 days’ siege, in May, 1646. The village of Radcot is in Oxfordshire (Rte. 25). 2} m. N.W. of Faringdon is Eaton Hastings , with a small E. E. Churchy worth a visit. There are good Dec. E. and W. windows, a Trans.-Norm. chancel- arch with star moulding, a massive Norm, font, and very elegant E. E. sedilia ; also some blue and yellow encaustic tiles in the chancel. The chancel was restored in 1872, and the nave in 1874. 1J m. W. is Buscoty where also is a good E.E. Churchy with Perp. tower. “ There are two piscinas on the S. side, both E.E., one on each side of the window, the sill of which serves for the sedilia.” — (/. H. P.) Buscot House (R. Campbell, Esq.) is a handsome stone mansion, built 1780, standing in an extensive deer park. In this neighbourhood beet- root is extensively cultivated for distillery purposes ] 18 J m. Shrivenliam (Stat.). The village, 1 m. N. (locally called “ Shrinham ”), is a very clean, plea- sant-looking place, which has much benefited by the liberality of the Bar- rington family. The Church retains its central tower and supporting arches, which are good Perp. ; the rest of the structure has been rebuilt at various times, in very bad taste, some parts affecting Norm., but the windows all of 4 lights, and square headed. The ch. contains two monu- ments, of interest to admirers of the Commonwealth. One is to John Wildman, the Anabaptist (after- wards Sir John Wildman. of Becket, d. 1693), who directed by his will “ that, if his bxecutors should think fit, there should be some stone of small price set near his ashes, to signify, without foolish flattery, to his posterity, that in that age livecl a man who spent the best part of his days in prisons, without crimes, being conscious of no offence towards man, for that he so loved his God that he could serve no man’s will, and wished the liberty and happi- ness of his country, and of all mankind.” The other is to John Wildman, his son (d. 1710), who “ preferred confinement for many years with his father, who was a prisoner in the Isle of Scilly, in the reign of Charles II., to the full en- joyment of his liberty.” There is also a monument to John’s adopted son, J ohn Shute, afterwards the first Viscount Barrington (d. 1793), for 39 years a distinguished member of the House of Commons ; and one to Samuel Barrington, Admiral of the White, 1800, who was distinguished in the wars of 1741-56, especially by the capture of the French ship 1 Count St. Florentine ; ’ the admi- ral’s epitaph is by Mrs. Hannah More. Near the ch. are 6 alms- houses, founded and endowed by Henry Marten the regicide. Beckett (Viscount Barrington) is a fine mansion in the Tudor style, built by the sixth Viscount, 1831-4, from the designs of his brother-in-law, the Hon. Thomas Liddell, a large old manor-house, part of which had been burnt in the Civil Wars, being Berkshire. 57 Boute 6.— pulled down to make room for it. It contains some good family portraits by Sir J. Reynolds and Sir T. Lawrence , some fine land- scapes by Both, , and some interesting French miniatures, including two of Louis XIV., when young and old, by Petitot. Among the curiosities are the chessboard and men of Charles I., in the original velvet bag in which they were sold by the Parliament. The grounds are adorned by a large sheet of artificial water, overhung at one corner by a curious stone summer-house, built by Inigo Jones, which enjoys the reputation of being the oldest in England. It contains some hand- some Delft dishes from Queen Mary’s dairy. Beckett, formerly called Becote, belonged to the Earls of Evreux, who gave it to the Priory of Norion in Normandy. It was seized in 1204 by King John, who probably occasionally resided here, as a man- date of his to the Sheriff of Oxford- shire is dated from Beckett. The manor was afterwards held by a family who derived their name (De Beckote) from the place, and who held it by tenure of meeting the King whenever he should pass Fowyeare’s Mill Bridge in Shriven- ham, with two white capons in their hands, and saying, “ Ecce, Domine istos duos capones quos alias habe- bitis sed non nunc.” 19 j m. The line enters Wiltshire, and reaches at 24 m. Swindon Junct. Stat. (See Handbook for Wilts .) Tilehurst . ROUTE 6. READING TO NEWBURY AND HUNGERFORD. Branch of G. W. Ely. 25£ m. This raily. goes off on 1. immedi- ately from the main line at Reading Stat. (Rte. 4.) At 1 m. on 1. is Coley Park (J. B. Monck, Esq.), the old seat of the Vachells, whose ancient mansion, Coley House, was the residence of Charles I. for several days during the Civil Wars. At Coley Cross Edward VI. was met by the mayor and aldermen of Reading on his visit to their town, and pre- sented with two yokes of oxen. [-Just beyond Coley Park the Basingstoke Branch runs off on 1. The only stat. in Berkshire is 7J m. Mortimer, or Stratfield Morti- mer, as it is more properly called. Here is a handsome ch. with lofty spire, built 1869 in lieu of a decayed structure originally Norm., and pre- serving some ancient monuments. This stat. give the readiest approach to the Roman city of Sdcliester, for which, with the remainder of the route to Basingstoke, see Handbook for Hants . ] 8 m. On N. 1 J m. Tilehurst. The Church, originally Perp. of very poor character, was rebuilt, with the ex- ception of the N. aisle, in 1856. It is Dec., with painted glass windows, an alabaster reredos, and carved oak stalls ; and preserves the monument of Sir Peter Vanlore, a rich mer- chant, 1627, and his lady. Lloyd, Bishop of Worcester, 1717, was a native of this place. Tilehurst Stat. on the Reading and Swindon main ; line was opened in April, 1882. It 58 Sect, I. Route 6 . — Reading to Newbury . is 2 m. from Reading and 3 m. from Pangbourne. Calcot House (J. H. Blagrave, Esq.), “a large square brick house with wings, backed by splendid timber, and looking out due S. over the pleasantest of parks, full of dappled fallow-deer, was the seat of ‘ the Berkshire lady/ whose story, which ‘lives both in prose and verse/ is briefly this : — The John Kendrick who bequeathed 7500Z. to build the Oracle at Read- ing, for the maintenance of the cloth trade (ante, Rte. 4), left a noble for- tune, part of which descended to a beautiful Miss Kendrick, w T ho is described as refusing numberless oilers of marriage, till at length — Being at a noble wedding In the famous town of Heading, A young gentleman she saw, Who belonged to the law. This is Benjamin Child, a barrister, to whom, on her return home, she writes a challenge to mortal combat in Calcot Park. Going thither, he finds a masked lady, who informs him that she is the challenger. * So now take your choice,’ says she, ‘ Either fight or marry me.’ Said he, ‘ Madam, pray what mean ye ? In my life I ne’er have seen ye ; Pray unmask, your visage show, Then I’ll tell you, ay or no.’ Lady.—* I will not my face uncover Till the marriage rites are over; Therefore take you which you will — Wed me, Sir, or try your skill.’ He consents to marry the masked swordswoman ; they drive to church in her coach, which is in waiting, and the wedding takes place. Then they proceed to Calcot House where he is left alone for 2 hours in ‘ a beautiful and fair parlour/ when the steward comes to question him, as though he had an eye to the spoons. At length the mistress herself en- tering, says, Lady. ‘ Sir, my servants have related That some hours you have waited In my parlour; tell me who in this house you ever knew?’ Gent. ‘ Madam, if I have offended, It is more than I intended ; A young lady brought me here.’ ‘ That is true,’ said she, ‘ my dear.* Then Benjamin Child finds himself happily married to the mistress of Calcot. Now he’s clothed in rich attire Not inferior to a squire — Bpauty, honour, riches, store ! What can man desire more ? In the parish register is recorded the birth of the two daughters of the Berkshire lady and Benjamin Child, in Sept. 1712 and Sept. 1713. It is but a century and a half ago that these events happened, in times more prosaic than our own” 5J m. Theale(8ta,t.). The Church is a modern edifice (Theale being a newly-formed parish) in the E. E. style, built in a very costly manner by the late Mrs. Shepherd and her brother Dr. Routh, the President of Magdalen Coll., Oxford. 2J m. S.E. is Burghfield. The Church , rebuilt in 1843, is a large Ro- manesque cruciform structure, with apse. In the porches are preserved three effigies from the old ch. ; one is of wood, of 14th eenty. date. It was this living which Boling- broke wished Swift to take in ex- change for his deanery. 1 m. N.W. is Englefield, where, in the Park or Chase, Ethelwulf, aider- man of Berks, fought with the Danes in 871, just before the battle of iEscesdun. Simeon narrates that he urged on his soldiers, saying* u Though they attack us with the advantage of more men, we may despise them, for our commander Christ is braver than they.” At any rate the Pagans were discomfited, and two of their great sea-Earls, unaccustomed to the saddle, were unhorsed and slain. This ancient manor of the Englefields was for- feited to the Crown by the attainder of Sir J. Englefield, on the charge of plotting to rescue Mary Queen of Scots. It was granted to Sir F. 59 Berkshire. Route 6. — Bradfield — Ufton Nervet. Walsingham, from whose family it passed to John Pawlet, the famous Marquis of Winchester, who ended his days here after the demoli- tion of Basing (1674). The story of the Englefields is charmingly narrated by Lord Carnarvon in his ‘Archaeology of Berks/ 1859. The modern Tudor mansion, built by its present possessor, Bichard Benyon, Esq., consists of a series of projecting bays, having a tower in the centre, and fine stone terraces beneath. In the park, which abounds in deer, is the little E. E. Church, restored by Scott. Here is the monument of the Marquis of Winchester, inscribed with verses by Dryden, and an epitaph which tells how he was “ a man of exemplary piety towards God, and of inviolable fidelity towards his sovereign, in whose cause he forti- fied his house at Basing, and de- fended it against the rebels to the last extremity.” In the S. aisle, in niches under the wall, are effigies of a cross-legged knight in mail, temp. Edw. II. (?), and a lady of the 14th centy. in wood. Near the altar, and separating it from the Englefield aisle, is a fine grey canopied tomb, from which the brasses have been removed. Several other monuments are curious, especially that of J. Englefield and all his family, 1605, and a bas-relief representing the death of Mrs. Mary Benyon, 1777. E. E. piers and arches support the roof, and in the N. aisle is a fine E. E. window, with detached shafts. 1 m. N. is Bradfield , remarkable for St. Andrew's College , founded by the munificence of the Yicar, the Bev. T. Stevens, opened as a gram- mar-school 1850, and enrolled as a foundation-school 1859, for 16 foun- der’s boys and 153 commoners. In 1 862 it was incorporated by Boyal Charter ; and the Warden is now authorised to admit 300 commoners. It is a picturesque building, and contains a good dining-hall, with stained-glass windows. The Church , which has been beautifully restored by Sir G. G. Scott , and preserves some Trans.-Norm. and Dec. features, as well as the Jacobean tower of flint and brick, has a fine chancel in the E.E. style, and some good stained glass. There is a way hence to Aldworth (Bte. 4) through winding lanes, frequently bordered by old yews and hollies, and across the picturesque wooded common of Ash- hampstead , where the manor of Hart- ridge was held by keeping a gos- hawk for the King. 7 m. On S. 1 m. Ufton Nervet , a village with a Perp. ch., rebuilt in 1862. At a short distance, on a thickly-wooded eminence, ap- proached by a picturesque lane, is Ufton Court (the property of B Benyon, Esq ), described by Pope in his letters, and the home of Arabella Fermor, celebrated by him in his ‘ Bape of the Lock,’ under the name of Belinda. The house has been much injured, and is now divided into several habitations ; but the variety of its gables and the dark projecting porch of carved oak render it still very picturesque. Behind the house is a raised terrace where Arabella must often have walked, with steps leading down into a flower-garden, which still retains its original form. Below the terrace is a subterranean passage communicating with the dining-room. The hall retains its beautiful ceiling with pendants, and its black and white chequered pavement ; there is “a haunted staircase,” and upstairs in the long passages are a number of trap- doors and secret chambers in the depth of the wall, which afforded protection to priests during the prevalence of the penal laws. Booms called “ the Chapel” and “ the Priest’s Vestry” are shown in the top of the house. The old Barn should be observed — its fine timber roof, and the peculiar ornament in the win- 60 Sect. T. Route 6 . — Reading to Newbury . dows. Near it is a magnificent old oak-tree. 8f m. Aldermaston (Stat.). The village lies more than 1 m. S., on the bank of a branch of the river Rennet, on which it has a wharf. 1 m. further S., at the top of the hill, are the lodges of Aldermaston Court (Higford Burr, Esq.), a modern Elizabethan mansion, built by Hard- wick , 1851, which contains a great deal of very fine old tapestry and curious carved furniture collected at Y enice. The windows of the Library preserve some of the stained glass from the old Hall, with the arms of its former possessors, the Forsters, and their alliances with the families of Delamare, Sandes, Hungerford, Bar- rett, Kingsmill, Harpsden, Milborne, Achard, and Popham. The clock- tower is very conspicuous from the railway. The Park , which is one of the wildest and most varied in this part of England, is 5 m. in extent, and contains 1000 acres. There is a broad lake, and the fern-clad deer paddocks are studded with old thorn-trees, yews, and gigantic oaks, whilst several portions of the old lime avenues remain. The common snake abounds, being protected by Mr. Burr, who says, “I never hear of any ladies being frightened by them, so shy and retiring are they in their habits.” — Beading Mercury, Ang. 12, 1871. The original house, mentioned by Evelyn as built “ a la moderne,” was partly burnt down, and partly destroyed at the erection of the pre- sent building ; the inscription which adorned it, Hump. I „ > Forster Anna I Vivimus et sedificamus uno animo, Utunque Deo et Fato consecravimus, 1636 — and some of the old buildings, re- main behind the present conserva- tory. The fine old staircase, en- graved by Nash, which has a balus- trade ornamented with figures, is preserved in the present house. The manor was granted to Robert Achard by Henry I. (Queen Matilda being witness). The last of the Achards died in 1353, leaving a daughter, who brought the estate by marriage to Sir Thomas Delamare. His granddaughter and heiress mar- ried Sir George Forster, whose family lived here till 1711. The last female of the family married Lord Stawell, whose only daughter married Ralph Congreve, Esq. “A memorial of this Lord Stawell exists in the coronet inwoven in the ornaments of the beautiful iron gates ; almost the only memorial he has left, except the tradition of his insatiable love of gambling, which reduced his estate to an inalienable residence, and gave rise to the local proverb, 4 When clubs are trumps, Aldermaston House shakes.’ ” In the park, very near to the house, is the Church. , E. E. and Dec. ; the Dec. tower has a late Norm, doorway, built in at the W. end. The ch. contains the large and beautiful alabaster monument of Sir George Forster, 1526, and his lady, with 11 sons in armour, and 8 daughters in the angular head- dresses of that period, under Gothic canopies round the side ; the knight’s feet rest upon a hind, his crest (a Hind’s Head) is still the sign of the village Inn ; and a tiny dog bites the gown of the lady. Behind this tomb is a chapel, in which the posi- tion of the ancient altar is occupied by the tomb of Mr. Ralph Congreve. 1| m. S.E. of Aldermaston is the Roman amphitheatre of Silcliester , the largest in Britain except that of Dorchester, measuring 50 yards by 40. It is just within the boundary of Berks, but is, for completeness, described with Silchester in Hand- book for Plants . IJm. E. Padworth. This manor was held, from an early period, by the Cowdrays, on the tenure of pro- viding a sailor to manage the ropes of the Queen’s ship whenever she 61 Berkshire. Route 6. — BucMebury — Newbury, went to Normandy. The little ch., formerly a very interesting specimen of enriched Norm, architecture, has been injudiciously treated. Close by is Padworth House (C. D. Grif- fith, Esq.). 2 m. N. of Aldermaston Stat. is Beenham Vallence , with a ch. rebuilt in 1859. It contains a monument to the Rev. Thomas Stackhouse, author of the * History of the Bible/ many years vicar (d. 1752, aged 72). He was a remarkable man, but his life presented a sad picture of the consequences of intemperance. “ He would often stray down to a public- house called Jack’s Booth, on the Bath road, and stay there for 2 or 3 days at a time ; it is even said that a great part of his History was written in an arbour at the bottom of the garden. He would come up from hence on a Sunday morning, and ask pardon of God in the pulpit for his folly and wickedness, and warn his congregation against the vice of drunkenness, yet he would probably in a week or two again yield to the same temptation.” 2J m. N.W. of Beenham is Buckle- bury , with a Church originally Trans.- Norni., but now greatly altered. It, however, has still a good Norm. S. doorway: and it contains several monuments of the Winchcombes. There is a very fine yew-tree in the ch.-yard. The register contains a list of the rectors from 1303. The manor of Bucklebury was purchased at the Dissolution by John Winchcombe, a son of the rich clothier called Jack of Newbury. He built himself a fine Tudor manor- house, now destroyed. Lord Boling- broke married a descendant of his, and resided at Bucklebury, where he received a visit from Swift in 1711, which the latter thus de- scribes in a letter to Stella : — “ Mr. Secretary was a perfect country- gentleman at Bucklebury : he smoked tobacco with one or two neighbours; he inquired after the wheat in such a field; he went to visit his hounds, and knew all their names ; he and his lady saw me up to my chamber just in the country- fashion. His house is just in the midst of 3000Z. a year he had*by his lady, who is descended from Jack of Newbury, of whom books and ballads are written ; and there is an old picture of him in the room.” 2 m. N.E. is Stanford Dingley , a Trans.-Norm. Church , restored in 1870, with a curious wooden bell- tower built up within the walls of the nave. “ The S. doorway is very uncommon, the inner head trefoiled, with a circular ornament introduced at the point; over this is a well- moulded pointed arch, partly con- cealed by the plaster ceiling of the porch ; the door has E. E. iron work ” (/. H. P.). There are 3 Brasses , one of Margaret Dyneley, “ wife of William, esquire to the King,” 1444, and 2 small ones, temp. James I. 10J m. Midgham (Stat.). Wool- hampton ch. 1 J m. N.E., was rebuilt in 1861, and is a handsome edifice, with stained glass windows. The old Norm, font, of stone, with an arcade and figures in lead, has been preserved. 13| m. Thatcham (Stat.). The ch., Trans.-Norm. and Dec., with Perp. N. door, has been restored; it con- tains the monument of W. Danvers, Judge of Common Pleas, temp. Henry VII. (d. 1504). 17 m. Newbury (Stat.). The town of Newbury ( Inns : The Chequers, moderate ; in Speenkamland, White Hart), Pop. 7939, stands on the river Kennet, and is also inter- sected by the Kennet and Avon Canal. It is supposed to have origi- nated in the Roman Spinse, of which the name still remains in Speen , and Speenhamland , as the part of Sect. I. Monte 6 . — Beading to Newbury . 62 the town N. of the river is called. The earliest mention of this name is in a charter obtained by the Saxon Abbot Bethmee from King Ken- wnlf, in 821, fronting “ all the wood which is called Spene ” to Abingdon Abbey. At the time of the Domes- day-Book, two villages, Spone and Bagnor, occupied this site, and U1- miton, or Ulward’s Town, had sprung up in the neighbourhood, then nearly twice the size of Beading. The manor was granted by William to Ernulf of Hesdin, the 1st Earl of Perch e, but was forfeited by his descendant in the time of Stephen and annexed to the crown. King John lived much at his hunting- lodge of Kingsclere, and often visited Newbury. According to an old legendary ballad he was concealed in the house of an old spinning woman at Newbury when he fled from his insurgent barons, and built the almshouses now called St. Bar- tholomew’s Hospital, in token of his gratitude. The manor of Newbury afterwards came into the possession of the earls of Pembroke, and has since been given as a jointure to Queen Jane Seymour and to Queen Anne of Denmark. The town was one of the most flourishing seats of the cloth trade, which here produced its hero to- wards the end of the 15th centy. John Winchcombe, better known as Jack of Newbury , was a clothier, who had raised himself to great local eminence, and kept 100 looms at work. When, in Henry YIlI.’s absence, the Scotch invaded England, he was ordered to send out four men armed with pikes and two horsemen for the king’s service, and answered the call by marching N. at the head of 50 tall men well mounted, and 50 footmen with bow and pike, “ as well armed and better clothed than any.” Whether he reached Flodden is doubtful, though the ballad of the ‘ Newberrie Archers’ gives the par- ticulars of the exploits of his men. On Henry’s return from France, Jack had the honour of entertaining him at Newbury, which he did in splen- did fashion, and declined the honour of knighthood. But Jack’s crowning work was his carrying to a success- ful issue the clothiers’ petition, when, “ by reason of the wars, many mer- chant strangers were prohibited from coming to England, and also our merchants, in like sort, were forbidden to have dealings with France and the Low Countries,” so that the cloth trade had fallen very low. Wolsey, to whom the deputa- tion was first referred, put the matter otf from time to time, being of opinion that “Jack of Newbury, if well examined, would be found to be infected with Luther’s spirit.” Jack, in his turn, exasperated the Cardinal by saying, “If my Lord Chancellor’s father had been no hastier in killing calves than he in despatching of poor men’s suits, I think he would never have worn a mitre.” But the King took the matter up, and the clothiers got their order, “ that merchants should freely traffic one with another, and the proclamation thereof should be made as well on the other side of the sea as the land.” A portrait said to be his, but really representing his son John (d. 1557), was long pre- served in the old market-house. Newbury, though its clothing trade has disappeared, is a thriving town, with many large maltsters and millers. It rests on a stratum of peat, not more than ^ m. wide, but many miles in length, which is cut for fuel or manure, and abounds in curious geological remains. In con- sequence of this foundation, the houses shake perceptibly when any heavy waggon passes through the streets. The Kennet, which divides the town, is more famed for eels than for trout. The Church of St. Nicholas is a large Perp. structure, with W. tower, which Berkshire. 63 Route 6 . — Newbury : Battles. has octagonal turrets. It is believed to have been built, in part at least, by the great clothier, as the initials “J. S.” (John Smallwood, alias Winchcombe) occur on the bosses of the roof of the nave. There is also a brass to his memory (d. 1520). The ch. was restored in 1868. Dr. Twiss, a noted Puritan, and Thos. Penrose, one of the minor poets (d. 1769), have been among the rectors of Newbury. The ch. of St. Nicholas and the churchyard are kept in beautiful order, and are well worth a visit. St. John’s ch. is modern. Newbury has long been noted for its corn-market, and one for wool has of late been added. A handsome Corn Exchange was built in 1862. The old custom here, that everything must be paid for on delivery, gave rise to the local proverb — “ The farmer doth take back His money in his sack.” There is a Literary Institute at Newbury, in the museum of which a good collection of local geological specimens i$ to be seen. The Martyrs of Newbury. As in other towns that “ stood by clothing,” reformed opinions early prevailed at Newbury, and Chris- topher Shoemaker was in 1518 burnt there for reading the Gospels to another person. But a more noted sufferer was Julius [Jocelyn] Palmer, who had been master of the Reading grammar school. He was a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, and a Romanist, but he was so struck by the constancy exhibited by the bishops there (at whose burning he was present), that he became a Pro- testant, and suffered death, with two others, at a place called the Sandpits at Newbury, July 16, 1556. “ When they were come to the place where they should suffer, they all three fell to the ground, and Palmer with an audible voice pronounced the 31st Psalm, but the other two made their prayers secretly to God .... and so forthwith they put off their raiment, and went to the stake and kissed it. And when they were bound to the post Palmer said, 4 Good people, pray for us, that we may persevere to the end ; and for Christ’s sake beware of Popish teachers, for they deceive you.’ As lie spake this, a servant of one of the bailiffs threw a faggot at his face, that the blood gushed out in divers places. For the which fact the sheriff reviled him, calling him cruel tormentor, and with his walking staff brake his head, that the blood likewise ran about his ears. When the tire was kindled and began to take hold upon their bodies, then lift up their hands towards heaven, and quietly and cheerily, as though they had felt no smart, they cried, ‘ Lord Jesu strengthen us, Lord Jesu assist us, . Lord Jesu receive our souls/ And so they continued, without any struggling, holding up their hands, and knocking their hearts, and calling upon Jesu, until they had ended their mortal lives.”— Foxe. The Battles of Newbury. During the Civil War the townsmen of Newbury were vehemently Parlia- mentarian, and loud complaints of their “ seditious demeanour,” even after the Restoration, occur in the State Papers preserved in the Pub- lic Record Office. The immediate neighbourhood of the town was the scene of two indecisive battles, com- monly known as the first and the second battle of Newbury. The First Battle occurred in 1643, when the town was held by the royalists. On Sept. 16, Essex, who commanded the Parliamentarian army that had relieved Gloucester, attempted to reach Newbury by a 64 Sect. T. Route 6 . — Reading to Newbury. forced march over Enborne Chase, j intending to proceed thence to Lon- don, but was driven to Hungerford, in consequence of an attack made by the royalists under Prince Rupert, in the middle of the chase, when “the dragoons in both sides gave fire in full bodies on one another on the side of the hill, so that the woods above and the valleys below did echo with the thunder of the charge/’ During this conflict many of the queen’s life-guard were cut to pieces, and the Marquis de Yieuville was taken mortally wounded, making known his rank in his last words, “ Vous voyez un grand Marquis mourant.” On Sept. 18 Essex was encamped “in the fields,” between Enborne and the present road to Newbury, and in order to force his way, drew out his men in battle array on “ Biggs’ Hill,” which name still remains applied to a cottage, on the borders of what till lately was Enborne Common. The king’s lines, which commanded the London road, and which were defended in the rear by the river Lamborne and the guns of Donnington, must have extended from Newbury along “the hill” to Newbury Wash, where his main force was drawn up, and whither Essex, “ finding his soldiers full of mettle,” advanced by a narrow lane up Speen Hill, in which but 6 men could march abreast, seizing upon the table-land at the top, which he continued to occupy throughout the day. The king was unwilling to risk an engagement, but was forcibly led into it by the rashness of his officers, whose eagerness was such, that, leaving their doublets behind, they led out their men to battle in their shirts. The artillery were at first unavailable, but the royal ca- valry, headed by the Earl of Car- narvon, charged with wonderful boldness, so that they routed the horse of the enemy in most places, though the leader himself fell in the midst of his triumph. The Parlia- mentarian foot however behaved well, and the London trained bands stood firm, and kept their ground steadily at Newbury Marsh, though Prince Rupert charged them in person with the cry “Queen Mary in the field ! ” Essex, in a white hat, which he refused to change, was among them, and eventually, rallying his men, with undaunted courage led them up the hill, driving the in- fantry of the king “ from hedge to hedge,” and gained possession of “ the hill, the hedges, and the river ” Kennet. Meantime the royalists, observing that Essex’s men for distinction’s sake wore branches of fern and broom in their hats, adopted the same badge, and, shouting “ Friends ! ” fell stealthily upon the Parliamentarian rear, but after a sharp conflict were put to flight. After 6 hours’ fight, “the cannon did still dispute with one another, as if the battle was but new begun and when at length night drew on, it left neither side to claim a victory, though it was a hard hand-to-hand fight to the last, and darkness sank over 6000 men dead upon the field. On the follow- ing morning Essex carried out his design of retiring to Reading, Prince Rupert suffering him to proceed* with his whole army, till they were engulfed in the narrow lane near Theale, now called “ Dead Man’s Lane,” when he fell upon their rear with fearful execution. Among the 60 cartloads of slain carried into the town, were the Earl of Carnarvon, who in the morning had been seen measuring a gateway with his sword, amid a crowd of laughing Cavaliers, to see how Essex’s horns could pass through when they should had him in as prisoner, and whose dead body came into Newbury the same evening, stretched across a horse “like that of a calf”; the Earl of Sunderland, only 23 yrs. old ; and the blameless Berkshire. Route 6 . — Newbury : Battles. 65 Lord Falkland, who had received the Sacrament that morning, and had gone out to battle, saying, “ I am weary of the times, and foresee much misery to my country, but I believe I shall be out of it ere night.” Clarendon describes him in a beauti- ful memoir, and .-ays that, “ If there were no other brand upon this odious and accursed war than that single loss, it must be most infamous, and execrable to all posterity.” He is commemorated by Pope in the line — “ See Falkland dies, the virtuous and the just and by Southey, who wrote an in- scription for a column at Newbury, commencing — “ On this field Did Falkland fall, the blameless and the brave.” A solitary poplar long marked the spot where he fell, but it was cut down several years ago. A monument, 33 ft. in height, and containing about 40 tons of granite, terminated by a monolith 17 ft. in height, has been erected to his memory, by those “ to whom the Majesty of the Crown and the Liberties of their country are dear.” Chain-shot, can- non-balls, and other relics, ,are con- stantly found on the battle-field ; and 3 tumuli still exist where the slain were interred, 2 on the Wash, and 1 on Enborne Common. The Second Battle of Newbury took place on Sunday, Oct. 27, 1644, Charles having come thither to re- lieve Donnington Castle, which was besieged by the Earl of Manchester, and being himself quartered in New- bury, at a house on the W. of Cheap Street. The suburban villages Speen and Shaw were both in possession of the royalists ; Shaw House, or Dol- man’s as it was then called, being occupied by Col. Page, and every hedge and hollow in its neighbour- [ 'Berks , &c.] hood lined with ambushed skirm- ishers and marksmen. Hostilities were commenced early on Sunday morning by a sudden attack of 1000 men of Manchester’s force, who descended the hill un- discovered upon Shaw House, but being routed by Sir J. Astley, they were driven back upon their own men, who were coming to assist them. A succession of warm skir- mishes continued till the after- noon, when, by a sudden move- ment, Waller led his men across the Lamborne, and seized Speen, a feat commemorated in the popular stanza : “ My friend Billy Waller, in doublet white, And without any arms, either rusty or bright, Charged through them twice like a little sprite, Which nobody can deny.” Hence he immediately proceeded to attack the king’s horse “ in the open fields under the hill of Speen,” where the king himself then was with the Prince of Wales, but here he was repulsed by Col. Campfield, while the Earl of Cleveland charged the 1. wing of the Parliamentarians, and succeeded in driving them back, but was himself taken prisoner. Meantime the troops under Man- chester advanced upon “ Dolemans,” “ singing of psalms as they went,” but were repulsed by Sir J. Brown and Lieut.-Col. Page, who “ pursued them from the house with notable execution ; ” and by Col. Lisle, un- armed and clad in “ a good Holland shirt,” who charged them 3 times, shouting “ For the crown ! ” “ For Pr. Charles ! ” “ For the Duke of York ! ” while a storm of musket-bullets hailed upon them from every window and parapet of the old manor-house. At length night approached, “for which neither party were sorry,” when all the royal forces drew up about Donnington, and, leaving their wounded and ordnance there, aban- doned Newbury, which thencefor- F Sect. I. 66 Route 6 . — Reading to Newbury. word remained in the hands of the Parliament, and retired to Oxford, unmolested by the enemy, who, “ it being a fine moonlight night, were not ignorant of their retreat.” Speenhamland is a kind of suburb of Newbury, connecting it with the old Bath road, which passed N. of the town, and had at Speen and Speenhamland large Inns, the heavy charges at which provoked many a complaint. One, the Pelican , was thus commemorated by Quin : “ The famous inn at Speenhamland, That stands below the hill, May well be called the Pelican, From its enormous bill.” This, however, is a joke of the past ; the Inn is now excellent, reasonable, and much resorted to during the fishing-season. ( 1 m. N. W. is the village of Speen , or Church Speen. The Church is a large edifice, rebuilt 1860, except the brick tower, in the E. E. style. It con- tains an altar-tomb, with the effigy in armour of John Baptiste de Casti- lion (d. 1598), to whom a manor in this parish was granted in 1505. An effigy of his 'son’s wife, 1603, is habited in a farthingale and flowered gown, with a veil nearly to the feet. There are also monuments to the Craven family ; among others to Elizabeth, Lady Craven, who married the Margrave of Anspach, and resided at Benham Park (R. Sutton, Esq.), a handsome classic edifice near the river. 1 m. N. E. is Shaw House (Mrs. Eyre), still, in spite of injuries received in the Civil Wars (it was the centre of conflict in the second battle of Newbury), the most stately Elizabethan mansion in Berks. It is built of rich red brick, with stone dressings, and is surrounded by old- fashioned shrubberies. The garden still shows some of the earthworks thrown up during the war, and a large collection of cannon - balls, picked up on the spot, is preserved in the hall. On the night before the battle, Charles was the guest of Sir John Dolman : and in t he oak wain- scot of the drawing-room is a hole, made, according to tradition, by a bullet fired at the king, while he was dressing in the bow window. It bears the inscription, “ Hanc juxta fenestram, rex Carolus primus, in- stante obsidione schoppopetrae ictu tantum non trajectus fuit, die Octob. xxvii. MDCXLIV.” The house was built in 1581 by Thomas Dolman, a member of an old Yorkshire family who had settled in Newbury as a clothier, and having- made a fortune, retired here to live as a country gentleman. The pro- ceeding was distasteful to the towns- men, and they expressed their feelings in the lines — “ Lord have mercy upon us, miserable sin- ners ; Thomas Dolman has built a new house. And has turned away all his spinners.” To which he retorted in the haughty lines still remaining over the gate- way— “ Edentulus vescentium dentibus invidet, Et oculos caprearum talpa contemnit.” The ch. of Shaw, rebuilt in 1840, in the Norman style, has several monuments of the Dolmans, who retained possession of the manor until the 18th cent. Col. Dolman, a noted member of the old Common- wealth party after the Restoration, was the brother of Sir John, the host of the king. A chancel was add* d in 1877 to the memory of H. R. Eyre, Esq. 1 m. N. of Newbury, crowning a hill to the 1. of the Oxford road, and shrouded by ancient trees, are the picturesque remains of Donnington Castle, now limited to an ivy-mantled gateway, with a tall tower on either side and a piece of wall adjoining, much of the material having been used in building a modern mansion, Castle House (.Stephen Matthews, Esq .), at the foot of the hill. The place Berkshire. Route 6. — Donnington Parle : Chaucer. has always been associated with the poet Chaucer, and local tradition, backed by the wri tings of Camden, Sylvester, Godwin, and others, asserts that he lived in the castle, which Grose declares to have been pre- sented to him by John of Gaunt. Speight speaks of the “ elde oak ” at Donnington, called Chaucer’s oke ; ” and Evelyn declares that “ among the trees in Donnington Park were three which were remarkable from the ingenious planter and dedicator (if tradition hold), the famous English bard Geoffrey Chaucer: of which one was called the king’s, another the queen’s, and a third Chaucer’s, oak ; ” while Ashmole further asserts that Chaucer “ composed many of his celebrated pieces under an oak in Donnington Park.” It is, how- ever, unfortunately the fact, that Donnington did not come into the Chaucer family till 1418, 18 yrs. after the poet’s death (John of Gaunt never having been the possessor of this place at all, but of Donnington in Leicestershire, see Handbook for Leicester ), when it passed from the Abberburys (one of whom had bought it for 100s. from Edward II.) to the poet’s grand daughter Alice, whose tomb is at Ewelme (Rte. 20). and who married — 1st. Sir John Phelipp ; 2nd. Thos., Earl of Salis- bury; and 3rd. Wm. de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, who resided with her at Donnington. Here she may have been visited by her father, Thos. Chaucer, the poet’s only son, by whom the trees were probably planted. During the Civil Wars Donnington Castle was the centre of conflict. It was first attacked by Gen. Mid- dleton in Aug. 1644, when its gover- nor, Col. Boys, in answer to a sum- mons to surrender, first declared his resolution of maintaining his trust, and then repulsed his assadants, after an assault of 6 hrs., with a loss of 100 men. On Sept. 19 Col. Horton succeeded in beating down 3 of the 07 | towers, and, relying on this success, I declared that, unless the castle was surrendered, he would spare no life within it : to which Boys replied, that he “would keep the place, and would neither give or take quarter;” and that night, again making a sally, repulsed his besiegers with loss. Threats that his enemies would not leave one stone upon another were only met by the response that lie was not bound to repair the castle, but, by God’s help, he would keep the ground ; and he did so, until in April, 1646 he received the King’s order to surrender. Bound the Castle are still to be seen traces of the out- works thrown up during the siege, the strength of which explains its successful defence. Half-way up the Castle Hill is Donnington Priory , built on the site of a small priory of Trinitarians, which was founded by Sir Richard Abberbury, guardian of Richard II., in 1394, at the same time witli Donnington Hospital. At the foot of the hill flows the Lamborne, a celebrated trout-stream, which the inhabitants, “ in spite of the evidence of their eyes,” still believe to answer to the account of the local poet Sylvester : “ Little Lambs-Bourne .... All summer long (while all thy sisters shrink) Men of thy tears a million daily drink ; Beside thy waste, which then in haste doth run, To wash the feet of Chaucer’s Donnington : But (while the rest are full unto the top) All winter long thou never shewst a drop, Nor sendst a doit of needless subsidy To cram the Kennet’s wantless treasury. Before her stores be spent and springs be stayed- Then, then alone, thou lendst a liberal aid.” 2 m. S. of Newbury is Sandleford , where a priory was founded c. 1200 by Geoffrey, Earl of Perche. On its site is a modern house called Sandle- ford Priory ( W. P. B. Chatteris, Esq.) where lived Mrs. Montagu, cele- brated for the literary society of which she was the centre. Johnson., f 2 68 Route 6 . — Reading to Newbury. Goldsmith, Burke, Keynolds, Beat- tie, and Mrs. E. Carter were among her constant visitors. “ Dr. Stilling- fleet was in the habit of attending her literary parties in a full suit of cloth, with blue worsted stockings, and rendered himself so entertaining that the ladies used to delay their discussions until his arrival, de- claring, 4 We can do nothing without our blue stockings’ —whence the has bleu. Mrs. Montagu converted the old chapel of the Priory — which contained an interesting tomb of a Crusader, supposed to be the Earl of Perche — into a dining-room, con- necting it with the house by a beau- tiful octagon drawing-room, a fact noticed by Mrs. H. More in one of her letters. Madame D’Arblay men- tions a visit here, and Cowper has immortalized the feather hangings in the lines — ‘ The birds put off their feathery hue To dress a room for Montagu.’ Mrs. Montagu died in 1800.” — Godwin. dtEnn On S. is Enborne , with a Norm, and E. E. ch., having a de- based Perp. E. window ; there is a good Norm, font, circular, with arcade. The parish contains two ancient manors, in which a custom prevailed, that, if a widow of a copy- holder was guilty of incontinency, she forfeited her life-interest in her husband’s copyhold, which could only be recovered by her riding into court on a black ram, repeating a ludicrous petition in rhyme. (See Addison in the 4 Spectator,’ No. 628.) 8 m. S. of Newbury is Highclere , the beautiful park and mansion (Sir C. Barry, architect) of the Earl of Carnarvon. Adjoining Enborne on W. is Hampstead Marshall, a small parish, with a red-brick ch. of the time of James I. In it is buried Sir Bal- thazar Gerbier (d. 1667). The manor of Hampstead Marshall Sect. I. was bestowed by Henry I. on one Gilbert, who took the name of Mar- shal, from his office in the royal household. His grandson was John the Marshal, whose controversy with Becket about the manor of Pagham, in Sussex, gave occasion for the proceedings against the archbishop. His son was William, created Earl of Pembroke, who became the Pro- tector of the kingdom on the death of King John. His five sons, who all became earls of Pembroke, all died without issue, and this ex- tinction of the male line of John the Marshal was popularly looked on as a proof of the abiding anger of St. Thomas of Canterbury. The earldom of Pembroke was bestowed by Henry III. on his half-brother, William de Yalence, but the mar- shalship and the manor were con- veyed by Maude, the Protector’s daughter, to her husband, Hugh Bigod Earl of Norfolk. From him they passed to his son and his nephew, both named Boger ; but the latter, after a fierce contest with Edward I., had to surrender both (1302), when they were regranted to him for life only. On his death the office and the manor were separated, and whilst the former was granted to succeeding earls or dukes of Norfolk, the latter passed through various hands. In the time of Eliza- beth it belonged to Sir Thomas Parry, the treasurer of the royal household, who built himself a stately mansion. In 1620 this was purchased by Sir William Craven, afterwards Lord Craven, and the faithful friend of Elizabeth of Bo- hemia. He pulled down the house, and, under the guidance of Sir B. Gerbier, replaced it by a stately pile, in imitation of the Castle of Heidelberg. This house was acci- dentally burnt in 1718, and was succeeded by the present edifice, which stands in a fine deer-park, and is occupied by the Marquis of Donegal. Berkshire. Route 6. — Kintbury — Avington — Ranger ford. 69 22 m. Kintbury (Stat.). Kintbury, or Kenetbury, was given by Elfrida to the nunnery founded by her at Amesbury, and remained in their possession until the Dissolution, when it was purchased by John Cheyney, after which it was long the property of the Darrells of Little- cote, several of whom are buried in the ch. This, a Trans.-Norm. and Dec. structure, with E. E. tower, contains several other monuments; among them, one for Charles Dundas, M.P. for Berks for more than 50 years. He was created Baron Ames- bury, July 16, 1832, and died on the 7th June following, when his title became extinct. There is also a Brass for John Gunter (1524), and his wife, though she is buried else- where. Christ Church is a modern edifice, by Bury , of red brick with stone dressings, and has a very effective tower and spire. Barton Court , formerly the seat of Lord Amesbury, is now occupied by Sir R. Sutton. 1 m. N.W. is Avington , a village possessing one of the- most interest- ing churches in the county, a very small edifice (75 ft. by 14 ft. 7 in.), which has been judiciously restored. “ This,” says Rickman, “ is a very curious and fine Norm, ch., with a rich arch between nave and chancel, which seems to have failed at an early period, and been lately drawn, too much depressed, and looking like 2 arches, which appearance it has not really. This arch and that of the S. door are very fine ones; there is a curious division in the chancel (which is nearly as long as the nave), with different groinings, but no appearance of this division outside.” The chancel seems to have ha l a groined roof in two bays. The E. E. windows and turret, mentioned by Rickman, are now gone, and a small chancel or vestry ( on the N. was built in 1877. There is a rude Norm. font. It is circular, and is adorned with 11 figures in eccles r adical vestments, among whom the foul fiend is seen with horns and hoofs. The ch. is covered with ivy, and close to it is the picturesque old vicarage. The manor of Avington be- longed in the time of Edward the Confessor to the family of Gounere ; after the Conquest to Richard Puingeant, who probably built the ch. It also once belonged to William Longespee Earl of Salisbury, son of Fair Rosamond, and afterwards to Francis Choke, who is buried in Shalbourn ch. (post). 3 m. S. is West Woodhay , pictur- esquely situated at the foot of the downs, with a handsome manor- house by Inigo Jones (Rev. J. Sloper). The old ch., now replaced by a plain brick structure, contained the tomb of Sir Benjamin Rudyerd, a poet and eminent politician of the Commonwealth, who is spoken of by Southey as “ one of the most upright and able statesmen of his time, and one of the most eloquent men in that age of English eloquence.” After his desire for peace had led to his expulsion from the House he retired to West Woodhay, where he died, May 31, 1658. 1 J m. W. of West Woodhay is Ink- pen, with a small Church mostly mo- dern, but possessing a Trans.-Norm. doorway and some E. E. windows, and a tomb with cross-legged etfigy. Inkpen Beacon is 1011 feet above the level of the sea, and is the iiighest poiut of the chalk in the S. of England, 25J m. Hunger ford Stat. This is a considerable market-town ( Inn : a sood country inn, Three Swans P.H.), partly in Wiltshire. (Pop. 2965). It is watered by the Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has long been a favourite resort for the angler, being men- tioned by Evelyn as “ a toune famous for its troutes ” It was anciently called' Ingleford Char man or Charman Street , which Gough thinks may be a corruption of the Ford of the 70 Sect. I. Route 7 . — Newbury to Shrivenham. Angles, on Herman Street, the an- cient Roman road. The name Charn- ham Street is preserved in one of the avenues to the town, which con- sists chiefly of two good streets, with a new town-hall, in which is carefully preserved an ancient horn given to the townsmen by John of Gaunt along with tue fishery in the Rennet, which is a considerable source of revenue to the corporation. An imi- tation of this horn, which is blown as a summons to the election of con- stable, &c., and to call tenants to the manor-court, bears the date 1634, and the inscription, “John a Gaun did giue and grant the riall [royalty] of fishing to Hungerford toune, from Eldren Stub to Irish Stil, excepting som seueral mil pound. Jehosphat Lucas was cunstabl.” The ch., which was rebuilt in 1814, contains a good Perp. font from the old edifice. In 1880 the nave was reseated ; and other improvements were effected at a cost of 3000Z. The effigy of Sir Robert de Hungerford, temp. Edw. III., which was formerly placed in a chantry on the S. side of the ch., was for many years banished to the cli.-yd. It has just been placed in the N. aisle, and the curious and well-preserved 14th-centy. inscrip- tion from the chantry has been let into the wall above it. It was at Hungerford that the Prince of Orange met the commissioners of King James in Dec. 1688, when an agreement was come to, which event- ually placed the Prince on the English throne. Hungerford Park (Geo. S. Willes, Esq.) was the residence of the Barons Hungerford down to the 16th centy. Being then in the hands of the crown, Elizabeth bestowed it on the Earl of Essex. The present house is a modern structure, Littlecote Hall (the seat of the Pophams), 2 m., in Wilts, is a very interesting house (see Notes to Scott’s ‘Rokeby’); but it is not shjwn to strangers. 3 m. S. is Shalbourn , partly in Wiltshire. The Dec. and Perp. ch. contains the monument of Francis Choke, bearing his efiigy in armour, and the inscription “ Praye ye al for the sole of frances Choke desessed in theyereof oure Lord A. 1562.” Thech. was restored in 1872-73 by Bodley, at a cost of 2800Z., when a new aisle was added, and the tower rebuilt. The ceiling of the ch. and the screen are very effective. There is a fine Norm, arch. Jethro Tull, who considerably improved agriculture by the introduc- tion of drill machinery, and other- wise, resided at Prosperous Farm in this parish in 1730, and introduced here his new methods of farming. There is a bleak road of 14 m. over the hills from Hungerford by Great Shefford to Wantage. (Rtes. 5, 7.) Marlborough Stat. {Inn: Castle and Bull.) See Hdbk. for Wilts . ROUTE 7. NEWBURY TO SHRIVENHAM. By Road. 19 m. This route is exceedingly interest- ing to the architect, almost every place passed through having a ch. well worth notice. Or a portion of it may be made to furnish an agree- able excursion, by proceeding from the Newbury Stat. to Donnington, Wickham, Welford, and the Shef- Berkshire. Route 7 .—Welford— WiclchamShefford. 71 fords, rejoining the rly. at Hunger- ford; the round will be about 15 m. by road, and 9 by rly. Quitting Speenhamland by the Oxford road, we soon turn off on 1., and proceed towards Lamborne, hav- ing the pretty “ troutful stream” of the same name almost constantly in view on r. 4 m. Boxford , with a poor Perp. ch. ; the low square tower dates only from 1841. 6 m. Welford. The Church , in a pretty situation, has a most pic- turesque round tower, and in the churchyard the shaft of a cross. “ The lower part of the tower and a portion of the wall, a N. door, and some windows now stopped, are all Norm. The ch. and chancel are E. E., with a modern E. window, and a very good Perp. S. aisle and porch. The upper part of the tower and spire are late E. E., and almost Dec. l^he tower becomes octagon above, and the spire ribbed, with 8 good double windows. This is one of the largest of the round towers, and constructed, as to the early part of it, ■ of small stones. There is a very fine round font, curious from its Norm, forms and E. E. details : it has 16 intersecting arches round it.” — Rich- man. The ch. has been well re- stored. Welford House (0. Eyre, Esq.), a very handsome modern . house, in general effect resembling one of the old Flemish town-halls, has a deer- park. 1 1 m. S.W. is Wickham, a chapelry of Welford. “ The tower has a ba- lustre belfry window, and quoins which look very much like Saxon long and short work. The walls of the tower are very thick, the masonry consisting of flint and mortar in al- ternate layers of about 3 inches. The windows are small, round-headed, splayed both inside and out. The body of the ch., with its aisles and chancel, was rebuilt from a design of Mr. B. Ferre tj, in the Dec. style, in 1846-9, at the expense of the Rev. W. Nicholson, rector of Wel- ford. The work is done in the most sumptuous manner, and the sculpture of the foliage on the capitals and bosses is equal to the best ancient work.” — (J. H. P.) The manor of Benham Level, in Welford parish, was held by the service of keeping a pack of dogs, at the King’s expense, for his use. 8 m. A short distance E., across the stream, and shaded by flour i sit- ing trees, is the pretty village of Little or East She ford. The Church is small, and of debased Perp. archi- tecture, but it contains a fine monu- ment of Sir Thomas Fettyplace and his wife, with alabaster eiiigies. He is habited in armour ; his head re- clining on a helmet much orna- mented, but the crest (an eagle’s head) is broken oft'; it stood on a wreath of flowers. His sword and dagger are gone. Round the tomb are angels supporting shields. Against the N. wall of the chancel is the tomb, in grey marble, of John Fetty- ■ place, 1524, and his wife and child- ren ; under an arch their eftigies in brass plates, kneeling. The arms, both on window-glass and tomb, are Fettyplace, quartering Besils, im- paled with Legh. Shefford was de- serted by the Fettyplaces for Besils- leigh near Cumnor. Of their Manor- house, only the great hall and one other apartment remain, now turned into a barn. Some of the windows are perfect ; the gables are supported by corbels; on a projecting stone is i a shield of the arms of Besils quar- tering Legh. Within is some mag- nificent timber-work. The fireplace is very large ; near it is a recess, formerly a bay window. 9 m. Great or West Shefford. The E. E. Church, restored in 1871, has a Norm, circular tower at the W. end, to which a Perp. octangular story has been added, and a Trans.- Norm. doorway. The font is Norm., enriched with scrolls of foliage. 72 Route 7 . — Newbury to SI Charles I. passed the night at Shefford Nov. 19, 1644. Here the Hungerford and Wantage road is crossed. 10 m. East Garston , called com- monly “ Argason,” has a cruciform Church , originally Norm., but much altered by the insertion of Dec. or Perp. windows, and the nave has modern wooden arches on the S. side. “ There is a pillar piscina, with a sculptured cap beneath a trefoiled recess, with a good bold moulding; itis Trans. -Norm, work, an example rarely met with.” ( J. JET. P.) The chancel was rebuilt in 1875 by Sir Robert Burdett, and the Seymour chapel by the vicar and his friends. This manor was held by the terms of finding a knight to serve the King for 40 days, whenever he should be at Kidwelly, in South Wales; and the neighbouring manor of Bock- hampton by keeping a pack of har- riers for the King’s use ; but the knight was to be paid, and the dogs fed, at the royal charge. J m. be- yond Garston is the hamlet of East - bury , with a market-cross, indicating that it was once of more importance than it is at present. 12 m. Lamborne , a primitive-look- ing little place, with a scattered population of 2379 {Inn: Red Lion, very comfortable : filled at times of coursing matches). This is a good centre for exploring the antiquities of the Downs. The Church is a large and fine cruciform structure, chiefly Dec., but with Perp. E. window, a Perp. N. aisle, and Norm, tower, with 4 octagonal turrets, and 8 bells upon which chimes are played every hour. There are 2 chantry chapels for John Estbury, 1372, and John Estbury, 1 485 ; the latter founded some alms-houses, and until of late the almoners used to meet twice daily for prayer in rude stalls surrounding his tomb ; they now attend the ordinary service in the body of the ch. There are some well-preserved rivenham — Lamborne. Sect. I. brasses to the memory of members of the Garrard family, upon one of which we read : “ Here lyeth Roger Garrard Gent, and Elizabeth his wife, whose bodyes rest in the earth their mother, and whose soules doe live with God their Father, 1631.” Under a Garrard monument of carved stone on the left of the altar, dated 1608, occurs the following lines : — “ Three children more at one birth Agnes had, Weare all baptizde, hir in one grave laid.” In the N. transept is the tomb of Sir Thomas Essex and his wife Margaret, 1558, with their effigies in alabaster. In 1876 an east window, representing the last judgment, was erected to the memory of Bishop Milman of Calcutta, who was vicar of Lamborne. Lamborne was a possession of King Alfred, who left it by will to his queen. After the Conquest it was granted to the Fitzwarrens. It was divided into several manors, one of which was held, temp. Henry III., by the great justiciary, Henry de Bath, passed from him to the Bo- huns, and was by Henry VIII. sold to Hir William Essex, under-treasurer of the Exchequer, whose son Sir Thomas is buried in the ch. Charles I. was at Lamborne soon after the battle of Newbury. Lamborne Place (H. Hippisley, Esq.) is a modern Elizabethan house, built 1843, in succession to Sir W. Essex’s house, on a site tra- ditionally said to be that of Alfred’s palace. It contains, beside other pictures, a portrait of Charles I., said to have been painted during his stay at Lamborne, and an ex- tensive collection of ancient armour and old china. Joshua Sylvester, the poet, and translator of 4 Du Bartas,’ long resided in the old house in the service of the Essex family. Though now little read, he is justly termed by Southey “ the silver-tongued Sylvester,” and his WLWM. whi% C f NT V RY HOUSE for the nation. Ashdown House, near L senteH F t0 !u the J ™ ith an endowment and 40 acres of surrounding parkl ^stlipf 0 National Trust by Cornelia, Countess of Craven. Built late J kalustra^ 1111 y s . 100t ' n 8 lodge, it has four storeys, and a mansard roof surnui Strade and crowned by a cupola with a golden ball.. I he Histone] has made a grant to pay for extensive repairs. latnbourn, Berks, H has been pre- Lthe 17th century led by a wooden jildings Council 0 * By DONALD McLACHLAN o reign affairs and defence in the next be much talk of economies, perhaps in Germany. But Britain is a partner and a reappraisal must be jointly es are not to be alienated. 1 Mr. weightier points. It is, for example, t mind, remarkable that /the forces of d away NA TO - shduld be in substantially the same shape as they were five ■ „ ”7 years ago. Our unwieldy, long- e, ana. tailed divisions and tactical non- a long atomic aif forces suggest that to and commanders have reacted only Le soap superficially to the nuclear revolu- of the tion. / Is all this needed,” the )gether i^ymen asks, “ as well as the rdts in nurfear weapons? ” One reason for the rather emotional" conservatism of the igo Mr. Supreme Commander and his staff xetary , is that the directive on the defence mislng of the N.A.T.O. area from their |ndefi- political masters — the Atlantic Visions Coun cil— has hot been changed. That, in turn, /is because not all our ce 01 allies agree.,- with the British views s sup- formed after the Bulganin and ■imilar Khruschev visit here, erican it is also a fact that N.A.T.O. Burden shared : a meeting Dr. Adenauer that led to Bi pledge . be the beginning of the enc Atlantic alliance as an e military and political * which is what the Russia quite a lot of Germans wa In spite of all reports, it to believe that a British ( ment would choose the course even though the fii proper course is lengthy anc be difficult. But from most < Berkshire. Bonte 7 . — Ashdown Parh. 73 poems abound in pleasing local al- lusions. * Let me, good Lord, among the great un- kenn’d, My rest of days in the calm country end : Let me deserve of my dear eagle brood For Windsor Forest walks in Alme’s wood : Be Hadley pond my sea; Lamb’s-bourn my Thames ; Lamborne my London ; Kennet’s silver streams My fruitful Nile ; my singers and musicians The pleasant birds with warbling repeti- tions ; My company, pure thoughts, to work Thy will ; My court a cottage on a lowly hill. Where, without let, I may so sing Thy name, That times to come may wonder at the same.” Sylvester's ‘Du Bartas,’ p.30. The poet’s wish to end his days at Lamborne was not fulfilled ; he be- came secretary to a company of London traders, and died in their service at Middleburg, in Holland, Sept. 28th, 1618, aged 55. The Lamborne river rises in the plantations of Lamborne Place. It abounds with trout, which are of a paler colour than those taken in the Kennet. N. of Lamborne stretch wide open downs, on which the business of Horse- Training and the sport of Coursing are carried on ; > the hills that bound the view overlook the Yale of White Horse (Rte. 5). 2 m. N. is what are called the Seven Barrows , from the fact that, of the numerous tumuli scattered about, 7 are in closer proximity than the rest. They were opened in 1850, and proved to be British ( Journ . Arch. Inst. vol. viii.), thus showing the fallacy of the supposi- tion of Gough, Wise, and others, that they mark the burial-places of the Danish leaders slain at Ashdown. This, and other considerations, have led antiquaries in general to remove the site of that battle further east- ward (Bte. 8). Passing near Way land Smith’s Cave (Rte. 5), we arrive, at 16 m., at Ashbury , where the fine Dec. and Perp. Church will repay an attentive examination. Notice the rich Norm. S. doorway, and the squint filled with Dec. tracery be- tween the S. aisle and transept. There are Brasses for John de Wal- den, c. 1360, W. Skelton, 1448, both priests, good examples of academic and processional costume. The in- terior of the church was completely restored in 1872. The Sunday- school system is said to have been originated at Ashbury by the Rev. J. Stock, the curate, in 1777. He collected the children of the poor in the ch. and gave them instruction between the services. Being re- moved in the following year to Glou- cester, he there became acquainted with Mr. Raikes, who at once saw the value of the “ innovation,” as it was deemed, and gave it such hearty support as to be usually considered its founder. The manor of Ashbury, which had been given to Glaston- bury Abbey by Edred, was pur- chased at the Dissolution by Sir W. Essex. The Manor-house (now a farm) is moated, and has some frag- ments of stained glass ; it is of 15th cent. date. At a considerable distance S. of the ch., and high up on the downs, is Ashdown Bark (Earl Craven). The situation is so remarkable, that tradition is called on to account for it. Accordingly we are told that a Craven, who was Lord Mayor of London [Sir W. Craven was Lord Mayor in 1610], fleeing from the plague in the metropolis, rode on and on, till on these downs he spied a solitary farmhouse. There, for the first time, he felt he should be secure, and there he built a house, with 4 avenues leading to the 4 cardinal points, and with windows on each side of all the rooms, in order that, if the plague came in on one side, it might go out on the other. The existing house was built in the style of Coleshill, by Webb, the nephew of Inigo Jones, who inherited his plans. 74 Sect. I. Route 8 . — Newbury to Oxford. All the chimneys unite in two mas- sive quadrangular piles on either side, while between them is a belve- dere, having a cupola in the centre, containing a lantern, which is oc- casionally lighted as a beacon to guide travellers among these hills. On the oak staircase are some of the stags’ horns brought by Elizabeth of Bohemia from Germany ; and there are portraits of her, of William Lord Craven, the devoted friend whom she is said to have married near the end of her life, of Prince Rupert, Prince Maurice, and the four Prin- cesses, by Honthorst. Lying on the turf, stretching in long ari ay both within and without the park wall, in front of Ashdown House, are the extraordinary stones known as the Sarsen (Saracen r) Stones , looking like a flock of sheep scattered under the trees, whence probably their name of Grey Wethers. They are remains of a tertiary stra- tum of Bagshot sand, indurated, with which the chalk was once over- laid. The larger stones of Stone- henge and Avebury are probably of the same formation (see Handbook for Wilts). It is remarkable that the sides of the Downs, which are elsewhere clothed with short turf, are here covered with long grass. E. of the house is the small circular camp known as Alfred's Castle (Rte. 5 ), which Aubrey says “ was almost quite defaced” in his time, “by digging for the Sarsen stones to build my Lord Craven’s house.” 19 m. Shrivenham (Stat ) (Rte. 5). ROUTE 8. NEWBURY TO OXFORD, BY EAST ILSLEY AND ABINGDON. By Road. 27 m. Leaving Newbury (Rte. 6), the road runs at the foot of the hill (on the 1.), which is crowned by the ruins of Donnington Castle. Rt. 1 m. is Shaw House. (See Rte. 6.) Passing over Snelsmore Heath— 4 m. Cliieveley , a village lying off the high road, was occupied by the Parliamentary troops on the night before the second battle of Newbury. The Church has a good E. E. chancel ; the nave was of the same date, but it was rebuilt in the same style in 1873. The tower also is E. E., but with Perp. doorway inserted, and Dec. battlements. 6 m. A road branches off on 1., 2 m., to Peasemore , of which the manor belonged to Thos. Chaucer, the son of the poet. The eh., rebuilt in the Dec. style, with tower and lofty spire, contains the monument of Mr. Wm. Coward, 1739, who, “out of an income of J10/., maintained a most hospitable table, rebuilt the church tower, and gave the great bell and the communion plate.” 1 m. S. W. is the small new ch. of Leckhampstead , which has replaced a Trans.-Norm. edifice. The manor was one of those bestowed by Ed- ward II. on Piers Gaveston. On the border of the parish towards Welford (Rte. 7) is a boundary-stone, called Hang Man Stone , from a grim legend, which relates that a man there came to an untimely end. Berkshire. Route 8. — Hampstead Norris — Compton Parva . 75 He had stolen a sheep, and was car- rying it away, with its hind-legs tied together round his neck ; he sat down to rest on the stone, but the struggling sheep pulled him over, and he was found next day strangled. Cliaddleworth , 2 m. N. W., has a ch., originally Norm., but altered in the B. E. style. The manor (which was given by the Con- queror to Robert d’Oiley, and after- wards belonged to the mother of Edward I., who bought it for the sup- port of her granddaughter Eleanor of Britanny, then a nun at Ambresbury) shared in the singular custom which prevailed concerning widows at En- borne (Rte. 6). In this parish, in a retired situation among woods, is the farmhouse of Ellensfordsmere , which marks the site of the Abbey of Pogkley , built for Augustine canons by Ralph of Chaddleworth in 1161, destroyed in 1532. Woolley Park (P. Wroughton, Esq.) is a handsome mansion, in a well-wooded deer-park. 2 m. N.E. is Bright Waltham (“ Brickleton ” in the ver- nacular), the ch. of which belonged to Battle Abbey. It is Norm, and E. E , and has been restored by Street. It contains a Norm, font., and a small Brass for John Newman, wife, and son, 1517. [On E. are several interesting churches. Hampstead Norris , 3 m., is an extensive parish, in which a Roman villa was discovered in 1833, and which also contains a British earthwork called Grimsbury Castle. This is of circular form, and incloses a copious spring, which is never known to fail, even in the driest seasons. The Churchis mainly E. E. ; at the E. end are 2 lancet windows externally, but splayed internally, so as to terminate in a single round moulding, very simple, but good” (/. H. P.). There is also a trefoiled piscina, supported on a shaft; but the Norm, font has been removed, and is now at Stone (Rte. 14). The tower is Perp., with very thick walls of flint, and a Perp. porch to the Norm. N. door, which has the billet moulding. 2 m. S., and near Grimsbury Castle, is the Norm. ch. of Frilsham. The chancel has a Perp. E. window, and the tower is a modern imitation of E. E., badly executed in brick. 1J m. N.E. is Yattendon , once, like many other Berkshire villages, a market-town. Sir John Norreys, Master of the Wardrobe to Henry VI., had licence to embattle a manor- house here (now destroyed) in 1447. The ch. was also probably built by him. It contains the tomb of another Sir John Norreys, who served in the Nether land wars, and died in 1597, furious at not having been more amply rewarded for his services, which are detailed in an immense epitaph. Carte, who wrote a great part of his ‘ History of England ’ in the village, died here 1754, and is also buried in the ch. 2 m. N. is Ashhampstead , with a Trans.-Norm. ch., to which a wooden bell-tower was added in the 15th cent. ; the timbers have curious Perp. mouldings. 3 m. N. from Ashhampstead is Aid- worth (described in Rte. 4), 2 m. W. of which is Compton Parva , generally } supposed to occupy the site of a Roman town. The ch. is a mere fragment of a Trans.-Norm. edifice, the N. aisle of which has been de- stroyed. On an eminence known as Cow Down , following the shape of the hill, is an entrenchment called Perborough Castle, evidently British, but also occupied by the Romans, numerous relics of that people hav- ing been found there. Near this is one of the many large farms bearing the name of Cold Harbour often met with in the vicinity of a Roman road. To the N. stretch Compton Downs , now used for horse-training, and on which some antiquaries con- sider the battle of Ashdown to have | been fought. It seems probable that 76 Sect. I. Boute 8 . — Newbury to Oxford. the term “ iEscesdun ” really applies to the whole tract of elevated land between Streatley and Ashbury (Rte. 7), and thus the exact site of the conflict can never be determined ; still, the weight of probability is in favour of the eastern, rather than the western district. This famous battle took place early in the year 871, when, after a contest at Reading, in which the Pagans “ had possession of the place of carnage, 1 ” i. e. the victory. “ King Ethelred and his brother Alfred fought the whole army of Pagans on Ashdown. The Danish army was in two bodies ; in the one were Bagssec and Halfdene, the heathen kings ; in the other were the earls. The Christian army was also divi- ded into two bodies. Things being so settled, the King remained a long time in prayer, hearing the mass, and said he would not leave it till the priest had done, or abandon the protection of God for that of men. And so he did, which afterwards availed him much witli the Almighty, as we shall see in the sequel. But the Pagans came up quickly to the fight. Then Alfred, although holding a lower authority, could no longer support the troops of the enemy, unless he retreated or charged upon them without waiting for his brother : so he marched out promptly with his men in a close column, and gave them battle.” Alfred fought with the troops of the earls, and King Ethelred with the troops of the Kings, the Christians coming up from below, and the Pagans occupy- ing the higher ground, where was a single stunted thorn-tree, “ around which the opposing hosts came to- gether, with loud shouts from all sides, the one to pursue their wicked course, the other to fight for their lives, their dearest ties, and their country. And when both hosts had fought long and bravely, at last the Pagans by God’s judgment, could no longer bear the attack of the Christians, and, having lost great part of their men, took to a dis- graceful flight, and all the Pagan host pursued its flight, not only until night, but the next day, even until they reached the stronghold from which they - had come out. The Christians followed, slaying all they could reach, until it became dark.” “ And the flower of the Pagan youth was there slain, so that neither be- fore nor since was ever such destruc- tion known since the Saxons first gained Britain by their arms.” “ There fell in that battle King Bagsaec (‘ slain by the spear of King Ethelred,’ Brompton ), and these earls with him ; that old Earl Sidroc, to whom may be applied that saying, ‘the ancient of evil days,’ and Earls Sidroc the younger, Osberne, Frene, and Harold.” — Saxon Chronicles .] Returning to the main road we reach at 9 m. East Ilsley , formerly called Hildesley or Huldesley , a small mar- ket-town on a hill-side. Gougli and others consider the name a corruption of “ Hildelseg,” or “ Battle-field,” and have placed the battle of Ash- down here. Another opinion is, that it represents the Saxon town of Nacliededorne , or the Solitary Thorn Tree , so named from an ancient tree held sacred by the Druids, and the “single thorn-tree of stunted growth,” around which, according to Asser, the conflict was the fiercest. The small ch. is mainly E. E., but with low Dec. tower : and the N. aisle is a modern addition. The Hildesleys were long lords of the manor, and have their monu^ ments in the ch. John Hilsey, who succeeded Bishop Fisher at Rochester (1585-88), was one of this family. Rich. Wight wick, the benefactor of Pembroke College, Oxford, of which he may be considered the co-founder Berkshire. Route 8.— West Isley — Scutchamore. with Tesdale, was rector of this parish, and gave the great bell in the tower. Ilsley is now chiefly remarkable for its sheep-market, which existed as early as the reign of Henry III., and which is the largest in this part of England. It is held on every alternate Wednesday, from the Wed- nesday fortnight before Easter to the first Wednesday in July. There are also fairs almost monthly, for the sale of sheep, lambs, and wool ; that of August 26 is the largest, 50,000 sheep and lambs often being sold at it. The qualities of the place are summed up in the rhyme : “ Ilsley, remote amidst the Berkshire downs, Claims these distinctions o’er her sister towns: Far famed for sheep and wool, though not for spinners, For sportsmen, doctors, publicans, and sin- ners.” The turf of the downs is particularly light and springy, well adapted not only for horse-training, but fox- hunting and coursing. 1J m. N.W., almost hidden in a pleasant valley, is West Ilsley , with a poor Perp. ch., to which a Jacobean porch has been add6d. A north aisle was erected in 1876. The remote village has acquired a certain cele- brity from two versatile men who were once its rectors. The learned Antonio de Dominis, Archbishop of Spalatro, who was converted to Pro- testantism and fled to England, was presented to this living by James I., in 1616. He wrote ‘He Republica Ecclesiastica,’ and preached constantly against the Papal power ; but having been made Dean of Windsor, and being angry at obtaining no higher preferment, he re-entered the Romish Church, on promise of pardon from Gregory XY. He returned to Rome, hoping to be made a cardinal, but was, instead, imprisoned in the castle of St. Angelo, and died there, probably by poison in 1624, or 77 1625. He was succeeded by Good- man, Bishop of Gloucester, who was visited here by Charles I. (in the old rectory-house, now destroyed), on his way to Donnington Castle in 1644. He had been driven from his see, but was for some years allowed to hold this living. Refusing, at length, to sign certain canons of doctrine and discipline, he was, says Walker, 44 spoiled, plundered, and utterly undone ” ; and he died, Jan. 1656, in the Romish faith. Fuller says that “he was the single bishop of 200 who had lived since the Re- formation, whom the vile and detest- able practice of those who engross to themselves the name of Protestants had scandalized into Popery.” He always professed the most devoted loyalty, but, with the inconsistency that marked his character, he dedi- cated his 4 Discourse on the Trinity ’ to Cromwell. On the downs W. of the Ilsleys are the small Norm, churches of Catmore and Farnborough. The manor of Catmore has been in the hands of theEystons of East Hendred (post) for more than 5 cents., and the ch. has been restored by them. 11m. The Eidgeway is crossed by a British road which traverses the county from E. to W. The Berkshire downs here reach nearly their great- est elevation, the Cuckamsley Hills being 800 ft. high. The name, as well as Scutcliamfly or Scutchamore , is a corruption of Cwichelm’s law, or hill, the spot being said to be the burial-place of Cwichelm, who reigned conjointly with Cynegils over the W. Saxons, and was killed on these downs in 626 fighting against Edwin of Northumbria, who came hither to avenge an attempt to murder him. A tumulus on the top of the hill, called Scutchamore Knob, 21 ft. high and 140 yds. in circumference, is supposed to mark his resting-place. The Saxon Chronicle, describing i the battle of iEscesdun, narrates 78 Sect. I. Boute 8 . — Newbury to Oxford. how the Danes “ turned along iEscesdun to Cwicchelmeslawe, and there awaited better cheer,” — an account versified by Robert of Gloucester, — “ Much sorrow they deede in Berkschire about Asshedoune, And about Quicholmes destroyed many a towne.” CwichelnTs law is believed to have been a common place of assembly for the people of Wessex; and, as it is remote from the sea, it was, in the time of Ethelred II., considered safe from the inroads of the Danes. But we read in the 1 Anglo-Sax. Chron.,’ under the year 1006, that this was mistaken confidence. “ They [the Danes] went to Wallingford, and burned it all down ; and were then one night at Cholsey, and then went along Ashdown to Cwichelm’s law, and there tarried out of threatening vaunt, because it had often been said, if they came to Cwichelm’s law, they would never go to the sea. They then went home by another way.” These hil's were formerly the scene of a celebrated fair, which was abolished by James I., 1620, in order to promote the welfare of the market at East Ilsley. From one point the straight green road of Golden Mile leads down towards East Hendred. 12 m. Cats Gore , properly Keats Gore, from the family who formerly owned it. Here were once the great stables built by the Duke of Cum- berland for his racehorses, in which the celebrated “ Eclipse ” was born and bred. 13 m. Chilton , a village with a Norm. ch. altered to Dec. The manor-house, called Lattoyi’s Place (now a farmhouse), retains the ar- morial bearings of its former owners the Lattons. Eastward spreads Chil- ton Plain , on which an eminence, called Churn Knob , is traditionally said to be the spot where Birinus commenced the conversion of the people of Wessex (635) by preaching before King Cynegils. It overlooks the Grym s dyke, a British line of fortification. 2 m. E. is Blewbury , with a Trans.-Norm. ch., altered in part by the insertion of Dec. windows, and the destruction of a central tower; the existing tower is Perp. and at the W. end. There are several good Brasses , 1496-1548 ; among them one for John Latton of Chilton (d. 1548), in tabard. The N. and S. porches are of good carved timber work, but are in a decaying state, as are some stone effigies in the ch.-yd. The church has recently been re stored. Numerous tumuli are found on the surrounding downs, and Blew- burton hill is cut into a series of terraces, evidently for defensive pur- poses. A number of coins have been dug up in the immediate neigh- bourhood. 15 m. 1J m. W. is East Hendred , a very picturesque and interesting village. At its entrance are the remains of a monastery called “Jesus of Bethlehem,” which was an offshoot of that at Sheen, near Richmond, consisting of a stone chapel with some fine Perp. windows, now con- verted into a granary. Beyond this are the gates of Hendred House (Charles John Eyston, Esq.), which is adorned with ancient monograms, and which has remained in the hands of the family of Eyston from the 13th centy. Attached to it is the E. E. and Dec. chapel of St. Amen or Amand, remarkable as one of the only three, the others being Stonor (Rte. 20) and Hazlewood, in York- shire, Handbook for Yorks .), that are believed to have never ceased to cele- brate the service of the Roman Catho- lic Church. Its existence is known as early as 1291 ; and it was open to all comers till the arrival of the Prince of Orange, when, while his army was passing over Golden Mile (ante), some of the soldiers defaced and plundered the chapel ; and, “taking some of the church stuffe Berkshire. 79 Route 8 .- with them to Oxford, dressed up a mannekin in it, and set it up on the top of a bonfire.” Though the chapel was despoiled of its revenues at the dissolution, its ancient glebe is still called “ the Church Furlough,” and the abode of its priest, now a farm- house, is still St. Amand’s. In one of the windows is the cipher of Hugh Faringdon, last Abbot of Reading. In the old library adjoin- ing is preserved the tomb of Robert first Abbot of Poghley (ante). Coins of “ iEdelred, rex Anglorum,” have been picked up near the chapel. The Eystons are the descendants of Sir Thomas More, through the marriage of his son ‘‘Jack More” with Anne Crisaker, the heiress of Barnborough in Yorkshire, which remained till lately in the hands of the family. Among the relics of Sir Thomas preserved at East Hen- dred are his drinking-cup, a very fine original portrait of him by Hol- bein , and two curious portraits on wood, of Sir T. More and Cardinal Pole. Here also is one of the huge and curious pictures of the More family, of which there are four others in existence, viz. those at Basle in Switzerland, Nostell ( Handbook for Yorks.), Cokethorpe (Rte. 25), and that belonging to Lord Petre. Among the figures seen here, but not always included, are those of Pattison the fool, and Heresius the servant of Sir Thomas. The figure of Mrs. More was unfortunately cut off while the picture was at Barnborough. Another relic preserved here is the ebony staff of Bishop Fisher, which sup- ported him on the scaffold. The Church , of which Chicheley was once the rector, is, as to the nave, Trans.-Norm. ; the chancel is of the transition period from Dec. to Perp. It was enlarged and restored in 1861, and “ it is remarkable in having an arcade, dividing the two southern aisles, of slender piers without arches, of which the most eastern pier is original.” It also contains a lec- - Drayton . tern of the 13th centy.. and some ancient brasses. The N. chantry is the burial-place of the Eystons, and is filled with their monuments. Several brasses to “ merchants in cloth and wool” (Henry and Roger Eldysley, 1439; W. Whitwey, 1479) bear witness to the ancient mercan- tile importance of East Hendred. The picturesque field beyond the ch., where terraces still remain in the turf, was probably the drying-ground of the cloth which was sold at the fairs on Cuckamsley Hill. East Hen- dred gave two abbots to Abingdon — Rob. de Hendred, 1234 ; and Rich, de Hendred, 1289. John Paternoster held land here temp. Edward I., by tenure of saying a paternoster every day for the King’s soul. West Hendred, 1 m. distant, has a Dec. and Perp. ch. ; notice the chancel, which has remained almost unaltered, and has a good piscina and low side-window. 2 m. S. is East Locking e, a good Dec. ch., with fine ancient iron work on the doors ; the tower is late Perp. and bears the date 1504. Lockinge House (Col. Loyd Lindsay) is a fine mansion. A dell in the grounds has a very copious spring, which gushes from the chalk marl. 1 m. W. from West Hendred is Ardington , a fine ch., mainly E. E. ; the N. doorway is particularly good ; the S. door is Dec., with the ball- flower and foliage on the mouldings. The Manor-house, the home of Clarke the antiquary, belonged to Mr. Vernon, who here collected the pictures which he in 1847 bequeathed to the nation. 17 m. On E. 1 m. is Milton , with a small Dec. and Perp. ch. (restored) Milton House (J. B. Barrett, Esq.), built by Inigo Jones, has a Roman ... Catholic chapel, with ancient stained glass windows. 2 m. N.E. is Sutton Courtenay (Rte. 5). 19 m. Drayton. The Church is 80 Sect. I. Boute 8 . — Newbury to Oxford . principally E.E., with a good E. win- dow, but the N. aisle and the tower are Perp. A chancel was erected in 1872, and an ancient cross in the ch.-yd. has lately been re- stored. The rood-loft remains, con- verted into a gallery ; there is an ambry, with the original door and iron work remaining, which is un- usual, and a curious Elizabethan poor-box. In the ch. is preserved the remains of a beautiful alabaster reredos, with the painting and gild- ing nearly perfect, which was dug up in the chancel in making a vault. The old Manor-house, now a farm, has a 15th-centy. chapel, used as a lumber-room. 21 m. Abingdon (Inns: Queen’s Hotel, Crown and Thistle, Lion). This town (pop. 5662) communi- cates with the Great Western Rly. by a branch line of 2 m. (Rte. 19). It lies in a rich plain at the junction of the Ock with the Thames, and has had a British origin ascribed to it ; but this is a mere legend. It really sprang up around a great abbey founded in the 7th centy., remained during the middle ages a depend- ency thereon, though occasionally a troublesome one, and only became of consequence after the 14th cent., when the cloth trade was introduced to it, as well as many other Berkshire towns. Leland, writing about 1534, says : u The town stondith by cloth- ing ; ” but it received a fatal blow by the suppression of the monasteries. Sir John Mason, a native, procured a charter from Queen Mary, on a representation of its poverty, and it then acquired the right of sending two members (now reduced to one) to Parliament. Its cloth trade, how- ever, has forsaken it, and its main business now is in brewing, malting, and rope-making; but a large fac- tory for ready-made clothing em- ploys 2000 persons (principally women) in the town and the adja- cent villages. According to a Cottonian MS. there was here a town called Seove - chesham or Seusham , which was a wealthy city, a royal residence, and a place of religious worship, even in early British times. It was not, however, occupied by the Saxon kings, until the Mercian Offa, pay- ing an accidental visit to the place, became enamoured of the Isle of Andersey, which was situated in the river opposite the abbey. This was at that time occupied by rich lay monks, but the King persuaded them to give it up in exchange for the manor of Goosey (Rte. 5), and built a palace there, where he resided, and where his son and successor King Egfrid, died. Cynulf, the next king, gave up the palace to his huntsmen and falconers, who made themselves so disagreeable to the monks, that Abbot Rethunus per- suaded the King to restore Andersey to them in exchange for the manor of Sutton Courtenay and 120 1. of silver. The site of Andersey is sup- posed to be a tract of land encircled by the Thames and a small stream that falls into the main river at Culham Bridge. Leland mentions the site of the palace as occupied by a barn, and the foundations of buildings may still be traced in the first meadow out of the town, on the E. side of the bridge. The story told in the 1 Chronicle of Abingdon ’ (Master of the Rolls’ Collection) is, that the site originally chosen for the monastery was a hill called A ben-dun, at Bay worth, in the neighbouring parish of Sunning- well, probably in Bagley Wood ; and this is said to have derived its name from a certain holy Aben, who “ stole away from the massacre at Stonehenge, and lived here in retire- ment, where the inhabitants, flocking to him to hear the word of God, built him a dwelling-house and a chapel in honour of the Holy Virgin, after which, he, disliking their re- I sort, stole away to Ireland.” It is, Berkshire. 81 Boute 8 . — Abingdon : Abbey. however, more probable that the name simply had its origin, from the direct connection of the abbey with the place. The abbey was founded on the hill, about 680, by Cissa, viceroy of Cent win, King of the W. Saxons, in honour of the Virgin, to contain 12 Benedictine monks, over whom his nephew Heane was ap- pointed abbot. The foundation of Cissa was confirmed by Ceadwall, the successor of Centwin, who also gave him the town of Seoveches- ham, commanding that it should henceforward be called Abbendon from the abbey-hill. “ The Abingdon Chronicle gives 500 years of history, more or less trustworthy and complete, from a charter of Ina, King of the West Saxons, to Abbot Heane in 687, down to the accession of Richard I. The town and monastery were founded and endowed, then ravaged by the Danes in Alfred’s reign, restored, and again fleeced by some king unknown.” It was refounded and endowed by Edred, who induced St. Ethelwold, then a monk at Glas- tonbury, afterwards Bp. of Winches- ter, to become its abbot, when the building, removed to its present situation, was consecrated in great pomp by St. Dunstan, and each saint presented it with two bells of his own workmanship. “ This was the second Benedictine house esta- blished in England. No exertion of its new superior was wanting to render it the parent of many others. Aware that continental monasteries excelled in reading and singing, he procured masters from Corby, to instruct his own society in these attractive arts. He seems to have doubted whether, even under Dun- stan, there had been opportunities for a thorough acquaintance with monastic discipline : he sent, ac- cordingly, Osgar, one of his monks, to Fleury, for farther instruction. Thus he laid a secure foundation of popularity for his favourite sys- [ Berks, &c .] tern by the attractions of public worship, and well-defined, rigid austerity of discipline. Rightly, therefore, was he termed, in after ages, ‘ the father of monks.’ ( Soames , ‘ Angl.-Sax. Church.’) The abbey was completed in 963 by the Abbot Ordgar, and it continued to grow in wealth and influence down to the very period of its dissolution. Its abbots had a seat in Parliament, and their power and pride were such as to draw from the author of 4 Piers Plowman,’ in the middle of the 14th centy., a direct prophecy of their downfall : “ Ac [eke] ther shal come a kyng, And coniesse yow religiouses, And bete you as the Bible telletk For brekynge of your rule ; And thanne shall the abbot of Abyngdone, And al his issue for evere, Hav a knok of a kyng, And incurable the wounde.” Vision, vv. 6239-63. At the time of the Domesday survey, the abbey possessed no less than 30 manors in Berkshire, beside lands in the counties of Oxford, Warwick, and Gloucester, some of which it had then recently pur- chased. Among its abbots were Siward, the coadjutor of Abp. Edsige ; Spearhafoc, elected Bp. of London, but displaced by Norman influence at the court of Edward the Confessor. The first abbot in Nor- man times was Ethelhelm, who is denounced as a most merciless plun- derer by the Chronicler. After him came Farit ius, the builder of Ufiing- ton ch. (Rte. 5), a man greatly lauded ; as is Ingulf, who had been Prior of Winchester. He gave to the abbey a great bell, called “ Hildelhubel.” William I. favoured the monks of Abingdon, and on a visit to them in 1080 he left with them his son Henry for his education, who thus gained his appellation of Beauclerk. “ The ‘Chronicle,’ how- ever, tells much of discord and disorder within, just such as would <* 82 Sect. I. Route 8 . — Newbury to Oxford. be bred by prosperity, and were likely to invite sooner or later royal interference. After the close of the 4 Chronicle ’ we read a second dark period in the abbey story. We hear of fights with the town, generally caused by ‘ the unreasonable deal- ings of the abbot and convent’ in the matter of a market. In 1327, the town, aided by the Mayor of Oxford, 4 accompanied, ’tis said, with some scholars of a desperate condition, and glad of any diversion rather than to study,’ attacked the abbey, burnt part of it, drove out the monks, and destroyed their muniments. Twelve of the ring- leaders were afterwards hung. The abbey was dissolved in 1538, its yearly revenues amounting then to 1876Z. (about 20,000Z. of present value). The last abbot (Rowland, alias Pentecost) was rewarded for his ready surrender with the manor of Cumnor” (Rte. 9.)— (0. D. 0., in 4 Oxford Proceedings.’) Leland speaks warmly of the extent and magnificence of the con- ventual buildings, but very little indeed is now left of them. The Perp. gatehouse, converted into a police-station, gives access to the premises of a brewer, among which fragments of 13th-centy. domestic architecture may be seen. They consist of a fire-place, temp. Hen. III., with elegant slender pillars, and a remarkable chimney, both probably belonging to the abbot’s house ; all traces of the great ch. have disappeared. Adjoining the gateway is the Church of St. Nicholas , mostly Perp., but with a good doorway of late Norm, character. 44 Attached to the N. side of the tower is a singular square stair-turret, of larger dimensions than usual, with a gabled roof, and a small triangular window in the gable” (J. H. P.) ; this window is figured in 4 Gloss, of Architecture.’ Opposite the ch. formerly stood the Grammar School , founded by John Royse, 1563 ; now removed to a more open situation near the Re- creation Ground (or Albert Park, as it is termed). The new building is a showy structure of red brick, with white stone facings. One of the earliest pupils of the old school was Thomas Tesdale, who afterwards founded Pembroke College, Oxford, mainly for youths from Abingdon. Thomas Godwin, author of 4 Roman and Jewish Antiquities,’ Lord Chief Justice Holt, and Newcome, Arch- bishop of Armagh (born in the town 1729), were educated here. Other eminent natives of Abingdon have been — St. Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1234-40; his brother Robert Rich, and his two sainted sisters, Margaret and Alice, suc- cessively prioresses of Catesby (see Handbook for North Hants), on whose birthplace Rich. Earl of Corn- wall built a chapel in 1288 ; Sir John Mason, whose father was a cowherd, and mother the sister of one of the abbey monks, from whom he received his education, and by whom he was sent to Oxford, where he so pleased Henry VIII. by a graceful compliment paid on his visit in 1523, that he took him with him to court and sent him to Paris to complete his education, after which he rose in that and the three suc- ceeding reigns to be Privy Coun- cillor, Ambassador to France, and Chancellor of the University of Ox- ford. Abbot, Speaker of the House of Commons, and Moore, author of ‘The Gamester,’ have been among the celebrities of Abingdon in later years. Next to its abbey, Abingdon owed a large portion of its prosperity to its Bridge , built by John Huchyns in 1416, with stone given by Sir Peter Besils, of Besilsleigh, 44 a knight courteous and kind, for his father’s soul and his friends,” and the men’s wages, to the amount of 83 Berkshire. Route 8. — Abingdon : Christ's Hospital. 1000 marks, supplied by the rich Geoffrey Barber. A very early copy of some contemporary verses, and a picture representing the building of the bridge, are preserved in the hall of Christ’s Hospital (post). These verses show that it was regarded as a religious duty to build bridges : “ Another blissed besines is brigges to make That there the pepul may not passe [away] after greet showres. Dole it is to drawe a deed body oute of a lake, That was fulled in a fount stoon [washed in the font], and a felow of oures.” The bridge was taken charge pf by a guild of the Holy Cross, a fra- ternity which existed here at least as early as the year 1389, when they are mentioned as maintaining a priest, and being governed by two proctors chosen annually. They were incorporated in 1442, and endowed with lands worth 40Z. per annum, to enable them to keep the road between Abingdon and Dor- chester in repair, to maintain 13 poor men and women, and to provide a chaplain for St. Helen’s, Sir John Golafre (buried at Fyfield, Rte. 9), and Thomas Chaucer, son of the poet, being trustees. This guild was dissolved with the other reli- gious foundations by Henry VIII. In 1553 it was refounded, at the request of Sir John Mason, and re- ceived a charter from Edward VI. under the name of Christ's Hospital , which it still bears. St. Helen's , near the river, is a very fine ch. in dimensions, having a nave and chancel of equal breadth and three aisles, forming a spacious rect- angle, at the N.E. angle of which rises the tower, surmounted by the lofty octagonal spire, with its flying buttresses, which is so conspicuous an object in all distant views of the town, and in Turner’s picture of Abingdon. Cissa, the sister of Heane, the first abbot, founded a nunnery here in 690, of which she became the first prioress. Her foun- dation was afterwards removed to Wytham (Rte. 9), but the site of her nunnery was always called the Manor of St. Helen, and is believed to be that of the present ch. The greater part of the building is Perp., of various dates (the N. aisle temp. Henry VI., S. aisle 1539), but the tower is E.E., with a good doorway. The N. aisle has a rich timber ceil- ing, painted with figures of kings, prophets, and saints, under carved canopies, and was, according to local tradition, saved from the abbey at the dissolution. In the S. aisle is the Brass of Geoffrey Barber (d. 1417), once bailiff of Bristol, but at his death a merchant of Abingdon, and a great benefactor to the town ; his body was removed from the abbey church, and re-interred here with great ceremony. In the N. aisle is the tomb of John Royse, the founder of the Grammar School. The ch.. which has hitherto been much blocked with high pews and gal- leries, was completely restored in 1873 ; a carved oak rood-screen was placed between the chancel and the nave, and several stained glass win- dows were inserted. A modern ch. ( St. Michael) is a small edifice, in the Dec. style, by Sir G. G. Scott. Christ's Hospital adjoins St. He- len’s ch.-yd., and is a picturesque structure of brick and timber, sur- mounted by a cupola ; along the front runs a low cloister, decorated on the interior with texts, and on the exterior with paintings repre- senting the virtue of almsgiving, with figures supposed to include portraits of Geoffrey Barber, King Edward VI., and Sir John Mason. In the old oak hall are their arms in stained glass, and their portraits, with those of many other benefac- tors, including Sir Peter Besils, Lionel Bostock, and Thomas Tes- dale, the founder of Pembroke Col- lege, and his wife. The picture of 1 /~i o 84 Sect. I. Route 8 . — Newbury to Oxford . the rich Geoffrey Barber giving John ; Huchyns money to build the bridge, j with the building going on in the background, is very curious ; as are the verses already referred to : part run as follows : “ Kyng Herry the fyft, in his fourthe yere, He hath i-founde lor his folke a brige in Berkschire, For cartis with cariage may goo and come clere, That many wynters afore were mareed in the myre.” Now is Culham hithe (ferry) i-come to an ende, And al the contre the beter and no man the worse.” w Culham hithe hath caused many a curse. I-blyssed be our helpers we have a better waye, Wiihoute any peny for cart and for horse.” In one of the windows of St. Helen’s Ch. also long remained the distich : “ Henricus Quartus quarto fundaverat anno Rex pontem Burford super undas atque Culhamford.” On the outer wall of the E. end of the wooden cloister is a representa- tion of the celebrated stone Cross which was erected by the brother- hood in the market-place, and from which the cross at Coventry is supposed to have been copied. It was totally destroyed by Waller, May 31, 1644. to revenge a repulse which his army had received at New Bridge (Rte. 9). Richard Sy- monds, who saw it a few weeks before its destruction, describes it (in a MS. in the British Museum) as octangular, having 3 rows of statues— the first of 6 grave kings ; the second of the Virgin, 4 female saints, and a mitred prelate ; the third, of small figures of apostles and prophets : the whole orna- mented with coats of arms painted and carved. At this cross, as Aubrey narrates, Richard Corbet, Bp. of Norwich and Dean of Christchurch, sang ballads after he was made a doctor of divinity; for, “the Dean being one market-day with some of his companions at the taverne by the Crosse, a ballad - singer com- playned that he had no custom, and could not put off his ballads ; where- upon the jolly Doctor puts off his gowne, and puts on the ballad- singer’s leathern jacket, and being a handsome man, and having a rare full voice, he presently vended a great many, and had a great au- dience.” The site of the Cross is now occu- pied by the Market-house , a hand- some modern Romanesque structure, designed by Inigo Jones. Above is the County Hall , which has several good portraits, and is surmounted by a tower, from which a very agreeable view is commanded. Abingdon was garrisoned for the king at the early part of the Civil War, and it was for a considerable time the head-quarters of his horse. He paid it a visit, with his queen and family, April 17, 1644. In May of the same year a council of war was held here, soon after which the garrison quitted the place on the approach of the Earl of Essex, who plundered the town, and fortified it for the Parliament. Various at- tempts which the Royalists after- wards made to recover it were all unsuccessful, though Prince Rupert contrived at one time to regain pos- session of the abbey and to place 500 men there. The Parliamentary garrison practised the plan of hang- ing all Irish prisoners without a trial to such extent as made “ Abing- don law ” proverbial. 23 m. On r. 2 m., Radley (stat.), once a manor of the Abbey of Abing- don, from which it was purchased by George Stonehouse, Clerk of the Board of Green Cloth to Queen Elizabeth. The red-brick mansion has the reputation of being the best- built house in the county. It is Berkshire. 85 Route 8 .- now incorporated with St. Peter's College , opened June 9th, 1847, of whose Warden it is the residence. Near it are the red-brick buildings containing the dormitories, school- rooms, and studies of the boys, and a Chapel , fitted up with fine stained glass and rich carving, ancient and modern. There is also an extensive gymnasium. The object of this in- stitution is to give boys the advan- tage of a public-school education, based on strictly ecclesiastical prin- ciples ; the Eev. W. Sewell was the first Warden, and the system pur- sued is fully explained in a volume of Sermons by him. Beyond the Park is the village Church , Perp., with a modern chancel ; it contains a fine tomb of Sir Wm. Stonehouse, 1632, and his eldest son Sir John. The chancel has some good Perp. painted glass, and rich old woodwork, col- lected from various sources. 23 m. On 1. a lane turns off to the pretty village of Sunningwell , so called from the stream which runs through it, where “ a gospel used to be read to bless the springs on pro- cession days as late as 1688/V- Aubrey. The Church , partly E. E. and Dec., is entered by a very curious W. porch (octangular, and of Elizabethan architecture, with Gothic doors and windows, and Ionic columns) ; it is supposed to have been in great mea- sure rebuilt by Bp. Jewell, who was once curate here. The interior has open Dec. seats and a late Eliza- bethan altar-rail. It was restored in 1877. Before the altar is the grave, inscribed S. F., of Samuel Fell, Dean of Christ Church and Rector of this place, who died of grief on hearing of the execution of Charles I., Feb. 2, 1649. A second stone, close beside him, com- memorates his wife and children. From the tower of this ch. it is said | Roger Bacon used to make his astro- nomical observations. Hearne men- tions that on Shrove Tuesday child- - Abingdon . ren used to go round this village in the dusk, singing — “ Beef and baco ns Out of season, I want a pan To parch my peas on.” after which they threw stones at all people’s doors, which made people shut their doors on that evening. This custom still partially exists, but the verses are altered. The road enters Bagley Wood at the spot mentioned by Hearne. “ One Blake hung upon an oak in the way to Abingdon, beyond the half-way gate. This traitor be- trayed 3 Christian kings, and would have betrayed the 4th, upon which he was hanged, within 2 days after his design was discovered, upon the said oak, which is still called ‘ Blake’s Oak.’ ” The wood was formerly a haunt of robbers, and here St. Edward of Abingdon was once attacked by them, but his protesta- tions of poverty being found to be true, he was allowed to proceed un- harmed. An unlucky Franciscan, Brother Walter, who there fell among thieves, hardly escaped with his life, his captors pretending to disbelieve that he could belong to the order, as he wore shoes, which the rule did not allow him to do. Bagley Wood, which belongs to St. John’s College, was once a favourite walk with the students, but it is now strictly shut up, and only mere glimpses of its pleasant flower-clad glades can be had from the dusty road. One who used to delight to roam at liberty in it (Dr. Arnold), says, “ Some of my most delightful remembrances of Oxford and its neighbourhood are connected with the scenery of the late autumn : Bagley Wood in its golden decline, and the green of the meadows re- viving for awhile under the influence of a Martinmas summer, and then fading finally off into its winter brown.” From the top of the hill at 86 Sect. I. Bouie d . — Oxford to HigJiworth, the end of the wood is a splendid view of Oxford, — its spires, towers, and groves rising in the midst of the green valley. Hence there is a rapid descent into the fertile plain. Spence’s 4 Anecdotes ’ describe Pope stopping on his journey to Oxford, and giving up his carriage to a lady who was overturned on this hill. The Great Western Ely. is crossed, and then the Thames, before reaching 27 m. Oxfoed, which is entered by Folly Bridge, leading to St. Aldate’s Street. (Ete. 19.) EOUTE 9. OXFORD TO HIGHWORTH. CUMNOR. By Eoad. 22 m. The road leaves Oxford by the station, and is called the Seven Bridge Eoad, from the number of bridges by which it crosses the many branches of the river which here intersect the low meadows. Crossing the main stream of the Thames at the suburb of Osney Town , the site of Osney Abbey is passed on 1., and Berkshire is entered. 1 m. Botley , a hamlet of Hinksey (Ete. 19, Exc. Ql). On rt., a plea- sant lane winding through meadows leads to Wytham, or Witham (1 \ m.), a collection of very neat cottages, known in Oxford as “ the Strawberry village.” There is a fine view of Oxford the whole way, which will remind the Italian traveller of the distant views of Bologna. Wytliam Abbey (Earl of Abingdon) is a 16th-centy. stone building, with a fine embattled gate-tower sur- mounted by 2 octangular turrets. It was built by one of the Harcourts, whose arms are to be seen upon a ceiling, and has been enriched with much of the spoil of Eycote (Ete. 22 ). Close to the Abbey is the Church , rebuilt in 1814, mainly with old materials from Cumnor Hall ; some of the windows have Trans.-Dec., and others Perp. tracery. The churchyard gate, inscribed “Janua vitae verbum Domini,” is also from Cumnor, but the name and date, “ Antonius Forster, 1571,” have been effaced. There is a Brass of a man in armour, and wife, supposed to be Eichard and Alice de Wygtham, 1455. The Wytham Woods, stretching over the hill behind the Abbey, are intersected by rides and drives of great beauty, chiefly through grass lanes. Admittance is only granted by a special order from Lord Abing- don. At the furthest point of the woods is a wild open space covered with thyme and cistus, whence there is a fine view over the Yale of Ensham. Here was situated the Castle of Cynewulf, King of the W. Saxons, which was besieged and taken by Offa, King of Mercia, who made it his palace. Near the same place was a nunnery, founded by the sister of Ceadwalla in the 7th cent., but deserted by the nuns when Cynewulf built his castle. The manor of Wytham was early the property of the Wyghtams, who became extinct temp. Edw. IV. The manor afterwards passed to the Har- courts, and from them to the Crown. In 1589 it was granted to Sir John, afterwards Lord Williams of Thame, whose daughter and heiress brought it by marriage to Henry Lord Norris, 87 Berkshire. Route 9. — Cumnor : Amy Robsart. son of the Sir Henry Norris executed as the lover of Anne Boleyn. It came to the Berties by the marriage of Montagu Bertie, Earl of Lindsey, with the daughter of Edward Wray, groom of the chamber to James I., whose wife Elizabeth was the daughter and heiress of Francis Lord Norris. 1J m. The road turns off on rt. to Ensham, Burford, and Cheltenham. 3 m. Cumnor , on the brow of the hill. This was formerly a seat of the abbots of Abingdon, was used by them as a place of retirement in case of sickness, and was given by Henry AIII. to the last abbot, Row- land, as a reward for his ready com- pliance in the surrender of the mo- nastery. In 1560 the estate was bought by Anthony Forster, Esq., almost immediately after which oc- curred the tragedy which has made the name of Cumnor familiar to the world. Anne or Amy was daughter of Sir John Robsart, a man of high family and large property in Norfolk. She married Lord Robert Dudley at Sheen June 4, 1550, in the pre- sence of Edward VI., as is stated in that king’s journal. Her husband was raised to the peerage, as Lord Denbigh one day, and Earl of Lei- cester the next (Sept. 28, 29, 1563) ; but some years before this he had been treated with such marked favour by Elizabeth, that it was rumoured she would have married him, had he not had a wife already. The sudden death of the lady, on Sept. 8, 1560, at the age of 28, whilst residing far from the court, m the house of her husband’s especial friend, Anthony Forster, almost inevitably gave rise to the idea that she had been mur- dered. Sir Walter Scott has adopted this view in his novel of ‘ Kenil- worth,’ and it is likely ever to be the prevalent one, although some later writers have attempted to prove it to be unjust. According to the story as found in Ashmole, who faithfully reproduced whatever traditions he heard, Forster and an associate named Varney, first attempted to destroy the lady by poison, and, failing in this, forcibly sent her ser- vants away to Abingdon-market, and then, “ whether first stifling her or else strangling her, afterwards flung her down a pair of stairs and broke her neck, using much violence upon her.” He adds that “ Sir R. Varney, afterwards dying in London, cried miserably, and blasphemed God, saying that all the devils in hell did tear him in pieces ; and that Forster, being formerly a man ad- dicted to hospitality, company, mirth, and music, was afterwards observed to forsake all this, and, being affected with much melancholy (some say madness), pined and drooped away.” Scott, as a novelist, took liberties with situation, as well as with his- tory ; and as he gave Amy the title of Countess, which her husband had not the power of bestowing till 3 yrs. after her death, and represented her as an inmate of Kenilworth, during the Queen’s visit there 15 yrs. later, so he decked the unpretending mo- nastic residence with lofty towers and spacious apartments; his first acquaintance with the story having been formed through Mickle’s ballad of ‘ Cumnor ’ : “ Full many a traveller had sigh'd And pensive wept the Countess’ fall, As wandering onward he espied The haunted towers of Cumnor Hall.” The mansion was really a low quad- rangular edifice surrounding a small court, in a close immediately a djoin- ing the ch. on the W. In Pettigrew’s ‘ Inquiry into the Death of Amy Robsart,’ some original letters between Dudley and a friend named Blount (preserved in the Pepysian Library, Cambridge), are relied on as proving the innocence of both Dudley and Forster. The 88 Sect. I. Boute 9 . — Oxford to Highworth. same writer also states that Ash- mole’s account of the subsequent life of the latter is incorrect : he lived for 1 2 years after the death of Amy Robsart, loving music to the last, building a new house, and only 2 yrs. before his death entered public life as member for Abingdon. Mot- ley {United Netherlands , i. 368) also writes, “Leicester’s participation in the death of his first wife was a matter of current belief among his contemporaries. 4 He is infamed by the death of his wife,’ said Burghley, and the tale has since become so interwoven with classic and legendary fiction, that the phan- tom of the murdered Amy Robsart is sure to arise at every mention of the earl’s name. Yet a coroner’s inquest — as appears from his own secret correspondence with his rela- tive and agent at Cumnor — w 7 as im- mediately and persistently demanded by Dudley. A jury w T as impannelled —every man of them a stranger to him, and some of them enemies — Anthony Forster, Appleyard and Arthur Robsart, brother-in-law and brother of the lady, were present, according to Dudley’s special re- quest ; 4 and, if more of her friends could have been sent,’ said he, 4 I would have sent them ; ’ but with all their minuteness of inquiry, 4 they could find,’ wrote Blount, 4 no pre- sumption of evil,’ although he ex- pressed a suspicion that 4 some of the jurymen were sorry they could not.’ That the unfortunate lady was killed by a fall downstairs was all that could be made of it by a coroner’s inquest, rather hostile than otherwise, and urged to rigorous in- vestigation by the supposed culprit himself. Nevertheless, the calumny has endured for three centuries, and is likely to survive as many more.” The Dudley chamber, the supposed scene of the murder, was long shown, and the house was not entirely pulled down till 1811, when the windows and doorways were removed by Lord Abingdon to be used in his new ch. at Wytham. 3 solitary arches long remained, but nothing is now left of the house, except the low wall ad- joining the churchyard. The ch., mainly Trans.-Norm. and E. E., has a good Dec. piscina (engraved in 4 Gloss, of Arch.’), and 2 tombs with crosses fleuree, in recesses, supposed to be for abbots of Abingdon ; there is also a fine Elizabethan monument for Anthony Forster, his wife, and 3 sons. He is represented in armour, and an elegiac inscription of 32 lines describes him as amiable and learned, a great musician, builder, and planter. He w r as probably a con- nexion of Lord Leicester, to whom he left Cumnor by will. There are also some Brasses of the Stavertons. In the village is an Inn with the sign of the 44 Bear and Ragged Staff ; ” but it has sprung up since the date of Scott’s novel. On the E. of the road rises the wooded hill called Cumnor Hurst. It affords, among other plants, Ornithogalum luteum, yellow star of Bethlehem ; Lathrsea squamaria, toothwort ; Listera nidus avis, bird’s- nest orchis. [W. 1 m. Bablockhythe Ferry. Rte. 19, Exc. (i.).] 5 m. Besilsleigh (E. Kyffin Len- thall, Esq.), which derived its name from the ancient family of Besils, who obtained the estate by mar- riage in 1350. 44 At this Legh,” writes Leland, 44 be very fayre pastures and woodes ; the Blessells hathe been lords of it syns the time of Edward the First. The Blessells cam out of Provence in Fraunce, and were men of activitye in feates of armes, as it appearith in monuments at Legh ; how he faught in listes with a strange knyghte that challengyd hym, at the whiche deade the kynge and quene at that tyme of England were present. The Bles- sells were countyed to have poces- syons of 400 marks by the yere.” 89 Berkshire. Route 9. — Appleton. — Fyfield . From the Besils the estate passed to the Fettyplaces, by whom it was sold in 1631 to William Lenthall (the Speaker of the Long Parlia- ment), from whom it descended to its present proprietor. The old manor-house is destroyed, except a picturesque fragment of the offices, now used as a farm-house, and the massive stone pillars of the gate- way, which stand isolated among the trees in the field. The old man- sion surrounded a quadrangular court, and was very magnificent: Cromwell and other leading men of his day are said to have been frequent guests there. Here was once preserved the famous picture of Sir Thomas More’s family now at Cokethorpe (Rte. 25). On pull- ing down the building, a large room, or rather cell, was discovered, which had evidently been used as a place of concealment : it was in the lower part of the building, and the only access to it was by a chair lowered by pulleys from the top of the house. It was probably a “ priest’s hole,” but the tradition of the neighbourhood makes Cromwell to have been once concealed in it : a new “fact” for his biographers. The small Church has early Dec. windows, a Norm, piscina, and a timber porch of fair Jacobean cha- racter. It contains a handsome monument to Sir J ohn Lenthall, the father of the Speaker. 1 m. N.W. is Appleton, with a Trans.-Norm. Church ; one of the sculptured capitals is engraved in the ‘ Gloss, of Architecture.’ There is a Brass, with skeleton in shroud, for John Goodryngton (d. 1518), and a fine Elizabethan tomb for Sir John Fettyplace (d. 1593), lord of one of the three manors into which the parish is divided. The moats alone remain of two manor-houses, inclosing modern farms ; but what is now called the Manor-house (Rev. J. C. Coen) has very consider- able remains of the original Trans.- Norm. edifice ; the doorway of the hall is engraved in Parker’s ‘Do- mestic Architecture,’ vol. i. 8 m. Tubney , with a very elegant small ch., built by Pugin in 1848, in place of one long fallen to decay. 9 m. Fyfield. The Church is Dec., with W. door E. E., and a Perp. aisle added on N. This aisle is divided by a screen, forming the E. part into a chantry chapel, in which is the tomb of Sir John Golafre (d. 1442), with his effigy in armour above, and a cadaver below. In the chancel is a tomb without effigy or inscription, traditionally said to be that of Lady Katherine Gordon, the widow of Perkin Warbeck, but at her death the wife of Christopher Ashfield of this place. Adjoining the ch. is the ancient Manor-house of the Golafres, a Dec. structure, built c. 1350, by Sir John Golafre, who had married the heiress of John of Fyfield ; the knight buried in the ch. was their grandson. The house has been well restored by the present occupant (Jas. Parker, Esq.) This is one of the manors purchased by Sir Thomas White, and bestowed by him on his college (St. John’s) at Oxford. In this parish is a magni- ficent elm 36 ft. in circumference, popularly believed to be the resort of witches, who dance here at mid- night ; also of — “ Maidens, who from the distant hamlets come, To dance round Fyfield elm in May.” M. Arnold. 10 m. Kingston Bagpuze. The ch. is a small plain building, erected 1799 ; it has an apsidal chancel. In this parish is New Bridge, a 13th- centy. structure, similar to Rad- cot Bridge, still in use. It is men- tioned by Leland, as the oldest of all the bridges on the Thames, “ lying in low meadows, often over- flowed with rage of rain.” A Par- liamentary party received a severe defeat here, May 27, 1644 ; in re- 90 Sect. I. Route 9 . — Oxford venge for this they, 4 days after, hewed down the market-cross at Abingdon. Kingston House (J. 13. Jenkins, Esq.) 1J m. N. W. is Longworth, once the property of Sir H. Marten, father of the regicide. The Church is chiefly E. E. and Dec. ; bnt “ the nave has on N. 3 Trans.-Norm. arches, springing frpm corbels on massive square piers, having hood- moulds of early character, with singular terminations; on S. are 3 E. E. arches on plain round pillars, the hood-moulds similar to those on N., but terminated by heads; the clerestory and roofs are late and bad Perp.” {J. H. P .) Dr. Fell, bishop of Oxford, was born at Long- worth in 1625. Clierhury Camp , probably a British earthwork, in which there is said to have been a palace of Canute, is near. 13 m. On N. 1 m. Hinton Wal- dristj once a market-town, has an interesting small cruciform ch. ; it is E.E. and Dec., and the battlements of the tower have small heads on the merlons. 14 m. On S. 1 m. Pusey, with a small cruciform ch. rebuilt about 130 years ago, in better taste than might be expec ted. It contains some hand- some marble monuments for mem- bers of the family of Allan-Pusey, an ancestor of whom is said to have received the manor from Canute, to be held by tenure of a horn, which is still preserved in Pusey House. It bears the following legend upon a silver-gilt band of the 15th centy., elegantly wrought : — “I. Kyng Knowde [Canute] geue Wyllyam Pecote thys home to liolde by thy lond.” It is not known by the family whether the horn was really and truly the original horn given to their ancestor by King Canute. Camden said ; — The family of Pusey held the village of Pusey, in Berkshire, in fee, by a horn which was first given to William Pecote by King Canute. Dr. Hickes, in to Highworth. 1681, states that in his time both the horn and manor were possessed by Charles Pusey, who had recovered the manor in the Court of Chancery, before Lord Chancellor Jefferies ; the horn itself being produced in Court, and with universal admiration received, admitted, and proved to be the identical horn by which, as by a charter, Canute had conveyed the manor of Pusey 700 years before. The horn is that of an ox of middling size, mounted in silver-gilt, in work- manship of the latter part of the 15th centy. The colour of the horn is dark brown, which proves it to be a real ox-hu >rn, and not, as was some- times the case, made of ivory. It is 2 ft. 6 in. long, and 9J in. high from its feet; the circumference at the largest end is 1 ft. ; in the middle, 9J in. ; and at the small end, 2£ in. The dog’s head at the orifice was formerly moveable, turning upon a joint, so as to make it either a hunt- ing or a drinking horn.” The earliest historical mention of the family was in 1155, when Henry de Pesie held the manor. The present family (of French Protestant origin) changed their name of Bouverie for that of Pusey on succeeding to the property by marriage. Pusey House (S. E. B. Pusey, Esq.) contains a fine picture by Gaspar Poussin. In the reign of Edward I. Alice Paternoster held lands here by ser- vice of saying a paternoster 5 times a-day, for the souls of the King’s ancestors ; and .Richard Paternoster succeeding to an estate in this parish said the Lord’s Prayer thrice before the barons of the exchequer, as John, his brother, had done previously, instead of paying a relief. 14^ m. On N. 1 m. Buckland , with a very fine cruciform Church , restored 1870, mostly E. E. ; the N. transept, is the burial-place of the Throckmorton family; in it is also a fine Brass , for John Yate and family, 1578. Berkshire. Route 9 . — Coxwell — Coleshill . 91 Bucldand House ( Sir N. W. G. Throckmorton, Bart.), built 1757, from designs of Wood of Bath, has some fine pictures, and a ceiling by Cipriani. Here are also valuable MSS., including many original let- ters of Cowper the poet. A gallery leading to the dining- room contains some curious relics, among them a chemise of Mary Queen of Scots, and a gold medal of Charles I., taken from the body of Sir Baynham Throckmorton (the last of the Gloucestershire branch of the family). Here also is preserved a coat, the wonder of 1811, in which year it was made. In one day 2 sheep belonging to Sir John Throckmorton were shorn, the wool spun, spooled, warped, loomed, and woven; the cloth burred, milled, dyed, dried, sheared, and pressed ; after which the coat was made up by White, a New- bury tailor, and worn by Sir John at an agricultural dinner, at the Pelican, in Speenhamland, in pre- sence of 5000 spectators, within 13 hrs. 20 min. from the time the sheep- shearing commenced. The scene is represented in a picture which still remains in the old adjoining ivy- grown house of the Yates family, from whom the estate came to the '1 hrockmortons by marriage. The lower story is now occupied by the stables. At the back is a fine oriel window. 17 m. Faringdon (Stat.) Rte. 5. 19 m. Coxwell. The ch. is a plain structure, E. E. with Perp. tower, and some Dec. windows. There are 2 Brasses , for William Morys, “sutym fermer of Cokyswell,” and wife, c. 1500. The manor was given to Beaulieu Abbey by John, and the abbey barn, doubtless occu- pied by Morys, still remains. It is 140 ft. by 40 ft., with walls 4 ft. thick, and has mouldings that show it to belong to the Dec- period, and crosses on the gables. The original roof remains, plain open timber, carried partly on two rows of wooden pillars resting on stone plinths (/. H. P.). On Badbury Hill is a circular camp, 600 ft. in diameter, with fosse 30 ft. wide. At Little Coxwell are the Coles Pits , a series of 273 excavations, from 7 to 22 ft. in depth, extending over a space of 14 acres ; nothing is known of their history. 20 m. Coleshill is a model village, in which no public-house or inn is allowed, mostly consisting of neat stone cottages built on a uniform plan, and with pleasant gardens, by the 2nd Earl of Radnor. The Church , originally Trans. -Norm, and E. E., has a good Perp. tower, and a modern Dec. chancel ; it contains the monu- ment of Sir Henry Pratt, 1647; a quatrefoil window with the arms of Sir R. Mark Stuart and his wife ; and a marble cenotaph, by Rysbrach, to their daughter, afterwards Countess of Radnor. The E. window, repre- senting the Nativity, was brought from Angers 1787. Near the ch. are the steps and shaft of the village cross. Coleshill House (Earl of Rad- nor), erected by Inigo Jones in 1650, stands in a fine park. It is of a perfect quadrangular shape, and a fine specimen of its period, resem- bling a French chateau, its tall stone chimneys having the appear- ance of turrets at a distance. It contains a fine hall and many good family portraits, among which are several by Sir J. Reynolds , but the principal pictures of the Bouveries are at Longford in Wilts. On the estate is an extensive Model Farm. The small river Cole skirts the vil- lage, and falls into the Thames near Lech lade. Crossing the stream we enter Wiltshire, and reach at 22 m. Highworth. (See Handbook for Wilts.) Shrivenham Stat. is 4 m. S. E. (Rte. 5). 92 Route 10 . — The Thames . Sect. L ROUTE 10. THE THAMES, FROM GORING TO MAIDENHEAD, BY PANGBOURNE, MAPLEDURHAM, CAVERSHAM, SONNING, SHIPLAKE, WARGRAVE, HENLEY, MEDMEN- HAM, HURLEY, BISHAM, MARLOW, HEDSOR, COOKHAM, [DROPMORE], AND CLIEFDEN. 37 m. The descent of this portion of the Thames is one of the most delight- ful expeditions which can be made in the S. of England, and takes the tourist through the most beautiful scenery of the 3 counties of Berks, Oxford, and Bucks, along a river which fully justifies the descrip- tion of Denham : « Though deep, yet clear; though gentle, yet not dull ; Strong without rage, without o’erflowing full." Goring — 85 m. from London Bridge by the stream, and which has a stat. on the Great Western Rly. (Rte. 4) — is perhaps the best point for commencing the excursion, as Nuneham, the only point of much beauty higher up the river, is easily accessible by rail. Boats may be obtained either here or at Streat- ley on the opposite bank. As the river during the whole excursion forms the boundary between Berks and Oxfordshire and Bucks, it has been thought better to describe both banks equally, instead of maintain- ing the distinction usually observed between counties in the Handbooks. 1. Goring (Oxon), (Inns: The Miller of Mansfield, and the Queen’s Arms), formerly Little Nottingham. The small Church of St. Thomas a Beckett , close to the river, is worth visiting. Part of it is Norm, and very curious ; at the N. W. corner of its embattled tower (Norm, and Perp.) is a small round tourelle, with a conical top. The ch. contains some good brasses. Adjoining the ch. was once an Augustinian nunnery, founded temp. Henry II., and after- wards granted to Sir T. Pope, the founder of Trinity College, Oxford. On the rt. bank is Streatley (Berks), ( Inn: Swan on the River, Bull in the Village), united to Goring village by a ' wooden bridge over the Thames, but 2 m. from Goring stat. It is an exceed- ingly pretty village, and is situated on a platform between the river and the steep escarpment of the hills; in summer it is a favourite resort of artists. The ch., mostly Trans.- Norm. has a late Perp. tower ; there are some 16th-centy. Brasses. Sir Samuel Shepherd, the eminent At- torney-General and Scotch judge, was a native of this place ; he died here, and is buried in the church- yard. Streatley is supposed to have its name from its situation on the ancient Icknield St., which here descended the hill and crossed the Thames by a ford to Goring. Some imagine this to have been the ancient Calleva, an opinion which is supported by its position on the Thames, by the 3 Roman roads, the Icknield St. and those from Win- chester and Dorchester, which pass through it, and by the number of Roman remains which have been found in its vicinity. Goring Lock. Fall 5 ft. The river here is wide and beauti- ful ; a large island is covered with 93 Berkshire. Route 10 . — Pangbourne — Whitchurch. fine trees. A melancholy accident oc- curred here in 1674, when 60 per- sons were drowned in the lock in returning from Goring Feast. The accident is described in a rare tract, called ‘Sad and deplorable News from Oxfordsheir and Barksheir,’ proving that this was one of the signs of the Day of Judgment. The Berkshire downs, sprinkled with juniper, and here and there a remarkable yew-tree, rise abruptly behind Streatley, and stretch far away westward; the views are ex- tensive, commanding the windings of the river for many miles. Unwell Wood, 3 m. N. W., on a spur of the hills, is celebrated for its orchises, as the down is for its coursing matches. In these woods also is found the Convallaria multiflora, or Solomon’s seal. 2£ m. S.W. is Aldworth , with the remarkable tombs described in Rte. 4. The hilly road from Streatley to Pangbourne affords some picturesque views. Descending the stream we have at 2 m. rt. the Grotto (Arthur Smith, Esq.), and at 2^ m. Basildon. The river, which is here crossed by the Rly., makes a sudden bend amidst beautiful woods. Basildon Park (C. Morrison, Esq.) contains a fine col- lection of pictures, described Rte. 4. 1. Whitchurch Park. rt. 4 m. Pangbourne (Berks). Bins : Swan by the river, George, and Elephant and Castle in the village. This village, which de- rives its name from the Pang, a famous trout-stream, is a great re- sort of anglers and artists, has a stat. . on the Great Western Rly., and is one of the most picturesque villages upon the river. In this parish is Bere Court , described by Leland as the “fair manor-place of brick” of the abbots of Reading, the last of whom, Hugh Faringdon, constantly resided here. His por- trait in stained glass adorned the E. window of the chapel, habited in his robes, and kneeling before a crucifix, with a scroll proceeding out of his mouth, inscribed “ In te Domine speravi.” It was afterwards the abode of Sir J. Davis, a famous sea-captain, in the reign of Eliza- beth, who was involved in the fall of his patron Essex, and sentenced to death, but was afterwards re- prieved, and is buried in Pang- bourne ch. His monument repre- sents a recumbent figure of the knight with his two wives, bur- mounted by a canopy. 1. Whitchurch (Oxon), a large vil- lage, is united to Pangbourne by a bridge, rebuilt 1853. The Church , originally Norm., has been almost rebuilt, but has a good S. doorway ; the Perp. porch now serves as the vestry. Notice the Brasses of Thomas Walysch (1420), and of Roger Gery (c. 1450) in the chancel, and that of Peter Winder, in ecclesiastical vestments (1620), outside. Sir John Soane, founder of the Soane Mu- seum, and architect of the Bank of England, the son of a bricklayer at Reading (d. 1837), was born at Whitchurch. Whitchurch Lock. Fall 3 ft. 1. Combe 1 Lodge . 1. Hardwick House( P. L.P.Lybbe, Esq.), a fine red-brick Tudor manor- house, on a site occupied by the Hardwicks, temp. Richard II. The S. front was erected by Anthony Lybbe, after the restoration of Charles II. The banks of the river are here exceedingly beautiful ; green lawns studded with noble trees slope down from the hills. A short distance N. of Hardwick House is the scattered hamlet of Collen’s End. Here, it is said, Charles I. came to play at bowls whilst residing at Caversham ; and the rustic Inn has as its sign a por- trait of the King, apparently copied from Vandyke. Though much faded from exposure to the weather, the work is evidently superior to that 94 Route 10 . — The Thames. Sect. I. of a common sign-painter. Beneath it are the lines — “ Stop, Traveller, stop ; in yonder peaceful glade, His favourite game the royal Martyr play’d ; Here, stripp’d of honours, children, free- dom, rank, Drank from the bowl, and bowled for what he drank ; Sought in a cheerful glass his cares to drown, And changed his guinea ere he lost his crown.” 6 m. 1. Mapledurham House (Oxon), (M. C. Blount, Esq.), celebrated by Pope as the place whither his love, Martha Blount, retired from London, when “ She went to plain- work, and to purling brooks, Old-fasbion’d halls, dull aunts, and croaking rooks.” The house is a venerable Elizabe- than mansion, which was garrisoned by Sir Charles Blount for the king in the civil wars. A fine oak stair- case, with carved vases of flowers upon the landings, leads to the upper story. The rooms are full of pictures, chiefly family portraits, in- cluding Sir M. Blount, 1530, and his two sons, Thos. and Chas. ; Lord Mountjoy, to whom the portrait of Elizabeth was probably a present; Martha Blount as a child and grown up, and again with her sister The- resa, in a beautiful picture by Jervas (they both died here) ; Pope, Jervas. The ch., which stands embowered in trees near the river, was restored in 1864. It has a S. aisle, which is the ancestral burial-place of the Blounts, containing a fine tomb of Sir Rich. Blount and his wife Eli- zabeth ; although it still belongs to them, no service but that of the Church of England is ever performed in it. Mapledurham Loch. Fall 5 feet. A mile below the lock there is a ferry, and on the Berkshire bank the Roebuck Inn. 6 m. rt. Purley, wi th a small Perp. ch., rebuilt 1870-1877, which con- tains a monument by Nollehens to Anthony Storer. Purley Hall was the residence of Warren Hastings whilst his trial was pending. 11 m. 1. Caver sham Church (Oxon). Inns: Crown, White Hart. Pop. 2500. The ch., which is partly Norm., was partially restored in 1857, and more fully in 1880. It suffered much during the operations about Reading in the civil war. Here was formerly a priory of black canons, a cell of Nutley Abbey, which was said to contain the spear that pierced our Saviour, “ brought hither by an angel with one wing ; a piece of the holy halter Judas hanged withall; the holy dagger of King Henry VI. : and the holy knife that killed Sainte Edward; with many other.” Hence a handsome iron bridge crosses the river to Reading, below which on an island was fought the wager of battle between Rob. de Montfort and Henry de Essex, in the presence of Henry II. At Cavers- ham died the great William Mar- shall, Earl of Pembroke, the guardian of Henry III. The place was for- tified during the civil wars by the King’s forces, who were, however, driven from their post by the Earl of Essex. He planted his ordnance on the height, by which he was able so to injure the town of Reading, that, after many houses were destroyed, the governor, who was himself wounded, offered to surrender, if his soldiers might depart with all the honours of war, which at first was refused. Charles and Prince Rupert, in spite of a partial defeat at Dor- chester, advanced to the rescue as far as Caversham Bridge, where a fierce fight ensued, in which they were completely repulsed ; after this the garrison surrendered, but were allowed to march out with their arms, ammunition, and colours. Here “ Old South, a witty preacher reckon’d,” lived while preparing his celebrated sermons for the press. 95 Berkshire. Boule 10 .— 1. on the hill is Caver sliam Park (Mrs. Crawshay), a very conspicuous object from the river. In the ori- ginal mansion Queen Anne of Den- mark was splendidly entertained by Lord Knollys in 1613. There also, in July, 1647, the children of Charles I. were allowed to meet him, when they ‘spent two days together, “ which was the greatest satisfaction the king could have, and the receiving whereof he imputed to the civility of General Fairfax and the good disposition of the army.” — Clarendon. Evelyn, coming here a few years later, saw “my Lord Craven’s house at Caus- ham all in ruins, his goodly woods felling by the rebels.” General Cadogan, who was one of Marl- borough’s veterans, and succeeded him as commander-in-chief, was created Yiscount Caversham, and resided here (d. 1726). Caversham Park was destroyed for the second time by fire in 1850, after which the present house was built. In Caversham Warren is found the Orchis aranifera, or spider orchis. Caversham Lock. Fall 3 ft. 6 in. rt. Heading, the county town of Berks, described Rte. 4. 12 m. rt., just below Reading, the Thames is joined by “ The Rennet swift, for silver eels renown’d.” Pope. rt. Earley Court (Captain G. F. Hall), where Scott Lord Stowell ' died, is seen across the rich fiat meadows. rt. The woody heights are those of Holme Park (Miss Palmer), which commands a lovely view over the river. Sonning Lock. Fall 4 ft. 6 in. 14 m. rt. Sonning (Berks) (Inn: White Hart, close to the river, a pleasant country inn, resorted to by anglers, and on the Oxfordshire side the French Horn), with hanging woods, in a lovely situation, sloping Sonning . to the river, which is here crossed by a bridge whose records are older than those of any other on the Thames. In the 10th and 11th cents, this place was the seat of a bishop for Berks and Wilts, and the names of 9 of its holders have been preserved, viz., Athelstan, Odo, Osulf, Alfstan, Alf- gar, Sigeric, Alfric, Brightwold, and Heremann (who united the bishopric of Sherborne to his own, and, “ in the reign of Edward the Elder, trans- ferred his see to Sherborne, by synodal authority and that king’s munificence”). After the deposition of Richard II., his child-wife, Isa- bella of Yalois, fled hither to the Bishop of Salisbury, who still resided at Sonning, which remained in the diocese of Salisbury. The bishops retained their palace here till the reign of Elizabeth, when it was ex- changed with the Crown; the site of the palace is now marked by an aged ash-tree on a rising ground above the river. Before the Reformation there ex- isted here a chapel of St. Sarac, w T hic*h was a celebrated place of pil- grimage for the cure of madness. The oldest portion of the present beautiful Church (of St. Andrew , whose image is over the N. porch) dates from 1200. The S. aisle is Dec. in the best style, and there is a good chequered Perp. tower. The most remarkable feature is a sculp- tured arch in the N. chancel aisle, the keystone of which bears the arms of the see of Salisbury, while on one side is a representation of Christ blessing the 12 Apostles, and on the other kings and queens crowned. The Brass of Lawrence Fytton, bailiff of Sonning, is dated 1434, and there are other brasses, of the Barker family (1549-89). Lord Stowell (d. 1836) is buried here ; his monument has a long inscription by H. Adding- ton, Lord Sidmouth. The ch. was restored in 1853, under the care of the upright and amiable vicar, Hugh Pearson (d. 1882), to whom a monu- 96 Route 10 . — The Thames. Sect. I. mental effigy will be set up. The i bells are celebrated. In a house in the upper part of the village Sydney Smith wrote 4 Peter Plymley’s Letters/ At a house called the Grove (H. A. Knox, Esq.) Miss Rich was in the habit of receiving Pitt, Wyndham, Adding- ton, Adm. Villeneuve (who lost the battle of Trafalgar), and many dis- tinguished French emigres. 17 m. 1. Shiplake (Oxon). The Church , situated on a chalk cliff, pic- turesquely overhanging one of the finest bends on the river, is mostly Dec. ; it contains an E. E. piscina, and some ancient wood-carving and 7 rich stained windows from the ruined ch. of St. Bertin at St. Omer, sacked during the 1st French Revo- lution. It was rebuilt in 1869 by G. E. Street. The embattled tower is profusely covered with ivy ; the S. aisle, the oldest part of the edifice, was probably the original ch. Here James Granger, author of the ‘Bio- graphical History of England/ died at the altar whilst administering the Holy Communion, April 14, 1776. “ Such privilege what saint e’er knew ? To whom such honour shown? His Saviour’s death in rapturous view, And unperceived his own.” Here Alfred Tennyson was married. In the vestry is preserved the first model for the W. end of St. Paul’s, used in making the original model of the whole, which was the favourite of the great author. Shiplake Lock Fall 5 ft. 6 in. 17f m. rt. The Thames receives the river Loddon , here divided into several distinct channels — “The Loddon slow, with silver alders crown’d,” of Pope, who also celebrates it as the nymph Lodona in his 4 Windsor Forest/ in an imitation of the story of Alpheus and Arethusa. 18 m. rt. Wargrave ( Berks). Inn : George and Dragon. Pop. 1785. Here is a ferry across the river. Near this the river is crossed by the Henley | branch of the Great Western Rly. car- I ried on a rough timber viaduct. The ch., which is cruciform, is of various dates, and has a very clumsy-looking 17th-centy. tower. It contains the monument of Mr. Day, author of 1 Sandford and Merton/ who was killed here by a fall from his horse. Wargrave Hill (E. Jekyll, Esq.) was the residence of Joseph Hill, Cowper’s friend, the “ Septus Hill” to whom so many of his letters are addressed, 1 m. 1 . Harpsden (Oxon), whose Dec. and Perp. ch., restored, contains a cross-legged effigy and some good Brasses , one to Walter Elmes, rector 1511. Harpsden Court (J. B. Carbonell, Esq.), an ancient house near the ch., formerly contained 7 halls, of which one was called the “ Beggars’ Hall.” 20 m. Marsh Lock. Fall 4 ft. 6 in. 21 m. 1. Henley. Inn : Red Lion, close to the bridge ; an excellent, old-fashioned country inn, with very reasonable charges. On a pane of glass in a parlour window of the Red Lion, IShenstone wrote the lines — “ Whoe’er has travell’d life’s dull round, Where’er his stages may have been, May sigh to think that he has found His warmest welcome at an inn.” Henley (from Hen , old, and Lye , place — traditionally the “oldest place in all Oxfordshire,” (Pop. 4604), stands on one of the most beautiful spots in the whole course of the Thames, the broad and full river being here flanked by gentle hills, covered with hanging woods, occasionally varied by scarps of chalk. The town is readily reached by rail from Twy- ford (Rte. 4), and is much resorted to in summer. Henley is the last place in Oxford- shire. There is a beautiful road eastward hence along the Bucking- hamshire bank of the river, by which all the places on that side may be Berkshire. Route 1 0 . — Rotherfield Greys. visited. At Danesfield it passes through the beautiful Bassla Woods , whence it descends Bed-Pits Hill to Marlow (post). After passing Cookham, the road ascends the hills and passes between the beautiful parks of Hedsor, Dropmore, and Cliefden, descending upon Maiden- head by Taplow Court. The road on the Berkshire side of the river ascends the hill by Park Place to the pretty village of Hurley, whence pleasant by-roads and lanes may be followed through Bisham and Cookham to Maiden- head (Rte. 4). The river is crossed at Henley by a handsome Bridge of Headington stone, built 1786, and adorned with sculptured masks of the Thames and the Isis, by the Hon. Mrs. Ha- mer, daughter of General Conway, of Park Place. Passing the bridge, the beautiful reach of the river is entered, lined by tall poplars, and backed by the luxuriant woods of Park Place, where the celebrated Henley Regatta is held. r J his, which may be considered as the parent of all amateur regattas, had its origin in a contest between the two Universities on this reach in 1829, which excited so much interest as to suggest the idea of its becoming annual. This was first actually carried out in the regatta, June 24, 1839, since which it has obtained a universal popularity. ‘‘We have seen on the Oxford water, during the season, eighteen or nineteen boats in daily competition; at Cambridge a yet greater number have been found similarly struggling for that supe- riority which has usually decided the question, ‘Who shall row at Henley ? * ” — Bell's Life. The Dec. and Perp. Church , near the bridge (restd.) is conspicuous from its square Perp. tower, with six- sided turrets, said to have been built by Wolsey ; its windows are filled with modern painted glass. At the W. end is the effigy, wrapped up in a [Berks, &c.] 97 cloak, of Lady Elizabeth Periam, sister of Lord Bacon, and benefac- tress of Balliol College, at Oxford (d. 1621). Sir Godfrey Kneller’s widow was Susannah Cawley, daughter of the vicar of Henley : she is buried here with her father and mother ; there are monuments to the parents. The famous “ Jack Ogle,” of temp. Charles II. and James II., is also buried in this church; he was notorious for his humorous frolics, for one of which see ‘ Tatler,’ No. 132 ; his sister was one of the Duke of York’s many mistresses : — “ But Death at length did Ogle take at Henley upon Thames, Where he was buried decently in the third year of King James.” A slab near the S. door of the ch. r with the inscription, “ Ici repose le General Dumouriez,” marks the grave of that officer, who died at Turville Park, 1823, aged 83. In the. vestry is a library left by Dean Aldrich ( 172y ) , rector of Henley, as the founda- tion of a parochial library, but never added to. In the ch.-yd. is buried * Rich. Jennings, the master-builder of St. Paul’s Cathedral. 1J m. N.W. of Henley is Bother- field Greys , with the interesting old Greys Court and a magnificent tomb of Lord Knollys in the ch. (See Rte. 20.) At Greys , the parish ad- joining Henley, are a Gothic ch. and schools by Ferrey, 1849. 22 m. rt. 1 m. Park Place has beautiful hanging woods upon the chalk cliff, which rises nearly 300 ft. above the river. In the grounds is a Druidical temple, presented to Gene- ral Conway (the friend of Horace Walpole) by the inhabitants of Jersey, and removed from a hill near St. Helier’s in that island in 1785. It consists of 45 stones of granite, and is 66 ft. in circumference. A tunnel in the cliff leads to a minia- ture (so called) amphitheatre. The house commands lovely views. A cedar in the grounds is said to have H 98 Sect. I. Route 10 . — The Thames — Fawley. been planted by George III. when a boy. The arch over Which the Twyford road passes is built of pudding-stone and grey wethers. 23 m. 1. Fawley Court (Bucks), a handsome edifice, with four regular fronts, by Wren, 1684. The old manor-house, which belonged to Bulstrode Whitelock, son of Judge Whitelock, and author of the ‘ Me- morials,’ (d. 1688), was terribly injured by the Royalist soldiery under Sir John Byron, quartered here in 1642. “ Sir John Biron and his brother” he says, “commanded those horse, and gave order that they should commit no insolence at my house, nor plunder my goods ; but soldiers are not easily governed against their plunder, or persuaded to restrain it ; for there being about 1000 of the king’s horse quartered in and about the house, and none but servants there, there was no insolence or outrage usually committed by com- mon soldiers on a reputed enemy which was omitted by these brutish fellows at my house They spent and consumed 100 load of corn and hay, littered their horses with sheaves of good wheat, and gave them all sorts of corn in the straw ; divers writings of consequence, and books which were left in my study, some of them they tore in pieces, others they burnt to light their tobacco, and some they carried away with them, to my extreme great loss and prejudice in wanting the writings of my estate, and losing very many excellent manuscripts of my father’s and others, and some of my own labours. 44 They broke down my park pales, killed most of my deer, though rascal and carrion, and let out all the- rest, only a tame young stag they carried away and presented to Prince Rupert, and my hounds, which were extraordinary good. They ate and drank up all that the house could afford; broke up all my trunks, chests, and places ; and where they found linen, or any household stuff, they took it away with them, and cutting the beds let out the feathers, and took away the ticks. They likewise carried away my coach, and four good horses, and all my saddle-horses, and did all the mischief and spoil that malice and enmity could provoke barbarous mercenaries to commit, and so they parted. 44 This,” he concludes, 44 is remem- bered only to raise a constant hatred of anything that may in the least tend to the fomenting of such un- happiness and misery.” The Church , which has a plain E.E. tower, is fitted up with relics brought in 1748 from Cannons, the seat of the Duke of Chandos, near Edgeware ; the carving of the pulpit and altar is by Gibbons. In the S. chapel is a large monument, with effigies of Sir James and Lady Whitelock, 1632. The ch.-yd. con- tains a fine yew-tree. Just below Fawley Court is the Island , with a small Grecian temple, whence the boats start for Henley Bridge in the regatta. The river below this is frequently studded with islands of this kind, which are often planted with large trees, such as ash and abeles. The smaller islands are called Eyots or Aits ; 44 these occur everywhere, sometimes singly and far apart, and some- times in clusters, and are almost as various and beautiful as they are numerous. They are generally planted with osiers; and as they occur in the shallows, are fre- quently surrounded by rushes, while the willow-herb, loosestrife, and similar flowers, encompass them with a belt of brilliant colours.”— Thorne. Opposite Fawley Court is the pretty village of Bemenhum (Berks), backed by high wooded hills. The small Norm, ch., restored in 1870, A Berkshire. has a semicircular apse, and a good N. porch of wood, with fine Perp. carving. 23 J m. 1. Greenland House (Rt.Hon. W. H. Smith, M.P.). The old house underwent a siege of six months by the Parliamentary forces (1644) in the time of Sir John d’Oyley, when the garrison was forced to capitulate and the building almost destroyed. The fortifications raised during the siege are still visible, and a great number of cannon-balls were dug up in the park in 1850 when the house was enlarged. 24 m. 1. 1J m. up the valley of the Hamble is Hambleden (Bucks). Pop. 1550. Inns : Flower Pot, and Aston. A very pretty village, once possessed by Earl Algar, and after him by the De Clares and the Scropes. The Church in Rickman’s time had been, he says, “much patched and modernized. It is a large cross ch. of flint, with a modern W. tower (1721); there seems to have been originally a Norm, tower at the intersection, and there are portions of the 3 later styles. There is a good Norm, font, a S. door with good plain mouldings, and 3 stalls, and a water-drain in the chancel, with ogee heads and good crocketed canopies.” It has since been restored (1860), but it is much to be regretted that all the monu- ments except two have been removed from the chancel, and that the rere- dos, being alabaster, and devoid of colour, should be of feeble and poor design. The priest’s door has been •not only blocked up, but wholly ob- literated. In the transept are tome Brasses of the Sheepwash family, with the singular bearing, sheep in a wash-brook; many of the Scrope family are buried in the chancel. In the N. aisle is a fine alabaster monument of Sir Cope d'Oyley, his wife and 10 children, with a quaint epitaph by Quarles: he was the brother of Lady d’Oyley, who, he tells us, 99 “ Was in spirit a Jael, Rebecca in grace, in heart an Abigail ; In works a Dorcas, to the Church a Hannah, And to her spouse Susannah. Prudently simple, providently wary, To the world a Martha, and to heaven a Mary.” Here also is buried Thomas, 2nd Lord Sandys of the Vine, without an inscription (c. 1560). Hambleden was the birthplace of St. Thomas (Cantilupe) of Hereford, who was baptised in the ch., in the Norm, font which still exists. In conse- quence of the property which he possessed at Hambleden, Edmund Earl of Cornwall founded a magni- ficent shrine at Ashridge in honour of this saint. The Manor-house was built by Scrope, Earl of Sunderland, 1624. Charles I. took refuge here with Mr. Ashburnham and Mr. Hudson, April 28, 1646, on his way to St. Albans, and escaped by the connivance of Whitelock. 2J m. higher up, at the head of the Hambleden valley, is Fincjest , where the Bishops of Lincoln had a palace. One of these, Bishop Burg- hersh (d. 1340), according to tradi- tion, could not rest in his grave until the encroachments he had made on the common to enlarge his park had been restored — his ghost appearing “in a keeper’s dress,” and begging that the portions illegally taken might be disparked. In the neighbourhood is Turville Park (C. Scholefield, Esq.), once the residence of Gen. Dumouriez. 24J m. rt. Culham Court. 1. Yewden (Hon. Admiral George Grey), remarkable for a fine old hedge of clipped yew. 25 m. 1., in a lovely and secluded situation, close to the river, by a little inn and ferry-house, are the small remains of Medmenhani A bbey , which, though so much patched up and added to (the tower and cloister being modern) that it is | difficult to distinguish which are j the really old parts, is still very Route 10 .—Medmenham Abbey. 100 Route 10 . — The Thames . picturesque. The greater part of the existing building is not monastic but the remains of a manor-house of the Duffields, who possessed the estate from a short time after the dissolution till ,1779. The abbey, an offshoot from the Cistercian monastery at Woburn, gradually fell into decay through the poverty of its inhabitants, so that at the dissolution there were only two monks, and its revenues were reduced to 11. 3s. 6d. Its foundation charter is dated Jan. 3, 1201, but the monks did not take up their abode here till 1212. The abbot was Epistolar of the Order of the Garter at Windsor, his office being to read the Epistle at the feast of St. George. Over the door in the ivy-covered gable at the side of the present building is the in- scription 44 Fay ce que voudrasfi a memorial of another order, who took this sentence as their motto, and lived here in the middle of the last century, calling themselves Franciscans, from their founder Francis Dashwood, afterwards Lord le Despencer. All that took place at Medmenham was then wrapped in mystery : the work- men who furnished and adorned the abbey were never allowed to pass the doors, and were hurried back to London as soon as their work was finished ; and the servants were pro- hibited all intercourse with the neighbourhood. Some of the scenes enacted here are described in 4 Chry- sall or the Adventures of a Guinea/ in which the mysterious rites appear to have been Bacchic festivals, Devil- worship, and a mockery of all the rites of religion, combined with the worst forms of debauchery ; and Churchill gives the same impression : “ Whilst Paul the aged chalks behind a door, Compell’d to hire a foe to cast it up ; Dashwood shall pour, from a communion cup, Libations to the goddess without eyes, And hob and nob in cyder and excise.” Churchill's 1 Candidate.’ But Langley, in his 4 Hundred of Sect. I, j Desborough,’ maintains that the I common account of the doings of I the Medmenham 44 monks ” is a gross exaggeration. One night, in the midst of their orgies, the profligate party, it is said, were overwhelmed with terror at the apparition of a huge ape, hideously attired, which had been lowered down the chimney ; they for a long time believed that the fiend himself had appeared among them, and their meetings were then finally broken up. The Franciscans always slept in cradles, and a fragment of the cradle of Wilkes, who was one of the members, is still shown as a relic. All other traces of the society are now swept away, except the motto, but some of the pictures from Medmenham, representing the mysteries, are pre- served at the Thatched House Tavern in London. The Swan- uppers (post) used to have a great annual dinner at Medmenham. A short distance N. of the ruins is the E. E. parish ch., restored more then forty years ago by Mr. Scott Murray, of Danesfield ; there is a good E. window of modern stained glass ; and a brass dated 1415. On a slight eminence imme- diately above the ch. there is a 17th centy. house, from which a fine view of the river and its valley may be obtained. 26 m. 1. DanesfieM (C. R. S. Scott Murray, Esq.), so called from an ancient horseshoe entrenchment of great extent near the house, sup- posed to be of Danish origin. The beautiful woods which clothe the steep escarpment of the hills towards the river abound in holly, yew, and box, which is here considered to be indigenous, and, like those of Clief- den, but on a smaller scale, they are intersected by winding walks, with lovely views over the valley. The house is large and handsome. At- tached to it is a Roman Catholic chapel commenced by Pugin , and completed by his son, which contains Berkshire. 101 Boute 10 . — Danesfield. — Hurley . a rich altarpiece representing scenes in the history of St. Carlo Borromeo, a beautiful crucifix by Seitz , and some curious old pictures of the history of the Virgin. The room leading to the chapel contains a fine picture of Pope Pius IX., by Seitz. In the house is preserved a withered hand, which is, with some reason, supposed to be that presented by Henry I. to Reading Abbey, and reverenced there as the hand of St. James the Apostle. It answers exactly to “ the incorrupt hand ” described by Hoveden, and was found among the ruins of the abbey, where it is supposed to have been secreted at the dissolution. Below Danesfield, just above New Lock, the river is bounded on the 1. by high chalk-cliffs, which abound in fossils. 1. Harleyford (Sir Wm. R. Clay- ton, Bt.), designed by Sir Robert Taylor, is beautifully situated, and contains some fine pictures. The road between Danesfield and Harley- ford winds through beautiful pine and beech woods of forest-like cha- racter, called Rassla. No one who sees this part of the river can avoid being struck by the beautiful swans which are here so common. u The Thames swans are property ; the principal owners being the Dyers’ and Vintners’ Companies. The nests of the swans are built on the aits, or in the osier-beds beside the river. They are compact struc- tures formed of twigs and osiers, or reeds, and are so built as t q be out of the reach of the water, every pair of swans having its ‘ walk ’ or proper district within which others do not build. “ A great deal of pains is taken to preserve the swans, and a waterman, or some person living near the swans’- walk, generally has charge of each pair, and receives a small sum for every cygnet that is reared. It is his duty to see that the nests are not disturbed, and to prevent as much as possible the eggs from being stolen ; he also, within the influence of the tide at least, builds the foun- dation of the nest. The mark of the Vintners’ Company is two nicks , from which came the well-known sign of the Swan with two nicks, or, as cor- rupted necks ” — Thorne . The City authorities, whilst they remained sole conservators of the Thames, used to go up the river every year in August, in gaily-deco- rated barges, to mark and count their swans — an expedition called “ Swan-upping from the duty of the official visitors to take up the swans and mark them. The Upping- days began on the Monday after St Peter’s day. The “ Uppers ” had a difficult task, as, the swans being very strong, scufifliDg with them in the tangles of the river is exceed- ingly dangerous, and recourse was had to strong crooks called “ Swan- hooks.” Though there is now no ceremonial, the swans are still looked after by fishermen, who are paid by public subscription, especially on the occasion of the Henley regatta. 27 m. rt. Hurley (Berks.) a pictu- resque village with old timber houses. In a park-like meadow, with cedars, surrounded by the original walls, at the end of a secluded lane, are the remains of the famous Lady Place, once the residence of Richard Lord Lovelace, so celebrated in the Revo- lution of 1688. “This mansion, built by his ancestors out of the spoils of Spanish galleons from the Indies, rose on the ruins of a house of our Lady in this beautiful valley, through which the Thames, not yet defiled by the precincts of a great capital, rolls under woods of beech, and round the gentle hills of Berks. Beneath the stately saloon, adorned by Italian pencils, was a subter- ranean vault, in which the bones of ancient monks had sometimes been found. In this dark chamber some 102 Route 10 . — The Thames — Bisham. Sect. I. zealous and daring opponents of the government held many midnight conferences during that anxious time when England was impatiently expecting the Protestant wind/’ — Macaulay , vol. ii. It is said that these vaults were made subservient to the Meal Tub Plot by Dangerfield, and the spot where the meal tub stood, in which the papers implicating several Roman Catholics were found, is still pointed out. The house itself, which was “a perplexing labyrinth of panelled rooms,” some of the paintings on which were attributed to Salvator Rosa, was entirely de- stroyed in 1837, and portions of the vaults are now all that remain. The last inhabitant of Lady Place was the brother of Admiral Kempenfelt, and here he and the Admiral planted two thorn-trees which he took a great pride in. One day on coming home he found that the tree planted by the Admiral had withered away, and said, “ I feel sure that this is an omen that my brother is dead ” ; that evening came the news of the loss of the ‘ Royal George/ The Church , f. 1086, by Geotfrey de Mandeville, a soldier in the battle of Hastings, was consecrated by St. Osmund, Bp. of Salisbury, and an- nexed to Westminster Abbey. It is a long narrow ch. retaining its Norm. W. end. It contains a monument by Flaxman — 2 kneeling boys with reversed torches. In the vestry is a monument — two stone figures, with scutcheons above them, of the Lovelaces, under one of which is the date 1601. Some fragments of the priory are to be traced in the different farm-buildings, and on the N. side of the ch. portions of the quadrangle of the monastery and of the refectory may be seen. Several engraved slabs are let into one of the walls of the quadrangle, on one of which we read, “ The priory of St. Mary Hurley, founded in the reign of William the Conqueror by Geoffrey de Mandeville and his wife Lecelina in 1086/’ Hurley is well known to geologists as furnishing fossils of the Tertiary formation, in- cluding fine specimens of the ele- phant, rhinoceros, tiger, &c. Hurley Loch. Fall 3 ft. 4 in. On the Backwater on the Bucks side is Harleyford House (Sir W. Clayton). temple Loch. Fall 4 ft 6 in. On rt. bank Temple House (Col. Owen Williams), then Bisham Grange. rt. 28 m., shrouded in fine trees, Bisham Abbey (G. H. Yansittart, Esq.). The scenery of this beau- tiful spot is well known from the pictures of De Wint and other water- colour artists, who have portrayed the broad sweep of the transparent river, the gigantic trees, the ch., and the abbey with its mossy roof, projecting oriels, and tall tower, in every effect of cloud or sunshine. Bisham, or Bustleham, as it was then called, was, in the reign of Stephen, given by Robert de Ferrers to the Templars. Prior to their dis- solution they had granted it to Hugh Despenser, and from him it came to the Montacutes. In 1338 it was turned into a priory (the chief of 5 monasteries) by William, the first Montacute Earl of Salisbury. The brass erected by King Edward to commemorate the foundation, is now in Denchworth ch. The last Prior, Barlow, was made Bishop of St. David’s, and, afterwards marry- ing, had 5 daughters, who each married a bishop. Among the noble persons interred in the conventual ch. were Monta- cute Earl of Salisbury, the patron, moved here from Cirencester; Wil- liam Earl of Salisbury, his son, who fought at Poictiers; his son John Earl of Salisbury, beheaded and at- tainted 1400 ; his son Thomas Earl of Salisbury, who died at the siege of Orleans in 1428; his son-in-law Richard Neville Earl of Salisbury, beheaded at York in 1460 for his Berkshire. 103 ‘Route 10 . — 1 attachment to the Yorkist cause ; his 2 sons, Richard Neville, the King-maker, and John Marquis of Montague, who fell in the battle of Barnet, 1471 ; and his great-grand- son Edward Plantagenet Earl of Warwick (son of George Duke of Clarence, by Richard Neville’s daughter Isabel), beheaded in 1499 on a charge of attempting to escape from the Tower. None of these monuments exist now, though they were not destroyed at the dissolu- tion, but were standing in the hall within the last century. Tradition relates that William, Earl of Salis- bury, going to the Holy Land, came to Bisham Abbey to take leave of his friends, when his daughter, a nun at the Convent, Be Fontibus , at Little Marlow, met him. A squire, who had been in love with her be- fore, persuaded her to elope with him, and they escaped in a boat, but were taken at Marlow. She was sent back to her convent, and he was shut up in the abbey tower, whence he tried to escape by means of a rope made from his clothes torn into shreds ; the rope broke, and he, dreadfully injured, was taken into the abbey, where he afterwards be- came a monk. Bisham was granted by Henry VIII. to his repudiated wife Anne of Cleves, but, owing to his dying soon after the grant was made, the privy-seal was not affixed to the deed till the reign of Mary. Of her time a letter remains in the British Mu- seum from Anne of Cleves, entreat- ing the Queen for the sake^ of their dear father and brother to allow her to exchange Bisham with Sir Philip Hoby for his house in Kent. The Hobys were friends of Cecil, and some curious letters to him from Philip Hoby remain in the Public Record Office. In one of them Hoby humorously threatens him with all sorts of ills if he continues to de- cline his invitation to pass his Christmas at Bisham. isham Abbey. Sir Philip Hoby was the last English papal legate at Rome, where he died, and his brother Sir Thomas was ambassador in France, and died in Paris, 1566. The widow of the latter had both their bodies brought back to Bisham, and erected for them a magnificent monument still to be seen in the ch., on which, being the most learned lady of the period, she wrote 3 epitaphs in Greek, Latin, and English, one of them ending in the lines, “ Give me, 0 God ! a husband like unto Thomas, Or else restore me to my husband Thomas the first part of the prayer was ful- filled in her marriage to Lord John Russell in 1574. She died 1609. The two sisters of Lady Hoby (daughters of Sir Antony Cooke) were Lady Bacon and Lady Cecil, and to them was given the care of the Princess Elizabeth, but they, not liking the office, were allowed partially to transfer their trust to their brother-in-law, Sir Thomas Hoby, who succeeded Sir Philip at Bisham. In this way Elizabeth came to spend part of 3 yrs. here, when the bow-window in the great chamber was thrown out for her and the da'is erected 16 in. above the floor. That her residence at Bisham was not disagreeable is seen from her speech to Sir Thomas when he first went to court after she became Queen : “ If I had a prisoner whom I wanted to be most carefully watched, I should intrust him to your charge ; if I had a prisoner I wished to be most tenderly treated, I should intrust him to your care.” The hall and the pointed doorway are part of the foundation of Monta- cute ; the rest of the building was built by the Hobys. The hall, 60 ft. long, beautifully restored 1859, has a fine ancient 104 Bonte 10 . — The Thames. Sect. I. lancet window of 3 lights at one end, with buttery hatch, and a dark oak gallery at the other. In the dining-room is a picture of Lady Hoby, with a very white face and hands, dressed in the coif, weeds, and wimple, then allowed to a knight’s widow. In this dress she is still supposed to haunt a bed- room, where she appears with a self-supported basin moving before her, in which she is perpetually try- ing to wash tier hands ; but it is remarkable that the apparition is always in the negative, the black part white, the white black. The legend is that, because her child William Hoby could not write with- out making blots, she beat him to death. It is remarkable that about 1840 in altering the window-shutter a quantity of children’s copy-books of the time of Elizabeth were dis- covered, pushed into the rubble be- tween the joists of the floor, and that one of these was a copy-book which answered exactly to the story, as if the child could not write a single line without a blot. Behind the tapestry in one of the bed-rooms (representing the history of Tobit) a secret room was dis- covered with a fireplace, the chim- ney of which is curiously connected with that of the hall for the sake of concealing the smoke. The Bath of Princess Elizabeth no longer remains in the grounds at Bisham ; the spring which supplied it is still left. The Conventual Barn of Spanish chestnut still remains, and the ori- ginal moat round the garden. rt. the Church , beautifully situated on the river-bank. The whole was modernised in execrable taste about the beginning of this centy., but it was restored by Terrey, 1849, in the early Dec. style. Many improvements have since been effected ; the latest the erection of a N. aisle in 1878, the gift of Col. Owen Williams of Temple House. It contains two very beautiful stained glass windows. In the S. aisle there is a fine monu- ment to Lady Russell. The Hoby Window is remarkable as a good specimen of the decadence of the art ; it contains a shield said to be the richest in England. There are some queer but costly marble Jacobean monuments of the Hobys, two effigies of knights in armour, their heads raised on their elbows, and a pyramid with 4 swans to Mar- garet Hoby, daughter of Sir H. Hunsdon and niece of Anne Boleyn. 1. 29 m. Great Marlow (Bucks) (Stat.), is connected with the Wycombe and Thame line by a branch 4J m. long (Rte. 12), a large market-town, returning one M.P. {Inn: Crown, in the town; on the riverside near the bridge the “ Com- plete Angler,” best.) Pop. 5518. The handsome suspension-bridge was erected in 1835 at a cost of 20,000Z. rt. of the bridge is a curious old building, a monastic barn of Bisham Abbey, in which French prisoners were kept during the war. The query, “Who ate puppy-pie under Marlow Bridge?” the ordinary “chaff” for every bargee down the river, had its origin in the story of the landlord of the inn at Medmenham who, having notice that the bargemen intended to plunder his larder, baked a pie of young puppies, which they took and ate under Marlow Bridge, be- lieving them to be rabbits. Marlow belonged to Algar of Mercia, and was granted to Queen Matilda. It was early made a par- liamentary borough, but voluntarily dropped the expensive honour. By the exertions of John Hampden and others, it regained the franchise in the time of Charles I. The Royal Military College was established at Marlow in 1799 under Colonel Le Marchant, who was killed at Sala- manca (July 24, 1812). The Church of All Saints , an ugly Berkshire. Route 10 . — Great Marlow . 105 modern Gothic edifice, with a spire, of stone and brick, was erected 1835 in the place of a beautiful old ch. in which the Parliamentary soldiers w^ere quartered in 1612. The present ch. has been re- modelled. The new chancel, com- pleted in 1876, contains a memorial window to Bp. Milman, of Calcutta, formerly vicar of Marlow. In the churchyard is the grave of Langley, who wrote the 4 History of the Hun- dred of Desborough and Deanery of Wycombe.’ On the staircase of the gallery is the monument of Sir Myles Hobart, Kt., of Harley ford (d. July 4, 1652), a member for Marlow of the parliament of March, 1627-8, who especially distinguished himself in opposing the designs of the Court — himself locking the door of the house, during the read- ing of a protest against tonnage and poundage, &c. For this act he was imprisoned till 1631, but the Long Parliament voted a grant of 500 01. to his children, as a testimonial to his meritorious sufferings. The mo- nument is of historical value as the first erected in England at the ex- pense of the country. Its inscription is quaint. He died by the upsetting of his carriage on Holborn Hill, and a bas-relief (like that on the monu- ment of Mr. Thynne in Westminster Abbey) represents the 4 horses run- ning away wdth the coach down the hill. Another quaint monument, with a bewildering epitaph, represents Katherine Willoughby, 1597. At the entrance of the gallery is a picture of the Spotted Negro Boy,. painted from life by Coventry, 1811, an extraordinary lusus naturae , who died here, and is buried in the ch.-yd. Notice the lofty cross to the memory of Major Hugh O’Donel Clayton, and the monument, with long inscription, to Archibald Douglas, 7th Marquis of Queensberry (d. 1858), who, how- ever, does not sleep beneath it. The district ch. of Holy Trinity, by Scott, was erected in 1852 at a cost of 3000Z. in Dec. style. It contains several good stained glass windows, reredos and mural paintings. On S. wall of nave is a marble tablet to Col. A. Higginson, who laid the first stone of this ch. There is also a chapel of ease at Handy Cross about 3 m. from the town. The pretty modern Bom. Cath. Church by Pugin , is considered one of the best of his small churches: a convent is attached to it. The Town-hall was erected by Wyatt. The house known as the Old Deane n/ has an ancient kitchen and 2 fine Gothic windows, with Dec. tracery. Shelley lived at Marlow in 1817, and wrote his 4 Kevolt of Islam ’ 44 in his boat as it floated under the groves of Bisham, or during wanderings in the neighbouring country, which is distinguished for its beauty.” The house in which he lived, and where he was visited by Byron is in West Street at the commencement of the Henley Road. Francis Edward Smedley (d. 1864), novelist, also resided here. Seymour Court , on the hill above Marlow (T. O. Wethered, Esq., M.P.), is traditionally said to be the birth- place of Queen J ane Seymour. There is a fine view thence over the town and valley, which embraces some of the most beautiful scenery to be found along the whole course of the Thames. A pleasant walk leads over the hills to Cookham. The manor of Marlow belonged to the Nevilles (whence they came to be buried at Bisham), and thus fell to Lady Anne (the widow of War- wick), to whom, after she had been disseised of this and others, they were restored (3 Henry VII.) for life only. The manor was part of Queen Mary’s maintenance when princess. On coming to the throne she granted it to Lord Paget, the ancestor of the Anglesey family. Marlow Loch. Fall 5 ft. 6 in. 31 m. 1. Little Marlow , a posses- 106 J Route 10 . — Thames — Cookham— Dropmore. Sect. I. sion of Queen Edith, granted to Odo of Bayeux. Here was a small Benedictine nunnery, founded by Geoffrey Despenser, temp. Henry IT. In the E.E. and Perp. ch. is the tomb of the builder of the chancel, Nicholas de Ledwyck, 1430. Restored in 1866 by R. P. Pope. Before reaching Cookham, the river is crossed by the Rly. to High Wycombe. (Rte. 12.) 32 m. rt. Cookliam (Berks) Stat. Inns: Bel and the Dragon; by the river-side, near the bridge, tire Ferry Hotel (Llewellen’s), very good, much resorted to by anglers. The Church is E. E., with a good tower of flint at the W. end. It contains the tomb of Norreys, cook to Eleanor, Queen of Henry III., and several good Brasses , 1458-1557. In the N. wall of the chancel is the canopied altar-tomb of Robert Peeke, “ Master-clerk of the Spycery under K. Harry the Sixt ” (d. 1510). A marble monument by Flaxman represents the death of Sir Isaac Pocock, 1810, while in a boat upon the Thames. A meeting of the Witanagemote was held at Cook- ham during the Saxon period. The Thames is here crossed by a wooden bridge. Cookham is a Stat. on the branch from Maidenhead to Thame. (Rte. 12.) In making the “ New Cut,” for the convenience of navigation at Sashes , below Cookham, about 1830, a num- ber of Roman swords and javelin- heads were found mingled with skeletons. A pleasant by-road leads hence to Maidenhead, crossing Battle Mead, so called from a skirmish in the Civil Wars. Cookham Lock. Fall 4 ft. 32 m. 1. Hedsor (Lady Boston), a fine undulating park, with grassy oak-crowned knolls (on one of which is a sham castle), beautiful views, and woods sloping down to the river. The house was built, 1778, by Wil- liam 1st Lord Boston, formerly equerry to Frederick Prince of Wales, from a plan inflicted on him by George III. It was a homely brown brick building, but has lately been rebuilt. The ch., beauti- fully situated on the ridge of the hill within the park, contains monu- ments of the Hyndes and Parkers : and the churchyard that of Nath. Hooke, author of the ‘ Roman His- tory.’ Yery near the ch., in the park, through which the public have a right of way, are 2 magni- ficent old yew-trees. Hedsor, though beautiful, is the least interesting of the three places which meet at the cross-roads called Nobleman's Corner. Behind Hedsor Park, by which it is separated from the river, and beyond the Maidenhead road, is the beautiful park of Bropmore (Hon. G. M. Fortescue), part of a wild common enclosed by Lord Grenville, and richly diversified with heather and rhododendrons. The house was built and the grounds laid out and planted (1801-5) by Lord Grenville, Prime Minister of George III., who lowered a hill in front of it consider- ably, so as to let in a view of Windsor Castle. It contains a fine library. Near the house is a beautiful Ita- lian garden, with straight walks and flowers. The collection of pines is perhaps unequalled in beauty and growth, being among the earliest plantations of rare foreign conifers in this country. Deodars are seen in avenues as well as single, 60 and 70 feet high. Notice P. insignis, which stands the winter well, 50 ft., also P. Douglasii 65 ft. and 85 ft., P. nobilis 43 ft., P. excelsior 60 ft., and an Araucaria imbricata 80 ft. high, the largest and finest not only in England but in Europe. Among the curiosities of Dropmore are — an oak said to have been planted by Eliza- beth as princess; an oak from the celebrated tree at Boscobel, with an inscription to proclaim that it was 107 Berkshire. Boute 10. — Dropmore — Cliefden. not preserved in honour of the escape of King Charles, but of the restora- tion of the monarchy ; and an arbour formed by one of the stone alcoves of old London Bridge. The pleasure grounds are 600 acres in extent , and are shown on application at the lodge every day except Sunday. In July, 1831, Rogers wrote the following lines at Dropmore : — “ Grenville, to thee my gratitude is due For many an hour of studious musing here. Search where we would, no fairer bowers than these, Thine own creation ; where, called forth by thee, * Flowers worthy of Paradise, with rich inlay, Broider the ground,’ and every mountain pine, Elsewhere unseen (his birthplace in the clouds, His kindred sweeping with majestic march From cliff to cliff along the snowy ridge Of Caucasus, or nearer yet the moon).” Close adjoining Dropmore grounds are those of Cliefden (see below). 34 m. rt. Formosa (Mr. Sloane Stanley) a very charming seat of the Young family. The island has an area of 50 acres, and is the largest island on the upper Thames, opposite which is 34 m. 1. Cliefden (Duke of West- minster), to which “ the river here owes its chief loveliness ; and whether we view the valley of the Thames from it, or float leisurely along the stream and regard it as the principal object, we shall alike find enough to delight the eye and kindle the imagination. The towing-path lies along the Berkshire ^side of the river, and Cliefden, which is on the opposite side, is a magnificent object from it. The rambler who approaches by land should by all means hire a boat at Maidenhead Bridge, and row gently along, if he would see this part in all its varied beauty. Cliefden runs along the summit of a lofty slope which overhangs the river. The steep bank is clothed with luxuriant foliage, forming a hanging wood of great beauty, with open glades inter- vening so as to increase the graceful- ness of the foliage by the contrast; and a few islands deck this part of the river, and occasionally little tongues of land run out into it, or a tree overhangs it, helping to give vigour to the foreground of the rich land scape.” These exquisite woods abound in magnificent yews, pines and cypresses, which hang from the chalk cliff's, their twisted roots exposed to the air, and cling and cluster round the winding walks and steep narrow staircases which lead in every direction to the heights above. The wild clematis hangs in luxuriant wreaths from the tops of the highest trees, and in their shade the Atropa Belladonna and other flowering plants grow luxuriantly. In the cliff' are many small caves, once inhabited by robbers. Near the waterside a spring rises in a rocky basin and falls into the river, near which the Duke of Bucking- ham built a picturesque cottage for the benefit of visitors. The views from the summit are beautiful, “ un- equalled along the Thames, except by that from the north terrace of Windsor.” Evelyn speaks of Cliefden as u the stupendous natural rock, wood, and prospect, of the Duke of Bucking- ham.” This was George Yilliers, the favourite of Charles II., who commenced the original house. When he had killed the Earl of Shrewsbury in a duel, the Countess holding his horse disguised as a page, he fled with her to — “ Cliefden’s proud alcove, The Bower of wanton Shrewsbury and of love.” Horace Walpole says of him, “ When this extraordinary man, with the figure and genius of Alcibiades, could equally charm the Presby- terian Fairfax and the dissolute 108 Route 10 ,- — The Thames . Sect. I. Charles ; when he alike ridiculed that witty king and his solemn chan- cellor ; when he plotted the ruin of his country with a cabal of bad mi- nisters, or, equally unprincipled, supported its cause with bad pa- triots, one laments that such a man should have been devoid of every virtue.” The portrait of the Duke has been drawn by four masterly hands; Burnet has hewn it with a rough chisel ; Count Hamilton touched it with a delicacy that finishes while it seems to sketch ; Dryden caught the living likeness ; Pope completed the historical resem- blance. His house, designed by Archer (Walpole’s 6 Groomporter of Architecture*), was much improved and adorned by the Earl of Orkney. It was of red brick, with stone dress- ings, and had sweeping colonnades and square wings, with a noble ter- race 483 ft. long. Frederick Prince of Wales, father of George III., resided here for a short time, during which the first performance of Thomson’s masque of ‘Alfred’ took place in his pre- sence ; and the famous national air of ‘Rule Britannia,’ composed by Dr. Arne, was played here for the first time on August 1st, 1740. This house was burnt, May 20, 1795, through the carelessness of a maid reading a novel and letting her candle catch the curtains, and then falling down in a fit till the fire had gained head. In 1830 it was rebuilt by Sir G. Warrender of Lochend, after which it was purchased by the Duke of Sutherland, and again re- built by him, after a second confla- gration, from a design by Barry. The present magnificent house rises from a wide lawn on the heights, raised on a broad terrace. Though very simple, it is exceed- ingly imposing. The centre is a revival of Inigo Jones’s design for old Somerset House. A huge in- scription commemorates its second resurrection from the flames, in 1849. Visitors may gain admittance to the grounds and gardens of C lief den y when the family are away , on appli- cation to the head gardener ; the house is not shown. In the meadow opposite Cliefden is White Place (E. M. Leycester, Esq.) It formerly belonged to Vil- liers Duke of Buckingham; and the fine elm avenue is believed to be haunted by a certain “ White Lady without a head,” one of his victims. 36 m. 1. Taplow Court (Mrs. Gren- fell), a picturesque modern turreted house, in beautiful grounds, over- hanging the river. This was the seat of the Earl of Orkney, distin- guished in the wars of the Duke of Marlborough. The saloon was built in imitation of the Norm, cathedral of Kirkwall ! 36 m. Boulter's Loch. Fall 6 ft. The weir diverts water to turn the Corn Mills. Between this and Maidenhead Bridge on the island to the 1. the handsome house of Sir Roger Palmer : on rt. Raymead and Thames Hotels, and close to the bridge the Guard’s Club House, Orkney Cottage, and Skindles Orkney Arms Hotel. 37 m. Maidenhead. Stat. on Gt. Western Ry. (Rte. 4). ( 109 ) SECTION II. BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. INTRODUCTION. Page Boundaries . . . . . .109 Rivers ........ 109 Hills 110 Geology . . , , . . .110 Agricultural Produce . . .110 Manufactures Ill Page History ....... Ill Antiquities . ... . .112 Churches, &c. . . , . . ,115 Views ........ 113 Country Seats 113 Skeleton Tour . . . . . .114 Buckinghamshire is said by Camden to derive its name from the Saxon “ buchen,” beech- trees, which, more than any other, clothe the sides of its chalk hills ; and this derivation is sometimes accepted, but it is more probably derived from the Bocingas , an ancient Anglo- Saxon family whose marc or settlement was at Buckingham, from which the county was named upon the division of Mercia in 806. The extreme length of the county is 53 m., and its extreme breadth 27 m. It is bounded on the N. and N.W. by Northamptonshire ; on the W. by Oxfordshire ; on the S. by Berkshire ; and on the E. by Bedfordshire, Herts, and Middlesex. Its area is 738 sq. m., and at the census of 1871 it had 175,879 inhabitants, and in 1881, 176,277. It, including 4 boroughs, returns 8 M.P.s. The principal rivers are : — 1. The Thames, which divides Bucks from Berks during a course of 28 m., from Henley to Eton and Datchet ; 2. the Colne, which divides Bucks from Middlesex ; 3. the Ouse, which first touches the county at Turweston, near Brackley, and, dividing it for some miles from Northamptonshire, afterwards flows, first E. and then N.E., past Buckingham and Newport Pagnell to Olney, a few miles below which it quits the county, after a sinuous course of 43 m. ; 4. the Thame, which rises near Stewkley, and flows S.W., a course of 28 m., to Thame. Beside these, are the Ousel — remarkable for its fine pike, perch, and bream — which unites several small streams on the N. of the Chilterns, and flows N. 25 m. to join the Ouse at Newport Pagnell; the Towe, which forms a boundary between Bucks and Northampton from Grafton Regis to its junction with the Ouse near Stony Stratford ; 110 Hills, Communications , Geology . Introd. the Mease, or Misbourn, which rises at Missenden, and, passing through the Chalfonts to Denham, falls into the Colne ; and the Wye, which rises at West Wycombe and joins the Thames near Hedsor. The latter is noted for its fine trout, and. the large number of flour and paper mills to which it supplies motive power. The Chess, which rises at Chesham and flows into the Colne, and the Ray, an affluent of the Cherwell, have their upper courses in this county. Bucks is intersected by the Chiltern Hills, which enter the county from Oxfordshire, and, crossing it to the N.E., run into Bedfordshire near Dunstable. Their highest point, Combe Hill, near Wendover, is 905 ft., and the Ivinghoe hills have nearly as great elevation. The name is said by Camden to be derived from the Saxon word “cylt,” or “chilt,” signifying chalk. They were once all so covered with beech-woods as to be almost impassable, till Leofstan, Abbot of St. Alban’s, cut some of them down because of the shelter they afforded to thieves — whence the proverb, “ Here if you beat a bush, it’s odds you’d start a thief.” It was to put down the banditti who abounded in these hills, and to protect the inhabitants, that the “ Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds” was first appointed. The duties have long since ceased, but the nominal office is retained in the gift of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and is given to members of the House of Commons who wish to resign their seats, as they are not permitted to do so except by the acceptance of an office, which, being held as one of honour and profit under the Crown, vacates the seat. The W. part of the Chil terns was occupied by the forest of Bern wood, which was disforested by James I. Muswell Hill, near Brill, is 744 ft., and Bow Brickhill, near Fenny Stratford, 683 ft. The Grand Junction Canal traverses the county from N. to S., keeping on the E. border, but having branches to Aylesbury, Buck- ingham, and Wendover. The London and N.-W. Railway pursues a nearly parallel course, and has branches from Cheddington to Aylesbury, from Bletchley to Winslow and Buckingham, and from Wolverton to Newport Pagnell. The Great Western Railway main line traverses the county from near West Drayton to Maidenhead, and thence a new line runs to Thame and Oxford, with branches from Prince’s Ris- borough to Aylesbury and Watlington. From Aylesbury a line runs to join the Oxford and Cambridge line at Yerney Junction. The South - Western Railway runs by Datchet to W indsor. Geology . — Five different geological formations traverse the county from N.E. to S.W. 1. The S.E., between the Thames and Colne, is occupied by plastic clay. 2. Succeeding to this is the chalk, forming the range of the Chiltern Hills. 3. The Tetsworth (or Kimmeridge) clay, forming the fertile soil of the Yale of Aylesbury. 4. The lime- stone, known as Aylesbury stone. 5. The oolitic formations, which occupy the N. of the county. Bucks is chiefly occupied by pasture-lands. It contains 150,000 acres of meadows and pastures, and is said to feed 20,000 milch-cows ; the Bucks. Ill History. dairy produce is valued at 500,000?. yearly ; Aylesbury ducks fetch a high price in the market. Fuller mentions that the “ biggest-bodied sheep in England ” were bred in his time in the Yale of" Aylesbury, where a single field at Quarrendon let for 800?. (at least 8000?. of our money). This is still the most fertile part of the county. “ Bucking- hamshire bread and beef” has long been a proverb. The chief manufactures of Bucks are now paper, silk, coarse pottery, and particularly wooden chairs, which are produced in large numbers ; beech being employed for the low-priced articles, and walnut and cherry for the better kinds ; many women and children earn a living by trim- ming the small shoots of the trees for skewers for the London butchers. These industries, with agricultural-implement making, have almost entirely taken the place of the lace manufacture, which formerly was all-important, but has now been removed to Nottingham and other towns where machinery is employed. History . — The Bomans included Bucks in their province of Flavia Ca3sariensis, and under the Saxons it formed at first part of Wessex, but was subsequently included in Mercia. Legendary history makes the range of the Chilterns the scene of many important events, as the battle of Great Kimble, in which the two sons of Cymbeline were killed ; and the battle of Chearsley, in which Cerdic and Cynric fought against the Britons ; there is better warrant for a battle of Bledlow (“ the bloody hill ”), in the time of Edward the Elder, when the great Whiteleaf Cross is supposed to have been cut upon the side of the chalk hill to commemorate the Saxon victory over the Danes. The Mercian kings had a palace at Winslow, and Ofia II. is especially mentioned as holding his court there. Edward the Elder built a fortress at Buckingham, and Edward the Confessor had a palace at Brill, where Henry I. and Henry II. afterwards held courts, and which, still later, belonged to Richard Earl of Corn- wall. Edward the Black Prince is said to have given a name to Prince’s Risborough, and to have built a palace there. The shrine of Sir John Shorne at North Marston was long celebrated as an object of pilgrimage. At Fenny Stratford Richard Duke of Gloucester took his nephew Edward Y. out of the hands of the Woodvilles. The Marian persecution was severely felt among the Buckinghamshire towns, and Amersham witnessed the death of several Protestants. From the palace of Edmund Earl of Cornwall, at Ashridge, the Princess Elizabeth was carried to the Tower. She established the Creslow Pastures as the royal feeding-grounds, from which time to that of Charles II. the Christ Meadow and the Heaven Meadow, which had belonged to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, fatted cattle for the royal table. The old manor-house at Chequers was the prison of Lady Mary Grey. At Drayton Beauchamp Hooker lived as rector, “ possessing his soul in patience and peace.” Gayhurst was remarkable as the home of Sir Everard Digby, one of the Gunpowder Plotters, and afterwards of his more illustrious son Sir Kenelm. At Horton, Milton passed five of 112 Antiquities , Monastic Remains. Introd. his early years, and wrote the 6 Allegro ’ and 4 Penseroso,’ 4 Comus,’ 4 Ly- cidas,’ and 4 The Arcades and to Chalfont St. Giles he retired during the plague of London, and there he completed his 4 Paradise Lost ’ and commenced his ‘Paradise Regained.’ At Great Hampden lived John Hampden ; and there he is buried. Boarstall Tower was taken and re- taken in the civil wars ; and Aylesbury* Newport Pagnell, and other Buckinghamshire towns, had to stand sieges : they were all in the Par- liamentary interest. Dinton was the home and hiding-place of Simon Mayne the regicide ; and there, in a cave, dwelt John Bigg, the mys- terious Dinton Hermit, who was believed to have been the executioner of the king. Penn is buried in the humble Quakers’ burial-ground at Jordans. Edmund Waller lived at Hall Barns, near Beaconsfield, where he is buried in the churchyard; a spot that witnessed John Hampden’s Sunday muster of the trainbands. Lady Rachel Russell rests in the church of Chenies, amid the marble monuments of a long line of her husband’s house. Edmund Burke lived at Gregories, and is buried in Beaconsfield church. Stoke Poges was the home of Gray ; and its churchyard, the presumed scene of his most beautiful poem, contains his grave. Cowper lived and wrote at Olney, which he. has immortalized in his poems. Medmenham was rendered notorious by the vices of the last century ^ Hartwell illustrious as the home of the exiled royal family of France ; and Stowe, once the resort of authors, poets, and statesmen, is now little more than a witness to the fall of a great family. Antiquities. — Several ancient British and Roman roads crossed the county; of these, the Watling Street coincides with the road between Brickhill and Stony Stratford; the Ikenield Street ran along the edge of the Chiltern range; and the Akeman Street, the turnpike road from Aylesbury to Bicester, is supposed to be on the site of the road from Alchester to Londinium. There are several tumuli in the county ; some have not been opened, but of those which have been searched, some have been rich in relics. An ancient camp, called Kimble Castle (Cunobeline’s), remains near Ellesborough, and the foss and bank of a British camp are still in good preservation at Cholesbury ; but the most remarkable early memorial is the Whiteleaf Cross, cut in the hill above Prince’s Risborough, of which the perpen- dicular part is 100 ft. high, the transverse 70 long, supported on a triangle. There is a similar, but smaller, cross at Bledlow. Nothing beyond earthworks exist of the once strong Castles of Hanslope, Lavendon, Prince’s Risborough, Weston Turville, and Whitchurch. The site of the castle of Buckingham is now occupied by the church. The Monastic Femains are very small. Nutley, turned into a farm- house, is still exceedingly picturesque. The remnant of Medmenham, in a lovely situation close to the Thames, has been much ndded to in modern times. Part of the domestic buildings of Burnham Abbey remain, now used as a barn. Of Brad well and Missenden only the most insignificant fragments are left. Bucks, Churches , Views, Country Seats . 113 Several ancient Mansions still exist : Liscombe House, with its chapel of the 14th centy. ; Dinton Hall, built by Archbishop Warham ; the Elizabethan manor-house at Gayhurst ; Chequers, rich in old pictures and historic relics ; the picturesque gatehouse at Boarstall ; and Cres- low, with its desecrated chapel. Of the Buckinghamshire Churches , the most remarkable is Stewkley, a rich Norm, structure ; Upton and Wing also are Norm., and there are Norm, doorways at Dinton and Water Stratford ; Stantonbury has a Norm, chancel arch. To the E. E. period belong Chetwode, Aylesbury, Lillingstone Dayrell ; and Newport Pagnell has an E. E. arcade, though mainly Perp. Hanslope is E. E., Dec. and Perp. Chesham, Clifton Reynes, Emberton, Great Horwood, and Olney are all excellent specimens of Dec. Maidsmorton, Hillesdon, and Eton College Chapel are Perp., and all deserve close examination. “Buckinghamshire is one of the very few counties in England, which contains no great representative church, and not one monastic church, nor does it contain any very important parochial churches. , . . 1 think I am quite justified in saying that it is by no means a rich, county for the ecclesiologist. ,, There are about sixty desecrated churches in this county. There is a very large number of ancient circular Fonts in Bucks, among the finest of which may be mentioned those at Aylesbury, Maids- morton, Hughenden, and Leckhamstead. There are Dec. fonts at Ast- wood, Chilton, Drayton Parslow, and North Marston; and Perp. at Bitton and Wing. In North Crawley Church is a fine Dec. Boodloft , Of ancient Tombs, those at Ashendon, Clifton Reynes, and Hughenden have cross-legged effigies ; those of the Montforts and Wellesburnes at the latter place are especially interesting. At Ivinghoe is the curious effigy known as Grandfather Greybeard, believed to be Peter de Chace- port, 1254 ; at Haversham is the fine tomb of Lady Clinton, 1422 ; at Thornton that of the founder, John Barton, 1443. Chenies is remark- able for containing a complete series of the tombs of the house of Russell, while the numerous monuments of the Dormers scattered over the county present another curious family portrait-gallery. The county is rich in Brasses ; of which the most notable are at Drayton-Beauchamp, 2 of the Cheyne family, 1368, 1375 ; at Denham that of Agnes Jordan, last abbess of Syon, c. 1540 ; at Thornton, Robert Ingleton and his 3 wives, 1472 ; at Clifton Reynes; Sir John Reynes, 1428 > at Stoke Poges, Sir William Molyns, 1425. The most extensive Views in the county are obtained from the hills E< of Prince’s Risborough ; from Ellesborough churchyard ; from Penn Beacon, near Amersham ; and from Brill, in Bern wood Forest. The Glen of the Lyde at Bledlow is a remarkable natural chasm, of very picturesque character originally, but not improved by its present occupation as a watercress-bed. The Country Seats along the Buckinghamshire bank of the Thames [Berks, &c.J i 114 Skeleton Tour. Introd. are celebrated for their beauty ; especially Cliefden, for its banging- woods and extensive views, and Hedsor, for its wild undulating park. Equally beautiful is the park of Ashridge, on the high eastern boundary of the county overhanging Herts. Other country-houses of interest are Chequers and Hampden, nestling among the beechwoods of the Chilterns ; Hartwell, Winchendon, Lodge Hill, Waddesden, Mentmore, both creations of the Rothschilds, and Doddershall Hall, near Ayles- bury; and the new mansion of Bulstrode near Beaconsfield. The Gardens of Dropmore are justly celebrated for their Pinetum , one of the finest in England ; those at Stowe are remarkable for their temples and statues. There are some good Pictures at Langley Park and Ashridge ; Liscombe House contains interesting portraits ; Chequers a matchless collection of the family and friends of Oliver Cromwell ; and Claydon many family portraits of historic interest. The Artist will find the best subjects for his pencil along the banks of the Thames, or among the wooded valleys of the Chilterns. The old house at Chenies, Boarstall Tower, Creslow Manor-house, and the ruins of Nutley Abbey, are picturesque. The only rare plant indigenous in Bucks is Dentaria bulbifera , or “ Bulb-bearing Coralwort.” SKELETON TOUR. Days. 1. Ely. to Windsor : by Eton, Upton, Slough, Stoke Poges, and Burnham to Maidenhead. (Ete. 11.) 2. By road to Cliefden, Dropmore, and Hedsor to Great Marlow. Excur- sion to Medmenham and Hambleden Ch. (Ete. 10.) 3. Ely. to High and West Wycombe. Eoad to Beaconsfield. (Ete. 13.) 4. Eoad to Amersham, Chenies, and Chesham. (Rte. 14.) 5. Eoad by Missenden and Hampden to Wendover and Aylesbury. (Ete. 14.) 6. Ely. to and from Buckingham. (Ete. 15.) 7. Excursion from Aylesbury to (1) Hartwell, Dinton, Winchendon, Nut- ley Abbey, Brill, and Boarstall ; or (2) to Creslow Pastures, North Marston, and Doddershall House. (Ete. 16.) 8. Eoad to Prince’s Eisborough and Bledlow. (Ete. 12.) 9. Rail from Prince’s Eisborough to Leighton Buzzard Stat. Excursion to Stewkley and Liscombe. Rail to Wolverton. (Rte. 18.) 10. Rail and road to and from Newport Pagnell and Olney. See Gayhurst, Weston Underwood, and Clifton Eeynes. (Ete. 18a.) Bucks. ( US ) ROUTES. %* The names of places are printed in italics only in those routes where the ‘places are described. Route Page 1 1 London to Taplow and Maiden- head : Colnbrook , Slough , Eton, Datchet , Wraysbury , \_Stoke Poges , Burnham Beeches ] 115 12 Maidenhead to Thame : Woo - Green , High Wycombe , Hughenden , Wes£ Wycombe, Prince’s Pisborough, [ WAife- /ea/ Cross, Ellesborough, Chequers Court , Great Hamp- den], Bledlow .... 126 13 London to High Wycombe by Road : Denham, Bulstrode Park, Beacons field . . .138 14 London to Aylesbury by Road : Chalfont, Amersham, \_Che- nies, Chesham], Missenden, Wendover , Hartwell, Dinton 142 15 Aylesbury to Buckingham: , ROUTE 11. LONDON TO TAPLOW AND MAIDEN- HEAD, BY SLOUGH [ETON]. Great Western Rly. 22 J m. For the country from London to West Drayton, see Handbook for Middlesex. 1 m. beyond, at 14 m. from Paddington, we cross the river Colne, and enter Bucks. 14J m. J m. N. is the pleasant village of Iver. The ch. (Norm, and Perp.) has been restored by Scott. It contains the monuments of Sir George and Sir Edward Salter, carvers to Charles I., with the effigy of Lady Mary, wife to the latter, rising from her coffin in her shroud. On Iver Heath is a modern ch. of no particular merit. Bitchings Park (Mrs. Meeking), S. of the line, was the resi- dence of Lord Bathurst, who here Route Page Quarrenden , Creslow, Hard- wick, North Marston, Pad- bur y, Stowe 152 16 Aylesbury to Bicester: Over Winchendon , Brill , Boar- stall Tower , Ludgershall, Grendon-under-Bermcood . 160 17 Bletchley to Bicester: New- ton Longueville, Whaddon, Winslow , Clay don . . . .162 18 Tring to Roade : Drayton , Beauchamp , Aston Clinton , Ashridge Park , Ivinghoe, Mentmore , Wing, Stewkley, Bletchley , Fenny Stratford , Stony Stratford, Castletliorpe 164 18a Wolverton to Newport Pag- nell and Olney , Gayhurst, Clifton Reynes, Weston Under- wood, Ravenstone . . . .169 collected all the clever men of his time. From him it passed, in 1739, to the Earl of Hertford, to whom Pope dedicated his ‘ Epistle on the Use and Abuse of Riches.’ Lady Hertford, the Eusebia of Dr. Watts, and the Cleora of Mrs. Rowe, was in the habit of assembling the poets of the day at her house. Shenstone flattered her in his poem on ‘ Rural Elegance,’ and Thomson dedicated to her his poem of 1 Spring,* but afterwards offended her by pre- ferring a carouse with Lord Hert- ford to listening to her poems. She gives an exaggerated description of the place in a letter to Lady Pom- fret : “'We have just taken a house by Colnbrook. It belongs to my Lord Bathurst, and is what Mr. Pope calls in his letters 4 extrava- gante bergerie.’ The environs per- fectly answer that title, and come nearer to my idea of a scene in 116 Route 11 . — London to Taplow and Maidenhead . Sect. II. Arcadia than any place I ever saw. The house is old, but convenient ; and when you are got within the little paddock it stands in, you would believe yourself 100 miles from London. This paddock is a mile and a half round, which is laid out in the manner of a French park, interspersed with woods and lawns. There is a canal in it about 1200 yds. long and proportion ably broad, which has a stream constantly run- ning through it, and is deep enough to carry a pleasure-boat. It is well stocked with carp and tench, and at its upper end is a greenhouse con- taining a good collection of orange, myrtle, geranium, and oleander trees. il In one of the woods there is a cave, which, though little more than a rude heap of stones, has charms for me. A spring gushes out at the back of it, which, falling into a basin, whose brim it overflows, passes along a channel in the pavement, where it loses itself. The entrance to this recess is overhung with peri- winkle, and its top shaded with beeches, large elms, and birch. “ On the spot where the green- house stands there was formerly a chapel dedicated to St. Leonard, who was certainly esteemed a tute- lar saint of Windsor Forest and its purlieus. We have no relics of the saint but an old covered bench, with many remains of the wit of Lord Bathurst’s visitors, who inscribed verses upon it. Here is the writing of Addison, Pope, Prior, Congreve, Gay, and, what he esteemed no less, of several fine ladies. [These have now disappeared, but one avenue is known as Pope’s Walk.] “ There is one walk which I am extremely partial to, and which is rightly called the Abbey Walk, since it is composed of prodigiously high beech-trees that form an arch through the whole length, exactly resembling a cloister.” 2 m. S. of Eitchings is Colribrock , supposed to be the Ad Pontes of Antoninus. It is separated from Middlesex by the Colne, whence its name, though, according to the bal- lad ‘ Thomas of Eeading,’ it derives its name from Thomas Cole the Eeading clothier, who was murdered by the landlord at the inn here, on his way to London. Both town and river probably derive their name fiom the Eoman Colonia established there. It is a decayed market town (Pop. 1153), and has a modern ch., completely restored in 1877, which has replaced a structure of the time of Edward III. The only interest of the place is the connection of Milton with its vicinity. “ Part of the town of Colnbrook is in the parish of Horton , which extends in the opposite direction to the vicinity of Windsor. The vil- lage of Horton is 1 m. distant, be- tween it and the Wraysbury Stat., on the London and South-Western Ely. It has no appearance of a con- tinuous street; but a great tree in the centre of the space where 3 roads meet suggests that there may be more habitations about the spot than are at first visible; and, on looking down one of the roads, the suggestion is confirmed by the sight of a church-tower, a few paces to the left, all but hidden by the in- tervening foliage. On making to- wards this church one finds it to be a small but very ancient edifice, probably of the 13th or 14th centy., standing back from the road in a cemetery, in the front of which, and close to the road, are two extremely old yew-trees. The tower, which is square, is picturesquely covered with ivy; the walls are strong, and chequered with flints and brick- work; and the entrance from the cemetery is by a low porch. The stranger would see no old inscrip- tions or tombstones in the ceme- tery — nothing old in it but the yew- trees ; but within the ch. he would find both stone and woodwork of Bucks. Route 11 . — Horton . 117 sufficient antiquity. There is an old Norm, arch within the main porch ; there is a nave with 2 aisles and a chancel ; between the nave and the aisles are short circular columns supporting arches ; the pul- pit and the pews look as if they had served already for a centy. or two of rural English Sundays. In one of these pews, or on the spot occu- pied by one of them, Milton had worshipped regularly with others of his family, while resident in the ad- joining village, from the 24th to the 30th yr. of his age. Milton’s mother, whose maiden name was Bradshaw, is buried here, and a plain blue stone on the chancel floor has the record : 4 Heare lyeth the body of Sara Milton, the wife of John Mil- ton, who died the 3rd of April, 1637.’ 44 With the exception of the ch., the chancel of which has been restored, Horton, as it was known to Milton, is to be found in the roads, the paths, and the general aspect of the fields and vegetation, rather than in the actual houses now remain- ing. Around the village is a rich, teeming, verdurous flat, charming by its appearance of plenty, and by the goodly show of food along the fields and pastures, and in the nooks where the houses nestle. There are elms, alders, poplars, and cedars ; there is no lack of shrubbery and hedging : and in spring the orchards are all abloom with pink and white for miles round. What strikes one most in walking about the neigh- bourhood is the canal-like abun- dance and distribution of water. There are rivulets brimming through the meadows among rushes and water-plants ; and by the very sides of the ways, in lieu of ditches, there are slow runnels, in which one can see the minnows swimming. On the whole, without taking into ac- count the vicinity of other scenes of beauty and interest, — including nothing less than royal Windsor it- self, the towers and battlements of which govern the whole landscape— Horton was, and might still be, a most pleasant place of rural retire- ment, either after London or Cam- bridge. 44 There was a tradition that Mil- ton’s house was one which stood on the site of a new mansion, called Berkin Manor-house, near the ch., but on the opposite side of the road, with streams of water running through and along the grounds ; and in the garden of this house there was shown, till the other day, the remnant of an apple-tree, under which, according to the in- nocent style of local legend about such things, Milton 4 used to com- pose his poetry.’ 90 yrs. ago a portion of Milton’s house was still standing, and was known as the 4 Poet’s House* Its pigeon-house existed till within the last 50 yrs.” — Massons Life of Milton. Hence he wrote to his friend Diodati, 44 You ask me of what I am thinking : as God shall help me, of immortality! But how shall I at- tain it? My wings are fledging, and I meditate a flight.” Here he wrote 4 Comus ’ (1634) ; 4 Lycidas’ (1637); and the 4 Arcades,’ which made part of a dramatic en- tertainment at Harefield, the seat of the Countess of Derby ( Handbook for Middlesex ) ; 4 the Sonnet to the Nightingale ;’ and probably the 4 Al- legro ’ and 4 Penseroso.’ 44 The nightingale, which abounds at Horton to a remarkable degree, occurs both in 4 Comus ’ and the 4 Alle- gro ; ’ and in the morning scene in the 4 Allegro ’ are some details which might be claimed by Horton, as not so common in other localities ; 4 the towers and battlements, Bosom’d high in tufted trees,' are almost evidently Windsor Castle ; and a characteristic morning sound at Horton to this day, we are told, is that of 4 the hounds and horn ’ 118 Route 11 . — London to Taplow and Maidenhead . Sect. II. from Windsor Park when the royal huntsmen are out.” — Ibid. 16 m. Langley Marsh (Stat.), pro- perly Langley St. Mary's. The ch., S. of the line, is mainly Dec. and Perp., with a low square tower and small spire. The arms of Sir John Kidderminster, who built the tower 1649, are emblazoned on the manor- pew ; he also founded a Divinity Library, which, possibly hidden during the civil wars, was discovered accidentally behind the wainscoting about the year 1830. The Alms- houses built by him are picturesque. From this part of the line is a fine view of Windsor Castle. 1 m. N. is Langley Park (Sir E. B. Harvey, Bart.), once a royal manor, but granted by Charles I. to Sir J. Kidderminster. In the 18th centy. it became the property of the 2nd Duke of Marlborough, who built the present house, a noble mansion which contains a fine collection of pictures, including St. Michael and Satan, Luca Giordano; Holy Family, Carlo Maratti ; Holy Family with 4 saints, a very beautiful specimen of Sebastian del Piornbo ; a woman putting on her stocking, Mieris; views of Venice, Canaletti ; land- scape, Wilson; a lovely head of a child, and the celebrated full-length portrait of Mrs. Siddons as the Tragic Muse, Sir Joshua Reynolds. The property was sold to Sir K. B. Harvey, grandfather of the present proprietor, in 1788. The house stands in a finely timbered park of oaks and cedars, and at a short dis- tance N. on a hill is the Black Park , consisting of fir-plantations, surrounding a sombre-looking lake, approached by rude winding paths. 18 m. Slough Junction Stat., one for the main line, and one for the West London traffic. Hence there is a branch line 2J m. into Wind- sor, which runs till within 1J m. of the terminus on an embankment whence a viaduct nearly 6000 ft. long carries it into the middle of the town. The Thames is crossed by an arch of 187 ft. span, so as to allow vessels to pass in sail. Car- riages and post-horses are always ready at Slough Stat. ; but there is no omnibus to Eton or Windsor. Slough , which before the opening of the rly. consisted only of a few inns and other accommodation for the traffic on the Bath road, better known as Salt Hill , is now a well-built town of some 5080 inhab. (Inns: Eoyal Hotel, adjoining stat. ; this consists merely of the offices of a vast establishment, called the Queen’s Hotel , now converted into an orphan asylum.) The church of St. Mary (now the Par. Ch.) was built in 1837 at a cost of 3200 1. ; it is a very plain structure of brick, but a handsome Gothic chancel has recently been added, at Chalvey there is a district church erected in 1860-1 at a cost of 2000Z. Near Salt Hill , on the Bath road, is the tumulus, celebrated as the scene of the Eton Monlem (post). i m. S. is the mother Church of Upton-cum- Chalvey, a small Norm., edifice, long abandoned to ruin, but well restored by Ferrey; it has a fine Norm. N. door, with good carvings, some plain Norm, and some E. E. windows; the E. and W. windows are Perp. insertions. The parish has increased so much that it was found necessary to en- large the church, and considerable additions were made to it in 1876-7, by which 380 new seats were provided. There are several Brasses for mem- bers of the Bulstrode family (1472- 1599), one being remarkable as having an inscription in Hebrew. Here Sir W. Herschel is buried. The “ ivy-mantled tower ” has been thought to be that alluded to in Gray’s ‘ Elegy.’ On the 1. of the road to Windsor is the red-brick house Bucks. 119 2 Route 11 . — where Sir William Herschel lived, and in the garden of which his great telescope was set up; here most of his discoveries were made, including that of the planet Uranus. It bears the name of Herschel House. 1 i m. from Slough we reach Eton (Inn: the Christopher), of which the beautiful chapel is con- spicuous from far and near rising above its elm-trees, and calling to mind Gray’s verses ; “ Ye distant spires, ye antique towers. That crown the wat’ry glade, Where grateful Science still adores Her Henry’s holy shade ; And ye, that from the stately brow Of Windsor heights, th’ expanse below, Of grove, of lawn, of mead survey ; Whose turf, whose shade, whose flowers among, Wanders the hoary Thames along His silver winding way.” Eton College, ever since its foun- dation, has held the first position among the public schools of Eng- land, and “an Eton man” is still always an honourable appellation ; while those who visit this beautiful spot can understand the affection with which the place itself inspires those who are educated there. One mile from Slough we come to the Playing Fields , broad green meadows, extending along the banks of the river and shaded by noble elm-trees. A small stream known as Chalvey Brook intersects them, whose water, considered bene- ficial to the eyes, has its source in Queen Anne’s well, situated in a pretty grove of trees near the village of Chalvey, whence Queen Anne and afterwards Queen Charlotte had the water carried up to Windsor Castle in buckets. The view of the Castle from the meadows is mag- nificent. Opposite the Playing Fields is a field called the Timbralls or Timber Halls, devoted to cricket and football. On the W. side there is a double row of Fives Courts. A little further on, on the rt., are the new schools, there is a Eton College . large block of schoolrooms, sur- rounding two quadrangles. In the outer quadrangle a Russian gun, taken at Sebastopol. Next, on the left, a gateway leading into Weston’s Yard, a quadrangle, having on the E. side the school library, and build- ings occupied by the boys on the foundation or “ King’s Scholars.’’ The College of the Blessed Mary of Eton beside Windsor was founded Oct. 11, 1440, by Henry VI., “ when,” says Fuller, “ it was high time some school should be founded, consider- ing how low grammar-learning then ran in the land.” It had originally endowments for a provost, 10 “ sad ” priests, 4 lay clerks, 6 choristers, 25 poor grammar-scholars, and 25 poor men whose duty it was to pray for the king. It had in 1872 on the foundation a provost, vice-provost, 6 fellows, 3 conducts, 70 king’s scholars, and 10 clerks and 12 choristers. Beside these there are above 800 scholars (Oppidans) not on the foundation. Great changes were introduced in 1872 by the Public Schools Parliamentary Com- mission. The distinction between the school and the college was abolished, and a governing body was appointed, consisting of the Provosts of Eton, and of King's College, Cambridge, the President of the Royal Society, the Lord Chief Justice, and the masters of the school, respectively ; and four members co-opted by the rest of the governing body. An entirely new set of statutes and regu- lations were made by this govern- ing body, containing precise pro- visions for entrance examinations, payments for board and education, succession to boarding houses, &c. Attached to the foundation are seve- ral scholarships at King’s College, Cambridge (4 given annually); 2 scholarships at Merton College, Ox- ford; and 47 livings. Among dis- tinguished provosts who have pre- sided over Eton, have been William of Waynflete (d. 1486), the founder 120 Route 11 . — London to Taplow and Maidenhead. Sect. II. of Magdalen Coll., Oxford, after- wards Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor, its second pro- vost and first head master (who probably drew up the statutes, which are in imitation of those of William of Wykeham at Winchester, of which school he was head master before he came to Eton); Roger Lupton, who built the great tower and gateway to the cloisters, 1503- 35; Sir Thos. Smith, Secretary-of- State, and a well-known diplomatist of the reigns of Henry VIII., Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth (1512-77) ; Sir H. Savile (1549-1622), reader to Queen Elizabeth, and one of the greatest scholars of her time, who published St. Chrysostom while at Eton, and founded professorships of astronomy and geometry at Oxford ; Thomas Murray, tutor and secretary to Prince Charles ; Sir H. Wotton (1568-1639), the eminent statesman and ambassador of James I., beloved and praised by Isaak Walton, with whom he used to fish ; Dr. Steward, Clerk of the Closet to Charles I., turned out by the Parliament ; Francis Rous (1658), Speaker of the Barebones Parliament, who saved Eton from confiscation, and founded 3 scholarships ; Nicholas Monk, brother of the Duke of Albe- marle, and afterwards Bp. of Here- ford ; Rd. Allestree, Canon of Christ Cli., who built the Upper School ; and Dr. Hawtrey, famed for his suc- cess as head master, and esteemed for his elegant scholarship. Among boys on the foundation, afterwards illustrious, were John Hales (1584-1656), called the “ ever- memorable,” a somewhat free-think- ing writer ; Bp. Pearson, Bp. Fleet- wood, Earl Camden, Dean Stanhope, Sir Robert Walpole, Sir William Draper, and Longley, Archbishop of Canterbury. Among those not on the founda- tion were Edmund Waller, Harley Earl of Oxford, Lord Bolingbroke, the great Earl of Chatham, Lord Lyttelton, Gray, Horace Walpole, West, Wyndham, Fox, Canning, Fielding, Praed, Adml. Lord Howe, Lord Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, and Hallam. The old part of the College, be- gun 1441, finished 1523, is built principally of red brick with stone dressings, and chimneys elaborately ornamented, and consists of 2 quad- rangles. The first of these contains on the E. the picturesque clock- tower, which resembles those of St. James’s and Hampton Court; on the N. the Lower School, on the walls of which, as well as on those of the Upper School , the names of many celebrated members may be seen, with the old dormitory known as the “ Long Chamber ” above it, now for the most part divided into separate compart- ments ; on the W. the Upper School , supported on an arcade, by Sir Christopher Wren ; on the S. the Chapel. In the centre is a bronze statue by Bird, placed by Provost Godolphin (1719) to the “never- fading memory ” of Henry YI. The second and smaller quadrangle, called the Green Yard, which is surrounded by a cloister, contains the entrance to the hall and the lodgings of the provost and fellows. The Hall (for the scholars on the foundation) is a curious apartment, with a dais for the dignitaries, and 3 fireplaces, discovered behind the panelling at its restoration ; that at the end is unique, as being behind the dais, and is coeval with the foun- dation. The stained window above, by Hardman , represents scenes in the life of Henry YI. The panelling is richly decorated with the arms of the provosts and benefactors. Among the portraits is a fine one of Sir R. Walpole. S. of this is the Library, containing a large number of Oriental MSS., collected by Mr. Pote at Patna ; a prayer-book of Queen Mary ; the Mazarin Bible, the first book ever printed — i 448 ; and a copy of the ‘ Nibelungenlied,’ one of the only Bucks, 121 Route 11 . — Eton College . two of the kind ever printed, pre- sented by the King of Prussia. The Provost's Lodgings contain portraits of Queen Elizabeth, Sir T. Smith, Sir H. Savile by Corn. Jansen , Sir H. Wotton, and an original portrait of Jane Shore in a necklace (and no- thing else), said to have been given by her to Provost P»ost, who was her confessor. The Election Hall has some curious stained windows, re- presenting different forms of torture, including the pressing to death, practised as a punishment for re- fusing to plead. The Election Cham- ber contains portraits of Henry V., VI., VII., commonly believed to be originals, and the portraits presented to Dr. Keate by his scholars, and given by his widow to the College. In other rooms are other portraits of scholars presented to Drs. Bernard, Foster, Davis, Heath, and Goodall. An account of the erection of Eton College, from original documents, some of them bearing the signature of Henry VI., is given in 4 Records of Bucks,’ vol. iv., No. 3. The New Buildings , in the Tudor style, include dormitories and the School Library , which contains nearly 6000 volumes, and a large collection of stuffed birds presented by Dr. Thackeray, late Provost of King’s ; also portraits of Henry VI., an early copy ; Henry VII., an original ; Por- son, by Newenham ; a cast of the Dying Gladiator; and a copy, in marble, of the Apollo Belvidere. The Chapel, 175 ft. in length, in outline much resembles King’s Col- lege Chapel at Cambridge, and is a very fine specimen of late Perp. The interior was restored, 1848-60, and fitted up with dark oak stalls and seats. The E. window — a pre- sent from the boys— is filled with stained glass by Willement , and there are 2 memorial windows to Etonians who fell in the Crimea. The re- maining windows in the chapel were fitted with stained glass by the munificence of Rev. J. Wilder, one of the Fellows.. A new carved stone organ screen, intended as a memorial of Etonian officers killed during the Afghan and South African campaigns, was erected in 1882. There are also many Brasses , but most of them have been removed from their original places, and are fixed on the walls of the ante- chapel; they range in date from 1489 to 1657. On the 1. is the little chantry of Provost Lupton (temp. Henry VII.), containing his tomb. His rebus, a tun with the word 44 Lup ” above it, is carved over the door. Many curi- ous mural paintings, in oil, on the legends of the Virgin, were dis- covered upon the walls in restoring the chapel. They were in a very high style of art, probably the work of one of the many Flemish painters in England during the reign of Henry VII., VIII. Among the celebrated persons buried in the chapel are Ld. Grey de Wilton, henchman to Henry VIII. ; Longland, Bp. of Lincoln, his con- fessor ; Provost Francis Rous, 1658 ; Dr. Allestree, who built the Upper School and cloisters, 1680 ; Natha- niel Ingelo, author of 4 Bentivoglio and Urania ; ’ and Sir H. Wotton, with the extraordinary epitaph — “ Hie jacet bujus sententias primus auctor, ‘ Disputandi pruritus, Ecclesiarum scabies :* “ Nomen alias quaere.” There is also a fine tomb of Dr. Murray, 14th provost, with his effigy coloured after life. The most recent tomb (1879) is that of Provost Haw- trey. In the ante-chapel is a statue of the founder, by Bacon, 178H, placed there by the Rev. E. Bentham, one of the fellows, at a cost of 700Z. and Chantrey's monument to Provost Goodall. The Graveyard contains the tomb of the Ever-Memorable Hales, re- stored by Provost Hawtrey. Close by is Baldwin's or Barne's Pool Bridge , connecting the town with the pre- cincts of the College — a relic of the 122 Route 11 . — London to Tajplow and Maidenhead. Sect II. 13th centy., when it marked the limits of the town in that direction. Opposite to the W. door of the chapel, on the rt. of the load from Slough, is Rente’s Lane, leading to Dorney and the Maidenhead road. A little way down this, on the 1., is an octagonal brick buildmg for- merly a mathematical schoolroom, now a museum of geology and zoology. On the opposite side of the road is a chemical laboratory, built in 1870. The next building on the same side is the racquet- court, and adjoining this a set of lecture-rooms for scientific teaching. Beyond these the road opens out into South Meadow, from which the banks of the river can be easily reached. Above the N. wing of the new schools there is an astronomical observatory containing a good tele- scope, presented by one of the masters. From the head-mastership of Dr. Bernard (before which the procession was not military and took place annually on Feb. 2) to the abolition of the custom in 1846, Whit-Tues- day was triennially celebrated here by the Eton Montem , when the scho- lars, attired in a variety of fancy costumes, marched to Salt Hill (a slight elevation beside the Bath road, supposed to be a tumulus), where contributions of 44 salt ” were levied on each of the numerous spectators and visitors, who received in return a pass ticket, inscribed 44 Mos pro lege” or 44 Pro More et Monte.” The so- called 44 salt ” often amounted to more than 1000Z. and once to 1300Z.,so that, after the expenses of the day were paid, a large sum remained, which was given to the captain of the school. The river is constantly covered with boats, and its vicinity to the College has given Etonians that excellence in swimming and rowing of which they are justly proud. Prizes are given for swimming races, distance diving, and 44 headers.” On June 4th, King George III.’s birthday, now the school “Speech- day,” a procession of boats takes place in the afternoon from the Brocas , a large meadow above the bridge, to Burley Hall , 3 m. up the river, and the evening closes with a display of fireworks. The town of Eton, which is con- nected with Windsor by an iron bridge, contains nothing to detain the tourist, its church being modern. [From Eton some places of interest in the S.E. corner of Bucks may be visited ; they lie in the vicinity of the Thames, amid pleasant scenery. 2 m. S.E. is Datchet , the scene of Falstaff’s miseries in the 4 Merry Wives of Windsor.’ 44 The muddy ditch at Datchet Mead, close by the Thames’ side,” into which he was thrown 44 glowing hot, like a horse- shoe, hissing hot,” and, 44 having a kind of alacrity in sinking, had been drowned, but that the shore was shelving and shallow,” existed until the time of Queen Anne, when it was converted into a covered drain, now known as Hoghole. Datchet Church is a small E. E. and Dec. edifice, in which Christopher Barker, Queen Elizabeth’s printer, is buried, as also Lady Katherine Berkeley, daughter of Lord Mountjoy, 1550. The village, which has a Stat , on the South-Western line, is connected with Windsor by the Victoria bridge, and with Old Windsor by the Albert bridge, both handsome iron struc- tures, which command very beautiful views, the prospect of Windsor Castle from the former being particularly striking. 1 m. above Datchet, Isaak Walton used to fish 44 for a little samlet or skegger trout, and catch 20 or 40 of them at a standing.” With him fished 44 that undervaluer of money, the late Provost of Eton College, Sir H. Wotton, a most dear lover and frequent practiser of the art of Bucks. 123 Route 11 . — Ratchet— Stoke Poges. angling,” who styled it “ his idle time, not idly spent,” and found it, u after tedious study, a rest to his mind, a cheerer of his spirits, a di- verter of sadness, a calmer of un- quiet thoughts, a moderator of pas- sions, a procurer of contentedness, and that it begat habits of peace and patience in those that professed and practised it.” Wotton built a fishing- house here, where Walton spent some days with him every year. The painter Yerrio afterwards built a summer-house on the site, and here Charles II. came to fish. " Methinks I see our mighty monarch stand, The pliant rod now trembling in his hand : And see, he now doth up from Datchet come, Laden with spoils of slaughter’d gudgeons, home.” Pope. Both houses are now destroyed, but the place is still well known to anglers from its fishing-house of Black Pots. Near Datchet is Ditton Park (Duke of Buccleuch). The manor once be- longed to the Moleyns and Hunger- fords, and a house was built on it by Sir Ralph Win wood, author of ‘ Me- morials of Affairs of State/ temp. James I. His daughter and heiress carried it into the Montagu family, and the daughter of the last Duke of Montagu conveyed it to the Duke of Buccleuch, the friend of Sir W al- ter Scott, who was a frequent visitor. The Jacobean house, which had long been a resort of the bels esprits of society, was burnt in 1812. “ On the right of the road from Datchet to Wraysbury, at about 1 m., is a farm-house called King John’s Hunting Lodge (though really built some centuries later). It has a rude porch, primitive windows, and curi- ous gables, all betokening the archi- tecture of bygone times. In the inside are huge oaken timbers, low roofs, and grotesque fcarvings. 2 of the windows of the bed-rooms con- tain some stained glass of the arms of a king of England at an early period. 2 enormous walnut-trees at the back of the house measure at 3 ft. from the ground 24 ft. in cir- cumference. 4 m. Wraysbury (anciently Wyrar- disbury), a pleasant village, on a branch of the Colne, over which is a suspension-bridge ; there is also a Stat. on the South-Western line to Windsor. The E. E. and Dec. Church has been well restored : in it notice the brass Of John Stonor (1512) in the dress of an Eton scholar. A foot- path by the ch. leads to a ferry for Magna Charta Island, opposite which is Runnymede (See Handbook for Surrey). On the river’s bank, em- bosomed in trees, is Anker uoyke House (J. Anderson, Esq.), which occupies the site of a Priory of Benedictine nuns, founded in honour of St. Mary Magdalen, by Sir Gilbert Montfichet, temp. Henry II. The Priory was afterwards given by Edward YI. to Sir Thomas Smith, Provost of Eton, who resided here. Of the monastic buildings only the Hall remains. There is an immense yew-tree mea- suring 28 ft. in girth at 3 ft. from the ground, beneath which, accord- ing to local tradition, Henry VIII. used to meet Anne Boleyn.] [A delightful excursion may be made from Slough to Wexham, Stoke, Farnham, Burnham Beeches, Drop- more, and Cliefden, rejoining the rail at Maidenhead. The distance is about 14 m., making ample allow- ance for occasional detours. 1 m. N.E. of Slough Stat. is the small but interesting ch. of Wexham. Almost every window is of different style, from Norm, to Perp. ; and the encaustic tiles of the altar platform are in excellent preservation. 1J m. further W. is Stoke Poges , the Church standing 124 Boute 11. — London to Taplow and Maidenhead. Sect. II. on a rising ground, and its white spire very conspicuous. The ivy- clad tower is E. E., and stands at the E. end of the N. aisle; the chancel arch is Norm., and the E. window Perp. In the chancel is the Dec. canopy of a tomb, believed to be that of Sir John Moleyns, trea- surer to Edward III., and there are Brasses for several members of that family, as Sir John (1425), and Ele- anor Moleyns, Lady Hungerford (1476). On theS. side is the Hastings Chapel, with the coronet and heraldic maunch outside ; it is of late Perp. character. The W. front has been injudiciously restored, — a window being substituted for the d.oor, al- though there was already a large window above. Near the E. end of the ch. is a plain tomb with an epitaph by Gray to Mary Antrobus and rt Dorothy Gray, the careful, tender mother of many chil- dren, of whom one alone had the misfortune to survive her.” The poet was afterwards, accord- ing to his own wish, buried in the same vault, — a fact recorded by an inscription placed on the sill of the window of the Hastings Chapel. Though other places have their advocates (as Thanington, see Hand- lx)ok for Kent), Stoke Churchyard is usually regarded as the scene of Gray’s 4 Elegy ’ ; the different points in the description— 4 ‘ the ivy-man- tled tower,” 4 ‘ the rugged elms,” 44 the yew-trees’ shade,” 44 yon wood,” 44 the heath,” — perhaps applying more ex- actly here than elsewhere. Gray was accustomed to spend his college va- cations at Stoke, at the house of his aunt, Mrs. Rogers ; and in 1741 his mother and his aunt Antrobus came to live here, in a house described by him as 44 a compact box of red brick, with sash windows,” when Stoke became his home. It was called West-end Cottage, and is still stand- ing (with the name of Stoke Court), though much enlarged, altered, and beautified. His room is known, and a walnut-tree, alluded to in one of his letters, is still existing. Just outside the ch.-yd. is a monu- ment in shape of a sarcophagus or large tea caddy, containing on each face a few lines from Gray’s 4 Elegy,’ or other poems, erected by Mr. John Penn. Close to the churchyard and, within the grounds of Stoke Parky is the only remaining wing of the Old Manor-house , described by Gray in his 4 Long Story ’ : — “ In Britain’s Isle, no matter where, An ancient pile of building stands, The Huntingdons and Hattons there Employ’d the power of fairy hands To raise the ceiling's fretted height. Each panel in achievements clothing, Rich windows that exclude the light, And passages that lead to nothing/’ Amicia de Stoke brought the estate to Robert Poges, whose granddaugh- ter married Sir John Moleyns, from whom it descended to Hastings Earl of Huntingdon, who rebuilt the house in the reign of Elizabeth, when, according to tradition, Sir Christopher Hatton lived here. “ Full oft within the spacious walls, When he had fifty winters o’er him, The grave Lord Keeper led the brawls, The seals and maces danced before him/’ The fragment of the old house con- tains some portraits, china, and other curiosities, and is worth a visit. The estate was afterwards seized for a Crown debt, when James I. gave it to Chief Justice Coke, who lived in retirement here for some years until his death ( 1 629-34 ), just before which his papers were seized on sus- picion that he had given dangerous advice to the members of the Parlia- ment of 1629. His daughter married John Villiers, elder brother of the Duke of Buckingham, who was cre- ated Baron Villiers of Stoke Poges and Viscount Purbeck ; she became unhappily conspicuous in the time of Abp. Laud, being sentenced to a public penance for adultery, and forcibly rescued from prison by her Bucks. Route 11 , — Farnham — Burnham Beeches. 125 paramour, Sir Robert Howard. The estate was purchased by Thomas Penn, 2nd son of Penn of Pennsyl- vania, and the modern house was built by Wyatt , in 1789, for John, his son, who erected the memorial to Gray. It contains some choice paintings. In the conservatory is a bas-relief representing the repulse of Csesar on an occasion when he attempted to land upon the coast of England. Underneath is an inscription taken from Caesar’s Commentaries, — “ Hoc usum ad pristinam fortunam Caesari defuit.” This bas-relief, which was executed in 1706, deserves especial notice as a most remarkable work of that period. Its artist, Deare , was an Englishman of the greatest pro- mise, who died young at Rome. (For an account of him see 2 * 4 Smith’s Life of Nollekens.’) He was much patro- nized by Mr. Penn, for whom he made this. The Gardens, originally laid out by Bepton and Browne , are very pleasant ; and in the park, which has a fine sheet of water, is a column surmounted by a statue of Coke. Baylis House , once the residence of Lord Chesterfield, and after- wards of Lord Chancellor Lough- borough (who died there 1805) is now a R. C. school with chapel ; it is a fine brick mansion, built in 1695 by Dr. Godolphin, Provost of Eton, and has a noble avenue of trees. Stoke Ft ace is the seat of Col. R. Howard Vyse. 2 m. W. of Stoke is Farnham Boy at, an old ‘manor of the Verdons, Eurnivals, and Talbots, held by ser- vice of finding a glove for the king’s right hand, and supporting it at his coronation. The ch. (restored 1868) contains a Brass for Eustace Mas- call, described as “ pistile reader ” in Windsor Castle (d. 1567), who is said to have been the superintendent of Wolsey’s buildings at Oxford. Bp. Chandler of Durham (d. 1750) is also buried here. 1 m. further W. are the Burnham Beeches — an unequalled fragment of forest scenery, delineated by numberless artists. Gray, writing to Horace Walpole, Sept. 1737, says, <£ I have at the distance of half a mile, through a green lane, a forest (the vulgar call it a common), all my own, at least as good as so, for I spy no human thing in it but my- self. It is a little chaos of moun- tains and precipices : mountains it is true that do not ascend much above the clouds, nor are the decli- vities quite so amazing as Dover Cliff, but just such hills as people who love their necks as well as I may venture to climb, and crags that give the eye as much pleasure as if they were more dangerous ; both vale and hill are covered with most venerable beeches and other reverend vegetables, that, like most other ancient people, are always dream- ing out their old stories to the winds : “ And as thpy bow iheir hoary tops relate, in mnrm’ring sounds, the dark decrees of fate ; While visions, as poetic eyes avow, Cling to each leaf and swarm on every bough.” The beeches are all pollarded. Ac- cording to tradition, this was done by Cromwell’s soldiers, who con- verted the loppings into gunstocks. In 1879 there was a likelihood of Burnham Beeches being enclosed and converted to other purposes. This induced the Corporation of London to purchase the site with the object of preserving the land as an open space for the public. 374: acres were thus purchased for 6000Z. exclusive of the timber. Burnham Church, restored in 1862, is E. E. and Dec., the E. window very fine. There are several Brasses, 126 Route 12 . — Maidenhead to Thame. Sect. IT. one of which has an acrostic in- scription for “ Thomas Eyer ” (d. 1581). About 1 m. S. of the ch. is the moated site of Burnham Abbey , founded in 1265, by Rich- ard, King of the Romans “ There are considerable remains of E. E. domestic work, built of flint in a very substantial manner, with stone dressings: the windows are all lancet-shaped, though generally small, the chapel and refectory being entirely destroyed; there are some good E. E. doorways and other de- tails” (, J . H. P.) “Collected in ye p’ish of Burnham towards ye rebuild- ing of the Church of St. Paul in Lond.’ £1 .4.3” (Par. Reg. Oct. 16. 1678). At Britwell in this parish there is a remarkable library collected by the late Mr. Miller, M.P., now the property of S. Christie Miller, Esq. It contains the first book printed by Caxton in this country. The library is not shown nor used, as the tenure of the property is connected with the preservation of the books and MSS. For Dropmore and Cliefden see Rte. 10.] Leaving Slough, the traveller will notice on N. the spire of Stoke Poges and the tower of Burnham, whilst S. Windsor Castle and the valley of the Thames are seen to great advantage. 22J m. Taplow and Maidenhead Junction Stat. Taplow is a village, with a modern ch. on the site of a 13th-cent. build- ing. Some remarkable Brasses have been preserved. Among them notice that of Nicholas de Aumberdene (c. 1350), a very early example of civil costume on such memorials. The Gt. Westn. Railway crosses between Taplow and the Thames. Maidenhead, separate Stat . (Rte. 4), lies 1 m. W. beyond the river, on the Wycombe and Thame line to Oxford (Rte. 22), which here di- verges rt. 1 m. N.E. is Mitcham, where the small Dec. Church has a very fine E. window of 4 lights. At Hitcham Sir William Cleike (lord of the manor) was visited by Queen Eliza- beth in 1602, upon which occasion “ he so behaved himself, that he pleased nobody, but gave occasion to have his vanity and misery spread far and wide.” Here lived Dr. Friend, who was famous for his long epi- taphs, which led Pope to write the epigram — “ Friend ! for your epitaphs I’m grieved. Where still so much is said : One half will never be believed, The other never read." ROUTE 12. MAIDENHEAD TO THAME, BY HIGH WYCOMBE, HUGHENDEN, PRINCE’S RISBOROUGH, 25f m. The Thame Branch of G. W. Rly. diverges from the main line after it crosses Maidenhead Bridge , see Rte. 4. 27 J m. (from Paddington) Cook- ham (Stat.) The village ( Inn : Llewellyn’s Ferry Hotel; best, and very good) lies some distance E. on the bank of the river, and is described in Rte. 10. Bucks. Boute 12 . — Wooburn Green . 127 28f m. Bourne End (Stat.). Ere reaching this the Ely. crosses the Thames, giving a beautiful view of Cliefden woods and Hedsor, crowned by its sham Castle, and enters the valley of the Wye, a small stream, which drives a number of paper- mills. Marlow Stat. (Rte. 10) lies 4J m. to the W., and is connected with it by a branch line. In 1871 an ancient British boat was found in the Thames at Bourne End. It is 25 J ft. long by 3f wide, and cut out of a solid oak tree, with two seats near the stern. 30 m. Wooburn Green (Stat.). This is a scattered village, the inhabitants of which are mostly employed in the numerous paper-mills. The Chur cb, which has recently been restored — the interior in 1857 and the exterior, 1868— is Trans.- Norm., with a singular E. window, exhibiting a mixture of Dec. and Perp. styles, and a square Perp. tower at W. end, contains some monuments of the Whartons, and some good Brasses — among them, John Goodwin and Pernell his wife, “ first founders of the stepull of Oburne Deyncourt,” 1488; Thomas Swayn, Prebendary of Aylesbury, Bp. Atwater’s chap- lain, 1519 ; and Arthur, son of Philip, Lord Wharton, 1642. There are several good stained glass windows — The E. window was inserted in 1881 as a memorial to the late Alfred Gilbey, Esq. Another one com- memorates W. King, who was parish clerk about 50 years. In the N. chan- cel aisle there is a monument to per- petuate the “ virtues and maqly sense of Elizabeth Bertie.” The Bishops of Lincoln formerly had a palace here. Adjoining their chapel was a small room called Little-Ease (which existed as a coal-hole within the last 60 yrs.), for the confinement of heretics, where, according to Foxe, Thomas Chase, of Amersham, 1506, was “ barbarously butchered ” by strangling, and was afterwards buiied in Norland Wood, between this and Little Marlow. The manor having been alienated by Bishop Holbeach, the Goodwin family re- moved hither, of whom Sir Francis Goodwin, the friend of Hampden, was several times knight of the shire. “ The dispute concerning the legality of his election, 1604, proved the cause of establishing the great constitutional doctrine that the House of Commons have the sole right of judging and deciding on the validity of their own elections and returns.” — Lysons. His grand- daughter married Philip, u the good Lord Wharton,” — “ an old Roundhead, who commanded a regi- ment against Charles I. at Edge- hill ” {Macaulay). He was one of Cromwell’s House of Peers, and a great friend of Puritan teachers, who, when exiled, found an asylum and a home at Wooburn, where he re- ceived William III. soon after his accession. On his death he left a charge on his estates to supply a certain number of Bibles annually to every parish where he had property, which are still furnished by his representatives, 20 falling to the share of Wooburn. He died in 1695, and was succeeded by his son Thomas, who also had taken an active part during the civil war ; he was appointed to many honourable and lucrative posts by William III., and created by George I. Earl of Rathfarnham and Marquis of Catherlough in Ireland, Marquis of Wharton and Malmesbury in England. He was a man of consider- able abilities but gay, magnificent, and licentious in practice. He took great pains with the education of his son Philip, by whom he was suc- ceeded upon his death in 1715. Philip was created Duke of Wharton in 1718, and was the notorious Duke commemorated in the verses of Pope. He died, aged 32, in the Monas- tery of Poblet in Catalonia, where he was buried, without a friend or servant to attend him. He 128 Route 12 . — Maidenhead to Thame ; High Wycombe. Sect. II. had for a while resided at Wooburn, in almost royal state, and was believed to have spent 100,000Z. on the gardens alone. Nothing is now left of the buildings but part of the stables and a dovecote. The old mansion was taken down in 1750. The moat and fish-pond still exist, with a stately row of poplars, and an Oriental plane 18 ft. in girth ; traces of the terraces may still be seen cut in the hill, where the gardens were laid out. The present mansion of Wooburn Rouse (Alfred Gilbey, Esq.) is built on the site of the old stables. The ancient and pictu- resque cottages to the west of the church contain remains of the Deyn- court mansion, belonging to which was a cruciform chapel, 36 ft. long by 24 ft. wide. Notice two old carved figures on exterior of public-house to S. of church. They are said to represent the founders. Lace-making was formerly carried on here to a great extent, and the lace for Prin- cess Charlotte’s wedding-dress was made by a woman in the village. 31J m. Loudwater (Stat.) This is a hamlet of High Wycombe, with several large paper-mills. 34 1 m. High (or Chipping ) Wy- combe (Stat.) ( Inns : Red Lion, Falcon), an ancient borough now returning one MP. Pop. 4011). The principal manor belonged to Edith, the Queen of Edward the Confessor, was at the Conquest bestowed on Robert d’Oiley, and by Edward IV. granted to the chapter of St. G eorge, Windsor. It is a clean, pleasant-looking town, in a valley through which the little river Wye runs, and surrounded by beech- clad hills. The greattrade is chair- making : beech wood being em- ployed for ordinary work, and wal- nut, birch, cherry, &c., for the better kinds. The Church of All Saints is large and handsome, and the interior was restored by G. E. Street, 1875, at a cost of 10,000Z. The early Nor- man ch. was consecrated by S. Wulston, Bp. of Worcester, 1076; the present building erected in 1273 by the Abbess of Godstow ; the tower (which formerly stood in the centre) by Sir Roland Messenger in 1522, the battlements and pinnacles being added by Lord Shelburne in 1755. The handsome wooden screens mentioned by Rickman were de- stroyed in 1863 during a so-called “ restoration/’ The ch. is 200 ft. in length, and is the largest in the county; it was formerly very rich in sepulchral brasses, but most of them were destroyed at the Rebellion . The former altarpiece, “ S. Paul preaching to the Druids,” by Mortimer , is now in the Council Chamber at the Guildhall. In the N. aisle of the chancel is the huge monument, by Schee - maker , of Henry Petty, Earl of Shelburne, who bequeathed 2000Z. for the purpose of its erection; he is represented in marble, reclining on a sarcophagus ornamented with a medallion of his father, Sir Wm. Petty: Religion opens a book to him ; Virtue, Learning, Charity, and a Roman warrior stand to the rt. and 1. There is nlso a monument, in the Bower Chapel, by Carlini, to Sophia Lady Shelburne, died 1771. In the church-yard observe the curious epitaph of Thomas Aldridge, 1783. A house called the Priory , near the ch., is worth notice. The Grammar School , founded by Sir E. Peckham, in 1548, oc- cupies the site of an hospital of St. John Baptist (1190), and some arches, piers, &c. of its Norm, chapel remain. They were opened out and repaired (1882) and deserve the attention of the architect. A new school was erected 1881, but as much of the ancient edifice is preserved as the plans permitted. Bucks. 129 Boute 12. — Hughenden . Edmund Waller, the poet, was member for Wycombe in 1625 ; also Sir E. Yerney, Charles I.’s standard- bearer, who fell at Edgehill, 1639-40 ; and Thomas Scott, the regicide, during the Protectorate. J ohn Arch- dale, a Quaker, was chosen to repre- sent High Wycombe in 1698, but as he declined to take the oaths his election was set aside. A little S. of Wycombe, on the Marlow road, is the Abbey (Lord Carington), formerly the seat of the Petty family, rebuilt by J. Wyatt. It stands beside a broad sheet of water, in a finely timbered park, and uear the site of the ancient hospital of S. Margaret. Park open week-days. House not shown. Both British and Roman remains have been found in the neighbour- hood of Wycombe, particularly tesse- lated pavements, some of which have been laid open at the expense of Lord Carington. King John visited this town three times, viz.. Oct. 27, 1204; May 10, 1207 ; May 2, 1208. John Munday, Lord Mayor of London in 1522, and William Alley, Bp. of Exeter, 1560, were natives of Wycombe. Just after leaving Lligli Wycombe Stat. is a beautiful view up the valley to the rt. ; the white front of Hughenden House can be seen very plainly. Hughenden , 2 m. N. of High Wycombe, in a beautiful wooded district. The Church was thoroughly restored in 1874-5, at a cost of 6300Z., from designs by A. W. Blomfield, and the nave yas re- built. Of the six bells, two date from the time of Edward III., and have Latin inscriptions upon them, and two were added in 1875. The ch. contains some finelv-embroidered silk, velvet and linen. The altar frontal was worked by Mrs. Blag- den, the wife of the vicar, and is a magnificent example of modern embroidery. In the centre is a white floriated Latin cross, upon which [Berks, Ac.] are fourteen roses, the eyes of which are crystals ; while in the centre of the arms of the cross there is a large crystal surrounded by a ring of pearls. The chalice veil of Buck- inghamshire lace is extremely beauti- ful. In the Montfort chapel are some curious effigies attributed to the De Montfort family. The cross- legged knight, in military costume of the end of the 13 th centy., is sup- posed to be Richard, youngest son of Simon de Montfort, and grandson of Ring John, who returned to England after the banishment of his family, when he assumed the name of Welles- bourne, and resided at Rockhols in this parish. On the shield are the arms of Montfort, Earl of Leicester, viz., ’a lion rampant with double tail, devouring a male child. On the right breast of the surcoat are the arms of Wellesbourne, viz,, a griffin segreant holding a child in its paw. In Meyrick's ‘ Ancient Armour ’ this figure is quoted as the earliest example of the dagger and sword being worn togethey, and he gives 1286 as the date of the tomb. The next figure in a niche in the N. wall has a plain round helmet on the head, a collar of roundlets and a gamboised coat with round lets at the bottom of the skirt. No, 3 is a striking monument upon the window ledge, and represents a knight in pointed helmet and mixed plate and chain armour of the time of Edward III. No. 4 stands against the east wall of the chapel on N. side of the window, and is very rudely sculp- tured. No. • 5, on the other side of the window wears a close helmet, and holds a mace or masuel in his right hand; and is probably the only instance in England of such a weapon occurring upon a monu- mental effigy. Near this effigy observe a small brass of Rob. Thursby, 1493, a former vicar of Hughenden. In S.W. comer of the chapel is an emaciated figure in a shroud ; on its breast is a little figure K 130 Sect. II. Boute 12 . — Hughenden Manor. with outstretched hands, symbolical of the departing spirit. In the Montfort chapel is a memorial window to John Norris, Esq., of Hughenden Manor, and near the pis- cina a curious monument to Thomas Lane, 1621. On the S. side of chancel there are windows to the memory of Jane, first wife of T. J. Reynolds, Esq., of Totteridge, and Sir W. N. Young and Sir G-. J. Young, who died in the Crimea, 1854. The central window on S. of nave was inserted in 1882 by the undergraduates of Oxford, and de- picts Angels ministering to our Lord. Lord Beaconsfield’s vault is under the window of the Montfort chapel; it was constructed for the reception of the remains of Mrs. Willyams of Carnanton, Cornwall (d. 1863), who was buried here at her express desire. She bequeathed to the late Earl the whole of her property, amounting, it is said, to 40,OOOL Here are also commemor- ated the Viscountess Beaconsfield (d. 1872) and James Disraeli, brother of the late Lord Beaconsfield (d. 1868). The monument consists of three arches, the centre a trefoil, the side ones lancet shaped, enclosing three recessed slabs of red Scotch granite, upon which the inscriptions are cut. The cornice is sculptured to represent lilies, roses, etc. Lord Beaconsfield died on April 19, 1881, and was buried here on the 26th, and on the following Saturday, the Queen, accompanied by Princess Beatrice, visited the tomb, and placed upon the eoffin a wreath and cross of flowers. The mural paintings in the sanctuary of Hughenden ch. form part of the memorial to the late Earl of Beacons- field. The various memorials in the order of their erection are as follow: — 1. Two bells, completing the peal, presented by Mr. Robert Warner, de- dicated August 20, 1881. 2. The E. window, erected by his devoted friends, Lord Rowton, Sir Nathaniel de Rothschild, Bart., and Sir Philip Rose, Bart., dedicated September 4, 1881. 4. The W. window erected by the subscribers to the Hughenden Me- morial Fund, dedicated October 23, 1881. 4. The fresco paintings of the sanctuary, from the same fund, dedi- cated on Christmas Day, 1881. 5. A pair of brass candelabra, presented by two members of Lord Beacons- field’s household. The monument which her Majesty commissioned Mr. R. Belt to prepare as a memorial of the late Lord Beaconsfield is erected immediately above the seat habitually occupied by the late statesman. The spot was selected by her Majesty that her gift might be at once a testimony of his humility and greatness, as well as a touching record of that friendship which can so rarely exist between Sovereign and subject. The centre of the memorial is occupied by a striking profile por- trait, carved in low relief in marble, placed within a quatrefoil cartouch, which is flanked by buttresses and crowned by a carved and crested canopy, in which figures an heraldic hatchment of the late Earl’s arms and supporters. Beneath this is a tablet bearing the following graceful dedi- cation penned by her Majesty her- self: — “To the dear and honoured memory of Benjamin, Earl of Beacons- field, this memorial is placed by his grateful and affectionate Sovereign and friend Victoria R.I. * Kings love him that speaketh right.’ — Proverbs xvi. 13. February 27, 1882.” Hughenden Manor House , now occupied by Sir Samuel Wilson, is a handsome mansion on a hill to the W. of the ch. “ The most effective trees and shrubs have been distributed with skill and judgment in the grounds and park around the mansion, which occupies a commanding site, over- looking the valley of the Wye, and a wide stretch of finely timbered coun- try.” On a hill in the park there is a monument erected by Lady Beacons- field to the memory of Isaac D’lsraeli, Bucks. 131 Route 12 . — West Wycombe. the author of ‘The Curiosities of Literature.’ The park is enlivened by a small stream called by Leland the Higdenbrook; but which the late Earl designated “ that ancient river, the river Kishon.” To the 1. of the road leading from High Wycombe to West Wycombe is a large circular earthwork, Des- borough Castle, from which the Hundred is named : in the field below Roman coins and other re- mains have been found. The Camp, locally the “Roundabout/’ is 140 yds. in diameter: height of bank from bottom of ditch 22 ft., from the interior 10 ft. Whilst felling trees here in 1743, the framework of a Gothic window was found. It is said to have been erected by Ina, K. of Wessex, and named after his Queen, Desburga ; but its origin and use are disputed points among anti- quaries. 36 1 m. West Wycombe (Stat.) Near the stat. is seen a steep grass-covered hill on the top of which is a building with a huge ball on top, which might be supposed to be a summer- house, but which is really a church. The village stretches along the main road towards Stokenchurch, having on S. West Wycombe House (Dowager Lady Dash wood), and on N. the new ch. of St. Paul, and the high hill on which the old ch. stands. In the centre of the village is an old house, the lower part now divided into labourers’ cottages, but the large upper room, from which a clock projects over the street, is s'tyled the Church loft , and is used for parish purposes. In one of the wooden posts supporting the building is the impress of an ancient crucifix. Under it, an uninviting entry, called Church Lane, leads to the hill (the keys of the ch. are kept at the parish clerk’s ) ; half-way up, beneath an artificial ruin, is the entrance to the Caves , excavated by Lord le Despencer, and penetrating | for | m. into the hill ; they were dug merely for the purpose of getting the chalk, but the character of their maker Was so strange, that to this day he is credited in the neighbourhood with all sorts of sinister designs in forming them. The path, which is very slippery, sometimes divides and leaves a huge pillar of chalk to support the roof. A copious spring rises in one part. The guide who shows the ch. will, if desired, provide candles for the caves : but it must be remarked, that they are very cold and uninviting. Lord le De- spencer was Francis Dashwood, no- torious for his vices, but especially as the founder of the Franciscans at Medmenham (Rte. 10), who were the disgrace of the last century. In 1763 he rebuilt the ch. in the extraordinary fashion in which it now appears, and commemorated the exploit by an inscription out- side, “ Hanc iDdem condidit Francis- cus Baro le Despencer, anno Christi MDCCLXIII,” under which is a fresco exhibiting the tortures of St. Lawrence, to whom the ch. is dedi- cated. This is now almost obliter- ated. A mortuary chapel has been erected for the Dashwood family, though the last bart. is buried in the ch.-yard. In other respects, the ch. remains as originally erected, and its internal fittings are most extraordinary : the pulpit and read- ing-desk are mahogany arm-chairs, apparently raised upon chests of drawers, of which the drawers, when pulled out, form steps ; the font is a bronze tripod, supporting a basin surrounded by doves, in pursuit of which a serpent is climbing. The ceiling of the chancel has a paint- ing of the Last Supper (observe the eye of Judas, which seems to follow you) ; a Brass , for R. East and his wife (1683), and some painted glass saved from the old ch. remain ; the floor is of marble. In the chancel is some wood carving by Grinling Gibbons. There are six bells; the k 2 132 Route 12 . — Maidenhead to Thame ; West Wycombe. Sect. II. oldest dated 1581. The top of the ball is 646 ft. above the sea-level. The view from the tower is exten- sive; the eh. of High Wycombe rises finely at the end of the valley, through which the rivulet of the Wye winds. The huge ball at the top con- tains a room with seats for half-a- dozen persons. Abutting against the E. wall of the ch.-yd. is the extraordinary hypse- thral Mausoleum , built in 1763 from funds bequeathed by George Bubb Dodington, as an inscription records. It is hexagonal in form, has a number of openings of various shapes and sizes, and at the E. end a lofty arch closed by an iron gate. It has a cornice supported by Tuscan columns both inside and out, and in the recesses are several monuments, some kneeling figures in white mar- ble, some busts, others urns of classic form. In the centre is a small Ionic temple, under which is an urn for Sarah, Baroness le Despencer (d. 1769), having the inscription “ Mors solamen miseris.” Here is also a monument for Paul Whitehead (b. 1710, d. 1774) with the inscription by Garrick, — “ Here lies a man misfortune could not bend, Praised as a poet, honour’d as a friend ! Though his youth kindled with the love of fame, Within his bosom glow’d a brighter flame ! Whene’er his friends with sharp afflictions bled, And from the wounded deer the herd was fled, Whitehead stood forth, the healing balm applied, Nor quilted their distresses— till he died.” This was Paul Whitehead, a sati- rist, and one of the Medmenham Franciscans. He bequeathed his heart to Lord le Despencer, his patron, and it was deposited in an urn here, Aug. 16, 1775, with a kind of mock funeral service, attended by the regiment of Bucks militia (of which his lordship was colonel), with the accompaniment of an in- cantation set to music by Dr. Arnold. The urn is inscribed — “ Unhallow’d hands this urn forbear; No gems nor oiient spoil Lie here conceal’d ; but, what’s more rare, A heart that knew no guile.” But the heart, which was enclosed in lead, was constantly taken out to be shown to visitors, and in 1839, it dk appeared ; it is supposed that one of them carried it off in his pocket. The Mausoleum was restored by Lady Dashwood in 1880. A churcli was erected in the village in 1875 by Lady Dashwood, and there is auother district ch. at Downlev. West Wycombe House (Dowager Lady Dashwood), is a large classic building erected by Sir Francis Dashwood, but greatly added to in the way of ornament by his son of the same name, who became Lord le Despencer, The S. front has a colonnade and loggia filled with busts and statuary ; the W. or grand front has an Ionic portico. The ceilings of the principal rooms are painted with mythological subjects. The house contains a number of family portraits, ; also J ohn Milton ; a Holy Family, Rubens ; the Raising of Lazarus, P. Veronese. The grounds and park partly laid out by Repton, abound in statuary, and are en- livened by a lake and the rivulet winding through them. The house is shown on Wednesdays from Muy to September, inclusive. 39 m. On E. is Bradeuham , with a small Dec. and Perp. Church , the best feature being a chantry built by William Lord Windsor in 1542, and restored by Street. It contains a handsome monument to the Hon. Charles West, eldest son of Lord Delawarr, 1684, and his wife, daughter of Sir E. Pye, who pur- chased the estate of the Windsors ; and one to Isaac D’lsraeli, author of the 4 Curiosities of literature,’ erect- ed by his daughter-in-law, the Yis- Bucks. Route 12 . — Prince’ s Bislorough ; Whiteleaf Cross. 133 countess Beaconsfield. He long resided at Bradenham House , built by William, Lord Windsor, and visited by Queen Elizabeth in her return from Oxford in 1566. 424 m. Prince’s Risborougli June. (Stat.). Here a branch (71 m. long, with Stat. at Little Kimble ) runs N. to Aylesbury (Rte. 14). The town (Pop. 2549) derives its name from Edward the Black Prince, who is said to have built a palace in it. A moated spot near the ch., called the Mount, is supposed to mark its site, but some writers consider this to be an ancient encampment. The Church , a spacious structure, origi- nally E. E. has been restored by Blom- field ; in the S. aisle is a beautiful E. E. window, with detached shafts, and a row of long low Dec. niches. [Prince’s Risborough ( Inn : George) is a convenient spot for exploring the Chiltern hills, which offer much beautiful woodland scenery, as well as fine churches, ancient encamp- ments, mediaeval mansions, and a re- markable monument of Saxon times. (a.) The Whiteleaf Cross lies about 1 m. E. of the town. It is cut out on the W. side of a hill on the Hampden estate, called Green Holly, and consists of a Latin cross rising from a triangular base 340 ft. wide. The vertical stem of the cross is about 100 ft. long, 50 ft. broad ; the arms measure 70 ft., and are about 12 ft. broad ; the trench is cut 2 or 3 ft. deep in the chalk. It is believed to commemorate a victory of Edward the Elder over the Danes in 910. The view from the top of the' hill is very extensive. A care has been taken of this cross, which might well be extended to similar objects of interest. By an Inclosure Act (9 George IV.) it is styled “ the ancient memorial or land mark,” and is directed to be kept in proper order by the lord of the manor, the owner of the Hampden estates. A number of Roman coins have been found on Soldiers’ Mount near the cross. ; (5.) Wendover is 6 m. N. E. by the road from Prince’s Risborough,. or a mile less by a footpath E. of Chequers (post). Pursuing the high road, the first object, at 1 m., but slightly to the W., is the beautiful restored Church of Monies’ Risborough. The tower is E. E., but the body is Dec. and Perp. ; there is a good 14th- centy. rood-screen, a Norm, font, and Brasses , 1431, 1460, 1520; the oldest is for Robert Blundell, rector. Near the ch. are traces of monastic fish- ponds, and a stone pigeon-house. Into a house near the ch. are built fragments from Old Place , an abbey grange, destroyed 1859. There will be a station at Wendover on the pro- jected Rickmansworth and Aylesbury line. The ch. of Wendover was re- stored in 1870 by G. E . Street. 2J m. Great Kimble. The Dec. Church , restored in 1876, stands on a mound, probably sepulchral : it has a piscina, and a font some- what resembling the ornamented one at Aylesbury (Rte. 14). There are also some encaustic tiles, of good design, remaining. ‘‘ Worth noting and curious to think of, since it is indisputable, on this very day, two obscure individuals, Peter Aldridge and Thomas Lane, assessors of ship money over in Buckinghamshire, had assembled a parish meeting in the Church of Great Kimble, to assess and rate the ship money of the said parish. There in the cold weather, at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, 11th January, 1635, the parish did attend, John Hampden, Esq., at the head of them, and by a return still extant, refused to pay the same, or any portiou thereof, witness the above Assessors, witness also two parish Constables, whom we remit from such unexpected celebrity. John Hampden’s share for this parish is 31s. 6d . ; for another parish it is 20s. ; on which latter sum, not on the former, John Hampden, was tried.” — Carlyle , On a hill S. of the ch. is an e irth- work known as Cunobeline’s Camp. 134 Boute 12 . — Maidenhead Less than a mile N. is Little Kimble (Stat.). The Dec. Church was re- stored by Lady Frankland Bussell, in 1875, the late owner of Chequers (see (c.)). It once belonged to St. Alban’s Abbey. The space between the two Kimbles is styled the Happy Yalley, and it certainly is a most picturesque spot. 4 m. Kllesborough Church , standing on a hill 449 ft. high from which there is a noble view in every direc- tion. S. lie the yew- and box-clad hills of Chequers, E. the romantic valley that leads to Wendover, and N. and W. the fertile Yale extending from Aylesbury to Thame. The ch. is mainly Perp. ; but the font is rich Dec. work. It was restored in 1852 and 1871. There are some 16 th- centy. brasses of the Hawtreys of Chequers, and a Jacobean monu- ment for one of them (Brigetta) who brought that estate into the Croke family. The tomb is black, with a very fine effigy of the lady in white marble ; her epitaph describes her as “ Fceminse nihil habens nisi sexum ” (d. 1638). There are several other Croke memorials, and in the ch.-yard is the tomb of Thos. Edwards (d. 1757), author of the 4 Canons of Criticism : ’ he had been an officer in the army, but was so ready a Greek scholar as to be a formidable oppo- nent of Bishop Warburton. J m. beyond Ellesborough Ch. is Butler's Cross , where a by-road from Great Hampden to Stoke Mandeville crosses the Icknield Way. A very neat small country inn (the Bussell Arms) will afford any needful re- freshment before entering the gorge of the hills that leads to Wendover (Bte. 14), and concludes a most pic- turesque journey of about 6 m. (c.) 3 m. N. E., and closely ad- joining the Kimbles, as the villages are called, is Chequers Court (Mrs. Frankland Bussell Astley), one of the most beautiful estates in the county, and of interest to many from its collection of relics of the to Thame; Chequers . Sect. TI. Cromwell family. The house is no longer shown, owing to the miscon- duct of former visitors, to any but those furnished with an introduc- tion to the owner. The name is believed to be derived from its having been the property of John de Scaccariis, an officer of the Ex- chequer in the time of John. This house was replaced by another built c. 1326, as that gave way in 1566 to the present most picturesque edifice. The S. front has been altered, but the rest remains very much as it was when the unhappy Lady Mary Grey was a prisoner in it, in 1566-67, under the care of William Haw trey, whose initials, W. H., still remain on the N. front, with a haw-tree between them, and chequers on either side. She had given offence to her jealous cousin Elizabeth, by venturing to marry Thomas Keys, a military man, and both were imprisoned for the rest of their lives. Keys died in 1 570 : his wife survived him eight years, during which she was shifted from one keeper to another, Sir Thomas Gres- ham being one of the number. The house is placed in a valley, and therefore commands but a very limited view. Notice the noble elm (not a very common tree here) at the S.W. angle. In the drawing-room is a fine portrait of Sir Wm. Hawtrey, son of Lady Mary’s keeper, and his wife Winifred Dormer. The library, 81 ft. long, is a very beautiful room, hung with portraits and adorned with stained glass. The chief interest of the house rests, however, in the collection of relics of Oliver Cromwell and his family, which is unrivalled, -and which exists here in consequence of the marriage, 1664, of Sir John Bussell of Chequers with Frances, youngest daughter of the Protector and widow of Bobert Bich, the grandson of the Earl of Warwick. Cromwell was in consequence a frequent visitor at this house. Bucks. 135 Route 12 . — Chequers ; Hamjpden House . Among the portraits are Oliver Cromwell at 3 yrs. old ; Oliver Crom- well in armour, with a page tying his sash ; Oliver Cromwell on horse- back, painted on copper; Oliver Cromwell, half-length, by Walker ; his mother, in a close black cap (very like him) ; his 2 sons, Eichard, afterwards Lord Protector, by Wal- ker ; Henry, Lord Deputy of Ireland, and also as a boy ; — his 4 daughters, Bridget, wife of Henry Ireton, after- wards of Charles Fleetwood ; Mary, Lady Falconberg; Frances, Lady Ru&sell ; Elizabeth, Mrs. Claypole ; J ohn Claypole and Ireton, his sons- in-law; Thurloe, his Secretary of State ; Jeremy White, his chaplain ; Lambert, his President of the Coun- cil ; Col. Sandys ; and Comet Joyce, who took Charles I. prisoner from Holmby House to Newmarket, and had charge of him in the Isle of Wight. Among the relics are — the mask of Cromwell’s face taken after death ; his clothes, and jack boots ; his miniature, set in a ring, which belonged to one of his daugh- ters ; his sword ; his watch ; and an impression of the Great Seal of the Commonwealth. Among other valuable pictures in the house are— Charles II., after the battle of Worcester, with Col. Lind- say, meeting Lord Wilmot and Col. Gunter, preparatory to Charles’s escape into France : a curious un- known portrait (in the ante-room), the facsimile of one at Dinton, inscribed “ Away I passe from that I was, What I gave I have, that I kep I lose Mrs. Ellis, Sir P. Lely ; the Countess of Richmond, mother of Henry VII., believed to be an original ; the Fable of the Lion and the Mouse, a masterpiece of Snyders , the back- ground by Rubens. N. W. of the house rises a grassy point in the Chiltern range, known as the Beacon Hill, a spot of exqui- site beauty unrivalled in the neigh- bourhood, whence it is believed that even the Malvern Hills can oc- casionally be distinguished. The view extends over an immense plain, sprinkled with numerous churches, mansions, and villages, among which the town of Aylesbury with its quaint spire, and the towers of the great house of Mentmore, are conspicuous. The undulating downs on the E. extend to Edlesborough (Rte. 1 8) and on the W. is the coni- cal hill known as Piccadilly , above which, in a wood, is a camp supposed to be Danish : while S. the eye rests on the beech-woods of Hampden. Immediately beneath, three beauti- ful box-fringed valleys debouch upon the plain, of which that on the N. is Velvet Lawn , a well-known spot even for London picnics, admission being liberally granted. It is bounded on E. by the Castle Hill or Cymbeline's (Cunobeline’s) Mount , whence, ac- cording to tradition, that king, as the British generalissimo, went to oppose Julius Csesar, and where there are traces of an ancient en- trenchment ; while at its foot, itself rising on a lofty mound, is the Ch. of Ellesborough (ante). The valley in the centre, “ Silver Spring,” ends with the picturesque Ch. of Little Kimble ; while that on the S., the “Happy Valley,” is closed by the Ch. of Great Kimble. A sunset view of this scene will not readily be forgotten. The visitor should descend by some of the many wind- ing paths into the woods, in order to appreciate the immense size and beauty of the box-trees. In Gerard’s ‘Herbal,’ published 1599, box is mentioned as “growing in many waste and barren hills in England,” but there are now only two other places where it can be really recog- nised as indigenous. (d.) 3 m. E. is Great Hampden , the road lying across the high ground called Risborough hillock, and by the ancient farm of Parsloes. Hampden House was the paternal 136 Route 12 . — Maidenhead to Thame; Gt. Hampden. Sect. II. seat of John Hampden, and is still possessed by his descendants in the female line, the Hobart s (Earl of Buckinghamshire). It is a gloomy mansion approached by a fine avenue of beech-trees, and is of interest from its historical recollec- tions, though its exterior is little like what it was in the days of the great opponent of ship-money. A house is traditionally said to have existed here in the time of John, and an apartment in the N. W. front bears the name of “King John’s room ; ” the whole N. front, however was altered in the classic style in 1754, and the S. front is a modern imitation of Tudor architecture. John Hampden, whose father died when he was 3 yrs. old, was brought up here. Hither he returned after the dissolution of the Parliament of 1528 ; here he lost and mourned over his first wife, and spent the years that intervened between the 3rd and 4th Parliaments of Charles I. in study (his favourite author being, it is said, Davila, the historian of the Civil Wars in France), in field-sports and in active opposition to the measures of the government. He thus gained such popularity that when, in 1642, it was intended to arrest him, a large body of Buck- inghamshire freeholders repaired to London and followed the king to Hampton Court, expressing their determination to protect him. At the breaking out of the civil war, he was very active in getting the mili- tia of his county into the field ; and after his death as many soldiers as could be spared from the adjacent quarters of the army brought his body to be buried in his own church, marching with arms reversed, muf- fled drums, and their heads un- covered, chanting the 90th Psalm as they came, and the 43rd as they departed, and, says a writer of the day, u Never were heard such piteous cries at the death of one man as at Master Hampden’s.” Sir John Birkenhead, the royalist writer of the ‘Mercurius Animus,’ speaks of him very differently, under the date of Saturday, June 24, 1643 : “ This day we were advertised that Master John Hampden (the principal member of the Five) was dead of those wounds he received on Sunday last. If so, the reader may remember that in the 15th week of this Mercurius we told the world what fair warnings Master Hampden had received since the beginning of this rebellion, whereof he was a chief incendiary : how he has buried his son and heir and his two daugh- ters ; two only sons surviving, whereof one was a cripple and the other a lunatic ; which, though this desperate man was unwilling to make use of, yet sure it may startle the rest of his faction ; especially if they consider that Chalgrove Field, where he received this mortal wound, was the self-same place where he first mustered and drew up men in arms to rebel against the king. But whe- ther the death of the Lord Brooke or Master Hampden be the better les- son against treason and rebellion, let posterity judge.” The house, which is entered by a fine old hall with open gallery, and windows filled with painted glass of Scriptural subjects, brought from Italy, contains some histori- cal relics. Among them are a small bust and 2 portraits of John Hampden, one of them by Jansen , brought from Strawberry Hill, both of doubtful authenticity ; a full- length portrait of Henrietta Maria ; also Sir Kenelm Digby, Vandyck (?) ; Ralph, Earl of Lindsay; Bishop Bonner ; Oliver Cromwell in ar- mour ; Richard Hampden, Chancel- lor of the Exchequer, in his robes ; and Mr. Child, who died in the house on the eve of his intended marriage with the daughter of Robert 1st Viscount Hampden. There is a full length of Elizabeth in the room occupied by her when she Bucks. 137 Route 12 . — Great Hampden ; Bledlow. visited Griffith Hampden (John Hampden’s grandfather, by whom the house was almost rebuilt in preparation for her), but that which is shown as her bed, with chintz hangings lined with satin, is evi- dently of much later date. A long room at the top of the house called John Hampden’s Library, is tilled with old books ; and in a small library below, is a Bible that be- longed to Philip Cromwell, the uncle of the Protector, in which are entries of Oliver’s birth and those of his brothers and sisters. In the Park, which is diversified with oak-co- vered knolls, is the avenue, still called the Queen’s Gap, which was cut to make an entrance for Eliza- beth on her visit. In the park and almost adjoining the house, is the picturesque Church , where, on the S. wall of the chancel, Is the plain, dark-grey tablet erect- ed by Hampden to his first wife Elizabeth Simeon (d. 1634), with his beautiful epitaph upon her. Close beside it is the grave of J ohn Hamp- den, without any memorial. It was opened by his historian Lord Nugent, when his body was found in such a perfect state, that the picture on the staircase of the house was known to be his from the likeness. Close by are brasses of John Hampden, 1446, and of Sir J. Hampden and his 2 wives, 1553. Opposite, be- decked with Cupids, is the monu- ment of another John Hampden, the last heir male (d. 1754), who left the estate to the Trevors, fronj, whom it passed to the Hobarts. It is adorned with a tree hung with shields bearing the arms and al- liances of the Hampdens, at the foot of which is a representation of the battle of Chalgrove Field. The parcel of land, belonging to Hamp- den, in Great Kimble parish, upon which he refused to pay the sum of 31s. 6d. assessed for ship-money, is still pointed out on the S. side of the avenue.] 44 J m. Bledlow (Stat.) (Rte. 4.) A station on the Wycombe, Thame, and Oxford branch of the G. W. It. The village is called Bledelaw in Domesday, and the name is supposed to mean “ Bloody Hill,” referring to some defeat inflicted on the Danes, which is commemorated by a Gi eek cross cut on the side of Winhill, much smaller than the one at Whiteleaf (ante). The manor was given by the Conqueror to his half- brother, the Earl of Moretaine. The Church , restored in 1876, was ori- ginally E. E., but has been much altered. It still retains some sculp- tured capitals, a Dec. niche in the N. aisle, a good lancet-window in the chancel, some fragments of old glass, a very fine cup-shaped font, and a brass for W. Heron, vicar, 1525. The arrangement of the seats is peculiar, the pews only surround- ing the ch. in a single row, the re- mainder being filled by low benches. The register contains a curious entry relating to the fire of London, headed “ A Lamentation.” Part of it runs thus : “ St. Paul’s, all that could be burnt, excepting some tim- ber and lead which covered the high altar, which to some is malum honum omen” Adjoining the ch. on the N. is a deep ravine called the Glen of the Lyde, where a number of springs burst out of the chalk, and form a large pool, in which water-cresses are cultivated. The sides are clothed with ancient trees, and the scene is very picturesque. The ch. stands so near the edge that it seems in imminent danger, and accordingly a popular rhyme foretells that “ They that live, and do abide, Shall see the church fall in the Lyde.’* 1 m. S., on the high ground called Bledlow Ridge, a small district ch. was built in 1868. 1 m. beyond Bledlow the rly. enters Oxfordshire. 48J m. Thame (Stat.). Rte. 22. 138 Route 13 . — London to High Wycombe. Sect. II. ROUTE 13. LONDON TO HIGH WYCOMBE, DEN- HAM, GREGORIES, BULSTRODE, BY BEACONSFIELD, By Road. 29 m. For the country to Uxbridge (15 m.) see Handbook for Middlesex. Cross- ing the Colne, we enter Bucks at 15J m. 17 m. Denham Place (B. H. Way, Esq.), built by Sir Roger Hill, 1667, on the site of an old manor-house of the Peckhams, came to the present owner through the marriage of Louis Way (d. 1771) with Abigail Locke, Sir Roger’s granddaughter. The house, a large red brick edifice, with a bold projecting cornice, has a beau- tiful old chapel, which retains its ancient gilded seats, decorated with the dove bearing the olive-branch, the crest of Sir Roger Hill, and a stained window richly emblazoned with coats-of-arms. The rooms con- tain many quaint old pictures, and some fine tapestry of J ason and the Golden Fleece; many have elabo- rate cornices, some of which are coloured ; that of the drawing- room represents hawking, fishing, stag-hunting, and fox-hunting, on its 4 sides. In a secret room, now destroyed, Sir Roger Hill was sup- posed, by local tradition, to have secreted the body of a footman whom he is said to have murdered. Den- ham Place was frequently visited by Captain Cook, who was a friend of Mr. Way, and it was the beloved “ pastoral retreat ” of Sir Humphrey Davy, who used to repair hither for fishing, as is mentioned in his ‘ Last Days of a Philosopher/ More re- cently it has been the occasional residence of some of the Buonaparte family. Denham Church is Perp., and has been restored. It contains the hand- some altar-tomb, with effigies, of Sir Edmund Peckham and his lady (1564, 1570), and the monument of their son Sir Robert Peckham, who died at Rome 1569, and is buried there in the ch. of St. Gregory, but whose heart is deposited here. Sir Roger Hill, the builder of Denham Place, has a bust. There are several Brasses , from 1494 to 1612, the most remarkable of which is that of Agnes Jordan, Abbess of Syon (d. 1544), one of the only 2 brasses of the kind known ; the other is at Elstow, Beds. (See Handbook for Beds.) ; there is also a remarkable incised slab for Philip Edelen, preacher, 1656. The railway connecting Uxbridge with Rickmansworth passes through Denham. 1 m. N. of the village, and ap- proached by a magnificent lime avenue more than J m. long, is Den- ham Court (N. G. Lambert, Esq.), once the seat of the Bowyers, where Charles II. was for a while concealed by the lady of the house. Four curious panel-pictures commemorate the affair. The 1st represents the young king dressed as a scullion in the kitchen ; the 2nd shews him among the rushes of the moat ; the 3rd shews the turkey, bleeding at the head, which his hostess hung over the panel behind which he was concealed, to keep off the blood- hound which was tracking him ; the 4th is a fine portrait of Lady Bowyer herself. Dryden was a friend of Sir William Bowyer, and it was at Den- ham that he translated the 1st Georgic and part of the last JEneid. Hence he wrote, “ Nature has con- spired with art to make the garden one of the most delicious spots in England. It contains not above 5 acres, just the compass of Alcinous’ garden, but Virgil says, Laudato ingentia rura exiguum colito.” The house has been much modernised, but retains its ancient moat. 18 m. A road goes off on rt. to Aylesbury (Rte. 14). Bucks. Route 13 . — Bulstrode Parle. 139 19 m. 1J S. is Fulmer , where the small plain brick ch., rebuilt in 1610 by Sir Marmaduke Dayrell, has a very splendid marble monument for him (d. 1630) and his lady. He is represented in gilt armour, and the inscription states that he was servant to Queen Elizabeth in her wars by sea and land, and cofferer to King James I. and King Charles I. Oppo- site the tomb hangs his helmet. In 1877, Mrs. Dent, of Fern- acres, obtained a faculty to build a new chancel and organ-chamber, as a memorial to her son, Lancelot Wm. Dent. ‘20 m. Gerard 1 s or Jarretfs Cross . ( Inn : Bull, small but clean). Here, on a wide common, is a memorial Church , erected, 1859, by the Misses Keid, to their brother Major-Gen. Reid, long M.P. for Windsor ; it is of coloured brick, and presents a curious modern adaptation of Lombard architecture by Sir W. Tite. On 1. ure the gates of Bulstrode Park (Duke of Somerset). A legend- ary explanation of the name states that, when William the Conqueror subdued this kingdom, he gave the estate of the Shobbington family, who lived here, to one of his fol- lowers, and sent 1000 men to assist him in taking possession. But the Saxon owner, calling in the aid of his neighbours, gallantly resisted the invader, entrenching himself within an earthwork in the park, which is still shown as evidence of the story, and, as his party wanted horses, mounted them upon bulls, when, sallying out of their camp, their strange equipment so con- founded the Normans that many of them were slain. The king, hear- ing of the affair, sent for the valiant Saxon, with a promise of safe-con- duct to and from his court. The Saxon paid the Conqueror a visit riding upon a bull, accompanied by his 7 sons similarly mounted, and the result of the interview was that he was allowed to retain his estate. In commemoration of these events he assumed a bull’s head as his crest, together with the name of Bulstrode. There is a distich pre- served in the neighbourhood, that — “ When William conquer’d English ground, Bulstrode had per annum three hundred pound." Bulstrode Whitelock, the author of ‘ Memorials of English Affairs,’ was maternally descended from this family. Bulstrode was the property of Judge Jeffreys, and after his death came into the possession of King William’s Earl of Portland, who greatly improved the house, and died there in 1709. H. Walpole describes Bulstrode as u a melan- choly monument of Dutch magnifi- cence, having a brave gallery of old pictures, and a chapel with two fine windows of modern painted glass; and a ceiling formerly adorned with the assumption, or rather the pre- sumption , of Chancellor Jeffreys, to whom it belonged ; but a very judi- cious fire hurried him somewhere else.” Bulstrode continued a chief seat of that family for more than a century, and the letters of Mrs. Montagu give a lively account of the society that assembled there in the time of Margaret, Duchess of Portland, the owner of the Barbe- rini or Portland vase. In 1809 her son, the 3rd duke, died; when, in pursuance of the directions in his will, all the deer on the estate were killed and buried in the park, and the property was soon after pur- chased by the Duke of Somerset. After a few years the house was pulled down, but a new mansion was built by Ferrey in 1862. The gardens contain some fine cedars, tulip-trees, and deciduous cypresses. The large circular entrenchment in the park, enclosing an area of 21 acres, is worthy of notice. 140 Route 13 . — London to High Wycombe. Sect. II. J m. S. is Hedgerley , a small vil- lage, with a Church rebuilt by Ferrey , 1852. In it is a singular Brass for Margaret Bui strode (d. 1540), which is entirely made up of fragments of earlier date. 44 On the reverse of the effigy is part of an epitaph in English verse, on that of some children, the lower portion of a figure of a bishop or abbot, c. 1530, showing the cha- suble, pastoral staff, and dalmatic. At the back of the shield is a repre- sentation of our Saviour’s Resurrec- tion, and behind the inscription a memorial of Thos. de Totyngton, abbot of St. Edmund’s Bury, who died 1312. This inscription (whose date is not before the 16th cent.) runs thus : M Totyngton Thoma« Edmundi qui fuit abbas. Hie juct-t, esto pia sibi Ductrix virgo Maria. ” The verses behind the figure are only partially legible” (Haines, ‘Mon. Brasses ’). Hedgerley Park (Rice R. Clayton, Esq.), has some Doric pillars from Lady Place (Rte. 10). 23 m. Beaconsfield (Inns : Manor, Saracen’s Head) (Pop. 1635), con- sists mainly of one long wide street and two shorter ones. The Church , restored 1869, has a good flint and stone tower, and contains, beside some brasses, a curious incised slab to Thomas Waller and wife (1626, 1627), displaying 2 flaming hearts conjoined. Until 1863 a simple tablet only commemorated Edmund Burke, his son Richard, his brother, and his widow, he having forbidden any other memorial in his will, but a Brass has since been placed on his grave. “ There is a circumstance connected with his burial that ought not to pass into oblivion. He was so imbued with a dread of revolution and revolu- tionists, that he entertained a fear his bones should be taken up by some of them; he refused to be buried in a leaden coffin, and the rector, on examining the locality lately, found the ground broken up, and the bones scattered about the grave ” (G. C. Du Pre , 4 Gent. Mag.’ Oct. 1860). Burke was member for the adjacent borough of Wendover, and the peerage which George TIL bad designed for him was to have taken its designation from Beacons- field. Mr. Disraeli, when called upon to select a title for his wife, chose at the same time to indicate his admiration for Burke, and to em- phasise his connection with the county by adopting the title ; and of course the Viscountess Beacons- field settled the style of the earldom. Mrs. Disraeli received the title in Nov. 1868 : her husband in Aug. 1876 ; he died April 19th, 1881. In the churchyard, beneath an old walnut-tree, is a tomb sur- mounted by an obelisk, which marks the grave of Edmund Waller, the poet-lover of Sacharissa, who died 1687. Having fallen into de- cay, it was restored in 1862. It was in Beaconsfield churchyard that John Hampden exercised the trained bands on a Sunday in the year 1633, for which he w T as summoned before the council, and had to make his submission. The old Bedory-house contains some interesting remains of a cell of Burnham Abbey, of 13th- centy. date. J m. S. of Beaconsfield is Hall Barns (Edw. L. Lawson, Esq ), the home of Edmund Waller, who was lord of the manor, and built a house here for himself. The existing man- sion is not that which he built, but was erected, 1712, from designs of Thomas Milner. It is dismantled of all memorials connected with the poet, except his portrait in the en- trance hall, his books and pictures having been long since dispersed by auction. 44 It is a square brick house, with pilasters, and stone dressings to the windows. The gardens re- tain much of their original cha- Bucks. Route 13 . — Gregories — Penn . 141 racter — broad terrace walks, shel- tered by lofty screens of laurel and yew.” — (Jesse.) Obs. the carved oak gable-end of the entrance Lodge. “ The Garden House was built by Colin Campbell for the poet’s grand- son, to contain busts of poets.” — ( Vitruv. Britan ., iii. 49, 50.) Two large reception-rooms were built by Sir Gore Ousely, a former owner, for the express purpose of entertain- ing King William IY. and Queen Adelaide. Gregories , the home of Burke, who changed its name to Butler’s Court, stands a short distance N.W. of the town. The house was burned down in 1813, but the shrubberies remain, and bear the name of “ Burke's Grove.” Burke purchased the estate — 600 acres— for 22,000/. Hence he wrote his letters to Barry, who was supported by his generosity in Italy, and to whom he describes his house as “hung from top to bottom with pictures ; ” and here he received the forlorn poet Crabbe, whom he so nobly took by the hand, raising him from destitution to independence, and for some time receiving him into his family circle. He was visited here by Dr. Johnson, who, “ after wandering about the grounds in admiration, succeeded by a reverie, exclaimed, ‘ Non equidem invideo, miror magis.’ ” — (Bosrvell.) While dwelling here, Burke lost his son Bichard, after whose death he never could bear to look towards Beaconsfield Ch., the place of his interment. “ One day, while* he was walking in his park, the feeble old horse of his son came close up to him and laid its head upon his bosom, which so affected him that his firm- ness was totally overpowered, and, throwing his arms over its neck, he wept long and loudly. In 1797 he re- turned from Bath, to die at Beacons- field, saying, as he set out, “It is so far, at least, on my way to the tomb, and I may as well travel it alive as dead.”— Prior's Life of Burke. The dagger which Burke threw down in the heat of debate in the House of Commons was long pre- served in the house of his bailiff’s son near Beaconsfield. The original of Sir Joshua Beynolds’s ‘Infant Hercules’ was still living there, a portly farmer, down to 1850. 1 m. N. is Wilton Barit (J. Du Pre, Esq.), a good Palladian house, standing in very extensive and well- wooded grounds. 1 m. E., on the road leading to Chalfont St. Giles, at the back of the Friends’ Meeting-house, is a small rough enclosure called Jour- dan’s Burial-ground , appropriated to the sepulture of Quakers, but no longer used. Within it, well known, though unmarked by any stone, is the grave of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, who was buried here, August 5, 1718, amid a large gathering of his followers and friends, who followed his re- mains from Bushcombe near Twy- ford, where he died. His 2 wives, and several of his children, lie be- side him. Thomas Elwood, the friend of Milton, is also buried here. For Chalfont St. Giles see Bte. 14. 25 m. 2 m. N. is Penn , remarkable for its wide views, especially that from Penn Beacon , and its beech- wood glades, in one of which is Penn House (Viscount Curzon). The ch., originally E. E., has been greatly injured by injudicious modern altera- tions, but contains several monu- ments and brasses of the Book, Penn, and Curzon families. At Penn Street , considerably to the N., is a beau- tiful cruciform ch. with lofty spire, by Ferrey. There has been erected by Sir Philip Bose, Bart., in the grounds of Bayneis, Penn, an interesting memorial of the visit of the Queen to Hughenden ch.-yard on the Saturday after Lord Beaconsfield’s 142 Sect. IT. Boute 14 . — London to Aylesbury. funeral. It consists of an obelisk of polished red granite, on a pedestal of the same material, resting on a base of Portland stone. The in- scription on the obelisk is — “ The Right Hon. Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield, K.G., ever to be remembered as author, orator, states- man, patriot, and friend. Born Dec. 21, 1801; died April 19, 1881.' ” An inscription on the pedestal re- cords the fact that the Queen passed the spot on her journey, when she designedly followed the route taken by Lord Beaconsfield on his return from his last visit to Windsor Castle. 26 m. On S. Loudwater (Rte. 12.) 29 m. High Wycombe. (Rte. 12.) ROUTE 14. LONDON TO AYLESBURY. By Road. 39 m. The journey from London for the first 18 m. is the same as in Route 13. We then turn N.-ward, and at 20 m. we have on r. Chalfont House (J. N. Hibbert, Esq.), once the ancient manor of Brudenels , in a beautifully wooded undulating park, watered by the Misbourne, and containing perhaps the largest ash-tree in England, 25 ft. in circumference. The house was built by General Churchill, and bears evidence to the taste of his brother-in-law, Horace Walpole, in its Strawberry - hill Gothic, though now further improved and altered. Walpole frequently visited here, and speaks of Mr. Chute having made “the sweetest plan imaginable” for the remodelling of the house. Here is a fine portrait by Gainsborough. 21 m. Chalfont St. Peter’s (formerly Chalf hunt, locally pronounced Charf- funt), a large village, intersected by the Misbourne without a bridge, where there is an admirable adapta- tion of a red brick ch. of the last centy. by Street , 1854. Here are good Brasses of William Whappelode, 1398 ; William Whappelode, steward of Cardinal Beaufort, 1446 ; and Robert Hanson, priest, 1545 ; this last is a palimpsest, a figure a centy. earlier having been altered to suit the change of costume (Haines, ‘Mon. Brasses’). A house on rt., called The Grange (Thos. Wright, Esq.) was once the residence of Judge Jeffreys. At the cross-roads is an obelisk to commemorate George III. being in at the killing of a stag, on that spot, while hunting. 23 m. Chalfont St. Giles , a secluded village, W. of the high road, is inte- resting as the place of refuge chosen by John Milton during the plague of London (1665). The house in which he lived, “a pretty box,” as he called it, hired for him by his friend Elwood the Quaker, and in which he (already blind) concluded his ‘Paradise Lost,’ and drew out his first design of ‘Paradise Re- gained,’ still exists a humble, half- timbered cottage, and bears the name of Milton on its front. Chalfont is little changed, and quite as quiet as in Milton’s days. The Church , principally Dec. and Perp., has a fineE. window, and was restored by Street in 1863 ; some frescoes were then discovered over the chancel arch and in the S. aisle, and have been preserved. It con- tains several Brasses , one of them 143 Bucks. Boute 14. — Chalfont for Thos. Fleetwood, “Lord of the Vache,” d. 1570. The ch. also con- tains the mausoleum of Francis Hare, Bishop of Chichester, once chaplain to the great Duke of Marl- borough, whom he accompanied on the fields of Blenheim and Ramil- lies. He acquired the Vache by marriage with the heiress of the Alstons, and died there, 1740. The Vache is said to have been a royal dairy farm in the time of John, and was once a moated residence, with chapel. It belonged to the Fleet- woods in the 16th and 17th cents., but was forfeited by the attainder of the regicide ; in it, James Fleetwood, Bishop of Worcester (1675-83), was born in 1602. The house is now modernized (T. N. Allen, Esq ). It long remained the property of the Hare family, but in the latter part of the last centy. was occupied by Sir Hugh Palliser, Bart., the rival of Keppel. He died there, March 19, 1796, after great suffering from wounds received in a naval action in 1747. 26 m. Amersham (anciently Ag- mondesham, called Elmodesham in Domesday) {Inns: Crown, Griffin), is very pleasantly placed in a wooded valley, and is a chief seat of the beech wood chair making, an industry rather largely carried on in the Chil- tern district. (Pop. 3000). At the Conquest it was granted to Geoffrey de Mandeville, having previously belonged to Edith, the queen of Edward the Confessor. From his descendants it passed to the Bohuns, with whom it continued until the attainder of the Duke of Bucking- ham in the reign of Richard III. Henry VIII. parted with it in 1526 to Sir John Russell, afterwards en- nobled as Lord Russell of Chenies, and subsequently Earl of Bedford. Amersham became a borough at an early date, but ceased to send repre- sentatives to parliament after the reign of Edward II. Its privilege St. Giles — Amersham . was recovered in 1624, mainly by the exertions of John Hampden. Waller the poet, his son Edmund (who be- came a Quaker), Algernon Sydney, and other men of eminence, have sat for it, but it was disfranchised by the first Reform Bill (1832). Among eminent natives may be mentioned, — beside Waller, born at Coleshill, 1 m. off,— Walter de Agmondesham, Chancellor of England in 1291, John Amersham, monk of St. Albans, c. 1450, who wrote in defence of his bosom friend the Abbot John Wheathamsted ; Thomas Dorman, a Romanist, who wrote ‘ Against Alex- ander Nowel, the English Calvinist and John Gregory, described by Anthony Wood as “the miracle of his age for critical and curious learning, 1 ” who, persecuted for his loyalty, died in misery at Kidling- ton, in 1646. (Rte. 24.) The Church is mainly Perp., though there are traces of Dec. work : “ the best thing is the groining of the S. porch, which has some rich bosses at the intersection of the ribs’’ ( W. C.). It has a fine E. window brought from a private chapel at Lamer, near Hatfield, a seat of the Drake family who have a chantry filled with their monuments, they having long been resident at Shardeloes , near the town (post). There are several Brasses (1430-1623) of the Brudenells, Car- bonells, and Drakes ; one is to a child, John Drake, aged 4, which has under his kneeling figure the verses — “ Had he lived to be a man, This inch had grown but to a span ; Now he is past all fear of pain, ’Twere sin to wish him here again. View but the w T ay by which we come, Thou’lt say he’s best that's first at home.” One of the Drake monuments is by Seheemaker , and a modern one, by Weelces , to T. T. Drake (1852) is very chaste and beautiful. Two early incumbents of this ch. became pre- lates: William de Marchia, Bp. of Bath and Wells (1293-1302), whose 144 Sect. II. Route 14 . — London to Aylesbury. election is the subject of a remark- able letter preserved among the Public Records (Hardy’s ‘ Le Neve,’ vol. i. p. 135) ; and William Grey, Bp. of Ely (1454-1478), and Lord Treasurer. The register contains the entry of the baptism of Edmund Waller, son of Robert Waller of Coleshill, March 9, 1605-6. A fly- leaf contains a mem. that on Oct. 20, 1656, Paul Ford was elected registrar according to the Parliamentary ordi- nance of 1653, and was sworn in by Francis Russell, Esq., J.P. To this Benj. Robertshaw, rector in 1731, has appended some uncomplimentary remarks on the Parliamentary party, which was very strong in Bucking- hamshire. “ This Francis Russell lived at Chalfont St. Giles, on the confines of this parish ; he was one of Olivers justices, and a fit man for ye times. I knew his son, a kind of Non. Con., who came to poverty and sold ye farm. General Fleet- wood lived at ye Vache, and Russell on ye opposite hill, and Mrs. Crom- well, Oliver’s wife, and her daughters, at Woodrow High House, where afterwards lived Captain James Thomson ; so ye whole country was kept in awe, and became exceedingly zealous and very fanatical, nor is ye poison yet eradicated. But ye Whartons are gone, and ye Hampdens agoing.” The Duke of Wharton had died abroad in poverty in this very year, and the male line of the Hamp- dens became extinct in 1754. John Knox preached in this eh. on the 10th July, 1553— during the nominal reign of Lady Jane Grey— an d in his sermon he “ warned the faithful in England against the approaching retribution for the giddy ways of the past years.” Here also Richard Baxter maintained a controversy for a whole day with “certain giddy minds from Chesham,” at which several troopers “ assisted ” — “ but whether they took part in the dis- cussion, or were present merely to keep the peace between the bellige- rent parties, does not very clearly appear ” (‘ Bucks Records,’ vol. ii.). In 1413 several Lollards suffered death at Amersham, and in the next century several burnings took place there. “ William Tylesworth was burnt at Amersham (1506) (the ren- dezvous of God’s children in those days), and Joan, his only daughter, and a faithful woman, was compelled with her own hands to set fire to her dear father and John Scrivener, in 1521, “ his own children being forced to set the first fire upon him” [Fuller). The scene of these and other martyr- doms was a close near the ch.-yard, called Stanleys, which, according to local tradition, has remained barren ever since, in spite of all attempts to fertilize it (‘ Gent. Mag.,’ Oct., 1811). “On investigation of late years, it was found to be full of flints, which being partially removed, the ground has since become better than hereto- fore ; still, however, in a dry season showung a difference from the sur- rounding land. Granting the tra- dition to be true, this spot may have been originally selected for the pur- pose, as being a piece of waste land, and, from its situation on the hill, visible to the whole town ” (‘ Bucks Records,’ vol. ii.). The woody hamlet of Coleshill, 1 m. S., was the birthplace of Waller the poet, who, tradition says, there composed some of his verses under a tree, still known as Waller’s Oak. “ Towards the decline of life he bought a small house, with a little land, at Coleshill, and said ‘ he should be glad to die, like the stag, where he was roused.’ This, however, did not happen” (Johnson). He died and was buried at Beaconsfield. (Rte. 13.) 27 m. on 1. Shard eloes (T. T. Drake, Esq.), a handsome modern mansion on a hill in a beautiful park. The place is first mentioned, temp. Edward III., as forfeited by Simon de Bereford, an adherent of Queen Bucks. Route 14 . — Chenies. 145 Isabella and Mortimer. In the reign of Elizabeth it belonged to William Tothill, who here received Queen Elizabeth, and was presented by her with portraits of herself and her chancellor Sir Christopher Hatton, which are still preserved ; there are also some fine landscapes by Vernet , &c. This William Tothill had no less than 33 children, through one of whom (the mother of John Drake, ante ) the estate passed to a gentleman of Surrey, Francis Drake, of Esher, whose descendants still hold it. [4 m. E. of Amersham (and 4 m. from Bickmansworth Stat.)is Chenies , formerly Isenhampstead , which ob- tained its present name from its former possessors, the ancient family of Cheyne. It is one of the prettiest villages in the county, both in itself and its situation on the Chess , and shows the influence of a great and wealthy family in its neat cottages, picturesquely grouped around the village green, which has a fountain shaded by elm-trees. The living and much of the adjoining land are the property of the Bussells, to whom they came by the marriage of the 1st Earl of Bedford with the heiress of Sapcote. The beautifully restored parish Church (Dec. and Perp., with Norm, font) contains 2 remarkable Brasses — 1. Lady Cheyne (widow of Sir John Cheyne of Dray- ton Beauchamp), and her second husband, Edmund Molyneux, 1494 ; 2. her niece and heiress, Anne Phelyp, 1510. The N. chapel has been the burial-place of the Bussells since 1556 ; it is hung with banners, and contains a series of regal-looking tombs, which are like a family por- trait-gallery, and are described by IL. Walpole as “the house of Bussell robed in alabaster and painted. There are 7 monuments in all ; one is immense in marble, cherubimed and seraphimed, crusted with bas- reliefs and titles (coats-of-arms) for the 1st Duke of Bedford and his !■ [Berks, &c.] | Duchess.” These are seated with I looks averted from a medallion of their son Lord Wm, Bussell (beheaded in Lincoln’s Inn Fields 1683), raised on a pillar between them, and co- vered by a canopy. On either side between the pillars are medallions of their other children. Among the other monuments are those of John 1st Earl and his Countess Anne Sapcote, through whom he obtained the property; of Francis Earl of Bedford and his Countess, 1585; of their daughter Anne Countess of Warwick and their granddaughter Lady F. Bouchier, erected “ by Anne Countess of Dorset, her deare cosen, at her own costes and charges, 1612 ; ” and a white marble monument by Wilton and Chambers to Wriothes- ley, 2nd Duke of Bedford, and his Duchess, 1711. In the vault beneath are interred more than 50 of the house of Bussell ; with them lies Bachel, widow of Lord William Bussell and author of the Letters, who is buried without a monument. In this ch. the famous Anne Countess of Dorset was married to Philip Earl of Pembroke in 1630. Close to the ch. is a most pic- turesque fragment of the Manor- house of the Sapcotes, almost rebuilt by the 1st Lord Bussell in the time of Henry VIII. Leland (about 1538) says, “ The olde house of the Cliey- neis is so translated by Lord Bussell, that hath this house on the right of his wife, that little or nothing of it in a manner remaineth untranslated ; and a great deal of the house is even newly set up, made of brick and timber, and fair lodgings be new erected in the garden. The house is in divers places richly painted with antique works of white and black” ([tin. vol. i). Here Queen Elizabeth was entertained 1570. Since the migration to Woburn this has been a farm-house, and only one wing of the original quadrangle remains. The Monk's Walk , along the brow L 146 Route 14 . — London to Aylesbury. Sect. II. of the hill, shaded by elm-trees, is remarkable. Just across the county border is Chorleywood , a village that owes much to the enlightened exertions of the late Mr. Wm. Longman, the pub- lisher (see Handbook for Herts). 1 j m. N.W. of Ohenies is the ham- let of Latimer , with a Perp. ch. rebuilt by Blore. Latimer House , the seat of Lord Chesham, is, as described by H. Walpole, “finely situated on a hill in a beech wood, with a river at the bottom, and a range of hills and woods at the oppo- site side.” The house, which he laments over as having undergone “ Batty-Langley discipline,” an Eli- zabethan red - brick mansion, has been almost entirely rebuilt from designs of Blore. The drawing-room is an enlargement of the chamber in which Charles II. slept when he was entertained here by the Countess of Devonshire and her son (then a minor), before his flight to the con- tinent. The house contains some fine family portraits, and a good col- lection of the old masters, removed hither from Burlington House. Here was born the Hester Sandy s men- tioned by Fuller as living to see 700 persons descended from herself. 3 m. N. of Amersham is Chesham , a rather considerable market town (Pop. 2200), where shoe -making, lace-making, but especially work in beech wood, is largely carried on. (Inns: Crown, George.) The country around is very picturesque, and the little river Chess is a famous trout stream. The cruci- form ch. is mainly Perp., with central tower and spire; it was restored by Scott in 1 869, when frescoes of the Last Judgment were discovered. 1 m. S. is Chesham Bois , so named from a family of De Bois, settled there in the 13th cent. The ch. is E. E. and Dec., with some modern additions, and some good 14th-centy. glass. There are monu- ments of the Cheyne family, among them, John Cheyne, the patron of Hooker, and a curious Brass for Benedict Lee, son of Roger Lee, e. 1.720, a chrysome child, repre- sented in “the white vesture, com- monly called the chrysome,” a proof that it died within a month of bap- tism.] There will be a station at Chesham on the Rickmansworth and Ayles- bury Line, 28 i m. Little Missenden, with a small ch., originally E. E. and Dec., with a lofty square tower. 31 m. Great Missenden , a large village in a beautifully wooded val- ley. The cruciform ch. is Dec. and Perp., and has several brasses. Great Missenden Abbey (Mrs. Car- rington) retains in its cloisters some scanty remains of the flint walls of a religious house founded for Black Canons in 1133. Just beyond the village a road turns off 1. to Hampden and Che- quers; but as these places are more easily reached from Prince’s Ris- borough, they are described in Rte. 12 . About 1 m. S.W. of the Abbey is Honour End Farm , where a monu- ment, erected 1863, has an inscription, stating that for those lands “John Hampden was assessed 20s. ship- money, levied by command of the King, without authority of law, 4th August, 1635,” &c. 33 m. 1 m. E. is Lee, where a small E. E. ch. with several good features has been replaced by a modern brick edifice; a noble yew- tree, probably older than the ancient ch., remains. 36 m. Wend over ( Inn : Red Lion) stands in a very picturesque situation, surrounded by hills, from one of which (Combe Hill) St. Paul’s, London, can be seen. It forms a capital centre of a very pretty dis- trict, and a coach runs every day in summer to London and back through interesting scenery. It was a Bucks. 147 Route 1 4 .- — Wendover — Aylesbury . royal manor, and was granted by Edward III. to Alice Perrers. The town belonged to the Hampden family, and John Hampden was its representative in Parliament, as was, afterwards, Edmund Burke; it was disfranchised by the Reform Act of 1832. The Church of St. Mary is J m. distant from the town, and is reached by a pretty walk along the banks of a stream. “ It was to have been placed on a field adjoining the town, and there the building of it was be- gun ; but the materials were all carried away in the night by witches, or, as some relate the tradition, by fairies, and deposited where the ch. now stands. The field where it was to have been built is still called Witchall Meadow” — Notes and Queries. It is mainly Dec., and has been restored by Street. There is a curious Brass for William Brad- shawe and wife (1537), with effigies of their 9 children, and the names of 23 grandchildren. Wendover is dis- tant 3 m. from the nearest rly. stat. (Little Kimble), but by means of a navigable cut it is in communica- tion with the Grand Junction Canal ; the reservoir is a fine sheet of water. Barkham Down, a little above Wen- dover, commands an admirable view. Chequers Park is 3 m. distant. There will be a station at Wendover on the Rickmansworth and Ayles- bury line. Dean Colet, the founder of St. Paul’s School, was the son of Sir Henry Colet, Lord Mayor of London, and owner of the Hall , near the town, which is now the residence of a gentleman farmer of the same name. 37 m. 1 m. W. Stoke Mandeville , with a modern E. E. ch. ; the ancient edifice, J m. off still stands, but is disused. Some lands for which John Hampden refused to pay ship- money were then part of this parish ; but of late years they, with portions of other parishes, have been formed into a new district called Prestwood , which has a very pretty small Dec. ch. 1 m. E. is Weston Turville, with a handsome Dec. and Perp. ch., restored by Brandon , and a rectory house designed by Scott. Most of the so-called Aylesbury ducks are reared in this parish. 39 m. Aylesbury. (Pop. 7795) Inns : George ; Crown. The site of the White Hart, formerly the principal inn, is now occupied by a handsome Corn Exchange. Railways to London , by Cheddington (L. & N. W. Rly., Rte. 18) and by Prince’s Risborough (G. W. Rly., Rte. 12), and to the N. via Verney Junction (Rte. 17). The assizes and quarter sessions are held here now, instead of at Buckingham, and Aylesbury is usually considered the county town. It stand s^on high ground, an outlying mass of oolite, whilst the Vale of Aylesbury owes its fertility to the Kimmeridge clay. This high ground was once occupied by a British stronghold, captured by Cuthwulf of Wessex in 571 ; here a ch. was afterwards founded, from which the place obtained the name of Aeglesberge, or Church town. The manor of Aylesbury was granted by John to Geoffrey Fitz Piers, Earl of Essex, came afterwards to the Botelers, one of whom founded the Grey friars monastery (c. 1386), next to Sir W. Boleyn, the grand- father of Queen Anne, and after her to John Pakington. He came to court in the time of Elizabeth, was knighted by her, and greatly fa- voured; he, however, injured his fortune by his expenses, and sud- denly retired, being, as he said, “ re- solved to feed upon bread and ver- juice until he had made up for his extravagance.” The queen hearing of this, granted him a forfeited estate in Suffolk of 800Z. a year ; but when he went to take possession, he was so affected by the misery of the dis- possessed family, that he refused to accept the gift, and kept to his re so- 148 Sect. IT. Route 14 . — London to Aylesbury. lution of retiring to his own im- poverished home. Lloyd (‘ W orthies,’ ii. 501) says of him, “ This new star was a nine days’ wonder [no doubt for his disinterestedness], engaging all eyes until it set, satisfied with its own glory. He came to court, he said, as Solomon did, to see its vanity ; and retired also, as he did, to repent it.” He retrieved his fortunes ; but his grandson, Sir John, suffered most severely in the Royal cause, being obliged to convey away the manor to Col. Scott, the regicide. This was set aside at the Restoration, and the manor belonged to his descendants until 1802, when it was sold to the Temple family; it is now the pro- perty of Acton Tindal, Esq., but most of the old manorial rights have long been parted with. The County Hall and New Corn Exchange form one side of the Market square, which is a fine open space, the old market house, which was built in imitation of the Temple of the Winds at Athens, having been taken down. The White Hart, though externally modernized, had a timber balcony round the court- yard, ornamented with ancient wood carvings brought from Salden House, an old seat of the Fortescues, near Winslow. Straw-plaiting is now carried on rather extensively, but lace-making, once the chief trade, has almost disappeared. A large business is done in agricultural produce, among which Aylesbury ducks, of large size, form an im- portant item. The Church of St. Mary is a fine E. E. cruciform structure (about 1250), with numerous alterations and addi- tions down to the latest Perp. The large W. window is an example of debased Perp., but the doorway leading into the S. transept is a fine specimen of that style. The ch. consists of a nave with N. and S. aisles (to which chapels have been added at a later period) ; a low tower with fine E. E. triforium, surmounted by a campanile or clock- tower of the age of Charles II. ; transepts ; and a noble chancel, beautifully restored and filled with stained glass, after designs by Wille- ment and Oliphant. On the N. of the chancel is the organ chamber, with a sacristy beyond, and a sleep- ing chamber over it with an ancient fire-place. The sacristy is a very curious chamber, lighted by 2 small lancet-windows ; it is fitted up with an oak quadrant wardrobe of 15th centy., with a swinging horse for the vestments, and an aumbry ; the door is fastened by an ancient bar-lock, turned by a winch- key from without. On the S. of the chancel are an inner and an outer vestry : the latter of Dec. architecture. Ad- joining are 2 Dec. tombs with canopies. The circular Trans.-Norm. Font is richly ornamented with sculp- tured foliage. In the N. transept is a fine monument for Lady Lee, wife of Sir Henry Lee, and daughter of Sir William Paget, first Lord Paget. The figures of the lady and her daughter kneel, and below them are two infants in swaddling clothes : part of the inscription runs thus : “ A knight her freere, Sir Harry Lee behight. To whom she bare three impes, which had to name, John, Henry, Mary, slayn by fortune’s spight ; First two being young, which caused their parents’ moan, The third in flower and prime of slender yeares : All three do rest within this marble stone, By which the fickl’ess of worldly joyes appears.” In the same transept is the effigy of a knight in armour, of the 14th centy, ; it was dug up on the site of the Greyfriars monastery, and is sup- posed to commemorate James Boteler, Earl of Ormond, who founded that house. The ch. was restored 1848-69 by Sir G. G. Scott. During the res- toration an ancient Saxon crypt was discovered. It is supposed to form part of the old church in Bucks. Route 14 . — Hartwell House . 149 which St. Osyth was buried in the 9 th centy. The Prebendal House , adjoining the ch.-yard, is now the private pro- perty of the vicar. Being formerly leased for lives, it came by marriage into the possession of John Wilkes, M.P. for Aylesbury, and he often resided there. During his contests with the Government, he had warm supporters and also bitter opponents in the town. He was an ex officio trustee of the Grammar School, and one of the latter composed a song, accusing him of peculation in office, and comparing him to the Dragon of Wantley : “ But the Aylesbury men. like fools, Thought; John Wilkes a greater rarity ; They made him Trustee of the Schools, And he swallow’d up the charity.” A short 2 m. from Aylesbury, on the Thame road, is Hartwell House (E. D. Lee, Esq.), in the grounds of which stands the parish ch., built in 1756, after the model of the York chapter-house, but with the addition of E. and W. towers, one forming the chancel, the other the vestibule. The house, which has been in the possession of the Lee family since the time of James I., is of great in- terest, from the museum collected by the late owner (Dr. Lee, d. 1866), as well as from having been the abode (1810-14) of the exiled Louis XVIII. and the Duchess d’Angouleme, the “ Child of the Temple,” but it is not now shown. The X. or principal front is Jacobean, and there is furniture of the same date. ’From this front a fine double avenue of trees extends across the park. The grounds have been greatly improved since the late owner’s death ; but the chief apartments occupied by the Bourbons are kept as they were in his time. “Hartwell,” says Dr. Doran, “is hidden from passers by on the high- way by a screen of superb trees, and it was nearly 2 centies. old when the king took possession. If it wanted dignity of elevation, it possessed dignity of breadth. There was an agreeable variety in its several aspects. Of its four faces, directed towards . the cardinal points of the compass, one had an ancient and melancholy aspect : the second had a grave Elizabethan [Jacobean] cheerfulness ; the third was light, airy, and smiling; and the fourth had a trimmed polished air of modernly invented comfort. The house was strong enough to resist a siege. It had, and has, its por- ticoes, its porches and its quaint seats. . . . The drawing-room was of royal dimensions and beauty : staircases quaintly noble, with oaken rails and statues ; carved ceilings ; marble mantelpieces, perplexing those who gazed on them by their abundant allegorical difficulties ; and panelled walls whereon the repre- sentatives of old valour and ancient loveliness kept their silent state, added to the general effect : alto- gether, Hartwell was a house where- in misery might be tolerably com- fortable upon 24,000Z. a year. In this and in the out-buildings 140 persons were quartered ; the num- ber, including visitors, often ex- ceeding 200.” “ So numerous a party required such extensive accommodations, that the halls, gallery and the larger apartments were often divided and subdivided into suites of rooms and closets, in some instances to the great disorder and confusion of the mansion. Every out -house, and each of the ornamental buildings in the park, that could be rendered capable of decent shelter, were densely occupied : and it was curious to see how the second and third class stowed themselves away in the attics of the house, converting one room into several by the adap- tation of light partitions. On the ledges, and in the bows of the roof, 150 Sect. II. Boute 14 . — London to Aylesbury. they formed gardens, which were stocked with plants, shrubs, and flowers.’’ — Smyth’s ‘ASdes Hartwel- lianse.’ Louis XVIII. led a very retired life at Hartwell, but won a large amount of popularity. He was as affable as he was unostentatious : and would enter into conversation even with strangers whom he casu- ally encountered in his rare and brief walks. The library was con- verted into a court reception-room, the drawing-room being surrendered to the Prince and Princess de Conde, to whom it served both as saloon and dormitory. In the library the King’s couch was raised on a dais. The rooms ordinarily inhabited by him were the study and a small room adjoining. The apartment above the library was that in which the Queen died, and where she lay in state. The de- throned king of Sweden afterwards occupied this room. The apart- ments of the Duke and Duchess d’Angouleme were at the S.E. angle of the building. It was while seated in the middle window, over- looking the approach to the house (March 25, 1814), that Madame Gonet, one of the court ladies, first caught sight of the carriages which dashed in bearing the joyful news from Bordeaux, and uttered excla- mations which disturbed the royal family at their prayers. On leaving England the King made a gift of 100Z. to the poor of the parish ; and, by his especial command, each new French ambassador paid a compli- mentary visit to Hartwell, and made a formal report of the fact ; but the practice was not observed after his decease. In the room where the queen died are the pictures of Louis XVIII. and the Prince de Conde, sent over by them after the restoration ; in the adjoining room of the Archbishop of Toulouse remain his lectern and missal ; in the room of Louis XVIII. is his Prie-Dieu ; and in their tem- porary chapel, the confessional of the royal family. The very bells retain their old names — the King’s Room, the Queen’s, Archbishop’s, Due de Berry’s, d’Angouleme’s, Damas’, d’Avaray’s, &c. Independ- ently of its reminiscences, the chief object of interest in the house itself is the staircase, which is adorned with 24 figures of kings and warriors in oak, standing on the balustrade. A large room in the upper floor is used as a museum, and contains a fine collection of the fossils found in the neighbourhood arranged by Prof. Morris; there are also some Egyptian antiquities, and a good number of MSS. including 13th- centy. Bible and 14th-centy. Missal, both exquisitely written. Among the pictures are two fine portraits, Sir J. Suckling and Wm. Marquis of Newcastle, Vandyke ; Frederick Prince of Wales, Lady Charlotte Lee, Lady Elizabeth Lee, Reynolds : Sir Thomas Lee, Kneller ; 2 portraits, by Rembrandt, of an aged man and woman. The neighbourhood of Hartwell is very interesting in a geological point of view ; it abounds in fossils, especially in ammonites. The fine white sand is remarkably pure and transparent, and is much used for glass for optical purposes. 1 m. beyond Hartwell is Stone, where is the Bucks Lunatic Asylum, in digging the foundations for which many Roman remains were dis- covered. The cruciform Church is mainly E. E., but with some re- mains of Norm, work ; the chancel was rebuilt in 1844. A “ double- faced” brass in this ch. has been described by Admiral W. H. Smyth (‘Records of Bucks,’ vol. ii. 173). The font is circular, with rude figures of dragons, and is believed to have belonged to the ch. of Hampstead Norris, Berks (Rte. 8). 1J m. W. is Dint on, with a plain E. E. Church ; the S. doorway of a Bucks. 151 Route 14 . — Dinton Hall — Worminghall. Norm, edifice remains, with a curious sculpture in the tympanum. Two dragons are seen devouring fruit from a tree, and St. Michael appears thrusting the cross down the throat of one of them. According to the Swedish annals, this ch. of Dinton served as the model of the Cathedral of Lund, which an Anglo-Saxon architect, named Donatus, built, c. 1072, for Bishop Egino. Marryat, in his ‘ One Year in Sweden,’ speaks of the close resemblance of the two. In the ch. is buried Simon Mayne, the regicide, who resided in the adjoining Manor-house. Dinton Hall (Rev. J. J. Goodall) contains some Norm, portions, but was chiefly built temp. Hen. "VII. by Archbishop Warham, who resided here. His arms, with those of the king, are to be seen in the stained glass of the Hall window ; and the initial W. is frequently repeated in other parts of the house. The stained glass on the staircase is interesting. Among the pictures is a very fine portrait of Oliver Crom- well, who slept at the Hall occasion- ally during the siege of Oxford. Two of his swords are preserved here, one used at the siege of Dro- gheda, and the other at Naseby. There existed, till a few years ago, : the secret chamber in the roof in which Mayne was concealed for some time, until obliged to surrender from famine. It was under a stair- case, and could only be discovered when three of the steps were lifted up, disclosing a trough lined with cloth, up which he could ' crawl. Mayne had a clerk, named John Bigg, who became celebrated as the Dinton Hermit , and who, according to the local tradition, was the person who cut off King Charles’s head. He lived in a neighbouring cave, where he died, aged 67, in 1696, by which time his garments had become extraordinary as pieces of patchwork, and his shoes made up of 1000 pieces of leather from con- | stant mending. One of them is still I preserved at the Manor-house, the other is in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. Other curiosities are — a beautiful Anglo-Saxon glass dug up at Dinton Castle, and a jug with a portrait of Edward IV. upon it. On the same spot some ancient spears Avere found, one still remaining through the neck of a skeleton. 2 m. beyond Dinton is Haddenham , with a fine Church , mainly E. E., but with Trans.-Norm. chancel arch, and Perp. E. window. The tower has an arcade figured in the 4 Gloss. Archi- tecture,’ and there are 2 brasses of priests, 1420, 1428. Edmund of Haddenham, a mediseval chronicler, was a native. 2 m. W of Dinton, on the bank of the Thame, are the remains of Notley Abbey (or St. Mary de Parco), founded by William Giffard, Earl of Buckingham, 1162, for Augustine monks from Arras. The remains are now incorporated into a pic- turesque farm - house, which has a turret at one angle, and some fine Gothic windows. Within, the original broad stone staircase re- mains, and some of the monastic rooms, with the words “ En lui plesa’c” (plesance) constantly re- peated in red and black letters upon the cornices. The roof of the hall was removed by the Berties to Chesterton, near Bicester (Rte. 28), The fine cruciform E. E. Church of Long Crendon , 1 m. W., has one of the bells from Notley, inscribed “ In multis annis resonat campana Jo- hannis.” The Perp. font rests upon lions. There is a very fine monument of Sir John and Lady Dormer, 1605 (kept in repair by a charity founded by him), and Brasses of John and Agnes Canon, 1460, 68. 3 m. W. is Worminghall , with a small plain Church , partly rebuilt in 1 847. It contains a curious Brass of Philip King and his family, 1592. “ Wormenhall gave the Church 2 152 Sect. IT. Route 15 . — Aylesbury to Buckingham . Bishops (John King Bp. of London, and Henry King Bp. of Chichester), who were born in the same house and in the same room.” — Fuller. Dr. Bob. King, another member of this family, was the last Abbot of Oseney and first Bp. of Oxford. ROUTE 15. AYLESBURY TO BUCKINGHAM. L. and N.-W. Ely. 16J m. Leaving Aylesbury by the G. W. stat., the line traverses rich pastures, agreeing with the description in Drayton’s ‘ Polyolbion ’ : “ Aylesbury’s vale that walloweth in her wealth. And (by her wholesome air continually in health) Is lusty, firm, and fat ; and holds her youth- ful strength.” Fuller speaks of one pasture called Berryfield, in the manor of Quarren- don, which let yearly for 800Z. — equal to 8000Z. at present. 2 m. E. 1 m., in a marshy meadow, is the ruin of Quarrendon Chapel , now reduced to a few roofless arches, and the remains of a beautiful Dec. E. window : it contained the fine monuments of the Lee family, inclu- ding that of Sir Henry Lee and his mistress Ann Vavasour, whose tomb bore the inscription — “ Underneath this stone entombed lies a fair and worthy dame, Daughter to Henry Vavasour, Ann Vava- sour her name. She living with Sir Henry Lee, for love long time did dwell ; Death could not part them, but here they rest within one cell.” She shared the fate of Fair Bosa- mond at Godstow, and was disen- tombed and turned out by the bishop of the diocese. This w r as the Sir Henry Lee of Elizabeth’s time, who lived in the great mansion of the Lees at Quarrendon (now entirely destroyed) ; but was con- founded by Sir W. Scott with a 2nd Sir H. Lee of Charles I., and introduced by him into the novel of 4 Woodstock/ He received a visit of 2 days from Elizabeth at Quarren- don, and afterwards lived to a great age, in retirement, at Lee’s Best, but was at length so pleased by a visit from James I., who presented a ring to Mrs. Vavasour, that he was in- duced to go again to court, and died from the exertion. At Quarrendon were born the Saxon saints Edburg and Eaditha, daughters of Frewald, lord of the country. Edburg gave her name to Adderbury, Ellesbo- rough, and to the Burg, afterwards Burgfield, at Quarrendon. They were first buried at Aylesbury, but Edburg was afterwards removed to Edburgton in Suffolk. Cressy’s ‘Church History’ mentions 7 Eng- lish saints of this name. St. Osyth was her niece, and was abbess of Cliich in Essex, but was be- headed here by Inguar and Hubba, 2 Danish pirates, and was buried at Aylesbury. She was familiarly called St. Sythe, and was much revered. “ In those dayes when they went to bed they did rake up the fire and make a + in the ashes, and pray to God and St. Sythe to deliver them from fire and from water and from all misadventure.” — Aubrey , 113. 6 m. Quainton-road (Stat.). The restored Dec. and Perp. ch. of Quainton , 1 m. N.E., has a screen with 8 coloured figures of saints, and several good Brasses- Joan Plessi, 1360, John Lewys, 1422, and John Spence, 1485, both priests, and Lady Verney, 1509. In the chancel are | the monuments of the Dormers ; a Bucks. Route 15 . — Creslow Pastures . 153 fine one of Judge Dormer, who died of grief 1726, for the death of his only son. The death-bed of the son, Fleetwood Dormer, is represented on the tomb, with the parents in agonies of grief. The Win wood aisle contains the altar-tomb of Kichard Win wood, son of Sir Ralph, Charles I.’s secretary (who founded the almshouses close by). On the Green are the remains of an ancient stone cross. In this parish is DoddershaTl Hall (Mrs. Pigott), an interesting house, built 1639, containing much old fur- niture and carving. The stone hall and the library have curious oak cornices decorated with monsters. “ The Brown Hall ” is oak, and has a remarkable recess for the fireplace. Among the portraits is one believed to be Christobella, Lady Saye and Sele, who lived here, and founded a school. She boasted that she had married her first husband for love, her second for riches, and her third for honour. Some verses written in her praise with a diamond, by Pope, long remained on one of the windows of the house. Almost adjoining Whitchurch, E., are Creslow Pastures , from the time of Elizabeth to Charles II. feeding- grounds for cattle destined for the royal tables. They are still of extra- ordinary fertility ; and one of them, “the great pasture,’’ contains 327 acres. The original name was Christ Low or Christ’s Meadow; one of the largest pastures is still called Heaven’s Low. The Manor-house (now a farm- house) is a very picturesque and remarkable building ; “ the original parts, Edward III., including the crypt and tower ; alterations 15th centy., of which period a pointed doorway remains : great alterations temp. Charles I., of which plaster ceilings and square windows remain.” In 1120 the manor was given to the Knights Templars, from whom it passed to the Knights of St. John, who had the privilege of giving rites of sepulture when the rest of the kingdom was under interdict, so that many illustrious persons were pro- bably buried in the chapel. After their dissolution it remained among the crown demesnes till 1673. In 1653 it was granted to Cornelius Holland the regicide, called by Browne Willis “ a miscreant up- start,” and said by him to have been born in a neighbouring cottage. At the Restoration, when he was attaint- ed for high treason, it reverted to the Crown, and in 1662 was leased to Sir T. Clifford, to whose successor, Lord Clifford, it was conveyed in 1673. At the W. corner of the house is an octagonal turret with walls 6 ft. thick. Beneath is a crypt with a beautifully groined ceiling cut in the solid rock. Near it is another called u the Dungeon,” without win- dows, and with a massive stone roof. From these crypts a subterranean passage is reported to lead to the great pasture. Several of the rooms have beautiful Gothic details. In the hall are stucco ornaments (inclu- ding the Tudor rose and fleur-de- lis), said to have been placed there by order of Elizabeth when the house was preparing for one of her progresses. One of the rooms has its ghost, in a silk dress, supposed to be that of Rosamond Clifford. Close to tiie house are the pictur- esque remains of the chapel dese- crated by Cornelius Holland, and now used as stables. The N. wall retains its beautiful Trans.-Norm. doorway. 3 m. E. is Hardwick, with a good E. E. ch., restored by Street in 1872-73. In the churchyard is a monument recording the burial of 217 men killed in the battle of Ayles- bury, March 21, 1643. Many fossil remains of saurians have been found 154 Route 15. — Aylesbury to Buckingham. in this parish. In the adjoining hamlet of Weedon is Lilies (Henry Cazenove, Esq.), a house standing in a very sequestered spot amid thick woods. It is built on the site of an ancient nunnery, whose ch. occu- pied the position of the present kitchen garden. This was the pro- perty of the late Lord Nugent, who wrote the 4 Legends of Lilies/ 1 m. N. is Whitchurch. The fine E. E. ch. has a lofty embattled tower and Dec. chancel, with sedilia and piscina, and rich screen-work. There are some slight traces of the castle of the Bolebecs. Passing the restored E. E. ch. of Oving , we reach, at 2 m. N. W. of Whitchurch, North Marston , where the very fine Church is E. E. and Dec. ; the chancel, however, is rich Perp., with oak stalls and panelling. The S. aisle is Dec., and contains a piscina, a window with a niche on each side, and a squint, all profusely decorated with the four-leaved flower. The E. window and reredos were erected by the Queen to the memory of John Camden Neild, Esq., who died 1852, leaving his immense for- tune, about 250,000?., to her. Near them are the Brasses of K. San- ders, 1602, and Elizabeth Sanders, 1613, with quaint inscriptions. Tradition tells that the chancel was built out of offerings at the tomb of a devout rector (in 1290), Sir John Shorne, who was revered as a saint after his death, and the place became populous in consequence of pilgrim- ages to a well which was blessed by him. Browne Willis mentions people who remembered a sign which pointed the way “to Sir John Shorne’s shrine.” Bp. Latimer , in one of his sermons, says, 44 I have to tell you of the Christian man’s pilgrimage, but ye shall not think that I will speak of the Popish pilgrimage, in running hither and thither, to Mr. John Shorne, or to our Lady of Wal- singham.” Foxe , in speaking of the Sect. II. punishments of Protestants in Bucks, says that 44 some were compelled to make pilgrimages to Sir John Shorne ; ” also, that some were forced by the officials to bear witness against the Yicar of Wycombe, because, when he met 44 certain coming from Sir J. Shorne, he said they were fools, and called it idolatrous.” This sainted person was especially invoked for the ague. 44 If we were sycke of the pestilence we ran to Sainte Kooke ; if of the ague, to Sainte Pernel or Master John Shorne.” — Michael Wood. Many miracles were attributed to him, but his chief feat was long comme- morated in the E. window of the ch. and on the wall of the Holy Well, which showed how — “ Master John Shorne, Genileman born, Conjured the Devil into a boot." It is also alluded to in the 4 Fantaisie of Idolatrie,’ quoted by Foxe : — “ To Maister John Shorne, That blessed man born, For the ague to him we apply, Which he jugeleth with a bote ; I beshrowe his herte rote That will trust him, and it be I." An upper chamber still remains attached to the ch., with a fire- place, and aperture into the chan- cel, supposed to have been for the priest watching at the shrine. In 1478 Richard Beauchamp, Dean of Windsor, obtained licence from Pope Sixtus IV. to remove the shrine to Windsor, where he placed it in the Lincoln Chapel, whose windows long portrayed the history of the saint and of his squeezing the Devil into the boot. Sir John is re- presented on the roodscreens of Cawston, Gateley and Suffield (Nor- folk), and Sudbury (Suffolk), crowned with a nimbus. He probably had his name from the village of Shorne near Rochester. There was also an image of him at Canterbury, alluded Bucks. 155 Buckingham. Boute 15 . — to in a poem of the 16th centy., by John Hey wood. “lama palmer, as you see, Which of my life I much have spent At Saint Davies, and at Saint Denice, At Saint Matthew, and at Saint Mark in Venice, At Maister John Shorne in Canterbury.” At the bottom of the village is “ Sir John Shorne’s Well,” which never fails all the year round. Like the well at Otford ( Handbook for Kent ) it is said to have been supplied by the sainted rector, who struck his staff into the ground on that spot, in answer to the prayers of his con- gregation in a time of drought. 9J m. Granborough - road (Stat.). Granborough Ch. is good Perp., with square tower. 2 m. E. is Hogston , where the E. E. and Dec. ch. has some good windows, but the chancel is modern and bad, and the small Square tower is of wood. There are some memorials of the family of Mayne, and a mutilated 14th-centy. effigy, which holds a ch. in its hand ; it is supposed to represent William de Bermingham, the founder of a chantry here, 1342. 10 J m. Winslow-road Stat. Wins- low has also a stat. on the Bletchley and Oxford line, where it will be found described (Rte. 17). H i m. Verney Junction Stat. (Rte. 17). 13 m. 1 m. E. is Adstock , where the Dec. and Perp. ch., dedicated to St. Cecilia, has a very early Norm, doorway ; and a good E. E. chancel- arch, supported on corbel heads. It was restored in 1875. 15 m. Padbury (stat.). The village, a short distance E. of the line, has a Dec. and Perp. ch., with modern tower and porch. This place was, in July 1643, the scene of “ a hand- some smart conflict between a party of 500 horse and dragoons, com- manded by Colonel Middleton, on the Parliament party, and a regi- ment of horse, commanded by Sir Charles Lucas, on the King’s ; where, after a very soldierly contest, and more blood drawn than was usual upon such actions, the king’s party prevailed, returning with some pri- soners of name, and the slaughter of 100 of their enemy, not without some loss of their own ” ( Clarendon ). The Earl of Essex on this retired as far as Uxbridge, “ giving over any thought of fighting with the king, till he should be recruited with horse, men, and money ; and suffer- ing in the talk of the people ” (Ibid). 16J m. Buckingham. ( Inn : White Hart). Rly. to Banbury, but the road is 6 m. shorter. The town (Pop. 3585) stands on rather high ground almost encircled by the river Ouse, which is crossed by 3 bridges. Though a very ancient place it has few remains of antiquity, having suffered greatly from a fire in 1724. It was fortified by Edward the Elder in 918, and soon after the Conquest had a strong castle built by Walter Giffard, the first Norman Earl of Buckingham. In the time of Ed- ward III. it was one of the staples for wool, and it is still considered the county town, though the assizes have been removed, and it is inferior in population and trade to Ayles- bury. The old ch., having been greatly damaged by the fall of its lofty spire, was pulled down in 1777, and a new ch. built at a short dis- tance on the old castle mound. This Church , which has been justly es- teemed one of the most unsightly in England, although expensively deco- rated in its Grecian interior, has been almost rebuilt by Sir G. G. Scott , a native of Gaweott, a hamlet of this town. The greater part is now pure E. E., with a fine E. window of 5 lights, and a rich S. porch ; but much of the N. side and the W. front remain in their original ugliness. No burials have ever been allowed in the churchyard, which is surrounded by a broad 156 Route 15 . — Aylesbury to Buckingham. shady walk, and from its elevated position commands extensive views. The original churchyard also is orna- mentally planted, and in it is pre- served the stump of the old market cross. It is of Dec. architecture, and serves to mark the site of the W. door of the ch. In this ch. when it was pulled down was discovered the coffin of St. Rumbald, of whom the legend is, that he lived only 8 days, during which time he dis- coursed largely, says Fuller, “ of all the commonplaces of popery ; ” was baptised and bequeathed his body to King’s Sutton, his birthplace, for 1 year ; to Brackley for 2 years ; and then to Buckingham for ever. He was also much reverenced in Kent, his chief shrine being at Box ley, where there was an image of St. Rumbald, which was pretended to be “ a touch- stone of chastity,” only to be lifted by those who had never sinned in thought or deed ( Handbook for Kent). The few public buildings of Buck- ingham are not remarkable for beauty. The Town-hall is of brick, with the crest of the Temples (a swan ducally gorged) for a vane, and in the market-place is the borough gaol, built by Lord Cobham in 1748, in imitation of a Norman castle. In the butcher market is the Grammar School , endowed by Edward VI. with the revenues of a chantry founded by Matthew de Stratton, Archdeacon of Bucks, t. Henry III. ; some por- tions remain, with Dec. and Perp. windows, and the entrance to the inclosure is by a Norm, door, the relic of some still earlier founda- tion. A good house, called Lam- berts, built 1611, occupies the site of a mansion in which Katharine of Aragon once sojourned. During the civil war Lamberts was occu- pied by Prince Rupert, and here also Charles I. was entertained in 1644. The old Vicarage-house, with its remarkable twisted chimneys (1611), is the successor to the man- sion in which Queen Elizabeth Sect. II. dined in August, 1568, when on her way to Bicester. At a very short distance from Buckingham, on the Brackley road, is the commencement of the noble avenue of elms leading to Stowe, the princely seat of the Duke of Bucking- ham. The avenue, which is nearly 2 miles in length, affords a most agreeable ride or walk, a well-kept footpath running along its E. side. Passing over 3 or 4 gentle swelling hills, you reach the simple, but stately Corinthian Arch, 60 ft. high, designed by Thos. Pitt, Lord Camel- ford. From this point the house is well seen, consisting of a centre faced with a portico, flanked by 2 wings, the total length of the facade being 916 ft. The art treasures that made Stowe so famous have long been dispersed, but the house is again occupied. Neither the house nor pleasure- grounds, however, are shown to the public. The Gardens of Stowe were per- haps the finest example of landscape gardening in this country. They were originally laid out by Sir Rich. Temple, Viscount Cobham, the friend of Pope, who thus alludes to them in the Moral Essays : “ Still follow sense, of every part the soul; Parts, answering parts, shall slide into a whole ; Spontaneous beauties all around advance : Start even from difficulty, strike from chance ; Nature shall join you, Time shall make it grow A work to wonder at— perhaps a Stowe.*' “ In the grounds of Stowe, Thom- son drew fresh inspiration for his amended 1 Seasons ’ : “ 0 lead me to the wide-extended walks And fair majestic paradise of Stowe ! Not Persian Cyrus on Jonia's shores E’er saw such sylvan scent s ; such various art By genius fired, such ard< nt genius tamed By cool, judicious art; that in the strife All-beauteous Nature fears to be outdone.** Bucks. Boute 15 . — Stowe . 157 “In these 1 Elysian Vales’ the great Lord Chatham when a young man acquired his early love of liberty ; here Capability Brown filled the office of kitchen-gardener, and caught that taste for landscape- gardening of which he has left so many memorable examples ; here Congreve and Vanbrugh were fre- quent visitors ; here Pope delighted to think down hours to moments ; and here Horace Walpole occasion- ally stayed on state occasions.” These pleasure-grounds have an extent of not less than 700 acres. On entering you are first struck by the broad expanse of a lake — “ The vast parterres a thousand hands shall makp — Lo ! Cobham comes, and floats them with a lake ! ” beyond which appears the house : while amidst the graceful foliage of trees of noble growth, and many varieties of species, peer forth various ornamental buildings and temples. The most remarkable of these are the Temple of Ancient Virtue, sur- rounded by a circular colonnade, containing statues by Scheemaher of Socrates, Homer, Lycurgus, and Epaminondas, with Latin inscrip- tions by George Lord Lyttelton. Near it rises a cedar-tree, 22 ft. in girth ; the rostral column to Capt. Grenville, who fell in a sea-fight against the French, under Lord Anson, 1717. The monument to Capt. Cook is in the Temple of British Worthies, situated at a point surnarfied the Elysian Fields, watered by a dark pool called the river Styx. “The Temple of Venus at Stowe,” says Walpole, “ has simplicity and merit.” It is by Kent. The Queen's Temple , in honour of Queen Charlotte, 1789, contains a Homan tesselated pave- ment, found at Foxcote near Buck- ingham in 1844. The Gothic temples command a fine view. There are also a column, 115 ft. high, surmounted by a statue of Lord Cobham ; a grotto ; and one or two small cascades. The Palladian Bridge , resembling that at Wilton, is a fine architectural structure, with a roof supported by a colonnade. The Temple of Friendship wa3 erected by Lord Cobham to receive the busts of his political friends (all sold in 1849). Before the temple was finished the party was entirely broken up. H. Walpole says, “In the Temple of Friendship, among 20 memorandums of quarrels, is the bust of Mr. Pitt. Mr. James Gre- ville is now in the House, whom his uncle disinherited for attachment to that very Py lades. He broke with Mr. Pope, who is deified in the Elysian Fields, before the inscrip- tion for his head was finished. That of Sir John Barnard, which was bespoke by the name of a bust of my Lord Mayor, was, by a mistake of the sculptor, done from Alderman Perry. I have no patience at build- ing and planting a satire.”' — (1758.) The Gothic Temple is somewhat of carpenter’s Gothic, though be- praised by Horace Walpole. “In the heretical corner of my heart I adore the Gothic building, which by some unusual inspiration Gibbs has made pure, beautiful and vene- rable. The style has a propensity to the Venetian or Mosque Gothic, and the great column near makes the whole put one in mind of St. Mark’s at Venice ! The windows are throughout consecrated with painted glass, most of it from the Priory at Warwick.” The Bourbon Tower is surrounded by trees planted by Louis XVIII. and the exiled French princes on a visit to Stowe 1808. In front of the Temple of Concord and Victory (erected to record the glories of the Seven Years’ War, by Lord Cobham) young oaks were planted by Queen Victoria, during her visit to Stowe, January, 1845, and 2 cedars by Prince Albert. “ There is a charm- 158 Route 15 . — Aylesbury to Buckingham. Sect. II. ing flower - garden, thickly sur- rounded by high trees, firs, cedars, evergreens, and flowering shrubs.” “ At Stowe,” it has been remarked, “ every acre brings to one’s mind some instances of the parts or pe- dantry, of the taste or want of taste, of the ambition or love of fame, of greatness or miscarriage, of those who have inhabited, decorated, planned or visited the place — Pope, Congreve, Vanbrugh, Kent, Gibbs, Lord Cobham, Lord Chesterfield, the mob of nephews, the Lytteltons, Grenvilles, Wests, Leonidas Glover, Wilkes, the late Prince of Wales, the King of Denmark, Princess Amelia ; and the profound monu- ments of Lord Chatham’s services, now enshrined there, then anathe- matized there, and now again com- manding there ; with the Temple of Friendship like the Temple of Janus, sometimes open to war and sometimes shut up in factious cabals ; all these images crowd upon one’s memory, and add visionary person- ages to the charming scenes, that are so enriched with fanes and tem- ples that the real prospects are little less than visions themselves.” Horace Walpole gives an amusing account of the visit of the Princess Amelia to Stowe : — “ We all of us, giddy young creatures of near three- score, supped in a grotto in the Elysian Fields, and were refreshed with rivers of dew and gentle showers that dripped from all the trees, and put us in mind of the heroic ages when kings and queens were shepherds and shepherdesses, and lived in caves, and were wet to the skin two or three times a day.” Again, “ On Wednesday night a smail Vauxhall was acted for us in the grotto in the Elysian Fields, which was illuminated, as were the thickets and two little barks on the lake. The idea was pretty ; but as my feelings have lost something of their romantic sensibility, I did not quite enjoy such an entertainment al fresco as I should have done 20 years ago. The evening was more than cool, and the destined spot anything but dry. There were not half lamps enough, and no music but an old militia-man who played cruelly on a kind of tabor and pipe. As our procession descended the vast flight of steps into the garden in which was assembled a crowd of people from Buckingham and the neighbouring villages to see the Princess and the show, the moon shining very bright, I could not help laughing as I surveyed the troop, which, instead of tripping lightly to such an Arcadian enter- tainment, were hobbling down by the* balustrade, wrapped up in greatcoats and cloaks for fear of catching cold.” — W. to G. Montagu , July 7, 1770. The famous sale of the Art- Treasures at Stowe (Aug. 1848), by Messrs. Christie and Manson, which occupied above 30 days, was perhaps the most remarkable sale of a pri- vate collection ever known, far su- perior even to those of Fonthill and Strawberry Hill; things having re- tained a fanciful value ever since merely from the fact of having been bought here. It was especially rich in magnificent Sevres and Majolica ware. Among the most interesting objects sold, were the inkstand of Sixtus Y. ; the travelling organ of James II., which had afterwards belonged to the Duke of Wharton ; a table given by Yilliers Duke of Buckingham to the .Countess of Shrewsbury ; the famous Chandos portrait of Shakspeare ; a celebrated miniature of Charles II., by Cooper ; Queen Anne’s toilette glass ; ivory chairs of Tippoo Saib, given by Warren Hastings to Queen Char- lotte ; and the statue of the marine Venus from the baths of Agrippa. At Luffield , on the N. of Stowe Park, were the ruins of a Benedic- tine Abbey, founded 1124, now destroyed. Within the distance of 5 miles 159 Bucks. Route 15 . — Tingewick — Lillingstone Dayrell . from Buckingham, the tourist will find several interesting Churches. On the S. are — (а) 1 m. W. Tingewick , E. E. and Perp. Notice on the chancel wall a very curious Brass of Erasmus Williams, rector, 1608. He is sur- rounded by his musical, astrono- mical and geometrical instruments, with a facetious epitaph. Roman foundations and other antiquities were discovered here in 1860-62. (б) 2 m . S. of Tingewick, Chetwode , the ch. of an Augustinian priory founded here 1244 ; chancel very fine E.E., with some old stainedglass, the E. window composed of 5 lancets. (c) 1 m. E. of Chetwode, Preston Bisset , a fine Dec. ch. with very ex- cellent 2 and 3 light windows, door- ways with fine mouldings and corbel heads, and good Dec. sedilia. (d) 2 m. E. of Preston Bisset, Hillesden , very fine Perp. though late (c. 1493) ; the S. porch particu- larly good, with panelling on the side walls and groined ceiling. From an attentive study of this ch. Sir. G. Scott, who was born at Gawcott, a neighbouring village, derived some of his knowledge of Gothic architec- ture. “ It is to myself peculiarly dear,” he writes, “ as having been the delight of my youth, and its study led me to devote my life to the art of which it is so charming an example.” The church was very carefully restored by Sir G. Scott shortly before his death. Close to the E. end of the ch. stood the manor-house of the Denton family, purchased and pulled down by the late Duke of Buckingham. (e) 1| m. S. of Hillesden is Twy- ford, which though rebuilt, is of interest for its Brasses (John Ever- don, rector, 1413 ; Thos. Gifiard, 1550): there is also a cross-legged effigy in armour, supposed to be Sir John Gifiard, t. Henry III. The ch. was thoroughly restored by Scott in 1875 at a cost of 2200Z. The E. window illustrates the legend of S. Nicholas, and is one of the best of its kind in the country. It contains 45 figures in the eight compartments of which it is composed. On the N. are — (/) 2 m. E. Maidsmorton Church. a very beautiful specimen of Perp., founded, according to a tablet in the interior, by “ sisters and maids, daughters to Lord Pruet,” 1450. Hence the name. The tower win- dows are enriched with arrow-headed cusps ; the N. porch has a fan- tracery vault ; the W. door is very curious, “ a projecting panelled battlement supported by rich fan- tracery, springing from the jamb mouldings.” (P.). The font, the Gothic screen, the roof of chancel with remains of colour, and 3 sedilia, with a painting of the Last Sup- per, deserve notice. On a marble monument in memory of Mrs. Penelope Yerney, first wife of Lord Willoughby de Brooke, dated Aug. 31st, 1718, the following inscription may be read : “ Under this stone doth lye, As much virtue as could die, Which, when alive, did vigor give To as much heauty as could live.” (i g ) 2 m. S. E. of Maidsmorton, Thornborough , mainly Perp., with good Dec. W. door. In this parish is a large barrow, opened in 1839, when some bronze and gold relics of Roman origin were discovered. ( h ) 3 m. W. of Buckingham, Water Stratford . The ch., E. E. and Perp., has 2 Norm, doorways, each with sculpture in the tympanum. At this place lived (1674-93) an enthusiast named John Mason, who persuaded multitudes that he was the Elias sent to proclaim the second advent ©f Christ. His followers continued to exist till 1740, and so firmly be- lieved in his resurrection, that it was found necessary to open his grave and expose his body to public view. (?') 5 m. N. E. of Buckingham is Lillingstone Dayrell, fine E. E., re- stored by Street in 1878, and contain- ing some brasses. 160 Sect. IT. j Route 16 . — Aylesbury to Bicester . ROUTE 16. AYLESBURY TO BICESTER. By Road. 16 m* This route is nearly in the line of the ancient Akeman Street. 3 m. Fleet Marston , a small Dec. and Perp. ch. 5J m. Waddesdon. The ch. of St. Michael is mainly E. E., but the clerestory is Perp. It was restored in 1877-8. There is a remarkable Brass for Hugh Bry stowe, parson, 1548, who is represented in his shroud ; also the tomb of one of the Carletons, (1608). A Church (St. Mary, Westcott) was erected in 1867, from designs by Mr. G. E. Street, at the sole charge of the Duke of Buckingham. Lodge Hill (built 1880) is one of the seats of Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, who is lord of the manor. The tramway connecting Wootton with Quainton passes through this parish, and there are stations at Wad- desdon Road and Westcott. Eytliorpe , in the parish of Wad- desdon, was the old manor of the Dormers. The curious old house was destroyed 1810. Only some of the offices remain. [2 m. S. is Over or Upper Winchen- don , a late Norm, ch., with massive Perp. tower, having a pointed-roof turret at the S.E. angle. There is a somewhat remarkable Brass for John Stodely, vicar (d. 1515), who is re- presented in the dress of an Austin canon of St. Frideswide’s, a blaek cassock, with white metal inlaid to represent the rochet. Over Winch - endon House was the residence of the Marquis of Wharton (who is buried in the ch.) and his son, the too-famous Duke, who also bore the title of Marquis of Winchendon : “ Wharton, the scorn and wonder of our days. Whose ruling passion was the lust of praise ; Born with whate'er could win it from the wise, Women and fools must like him, or he dies.” Pope. The house and its splendid gardens were destroyed, 1760, by Charles, 2nd Duke of Marlborough. 2 m. S. is Lower Winchendon. The ch. is Dec. but with good Perp. win- dows inserted, and contains two 16th- centy. Brasses. Winchendon Priory (Sir T. T. Bernard,) was built by Sir John Dauncy, temp. Hen. VIII., from the materials of the monastery. It contains some old pictures ; among them a very curious one of Lady Wharton and her sons. One small panelled room is inscribed with texts of Scripture. 3 m. W. is Chilton , the birthplace of Sir George Croke, the judge who dissented from the judgment in favour of ship-money. The ch. con- tains the tomb of Sir J. Croke, 1608, and his wife; his figure in plate- armour, their children kneeling in front. Chilton House (Augustus Campbell, Esq.) has an embattled porch, with the motto of the Crokes, “ Jehovah turris mea.” Ashendon , 3 m. N.' of Chilton, has a Dec. and Perp. ch. In the chancel is a cross-legged effigy in chain-mail, placed in a niche, which was pro- bably intended for the Easter sepul- chre. This place is sometimes taken to be the scene of a battle between Edmund Ironside and Canute, in which Eadnoth, the bishop of Dor- chester, was slain, but this is cer- tainly an error. 1 m. S.W. of Ashendon is Horton, the ch. of which is of no interest. Horton House (C. Aubrey Aubrey Esq.), a picturesque edifice, was built by Sir John Dormer, early in the 17th centy., but was partially modernized by Sir John Aubrey in 1781. The arms of the Dormers may be seen 161 Bucks. Route 16 . — Rrill — Grendon-under-Bernwood, in the pavement of a room, said once to have been the chapel. Dorton has a chalybeate spring, once of much celebrity. 2 m. W. of Dorton is Brill , placed on an eminence in the ancient Bernwood Forest, on the borders of Oxfordshire and Bucks, com- manding fine views. Here Edward the Confessor had a hunting-lodge, and here Henry II. kept his court in 1160 (when Becket attended him as Chancellor) and 1162, John in 1205, and Henry III. in 1224. In Nov. 1642 Charles I. placed troops here under Sir G. Gerard, who repulsed a Parliamentarian attack under John Hampden. The Earl of Essex, writing to the Speaker, April 24, 1643, says, “The King is concentrating his forces, P. Mau- rice is arrived, and P. Rupert hourly expected at Brill.” When Reading was reduced, this garrison was with- drawn. Brill pottery has been made from the soil of the hill even from Roman times, but the trade is no longer flourishing. The grove of trees near the village may be a relic of Bern- wood Forest. 2. m. W. at the foot of the hill (and within an easy drive of Oxford) lie the picturesque remains of Boar- stall Tower , so named from a boar which interrupted the sport of the Confessor, and was slain here by one Nigel, who received the manor as a reward on tenure of a horn, which still exists in the possession of the present owner. The Perp. gate- house still remains, and is moated, with battlements and chimneys, and doors set with iron plates and studs ; it is now a farm-house. Near it is the ch., a modern structure, built with the materials of the former edifice ; it contains some monu- ments of the Aubreys, long lords of the manor, connected with one of whom is a melancholy story, which adds to the interest of the place. [Berks, &c .] This was an important post, during the Civil Wars, between Aylesbury and Oxford. In 1644 it was taken for the King by Colonel Gage, who battered it from the ch.,when the Lady of Boarstall, Lady Denham, escaped in disguise by a secret passage. The garrison left here did much good service, u not only in defending Oxford from mischievous incursions, but did very near support itself by the contributions it drew from Bucks, besides the prey it frequently took from the very neighbourhood of Aylesbury.” — Clarendon. In 1645 Fairfax was beaten off in an attempt to take “ this poor house, with loss, and very little to his honour.” Lips- comb (‘Hist. Bucks’) gives the curious correspondence relative to the siege, and a picture of the house in 1695. 2 m. N. of Brill is Wootton Under- wood , with a Dec. ch. restored and enlarged in 1873, and so completely modernised as to have little interest ; it contains a 14th-centy. chapel of the Grenvilles, and a 16th-centy. Brass of the same family. Wootton House (Duke of Bucking- ham) stands in a very extensive park ; it replaces a former mansion with a famous staircase by Sir J. Thornhill , burnt in 1820. 2 m. N.W. of Wootton is Lud- gershall, where the ch. has some finely carved E. E. capitals, though the body of the building is Dec. and Perp. The Brass of Anne English, her daughter and granddaughter (1565), is curious. According to village tradition this was a retreat selected by Henry II. for Fair Rosa- mond, who is still commemorated by a lane in the woods called “ Rosa- mond’s Way.”] 10 m. N. 1 m. is the village called Grendon-under-Bernwood, or Grendon Underwood , in ancient re- cords, but commemorated in popular rhyme as * Grendon Underwood, The dirtiest town that ever stood.” M 162 Sect. IL Route 1 7 . — Bletchley to Bicester . Aubrey declares that Shakespeare picked up some of the humour in his ‘ Midsummer-Night’s Dream ’ from the constable, when passing a night here on his way to London. The Dec. and Perp. ch. contains some monuments of the Pigott family ; members of which have occupied a house in the village for several cen- turies. The present occupant has restored a panelled room in it, in which it is said that Shakespeare wrote the 4 Midsummer - Night's Dream/ and 4 Much Ado About Nothing/ 12 m. The road enters Oxford- shire, 4 m. short of Bicester (Rte. 28). ROUTE 17. BLETCHLEY TO BICESTER. Bletchley Branch, L. and N.-W. Rly. 19J m. Leaving on N. the village of Bletchley (Rte. 18), we see at 2 m., on S., Newton Longueville , so called from a priory which once existed there, a cell of the Abbey of St. Faith at Longueville in Normandy. There is a statue of St. Faith on the E. end of the ch., originally E. E., but almost rebuilt by New College, Ox- ford, in 1442, on occasion of re- ceiving the gift of the living from Henry YI. On N., 1J m. distant, is Tattenhoe , where a small poor ch. was built in 1540 from the materials of Snelshall Priory. Soon after its erection, it was allowed to fall into ruin, but was reconstructed and reconsecrated in 1636 by the activity of Bp. Ban- croft, of Oxford. It stands in a very secluded spot, on a moated site, and is seldom visited, though worth notice. 2 m. N.W. is Whaddon , with a ch. originally Trans.-Norm., having Perp. windows inserted, restored in 1854, when some re- markable mural paintings were dis- covered, one of them representing the Martyrdom of S. Thomas a Becket. There is a Brass (Thos. Pygott, 1519), which affords a good illustration of the costume of the serjeants-at-law temp. Hen. VIII. The adjoining district, called Whad- don Chase , was part of the dower of Queen Jane Seymour. The Manor- house was the seat of Arthur Lord Grey, who here received a visit from Queen Elizabeth. It has been re- placed by Whaddon Hall (W. Selby Lowndes, Esq.), a stately mansion, famed for its magnificent staircase, and for the large number of deer kept in its park. Browne Willis, the antiquary, was once the possessor of this property. Whaddon was the birthplace (1499) of Richard Cox, afterwards Bp. of Ely, to whom Elizabeth addressed a discreditable letter, threatening to “ unfrock him ” unless he surrendered some manors of his see to one of her courtiers. In 1849 a large number of ancient British gold coins were discovered in Whaddon. 5| m. Swanbourne (Stat.) The E. E. and Perp. ch. has a Brass , commemorating, in verse, the fate of one Thos. Adams, yeoman and freeman of London (1626). It seems that he “ In prime of youth by bloudy theves was slaine, In Liscombe ground his bloud y e grasse did staine.” The ch. of Great Horwood , 2 \ m. N.W. has a Dec. chancel, of very Bucks. 163 Boute 1 7 . — Winslow — Clay don. rich work, and a good Perp. screen. A 15th-centy. Brass (Henry Yirgine, rector) is a good example of academic costume. The ch. was restored in 1874. 7J m. Winslow (Stat.) The town was given to St. Alban’s Abbey by Ofia. It contains a Perp. ch. of good character. The Manor-house (be- longing to the Selby Lowndes family) is a fine mansion by Sir Christopher Wren. Passing N. we reach Adding- ton Manor (Rt. Hon. J. G. Hubbard), a very handsome brick edifice, with Bath stone dressings, by Hardwick. The Dec. and Perp. ch. has been restored. 9J m. Verney Junction Stat. Here the line from Aylesbury falls in, and is continued, in a N.W. direction to Buckingham (Rte. 15) and Banbury (Rte. 24). * 11J m. Claydon (Stat.) There are 3 Claydons, 2 S. of the line, and 1 N. Steeple Claydon , the one seen from the line, stands pleasantly on a hill. The chancel of the ch. was restored in 1875, and the spire is a memorial of General Sir Harry Calvert, the well-known Adjutant-General. The Camp Barn , in this parish, bears an inscription which states that ‘‘around this spot the army of the Parliament, under the command of Cromwell, was encamped, March, 1644 ; and on the 3rd of that month advanced from hence to the attack on Hillesdon House.” Bast Claydon presents nothing remarkable ; but Middle Claydon has a good Perp. ch. restored in 1871 . It stands in the park of Claydon House — Sir Harry Yerney (formerly Calvert), Bart.M.P. — built originally temp. Henry VII., but almost entirely rebuilt by Ralph 2nd Earl of Yerney, temp. George II. Part of this second house was destroyed by Lord Verney’s niece, Baroness Fermanagh : but several splendid chimney-pieces and rooms covered with ornamental stucco-work still remain, with a grand staircase inlaid with ebony and ivory, having a wrought-iron balustrade representing standing corn, which bends and rustles as you ascend. Among the pictures are some fine family portraits, especially that of Sir Edmund Yerney, con- cerning whom there is a Buck- inghamshire proverb that he was “neither born nor buried.” His tomb is in the ch., with an inscrip- tion “to the ever -honoured Sir Edmund Yerney, standard-bearer to Charles I. in the memorable battle of Edgehill, where he was slain, Oct. 23, 1642,” in that charge when Sir E. Balfour, with a rescue of horse, broke in upon the foot belonging to the King’s army. His body was never found, but there is a tradition that one of his hands was discovered among the remains of the slain on the field of battle, and indentified by a ring. There also are many other monuments of the Yerneys : and the alabaster tomb of one of the Giffards, 1539; with the Brasses of Isabelle Gifiard, 1523, and Roger Giffard and Mary his wife, 1542. Roger and his wife are said to have built the ch. c. 1519. 16 m. The line enters Oxford- shire ; reaching at 171 nx. Launton, and at 19 J m. Bicester. (See Rte. 28.) m 2 164 Boute 18 . — Tring to Boctde. EOUTE 18 . TR1NG TO ROADE. L. and N.-W. Rly. 28J m. For Tring (Stat.) see Handbook for Herts. At 34 1 m. from Euston Stat. the line enters Bucks. 2J m. W. of Tring Stat. is Drayton Beauchamp , where the “judicious” Hooker was rector, 1581-5, and “ be- haved himself so as to give no occa- sion of evil, but in much patience, in afflictions, in anguishes, in neces- sities, in poverty, and no doubt in long suffering, yet troubling no man with his discontents and wants.” The Church is Dec. and Perp., and in its E. window are figures of the apostles in stained glass of the Tudor period. The chancel contains the large white marble monument of Lord Newhaven, 1728, and 2 fine Brasses ; that to William Cheyne (although it has lost the Christian name) still bears the date 1375 ; the other, assigned to Thomas Cheyne, is 1368. There is also a small head- less figure of a priest, 1531. The moat of the old manor-house of the Cheynes still remains. It was at Drayton Beauchamp that Hooker was visited by his two favourite pupils, George Cranmer and Edwin Sandys, as is so pleasantly related by Izaak Walton. They found him with a book in his hand (it was the ‘Odes’ of Horace), he being then tending his small allot- ment of sheep in a common field; “which he told his pupils he was forced to do, for that his servant was then gone home to dine, and assist his wife to do some necessary household business. When his ser- j vant returned and released him, his two pupils attended him unto his ( Sect. IT. house, where their best entertainment was quiet company, which was pre- sently denied them ; for Richard was called to rock the cradle ; and the rest of their welcome was so like this, that they staid but till next morning, which was time enough to discover and pity their tutor’s condition ; and they having in that time rejoiced in the remembrance and then para- phrased on many of the innocent recreations of their younger days, and by other such like diversions, and thereby given him as much present pleasure as they were able, they were forced to leave him to the company of his wife Joan, and seek themselves a quieter lodging for next night. But at their parting from him, Mr. Cranmer said, ‘ Good tutor, I am sorry your lot is fallen in no better ground as to your par- sonage; and more sorry your wife proves not a more comfortable com- panion, after you have wearied your thoughts in your restless studies.’ To whom the good man replied, ‘ My dear George, if saints have usually a double share in the miseries of this life, I, that am none, ought not to repine at what my wise Creator hath appointed for me ; but labour, as indeed I do daily, to submit mine to His will, and possess my soul in patience and peace.’ ” — ( Walton’s Life of Hooker , Oxford edit., 1824). On his return, Edwin Sandys related his tutor’s “sad condition” to his father, who was then Abp. of York, and the consequence was that Hooker was, in the course of the next year, removed to London, where he became Master of the Temple. 1J m. W. is Aston Clinton; the E. E. ch. has a fine Dec. chancel, with piscina and sedilia, and has been restored. The house of Aston Clinton was the seat of Lord Lake, the captor of Delhi in 1803 ; it has been rebuilt in the classic style by Sir A. de Rothschild, and is famed for its collection of tapestry, china, and majolica ware. In this parish Bucks. 165 Route 18 .-—Ashridge Park. is the Shepherd's Grave , where the word “ Faithful,” cut in the turf on the hill-side, long marked the grave of a shepherd of that name, who exacted a promise from his com- panions that they would bury him beneath the spot where he had always sat to watch his flock when living. A Roman Amphora was found in 1871 on Vetches Farm in this parish, near the junction of the Lower Icknield and Akeman Streets. E. 2 m. is the wooded hill of Ash- ridge Park (Earl Brownlow), a penin- sula of Bucks running into Herts, the house being in Bucks, but the stables and offices in Herts ; still the place is considered a Buckingham- shire seat, and is therefore here described. The park, which abounds in deer, is wild and beautiful, and contains many fine old trees. On the opposite side it slopes abruptly to the valley, affording a fine view over the country. Box flourishes here in great abundance. Here was the palace of Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Cornwall, who founded beside it a monastery, 1283, for the order of Bonhommes, brought by him out of the S. of France (they had only 2 other houses in England, at Bristol, and Edington, in Wilts). He secured their fortunes by presenting them with a relic of great value, a portion of the blood of Christ, with which he had pre- viously endowed his former founda- tion at Hailes in Gloucestershire (see Handbook for Gloucester), “ By the blood of Christ which is in Hailes” was long a national oath, and it proved a mine of wealth to Ashridge, being a great object of pilgrimage. This blood was publicly exhibited by Hilsey, Bp. of Rochester (formerly a Dominican friar), at Paul’s Cross, Feb. 24, 1538, and proved to be only honey clarified and coloured. At Ashridge the Earl of Cornwall died, and there his bowels and heart were buried, but his body was sent to Hailes. The praises of Ashridge were sung by Skelton : — “ The Bonehommes at A sheridge beside Bar- canstede, Where the sange royal is, Christis blode so rede. A pleasanter place than Asheridge is, harde were to finde, As Skelton rehearseth with words few and playne, In his distich made in verses twayne : Fraxinus in clivo frondetque vivet sine rivo Non est sub divo, similis sine flumine vivo.” Here Edward I. kept his Christ- mas 1290, and held a parliament, to the great distress of the neigh- bourhood, which had to furnish the provisions of the court. Here Eliza- beth frequently resided as princess, having received a grant of the place in 1552; and here she was appre- hended in Feb. 1554, on suspicion of being concerned in Sir T. Wyatt’s conspiracy. She professed to be confined to her bed by illness, but this was disbelieved, and she was carried away in the Queen’s litter, the officers saying that they “ would take her either dead or alive.” The estate was given by James I. to Lord Chancellor Egerton, and it still remains in his family. The Collegiate Ch., which con- tained the tombs of Chief Justice Bryan, Sir Thomas and Sir John Denham, and other notable persons, was destroyed temp. Eliz., but the Great Hall and Cloisters were entire till 1800, when the hall, which had a rich Gothic roof and painted win- dows, was sold piecemeal by the Duke of Bridgewater ; and the cloisters, which were richly adorned with frescoes and carving, so suffered by the removal of the other build- ings that it was found necessary to remove them also. Nothing now remains of the monastery but the ancient crypt. The present mansion, from designs of Wyatt, “ is a varied and irregular line of towers and battlements, arched doorways, mul- 166 Sect. II. Route 18 . — 1 lioned windows, corbels, and machi- colations, with a massive tnrreted centre, fine Gothic porch, and beau- tifully proportioned spire, surmount- ing the chapel” The Hall is adorned by statues of the founders and benefactors of the ancient monastery. The Chapel is considered the masterpiece of Wyatt; its windows are filled with fine old German stained glass. Here is the fine Brass of Sir John Swynstede, 1395, which belongs to the ch. of Edlesborough (post), of which he was rector ; and from the same place comes a curious rose brass for John Killingworth (1412). It has the inscription, “ Ecce ” (in the centre), and around the edge, “ quod expendi habui, quod donavi habeo, quod ne- gari punior, quod servavi perdidi.” A similar brass occurs in St. Alban’s Abbey, with an English translation of the inscription. Among the pictures are — the Death of Hippolytus, Bubens ; Holy Family (much injured), Luini; Feast of the Cranes, Snyders; 3 Caesars, Titian; the Nativity, Giov. Bellini. In the hall is a fine work of Luea della Bobbia . E. of the park are the villages of Great and Little Gaddesden , so called from the river Gade, which rises near the former (see Handbook for Herts). 34 m. On W. I m. is Marsworth, with a Perp. ch., chiefly remarkable for its 17th-cent. Brass for Edmund West, serjeant-at-law, 1681. He is represented lying in bed clad in armour, with his wife and children kneeling beside him. 1 m. N.W. is Long Marston , with a stat. on the branch line from Cheddington to Aylesbury. Ruth Osborne, a reputed witch, was “ ducked ” here, April 22, 1751. She and her husband — both of them above 70 years of age — were cross-bound and thrown into a muddy stream. The woman died from the effects of ill-usage, and Thomas Colley, a chimney-sweep, was hung for the murder. ring to Roade. 35 m. On E. 1 m. is the fine cruci- form Church of Ivinghoe , with central tower and low spire. It is of Dec. architecture, replacing an earlier edi- fice believed to have been built by Henry of Blois, Bp. of Winchester, and brother of King Stephen. In the chancel is an effigy in priest’s robes, known by the inhabitants as “ Grandfather Greybeard.” It has been said to be Henry of Blois, but is more probably that of Peter de Chaceporc, Rector of Ivinghoe, 1241- 54. There is a fine timber roof, a rich cinque-cento pulpit, and several Brasses , ranging from 1368 to 1594. According to tradition Ivinghoe was one of the three manors forfeited by an ancestor of John Hampden, for striking the Black Prince a blow with his racket, when they quar- relled. Tring, Wing, and Ivinghoe, Hampden of Hampden did foregoe. For striking of ye prynce a blow, And glad he might escape it so.” This rhyme suggested to Sir Walter Scott the title of his novel of Ivanhoe. There is no foundation whatever for this tradition, as neither of the three manors mentioned ever belonged to the Hampdens. The village stands among the chalk hills, and there is a very agree- able walk or drive to Edlesborough , 3 m. N.E. The fine Perp. Church stands on a hill ; it has a lofty tower, which was once surmounted by a spire; but that was destroyed by lightning in 1827, and has not been restored. The chancel has stalls and miserere seats ; and there are still some Brasses , dating from 1540 to 1647 ; but the most remarkable have been removed to Ashridge (ante.) 36 m. Cheddington Junction Stat. Hence is a branch line to Aylesbury of 7} m., with stat. at Marston Gate (ante). (For Aylesbury see Rte. 14.) The Perp. ch. of Cheddington was restored by Street. Bucks. 'Route 18 . — Mentmore — Stewkley . 167 1 m. N. is Mentmore , with a Dec. and Perp. ch., restored 1858, which has a good open oak roof. - Mentmore Towers (built by Baron Meyer de Rothschild, and now the property of his daughter, the Countess of Rosebery,) is a superb mansion, built, from the designs of Sir Joseph Paxton and G. A. Stokes, of Ancaster stone, and bears some resemblance to Wollaton Hall (see Handbook for Notts). The interior is fitted up with great magnifi- cence, and the collection of paint- ings (chiefly of the French school) and Limoges enamels is very fine. In the Hall (48 ft. by 40) are 3 copper-gilt lanterns, surmounted by the lion of St. Mark, made in the arsenal of Venice for the use of the Bucentaur in 1470; a chimney-piece from the house of Rubens at Antwerp, said to have been designed by the painter ; some fine tapestry, and marbles of the 16th centy. The Great Dining Boom has the fittings of the carved and gilt room ordered by Louis XIV. on the marriage of the Prince de Conti. The Library has a splendid collection of majolica and enamels. The Morning Room has some good pictures, including a portrait of Michael Angelo by Moroni , an ebony cabinet presented to Marie de Medicis on her marriage with Henry IV., by the city of Florence, and other valu- able relics. The Mentmore Stud Farm , estab- lished 1853, was of great celebrity in the sporting world, during the lifetime of the Baron, and turned out many of the best horses' which have appeared on the turf during the last few years. 38 m. On E. Slapton , with a late Dec. and Perp. ch., of which John Kemp was rector in 1407 ; he lived to become Bp. of London, and Abp. of both York and Canterbury, Lord Chancellor, and Cardinal (see Hand- book for Kent). There is a curious Brass for Jas. Tornay , yeoman-at- arms to Henry VIII. (1519), his two wives and nine children ; and a small effigy for a priest (1462). 39 m. On W. 2 m. Wing, one of the manors traditionally said to have been surrendered by one of the Hampdens ( ante ). Wing Church has been pronounced “ the most remarkable in the county.” It has “ supposed Saxon work, a poly- gonal apse elevated, with a crypt beneath ; the altar-slab remains in the pavement, there is a rood-loft approached by a spiral staircase in the S. wall, and a late brass (‘ Eccl. and Arch. Top. Bucks.’) The ch. has been extensively altered; and the Saxon work remains side by side with Dec. windows, probably inserted in the 14th cent., and with Perp. work. The latest restoration was in 1850, by Sir G. G. Scott. There are several fine monuments for the Dormers, once lords of the manor ; Sir Robert Dormer, 1552 ; Sir William Dormer (in gilt armour), 1575; and Robert 1st Lord Dormer, 1617. Beside Brasses of 15th-centy. date there is one (1648) with a rhym- ing inscription in praise of u honest old Thomas Cotes, sometime porter at Ascott Hall.” Beneath the chan- cel is a very ancient crypt, which pro- bably dates from the 7th centy. There is a plan of it in G. G. Scott's ‘History of English Church Architecture.’ 40 J m. Leighton Buzzard Junct. Stat. On E. is a branch (7 m.) to Dunstable. The fine ch. of Leighton Buzzard , seen from the stat., is on the further side of the river Ouse, in Beds, and is described in the Hand- book for that county . 4 m. W. is Stewkley , with a Church often pronounced equal to Iffley in the richness of its late Norm, deco- ration. “ It has been generally called Saxon, but has nothing to distinguish it from many well-known Norm, churches.” — Rickman. It has a short square tower between the nave and chancel, the upper part of which is surrounded by rows of small pillars and interlaced circular arches. The 168 Route 18 . — Tring to Roade. Sect. II. roof of the chancel is groined with zigzag mouldings. The W. front is very rich; the great door, which is circular, with zigzag mouldings, has figures of dragons within the arch. The restoration of this ch. by Street in 1862 gave rise to a controversy, which may be read at length in Gent.’s Mag. for the period. 42} m. On W. Soulbury , with a Dec. and Perp. ch., restored by Street. In this parish is Liscombe House (Capt. P. C. Lovett), a large Eliza- bethan mansion, incorporating a chapel of the 1 4th centy. There are several good historical portraits in the house, but it is not usually shown. 44 m. On E., Stoke Hammond , a small cruciform E. E. and Perp. ch., with a fine late Norm, font, and Perp. rood-screen; there are some small remains of painted glass, and a curious poors’ box, date 1610. N. and S. extend the 3 Brickhills , all occupying high ground, and described in the popular rhyme — “ Here stand three Brickhills all in a row, Great Brickhill, Little Brickhill, and Brick- hill of the Bow.” The ground at Bow Brickhill rises to the height of 683 ft. The Church of Great Brickhill is Perp. ; that of Little Brickhill has a Dec. tower ; that of Bow Brickhill is Perp. The two former have been well restored of late years, but the latter stands in great need of reparation, little having been done since the time of Browne Willis the antiquary (a.d. 1757). 45 m. On W. 2 m. Newton Longue - ville (see Bte. 17). 46} m. Bletcliley Junction Stat. Lines W. to Oxford, &c. (Bte. 17), and E. to Bedford, Cambridge, &c. The village of Bletchley lies to the W. The Perp. Church , restored in bad taste by Browne Willis in 1704, has had most of his work undone in late years, and is now a handsome edifice ; the avenue of ancient yew- trees is very striking. Notice in the interior the tomb of Bichard Lord Grey de Wilton, 1442, who is buried here with his son and grandson ; a curious brass tablet to Dr. Sparke, rector in 1616, and an incised slab for Bev. E. Tayler, 1693. 1 m. N. rt. 1 m. is Fenny Stratford , once remarkable for its inns, being on the old highway to London. The ch., dedicated to St. Martin, contains, beneath the altar, the grave of Browne Willis the antiquary, and was rebuilt (1724) by him, in memory of his grandfather, whose portrait he placed over the entrance, with some verses to his memory. Yery con- siderable additions have been made to the original edifice. N.E. of Fenny Stratford are some interesting churches. Walton (2 m.) is Dec., with a cornice composed of a hollow, with grotesque heads at in- tervals ; there are monuments of Bartholomew Beale, 1660 ; Sir Thos. Pinfold, 1701, with a medallion by Nollekens; and Elizabeth Pixe, 1617, with the epitaph, — “ Elizabetha vale, mea lux, mea vita, quo- usque, Jungitur in coelis, filia cara vale.” Milton Keynes (4 m.) has a very beautiful Dec. chancel, without the admixture of other styles; the W. front is modern. Beside a 15th-centy. brass, it has a tomb of Lewis Atter- bury, rector, 1693, father of Bp. At- terbury, who was born here 1662. 51} m. On E. Bradwell (Stat.), with a restored E. E. and Dec. ch. ; there are some remains of Bradwell Abbey , founded in the reign of Stephen, and now used as a farm-house. A suburb, called New Bradwell, is mostly occu- pied by the Wolverton rly. works, and a ch. and schools (by Street) have been erected for the population connected with them. 52} m. Wolverton Junction Stat A branch (4 m.) runs off, on N.E., to Newport Pagnell (Bte. 18a). The village, 1 m. W., has a pseudo-Norm, ch. built in 1815, and at New Wol- verton is a modern E. E. one. The Bucks. 169 Route 18.-— Stony Stratford — Haversham. population is mainly in the employ of the L. and N.-W. Ely., and there is a model lodging-house, science and art institute, &c. 2 m. W., on the Ouse, is Stony Strat- ford (Pop. 2000). It stands on the Ouse, over which a substantial bridge leads into Northamptonshire. There were formerly 2 churches here, but only the tower remains of St. Mary Magdalene, the body of the ch. having been burnt in 1742, and not rebuilt ; the tower is good Perp. St. Giles , originally a chantry chapel, has also a good tower, built 1487, but the rest is in the style of the Georgian era (1776). The trade of the town has decayed, as Wolverton has risen, and one of the principal inns has been converted into a middle-class school. One of the Eleanor crosses stood in the town, but was destroyed in 1646. In this neighbourhood Edward IV. is traditionally said to have first met Elizabeth Woodville, and a “ Queen’s Oak ” is still pointed out. Here also the young Edward V. was seized by Eichard Duke of Gloucester, who at the same time arrested Lord Eivers, Sir Eichard Grey, and other partisans of the Woodvilles. “ Last night I heard they lay at Stony Strat- ford.” Richard III., scene iv. 3 m. S.W. is Beachampton , where the Bennetts long had a manor, of which the great hall still remains. The Dec. and Perp. ch., completely restored in 1874, contains the tomb of Sir Simon Bennett, a benefactor of University College, Oxford, and a curious Brass for William Bawdyn, blacksmith, 1600. 54 J m. Castlethorpe , an E. E. ch., adjoining the site of a strong for- tress of the Mauduits, demolished in the time of John. 1£ m. N. is Han- slope , once a market town, with a fine ch., originally Norm, and E. E , but now chiefly Perp., and remark- able for its lofty spire, rebuilt in 1804, after having been destroyed by lightning, and now 186 feet in height. The manor belonged in succession to the Mauduits and the Beauchamps, earls of Warwick, and afterwards was granted to the Duke of York who was killed at Agincourt. 59 m. The line crosses into North- amptonshire, and reaches at 60 m. Boade (Stat.). See Hand- book for North Hants . EOUTE 18 a. WOLVERTON TO NEWPORT PAGNELL AND OLNEY. By Ely. and Eoad. 9 m. The line to Newport Pagnell has its first stat. at Bradwell (Ete. 18), N. of which is Haversham , with a re- stored Dec. and Perp. ch. There is a fine alabaster altar-tomb, believed to be for Elizabeth Lady Clinton, d. 1423. She was the heiress of the De la Plaunches, one of whom had licence to crenellate his house at Haversham in 1304. There is aho a Brass for Alice Payne, 1427 ; and another for John Maunsell, 1605, ornamented with a skeleton, and with the age of the deceased given with curious minuteness as 66 years, 4 months, and 5 days. 1 m. E. is the disused church of Stantonbury ; it has a good Norm, chancel-arch, and an E. E. window. It has been abandoned since the building of the ch. at New Bradwell (Ete. 18). 3 m. Linford (Stat.). “The ch. of Great Linford seems to have been 170 Boute 18 a. — Wolverton to Newport Pagnell. Sect. IT. fine early Dec., but some trouble has been taken to disfigure it as much as possible. The piers to the nave are cased up in wood, and the tracery of all the windows destroyed ” (‘Ecc. Top. Bucks’). There still, however, remain 3 Brasses , one of which (for Roger Hunt, 1473) states that he paved the ch. 4 m. Newport Pagnell (Stat.) The line ends here at present, but is in pro- gress to Olney and Wellingborough (see Handbook for North Hants). Newport Pagnell {Inns : Anchor, Swan) s’tands on a gentle eminence above the Ouse, over which there is an old stone bridge, whilst a smaller stream, the Lovat, has a light iron one (Pop. 3686). The town came into the hands of Fulk Paganell soon after the conquest, whence its second name. It had a castle, which was held for the Parliament by Sir Samuel Luke, the prototype of Hudi- bras. The Church is a large edifice, with good Perp. tower ; but both N. and S. porches are of early date, one with groined roof, and the other with an E. E. arcade. Notice in the churchyard the epitaph on T. A. Hamilton, 1788 ; it is ascribed to Cowper. Dissenters are numerous, and there is an Independent chapel of early date, in which is preserved a board, said to have formed part of John Bunyan’s pulpit. On it is fastened a brass plate, with the in- scription, from Cowper : — “ Revere the man, whose Pilgrim marks the road, And guides the Progress of the soul to God.” At Green-end, a suburb of the town, Dr. Renny, a very eminent medical man of the neighbourhood, was, by his own desire, buried beside his own house, in 1805. 1 m. S.E. is Tickford Abbey (Mrs. Massey), occupying the site of a monastery founded by Hugh Paga- nell, and one of those surrendered to Wolsey for his foundations at Oxford and Ipswich. It stands in a low situation, liable to inunda- tions. The old cemetery has re- mained undesecrated, and has con- tinued in use as a private burial- ground for the successive owners of the property. 3 m. E. is North Crawley , with a fine Dec. and Perp. Church , dedicated to St. Firmin, a French bishop, the patron of a monastery which once existed here. The rood-loft remains, and the richly-decorated Gothic screen. The latter is a Perp. speci- men of open screen-work, divided into sixteen compartments, -each of which contains a painted figure of Prophet, Patriarch, or Saint. The chancel was built by Peter de Guild- ford, rector, 1321, which is commemo- rated by the inscription outside : — “ Petrus can cellum tibi dat Kirmine novellum, Et cum lauderis Deo. Petri memoreris.” There is also a fine Brass for Dr. John Garbrand, 1589. Crawley Grange is an Elizabethan manor- house, possessing a bedstead said to have been used by t lie Queen on her journey to Kenilworth in 1575. 2 m. N.W. is Gayhurst , or GotJiurst , with a small ch. rebuilt in the Grecian style in 1728. The manor- house (Lord Carington) is an Eliza- bethan building. It was the home of Sir Everard Digby, whose par- ticipation in the Gunpowder Plot would have caused its forfeiture, had he not taken the precaution of making his estates over in trust for his infant son. This son was the celebrated Sir Kenelm Digby, who was born at Gayhurst, 1 604. Cowper, who came here from Olney, was in ecstasies at the beauty of the place. “ The situation is happy, the gardens elegantly disposed, the hothouse in the most flourishing state, and the orange-trees the most captivating creatures of the kind I ever saw.” A large edible snail, called Helix po - matia , abounds in the woods here, but is quite peculiar to the place. Bucks. 171 Bouie 18 A. — Olney- It was imported from the south of France by Sir Kenelm Digby, for his wife Venetia, who was in con- sumption. These snails are of a whitish colour, tinged with red; they bury themselves in winter, and remain torpid till spring. Between Newport Pagnell and Olney (5 m.) lies a flat marshy dis- trict, through which the Ouse slowly makes its way. The villages of LatJibury , Sherrington, and Emberton , are met with in the direct road ; the ch. of the first has a good E. E, tower; that of the second is good Dec., with a fine Perp. W. window ; and the third is Dec., with much fine work remaining, although the windows in the aisles have lost their tracery. There is a Brass for John Mordan (1410), formerly rector, which contains a list of books given by him to his * own and other churches. To the E. of Lathbury lies Chicheley , a good Dec. ch. with Perp. tower, and containing some brasses of the Caves, formerly lords of the manor. Tyringham, on the bank of the river near Gayhurst, has a late Perp. tower, but the rest of the ch. is modern. 9 m. Olney ( Inn : Bull), celebrated as the home of the poet Cowper. The manor was given at the Conquest to Geoffrey, Bp. of Coutance, after- wards belonged to the Earls of Chester, King-making Warwick, the Princess Mary, and Anne of Den- mark. The tradition of the country is, that lacemaking was first intro- duced here (Pop. 2250). The ch: spire (185 ft. high) is conspicuous long before reaching the town, which is entered by a bridge of four arches crossing the Ouse, with several smaller ones over the meadow-land usually flooded in winter, alluded to by Cowper in the lines, — " Hark ! ’tis the twanging horn o’er yonder bridge, That, with its wearisome but needful length, Bestrides the wintry flood.” — Cowper' s Besidence, rt. is the large ch. of SS. Peter and Paul, entirely Dec. The chancel was restored by Scott in 1870. The pulpit is that in which Newton and Scott the commentator preached. “ The town, the most N. in Bucks, consists of one long street, the houses built of stone, but by far the greater number thatched. At one corner of the market-place, rather taller than the surrounding houses, is Cowper’ s House , ‘which wears a most desolate aspect/ It was en- gaged for him in 1767 by his friend Newton (then rector), and was ‘ so near the vicarage, that by opening a door in the garden-wall they could communicate without going into the street/ Here he was induced by Newton to join with him in the authorship of the Olney Hymns. ‘Occurrences here are as rare as cucumbers at Christmas,’ he wrote in one of his letters, but he entered upon what he called a decided course of Christian happiness; and it was by no means unusual to find the man of trembling sensibilities praying by the sick-bed of the poorest cottager, or guiding the devotions of some miserable being who attempted to seek God only in the departing moments of exist- ence. The town, which Cowper describes as ‘ populous, and inha- bited chiefly by the half-starved and ragged of the earth/ afforded him ample facilities for usefulness. Lacemaking furnished, even to un- remitting diligence, so scanty a pittance that it was barely suffi- cient to maintain a miserable ex- istence. When a charitable dona- tion enabled the poet to provide six children with one pair of blankets, ‘they jumped out of their straw, caught them in their arms, kissed them, blessed them, and danced for joy/ The majority of the people were brutal in their manners and heathenish in their morals. Little creatures seven years of age made 172 Boute 18 A. — Wolverton to Newport Pagnell. Sect. II. the place resound every evening with curses and villanous songs ; the cottages were disposed in a long dreary street, and the tottering mud walls and tom thatch of many of them were in keeping with the wretchedness of the inmates. The surrounding meadows were flooded during winter ; and Cowper was often doomed to sit for months over a cellar filled with water. The air in the rainy season was impregnated with the fishy-smelling fumes of the marsh miasma ; and to this he attri- buted the slow and spirit-oppressing fever which visited all persons who remained long in the locality. Yet none of these evils had much effect upon him during the early years of his residence. He was experiencing the truth that ; the mind is its own peace/ and the social and spiritual advantages he enjoyed made Olney a heaven to him. ,, Cowper’s Garden is behind his house, but now belongs to a differ- ent proprietor : it is however readily shown to visitors. Here is “ the gravel walk, 30 yards long, which afforded but indifferent scope to the locomotive faculty, and which yet,” says Cowper, “ was all we had to move on for eight months in the year.” Here is the house in which he kept his tame hares, his chief amusement. “ They grew up under his care, and continued to interest him for nearly twelve years, when the last survivor died quietly of mere old age. He has immortalised them in Latin and in English, in verse and in prose. They have been represented in prints and cut on seals : and his account of them, which in all editions of his poems is now appended to their epitaphs, contains more observations than had ever before been contributed to the history of this inoffensive race.” In this garden also is Cowper 9 s Summer Parlour , concerning which he writes, “ We eat, drink, and sleep where we always did ; but here we spend all the rest of our time, and find that the sound of the wind in the trees and the singing of birds are much more agreeable to our ears than the incessant barking of dogs and screaming of children.” “ At Olney the Ouse changes its character; and its course becomes so winding that the distance from that place to St. Neot’s, which is about 20 m. by land, is about 70 m. by the stream. This has not escaped Drayton in his description of this ‘ far wandering * river ” : — “ Ouse having Oulney past, as she were waxed mad, From her first stayder course immediately doth gad, And in meandering gyves doth whirl her- self about, That, this way, here and there, back, for- ward, in and out ; And like a wanton girl, oft doubling in her gait, In labyrinth-like turns and twinings in- tricate, Thro’ those rich fields doth run.” “The walks here are beautiful,” says Cowper, “ but it is a walk to get at theiii. Weston [ Underwood ], our pleasantest retreat, is 1 m. off, and there is not in that whole mile so much shade as would cover you. Mrs. Unwin and I have for many years walked thither every day when the weather would permit; and, to speak like a poet, the limes and elms of Weston can witness for us both how often we have sighed and said, ‘ Oh ! that our gar- den-door opened into this grove or into this wilderness/ for we are fatigued before we reach them, and, when we have reached them, have not time to enjoy them.” The state of the road was often so bad that it gave rise to the rhyme introduced in one of his minor poems, — “ Sle, slay, slud, Stuck in the mud, Oh ! it is pretty to wade through a flood.” Nevertheless, in Aug. 1786, Cowper and Mrs. Unwin thankfully removed Bucks. 'Route 18 a. — Clifton Reynes — Weston Underwood. 173 to Weston, where they lived in a house still to be seen on rt. of the village. “ We dwell,” wrote the poet, “in a neat and comfortable abode in one of the prettiest villages in the kingdom. It affords oppor- tunity of walking at all seasons, abounding with beautiful grass- grounds which encompass it on all sides to considerable distance. These grounds are skirted by woods of great extent.” Below, in the valley, “Ouse’s silent tide” flows through the green meadows. There is a good view from “ the Cliff ,” — “ Whence Ouse, slow winding through a level plain, Conducts the eye along her sinuous course.” Taslc. Mrs. Unwin’s ill-health led to the poet’s removal from Weston in 1795. He had a presentiment that he should never return^ and wrote on the window-shutter the two sad lines which are still to be seen there : — “ Farewell, dear scenes, for ever closed to me; Oh ! for what sorrows must I now exchange ye.” * Southey's Life of Cowper ,’ Quart. Rev. Not far from Olney, N., is the wild woody tract, called Yardley Chase. In it is a great oak, called Judith, in remembrance of the niece of the Conqueror. This tree Cowper visited, and has recorded its measurement as 28 ft. 5 in. After his death, a poem entitled ‘Yardley Oak,’ was found among his papers, beginning “ Time made thee what thou wast — King of the Woods ! And time hath made thee what thgu art— a cave For owls to roost in ! ” 1 m. E. of Olney is Clifton Reynes , with an early Dec. Church. In the N. wall of the chancel aisle, in a cano- pied recess, are two very remarkable oaken effigies, supposed to be Simon and Margaret de Borard, lord and lady of the manor, c. 1267. Under the arches between the chancel and its aisle are two fine altar-tombs. The lower tomb has two hollow oak effi- gies, supposed to represent Ralph de Reynes and his wife, Amabel Chamberlain, 1310 ; the upper, with stone effigies of a knight and lady and their dog Bo, is believed to be that of Sir John Reynes and his wife, Catherine Scudamore, 1428. Clifton was the home of Lady Austen, who, after the departure of Newton, was the great friend and comforter of Cowper in his solitude at Olney, where she eventually be- came an inmate of the parsonage. It was she who told him the story of John Gilpin, to rouse him from the dejection into which one day she observed him sinking, and he turned it into a poem that same evening. Newton Blossomville , 1 m. further E., has two fine Dec. windows at the E. end ; Brayfield , N., is a plain E. E. ch. with good porch; and Lavendon has a tower, of the type formerly called Saxon. On the W. of Olney are Weston Underwood , a plain E. E. ch., but with Perp. exterior, and having a fine, though mutilated, Brass for Lady Throckmorton and 5 daughters (1571) ; and Ravenstone, once a plain E. E. ch., now greatly altered, but containing the magnificent tomb of Lord Chancellor Finch, Earl of Not- tingham, 1682, in his robes, under a canopy. He was remarkable for his eloquence, which gained him the appellations of the English Roscius and the English Cicero ; and he has been praised by Blackstone as a thorough master and zealous de- fender of the laws and constitution of his country. In the churchyard is buried the Rev. Thos. Seaton, founder of the annual prize bearing his name at Cambridge. Cowper resided at Weston Underwood from 1786 till within a few years of his death, which occurred in 1800 at East Dereham, in Norfolk. ( 174 ) SECTION III. OXFORDSHIRE. INTKODUCTION. . rage The County ..... 174 Divisions, Rivers, Railways . . 174 Nature of the Country . . . 175 Agriculture . . . . . . 175 Geology 175 Towns ....... 176 Manufactures . . . . , 176 History . , Page Antiquities . . . 177 Architecture . . . 177 The City . . 178 The University . # . . 180 Skeleton Tour , . 184 Oxfordshire is bounded on the N. and N.W. by Warwickshire, on the N.E. by Northamptonshire, on the E. by Bucks, on the S.E., S., and S.W. by Berks, and on the W. by Gloucestershire. It contains 739 sq. m., and at the census of 1871 it had 177,975 inhabitants ; which had increased in 1881 to 179,650. It, including the University of Oxford and 3 boroughs, returns 9 members to Parliament. In form it is very irregular ; its greatest length is 48 m. ; and though at its centre, near Oxford, its width is only 7 m. across, a few miles higher it is 38 m., while at no point below the city is it more than 12 m. “ Oxfordshire,” says Camden, “ is a fertile country and plentiful, the plains garnished with cornfields and meadows, and the hills beset with woods ; stored in every place, not only with corn and fruits, but also with all kinds of game for hound and hawk, and well watered with rivers plentiful of fish,” a description which Dr. Plot (‘ Nat. Hist. Oxford- shire ’) allows to be true in the main, except that the woods have been destroyed “ in the late unhappy wars,” adding that the county has now “ much more cause to brag of its meadows, and abundance of pastures, wherein, as in rivers, few counties may be compared, none perhaps preferred.” Oxfordshire is divided from Berks by the Thames, often fancifully called Isis, which receives all the other rivers of the county in its course — viz., 1, the Windrush, “ the nitrous Windrush,” which rises in the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire, and passing Burford and Witney falls into the Thames at Northmoor after a course of 18 m., during which it turns many mills ; 2, the Evenlode, which enters from Gloucestershire, receives the Glyme, a tributary of 12 m. long, and flowing by Charlbury and Woodstock, falls in near Ensham, after a Oxfordshire. Rivers , Railways , iHZZs, Agriculture. 175 course within the county of 22 m. ; 3, the Cherwell , which, rising at Charwellton in Northamptonshire, and passing Banbury and Adder- bury, flows in at Oxford after a course of 30 m. in the county ; 4, the Thame , which rises at Stewkley in Bucks, and, first touching the county at Thame, falls in at Dorchester, 15 m. lower down. The Oxford and Warwick Canal enters the county at its N. extremity, and, keeping near the Cherwell, joins the Thames at Oxford. The Great Western Railway traverses Oxfordshire from S. to N., giving off branches on W. from Oxford to Witney and to Gloucester and Worcester, and S.E. to London, through Thame. The London and North-Western enters on E. from Bletchley, and has branches to Oxford and to Banbury. The Chiltern Hills cross the southern extremity of the county from Bucks to Berks. Their heights were formerly covered by beech-trees, which especially flourished in their chalk soil, but the hills are now used either as sheepwalks or as arable land. The highest point is Nettlebed Hill, 820 ft., near which is Nuffield Common, 757 ft. To the E. of Oxford the ground rises considerably, its highest points being Beckley and Shotover. The N. of the county is flat and uninteresting, and its stone-wall fences are dreary to look upon. The hilly lands are bleak and exposed, the winds being little checked by the low stone boundaries of the fields. The poor chalky soil is late, but not unfavourable for agriculture. “The soils may be divided into four principal kinds, viz., the red land, 79,635 acres, partly grass, and partly fine arable land ; the stonebrash, 164,023 acres, chiefly N, of Oxford and Witney, and on inferior soil ; the Chiltern chalk, 64,778 acres, occupying the S. part of the county, and covered with light calcareous loam, which is very profitable ; miscellaneous 166,400 acres.” “ The course of crops on the lighter soils is the 4 years Norfolk rota- tion, usually lengthened to 6 years with pulse or oats, or with crops of equivalent character ; and on the heavier soils, which have been drained, and lie on irretentive subsoils, it is the convertible system, or such as divides the whole arable land into moieties, under artificial grass, or other rotation crops, and consists usually of, 1, turnips, or other roots ; 2, barley or oats ; 3 or more years of clover and grass seed ; next wheat, and finally beans.” “ The meadows which lie along the banks of the smaller streams generally produce excellent herbage ; but those on the borders of the Thames and Cherwell are subject to floods, and an interspersion of coarse aquatic plants, which not only deteriorate the herbage, but some- times damage the cattle which feed upon them.” One may look in vain for a milkmaid throughout the county, as that office is always allotted to men or boys. Brawn is made in great quantities on the large farms, and some of the Oxford college cooks are renowned for the excellent quality of what they cure.” Geology. There are many works on the rock formations of Oxford- shire, the best known of which is the ‘ Geology of Oxford and the Introd. 176 Towns , History . Thames Valley,’ by the late Professor J. Phillips. The oldest forma- tion, occurring in the N.W. of the county, is the Lias, in which is found a hard fossiliferous limestone, called Banbury marble. Belonging to the same system we also find Marlstone and Upper Lias clays. The Great Oolite is well represented, and many bones of the Saurians of that period have been found in it. Forest marble, cornbrash, coral rag, Kimmeridge clay, Portland stone, and Oxford clay, also appear in the county. The Cretaceous system furnishes Lower Greensand, Gault, Upper Greensand and chalk. Evidences of the Tertiary are furnished by a few scattered remains of Eocene ; there are alluvial deposits, and remains of prehistoric man are occasionally found. Beside Oxford, Witney, Burford, Woodstock, Chipping Norton, Ban- bury, Bicester, Thame, Watlington, and Henley, are the chief places The principal manufactures are — blankets at Witney, plush and shag at Banbury, gloves at Woodstock, woollen cloth (tweeds), girths, and borse-cloths at Chipping Norton ; lace is made in some of the villages. Shotover Hill, near Oxford, is celebrated as supplying the best ochre in the world. Stonesfield is renowned for the multitude of fossils found in its calcareous slate. Burford afforded the sandstone which Wren largely employed in his repair of Westminster Abbey. At the time of the Boman invasion Oxfordshire was inhabited by the Dobuni, who are said by Camden to have derived their name from Dwfn, a British word meaning low, as they always dwelt in the plain. The county afterwards formed part of the Boman province of Britannia Prima, and the station of Durocornovium was founded where Dor- chester now exists. Under the Saxons it became a part of the kingdom of Wessex. Birinus converted Cynegils, the king, and became in 638 the first bishop of Dorchester, a huge see, comprising both Mercia and Wessex. In 752 Cuthred of Wessex conquered Ethelbald of Mercia on Battle Edge, near Burford ; after which Oxfordshire reverted to Wessex. In the Danish invasions Oxfordshire was greatly ravaged. Henry I. rebuilt the palace of Alfred at Woodstock, and rendered it “ the first park in England enclosed by a wall.” Here in 1163 Henry II. received visits from Malcolm King of Scotland, and Bice Prince of Wales ; and both Woodstock and Godstow are connected with his love of Fair Bosamond. In 1275 Edward I. held a Parliament at Wood- stock; and there were born Edmund of Woodstock, second son of Edward I., and Edward the Black Prince and Thomas of Woodstock, sons of Edward III. In the reign of Edward II. Aylmer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, built the castle of Bampton. In 1387 the insurgent nobles defeated Vere Earl of Oxford, at Badcot Bridge, on the border of the county near Bampton. During the w ars of the Boses, in 1469, Herbert Earl of Pembroke, a Yorkist, was defeated by the rebels under Bobin of Bedesdale at Danesmoor, and was taken and put to death with his brother Sir B. Herbert and ten others. The Princess Elizabeth was imprisoned at Woodstock by Mary. During the Civil Wars Oxfordshire was frequently a battle-scene. On October 23, 1642, the battle of Edgehill was fought on the borders Oxfordshire. Antiquities , Architecture . 177 of the county, the King having encamped the night before on the banks of the Cher well, between Edgecot and Cropredy. In April, 1643, a skirmish took place on Caversham Bridge ; and two months later, June 18th, the Parliamentarians were repulsed by Prince Kupert on Chalgrove Field, when John Hampden received the wound of which he died six days afterwards at Thame. In 1644 was fought the battle of Cropredy Bridge, in which Sir William Waller was defeated, after which the King drew off his troops to Deddington, where he slept at the parsonage house. In 1645 the Parliamentarians gained a victory at Islip Bridge, and Bletchingdon House was forced to surrender after a long and gallant defence for the King. Oxford was long the royal head-quarters, but was yielded up to Fairfax, June 24, 1646. Antiquities. — At Dorchester, the ancient Doricina, Roman coins and other relics have been frequently discovered. Fine tesselated Roman pavements have been found at Great Tew and Stonesfield. Between Mongewell and Nuffield is still to be seen a vallum -with embank- ment, 2i m. in length, known as Grime’s Dyke, or the Devil’s Ditch. The Icknield Street crossed the county from N.E. to S.W., entering it at Chinnor, and leaving it at Goring on the Thames ; the Akeman Street entered at Ambrosden, and passed through Chesterton, Kirtling- ton, Blenheim Park, and Stonesfield to Asthall, where it crossed the Evenlode into Gloucestershire. The most remarkable object of antiquity is the circle of stones and the cromlech, near Chipping Norton, known as the Rollright stones, and considered by Bede to be the second wonder in the kingdom. Similar relics are the cromlech known as the Hoarstone at Enstone, and the scattered stones called the Devil’s Quoits at Stanton Harcourt. There are but few remains of ancient Castles . Of the Norman castle of Oxford there exists, beside the mound, but a single tower, a crypt, and a subterranean chamber with a well ; of Banbury only the traces of the moat remain. Of the castle of Aymer de Valence at Bampton, built in the reign of Edward II., there are some fragments, with a chamber, added temp. Henry VII., decorated with the red and white roses united. At Broughton some beautiful fragments of the old castle adjoin the later building. Oxfordshire is rich in fine specimens of later domestic architecture ; among which may be mentioned the manor-houses of High Lodge, near Woodstock, Asthall, Castleton, Fritwell, Burford Priory, Wroxton Abbey, the ruins of Minster Lovell, Stanton Harcourt, with its tower and almost unique kitchen, and the old Hall of Mapledurham. Of the Churches the most remarkable are — Norm. Iffley ; E. E. Thame ; Dec. Kidlington ; Perp. Ewelme , with its beautiful tombs ; Minster Lovell Mixed, Adderbury, Bloxham, Broughton, Burford, Chipping Norton, Cogges, Dorchester, Great Tew, Shiplake, Stanton Harcourt, and Witney. The Fonts at Dorchester (lead), Iffley, Thame, Bampton, Bloxham, and Ewelme are particularly deserving of notice. The Brasses are numerous, and many of them very fine ; and painted Glass is frequently met with, though of no especial merit. [Berks, &ci] N 178 City of Oxford : History. Intro (t The Views are not remarkable for extent or beauty. Among the best may be mentioned that of Oxford from Shotover ; the course of the Thames from Shiplake ; and the wooded country seen from Nettlebed, and from Stokenchurch ; the latter gives a good idea of the Chiltems. Among the Country Seats , Blenheim stands pre-eminent for its superb park ; Blandford is little inferior ; Kirtlington, Middleton Stony, Nuneham Courtenay, Shirbourne, and Thame, though fine, are not comparable with either. The whole course of the Thames from Oxford to Henley furnishes a succession of excellent subjects for the pencil, but the rest of the county can hardly be styled picturesque. The park at Blenheim contains some fine scenery, as does that at Nuneham Courtenay, though in neither case can the buildings be commended. On the other hand, Broughton Castle, Fritwell Manor-house, Minster Lovell, Stanton Harcourt, and the market-house at Watlington, will repay the labour of the artist. The City of Oxfokd. Fanciful antiquaries have united to make Oxford the younger brother of Troy, and of course much older than Rome. One of them, John Rous, of Warwick, who wrote in the time of Henry VII., gravely asserts that the city was built 1009 b.c. by Memphric, King of the Britons, when it was called Caer Memphric in his honour, which name was changed to Bellositum, and afterwards to Rhyd-ychin, the Celtic for a ford of oxen ; others have argued that it is mentioned under the British name of Caer-Pen-hal goit, a city on an eminence between two rivers, and adorned with woods. Others again consider it to have been a Roman city; but the absence of Roman remains, and its position, remote from their great roads, render this very improbable. Even the legendary history of Oxford begins only in 727, when Frideswide, daughter of Didan, governor of Oxford, embraced a religious life, with twelve maidens her companions. About this time her mother, Saffrida, died ; and her father, seeking consolation from a work of piety, employed himself in the construction of a convent within the precincts of the city, of which he appointed her the abbess. Alfred the Great is said by some writers to have resided at Oxford, and also to have had a mint there, which tradition places on the site of New Inn Hall, but the first historical reference which we have is in the Saxon Chronicle, under 912, where we read that Edward the Elder took possession of Oxford in that year, on the death of HCthered of Mercia. “ A great Witenagemdt was held this year (1015) at Oxford, a city whose renown as the seat of a great University belongs to later times, but which the whole course of these wars shews to have been already a place of considerable importance. Its importance, however, would seem to have been comparatively recent. The first mention of Oxford in the Chronicle counts about 100 years before this time, when it appears as one of the chief acquisitions of Edward the Elder. As a Oxfordshire. 129 City of Oxford : History . frontier town of Mercia and Wessex, Vve might have expected to find far earlier mention of it ; but in more ancient times the now utterly insignificant Bensington (see the Chronicles in the years 571 and 777) seems to have been the chief military post of the frontier, while the now no less insignificant Dorchester was the ecclesiastical capital of a vast diocese, of which the diocese of Oxford, as it stood before recent changes, formed only a small portion. Oxford, however, was now a place of note ; in the new nomenclature of Slercia it had given its name to a shire ; it had been taken, retaken, and burned in the wars of Swegen ; and it mast have derived some further importance from the possession of the minster of the local saint Friths wyth. That minster, after an unusual number of changes in its foundation, has at last settled down into the twofold office of the cathedral church of the modern diocese and the chapel of the largest college in the University.” ( E . A. Free - man , ‘The Norman Conquest.’) The Danes burnt the city more than once, but it continued a royal residence, and was the scene of many important events. The Witan met at Oxford in 1013, 1015, 1018, 1022, 1026, and 1036 ; and here occurred the death of Harold Hare foot. After the Norman conquest, Robert d’Oiley built the castle and his nephew, also named Robert, received into it the Empress Maud, who was there besieged by Stephen. When the garrison was reduced to extremity by famine, Maud escaped on foot across the frozen river (Dec. 20, 1142), with only three attendants, and reached Walling- ford in safety. Edith, the wife of the second Robert d’Oiley, founded the magnificent abbey of Osney on an island W. of the city. The palace of Beaumont was built by Henry I., 1132 ; Henry II. often occupied it, and his sons Richard and John were born there. In 1190 a dreadful fire occurred, which destroyed most of the wooden houses, and led for the first time to the erection of houses of stone. In 1209 a quarrel arose between the townsmen and the students, when the summary execution of three of the latter by the citizens, in revenge for the death of a woman who was accidentally killed by one of their com- panions, led to the retirement of the whole University, and to the city being laid under an interdict by the Pope, who relieved the professors from their obligation of teaching in it. This was found to be so great a loss that, to induce them to return, the citizens consented, by way of penance, “ to go to all the city churches, with whips in their hands, barefooted, and in their shirts, and there pray for the benefit of abso- lution from every parish priest, repeating the penitential psalms, and to pay a mark of silver per annum to the students of the hall peculiarly injured.” In the succeeding reign of Henry III. (to which period belong the famous Provisions of Oxford), when the number of students is said to have marvellously increased, these town and gown hostilities were almost incessant ; and it was long before the bitter feeling died away. Except its military occupation during the Great Rebellion, and the holding of a parliament there by Charles II. in 1681, Oxford has no modern history ; the visit of the Allied Sovereigns in 1814, that of the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1863, and the controversies that have s 2 180 University of Oxford : History . Introd. agitated the University, having little reference to the city. Its popu- lation has steadily increased, from 12,279 in 1801 to 32,477 in 1871, and 35,929 in 1881. It has a handsome Town Hall, with a free public library. The drainage, once very defective, has been greatly improved ; and the city is well supplied with water by the Corporation ; there are large piles of building on the newest plans for the labouring population, and rows of handsome dwellings, in the suburbs, and Oxford holds, independently of the University, a high place among English cities. The University. Thomas Kay, or Caius as he is styled, who was Master of University College from 1561 to 1572, published a book to prove that his Alma Mater was founded by certain Greek professors who accompanied Brutus the Trojan to Britain. More moderate writers are cuntent with Alfred as their founder, and this conclusion has been pretty generally accepted (unless by Cambridge men), although there is no authenticated history which mentions him as such. The Annals of Hyde Abbey, Winchester, speak of him at Oxford listening to the teaching of its earliest professors, St. Grymbald and St. Neot, teachers of theology, and Asser, the teacher of grammar and rhetoric ; but as the earliest MS. that we possess is not older than the time of Richard II., its evidence is of doubtful value. The earliest provisions for education in Oxford were lodging-houses for students, which took the name of Halls, and of which more than 100 are mentioned in mediaeval documents. Down to the time of Henry III. the University continued to increase and prosper. In 1229 the disputes, which had always existed between the University and the town, became so violent that the students abandoned the place, and 1000 students of Paris, who had quarrelled with their own townspeople, came over at the invitation of Henry III., and settled at Oxford in their place. In 1260 the original Oxford students founded a new seminary at Northampton, from which, however, they were soon recalled by the entreaties of the people of Oxford, and the command of the King. What was till very recently the model of collegiate education both in Oxford and Cambridge, was supplied a few years after their return, by a code of statutes drawn up by Bishop Walter de Merton, originally for the college which still bears his name, but speedily adopted by the others, and by the subsequent foundations. During the reign of Edward III. con- flicts between the town and University again raged with fury. Of one particularly fierce conflict, in 1354, when 62 students are said to have been killed, a recollection is maintained at the present day by the custom of Queen’s and some other colleges carefully keeping their gates closed during dinner and supper, “ not only to secure their plate, but chiefly to secure themselves.” — Pointer's Oxon. Acad. In the reign of Richard II., the University was agitated by the con- troversies relating to the doctrines of Wycliffe ; in that of Henry VII. Erasmus came and revived the study of Greek ; in the 16th century Oxfordshire, University of Oxford : Constitution . 181 the Reformers struggled and suffered, but eventually triumphed. The University vigorously upheld the cause of Charles I., and the modem character of the bulk of the plate of the colleges still bears witness to their generosity in his behalf.* Puritan misrule succeeded ; and this was followed by the still greater trial of having to withstand the illegal proceedings of James II. Georges I. and II. made some efforts to con- ciliate the University, but many years elapsed ere the old attachment to the house of Stuart died out ; many of the most noted Nonjurors belonged to Oxford. The precise dates of the foundation of the Colleges are in many cases doubtful ; it must therefore suffice to say that University, Balliol, and Merton, are of the 13th century; Exeter, Oriel, Queen’s, and New, of the 14th ; Lincoln, All Souls, and Magdalen, of the 15th ; Brasenose, Corpus Christi, Christ Church, Trinity, St. John’s, and Jesus, of the 16th ; Wadham and Pembroke, of the 17th; Worcester, of the 18th; and Keble and Hertford, of the 19th. The University at the present day consists of 21 Colleges, 4 Aca- demic and 2 Private Halls, including the recently founded College in memory of Keble, having upwards of 10,000 members on their books ; and, in virtue of recent legislation, there are also “unattached students” — i.e., students not belonging to any College or Hall (a recurrence to the mediaeval system). Of these there are over 300. The chief differ- ence between Colleges and Plalls is, that the former are incorporated bodies, possessed of estates and rights of patronage, whilst the latter are not incorporated. The University as a whole is a corporate body, which returns two members to Parliament, and is known by the title of the Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars of the University of Oxford. Its chief officers are — the Chancellor (Marquis of Salisbury), chosen for life, but only appearing upon special occasions ; the High Steward (Earl of Carnarvon), chosen for life, who may be called upon to hear and determine capital causes according to the laws of the land and privileges of the University, and who holds the University Court-leet at the appointment of the chancellor or vice-chancellor ; the Vice- Chancellor , a head of a college, nominated annually, but usually holding office for four years ; the Proctors , two in number (distinguished by their black velvet sleeves), elected annually to attend to the discipline of the students under the degree of M.A., administrators of the discipline, and in all respects the acting' magistrates. The Visitor of the University is supposed to be the Crown. The constitution of the University and of the Colleges has of late * At the meeting of the British Archaeological Institute held at Oxford in June, 1850, most of the ancient plate of the colleges was exhibited. Among the more noticeable objects were : — A gold grace cup and two gold salt-cellars, 14th centy., from New College ; founder’s cup, and a 14th-centy. German cup, from Wadham ; a silver-gilt chalice and paten, sup- posed to have belonged to St. Alban’s Abbey, from Trinity College ; founder’s cup, and Bp. Carpenter’s gold-mounted cup, from Oriel ; founder’s salt-cellar from Corpus ; a gold- mounted horn, presented by Queen Philippa, and a silver trumpet (still in use to summon to dinner), from Queen’s. Of modern plate, Magdalen exhibited a gold Restoration cup, the silver-gilt cup presented by Dr. Johnson, and a gold salver, the gift of the Emperor Nicholas to its President, Dr. Routh. The rest of the modern plate does not call for remark. 182 University of Oxford : Statutes; Examinations . Introd. undergone several important changes. From the chancellorship of Archbishop Laud (1630-41), to the year 1854, the executive government of the University was vested in a board, consisting of the Vice-Chancellor, the two Proctors, and the Heads of Houses, called the Hebdomadal Board , from its weekly meetings. The colleges were governed by statutes, framed at the time of their respective founders, though in some degree modified in practice to meet the changes introduced into the University by the Reformation and the lapse of time. In the year 1850 a royal Commis- sion was issued to report on the best means of adapting the statutes, both of the University and of the Colleges, to the wants of the present age. On this report was founded an Act of Parliament in 1854 (17 and 18 Viet. c. 81), which, partly by its own provisions, and partly through the operation of a Commission, has effected many important changes. For the former Board, a Hebdomadal Council was substituted, of very different composition — viz., 6 Heads of Houses, 6 Professors, and 6 members of Convocation, all elected by Congregation , with the addi- tion of 5 ex-officio members. The Congregation is a body of ancient date, which now consists of the chief functionaries of the University, and of all resident Masters and Doctors, and has the right of discuss- ing in English the measures proposed to it by the Hebdomadal Council. These, if adopted by Congregation, must receive their final sanction from the governing body of the whole University, which, under the name of Convocation , still remains comparatively unaltered. It consists of all Doctors and Masters, resident or non-resident, and has the right of discussing in Latin (unless the Chancellor, or on some occasions the Vice-Chancellor, permits the use of the English lan- guage) the measures which are brought before it, and which it then finally rejects or approves. It also has the right of electing the bur- gesses for the University, as well as some of the Professors. The Vice- Chancellor singly, or the Proctors jointly, have aright of veto on any measure as it passes through this body. The joint veto of the Proctors has been exercised of late years on two or three memorable occasions. Under the same Act of Parliament the statutes of the College have also been altered to meet modern views. Thus, restrictions of kindred and locality, by which the choice to many of the fellowships and scholarships in Oxford was fettered, have been, with few exceptions, abolished; the imposition of oaths injurious to the public interest has been prohibited as illegal ; and professorships have in several in- stances been endowed with the proceeds of college fellowships. All tests have been removed from the University except for the degrees in divinity, which are still confined to members of the Church of England. The first Examination which a young man encounters is imposed, not by the University, but by the College into which he seeks admis- sion, or by the Censors of unattached students, unless he possesses a certificate from the Oxford and Cambridge Schools Examination Board, which also passes him through “ smalls.” When he has passed this he is “ matriculated ” into the University itself. There are 4 Terms yearly, and at the end of the 6th or 8th the student goes up for his first public Oxfordshire. 183 Heads of Houses . examination. The University examinations date in their present form from the beginning of this century, but have passed through several modifications. The first is termed “ Responsions ,” or in more popular language “Smalls” The second, which consists chiefly of classical Scholarship and Mathematics, is called “ the First Public Examina- tion,” or in popular language “ Moderations ,” or “ Mods? The third, which is called “ the Second Public Examination ,” or in popular language “ Greats ,” formerly required the passing in two out of four schools, one being necessarily Classics, the other either Mathematics, Modem History and Law, or Natural Science, before a degree could be taken, but this is now modified. If a man goes in for a Pass, he must take up a language — Greek, Latin, French, German, Sanskrit, or Persian— and also any two of the following : — the above languages, ancient history, modem history, law, political economy, geometry, mechanics, chemistry, physics. If he takes up Honours, he must get a class in one of the following schools, Liters Humaniores, Mathe- matics, Natural Science, Jurisprudence, Modern History, Theology. Both in the first and second public examinations honours are given. On passing the last of these examinations the degree of B. A. is obtained. The degree of .M, A. is conferred, without further examination, at the end of seven years from matriculation. It is distinctive of Oxford, as contrasted with Cambridge examinations, that they are partly carried on orally: to this part the public are admitted. Beside the honours obtained in these examinations, there are many University distinctions, 20 scholarships awarded annually for proficiency in various branches of knowledge, and 17 prizes for compositions in prose and verse. No less than 42 Professors, 4 Headers, 1 Lecturer, and 7 Teachers of languages are attached to the University, but the principal instruction given to undergraduates is within their own colleges, the University merely appointing and directing the examinations necessary to the attainment of a degree. The titles of the Heads of Houses are various. Christ Church is governed by the Dean of the Cathedral ; Merton, New, All Souls, Wad- ham and Keble, by Wardens ; University, Balliol and Pembroke, by Masters ; Magdalen, Corpus, Trinity, and St. John’s, by Presidents ; Oriel, Queen’s, and Worcester, by Provosts ; Exeter and Lincoln by Rectors ; Brasenose, Jesus, Hertford and the Halls, by Principals . In former days there wei ;e many remarkable Customs prevailing in the University, each college having some peculiar to itself. They are enumerated in Pointer, but most of them have now passed away. Of those that remain, the chief perhaps are, the boar’s head at Christmas, and the needle and thread on New Year’s Hay (Queen’s) ; the singing of the mallard song is only on All Souls’ Hay ; and the Hymn on May-morning on the top of the tower (Magdalen). To enumerate the eminent men who have been educated at the various Colleges, would be to name the most prominent characters in all periods of English history. It may therefore suffice to remark, that from the time of William I. to the present day, princes are to be found on the 184 Skeleton Tour. Introd. roll ; the late King of Holland was educated at Christ Church, as was also the Prince of Wales and Prince Leopold ; Prince Hassan of Egypt was a member of the same College. On the list of Chancellors is found, to go no further hack than the reign of Elizabeth, Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Sir Christopher Hatton, Lord Chancellor Ellesmere, Arch- bishop Laud, William and Philip, Earls of Pembroke, Oliver and Kichard Cromwell, Lord Clarendon, James Butler, Duke of Ormond, who with his two grandsons, held the office for 90 years (1669-1759), Lords North and Grenville, the Duke of Wellington, and the late Earl of Derby. SKELETON TOUR. Day. 1. Rly. to Henley. Road to Dorchester. (Rte. 20.) 2. By road to Oxford. (Rte. 20.) 3. 4, 5. At Oxford. (Rte. 19.) 6, 7, 8. Excursions (see pp. 234-257.) 9. Rly. to Witney. Road to Bampton. (Rte. 25.) 10. Road to Burford and Chipping Norton. (Rtes. 25, 26.) 11. Road to Banbury by Deddington. (Rte. 24.) 12. Rly., Banbury to Oxford. (Rte. 24.) 13. Rly., Oxford to Thame. (Rte. 22.) 14. Road, by Cbinnor and Stokenchurch to Wycombe. (Rte. 21.) Oxfordshire. ( 185 ) ROUTES. *** The names of places are printed in italics only in those routes where the places are described. ROUTE PAGE 19 London to Oxford .... 185 I. Colleges, p. 190. II. Chur- ches, p. 226. III. Other Objects of Interest, p. 229. Excursions, p. 234. Blen- heim, , p. 249. 20 Henley to Oxford by Road : Bother fields Ewelme , Ben- sington, Dorchester . . . 257 21 High Wycombe to Oxford by Road : Stokenchurch , Great Milton 261 22 Thame to Oxford : Rycote Park , Albury , Wheatley . .263 23 Watlington to Oxford by Road : Pyrton , Shirbourne Castle , the Britwells , Chal- grove , Chiselhampton , Gar- sington , Cowley . . . .265 24 Oxford to Cropredy : Kidling- ton, Bousham , Deddington , Adderbury , Bloxham, Ban- ROUTE 19. LONDON TO OXFORD, BY DIDCOT. G. W. Rly. 63 J m. (For the journey to Didcot Junc- tion, 53? m. from Paddington Station, see Rtes. 4, 11.) The rly. leaves the main line by a sharp turn to the N., and the Sino- dun hills near Dorchester soon come in view. At 55| m. the Thames is crossed into Oxfordshire, and on W. a range of Gothic buildings is seen in the midst of a treeless land- scape. This is Culham College (Prin- cipal, Rev. J. Ridgway, B.D.), a training school for schoolmasters, founded by Bishop Wilberforce 1853, ROUTE PAGE bury, Broughton Castle, Wroxton Abbey, Hanwell Castle 269 25 Oxford to Witney and Bur- ford : Yarnton, Eynsham, [Coggs, Ducklington, Bamp- ton-in-the-Bush, Black Bour- ton ], Minster Lovell . . .279 26 Oxford to Chipping Norton : St ones field, Charlbury, Bland- ford Park, Wychwood Forest, Shipton, Churchill, Rollright Stones, Hook Norton . . .287 27 Oxford to Chipping Norton by Road : Nether Kidding- ton, Ditchley, Spilsbury, En- stone, Great Tew, Heythorpe, Cold Norton 293 28 Oxford to Launton : Bicester, Middleton Stony, Cavers- field 297 and capable of containing 130 stu- dents. It consists of a chapel, hall, practising school, dormitory, and Principal^ lodge. (/. Clarke , archi- tect.) 56 J m. Culham (Stat.) about 1 m. from the ground of Nuneham. The ch., a small cruciform building of mixed style, with Perp. tower, stands near the river, 1 m. W. On crossing the Thames into Berkshire, notice the view, E., of the fine woods of Nune- ham Courtenay (Exc. b from Oxford), and, W\, of the spire of St. Helen’s, Abingdon. 57i m. Radley (Stat.) whence is a Branch Line to Abingdon. (Rte. 8.) 1. Radley College (Rev. C. Martin). 186 Sect. Ill, Boute 19 . — London to Oxford . The quaint red buildings rise behind the village and ch. (Rte. 8.) rt. Sandford Ch., on a hill above its picturesque Lasher; and monu- menfc to Gaisford and Phillimore, drowned there while bathing (Exc. b. from Oxford.) 61 m. 1. on the hill-side Bagley Wood. rt. Iffley : the Norm. ch. tower rises from the trees above an old water-mill. Near this the line to London through Thame runs off. (Rte. 22). The towers and spires of Oxford begin to rise above the green willows on the E. bank of the river. That furthest to the rt. is the tower of Magdalen, whence the eye wan- ders by the dome of the Radcliffe, the spire of St. Mary’s, and the towers of All Souls and of Merton, till it rests upon the great mass of Christ Ch., with its cathedral spire rising above Wolsey’s hall and the dome-capped tower of Tom Gateway. The rly. again crosses the river and re-enters Oxfordshire immedi- ately before reaching the town. On the 1. flat marshy meadows stretch away to the low hills, which are clothed with the woods of Wytham. A sheet of water, formed by acci- dental opening of springs in making the line, and hence styled the Rail- way Lake, is next passed, with the ch. of St. Thomas (pos£) on E., and we enter at 63 J m. Oxford Station, which, with the adjoining one belonging to the London and North-Western Rly., occupies part of the site of Rewley Abbey, founded by Edmund, Earl of Cornwall. From the G. W. stat. there are trains to London, via Thame (Rte. 22), to Worcester (Rte. 26), and to the North (Rte. 24). From the L. and N. W. Stat. to Bletchley, where the main line is joined (Rtes. 17, 28). St. Alban Hall, 199. Aldrich, Dean, church built by, 227 Alfred claimed as the founder of the University, 178, 180, 202 Allied Sovereigns, visit of the, 179 All Souls' College, 200 Approach from Station, 187 Ashmolean Museum, 215 Bacon’s (Friar) Study, 234 Balliol College, 221 Bocardo, 231 Bodleian Library, 212 Botanic Garden, 208 Brasenose College, 210 Broad Street, 188 Broad Walk, Christ Church, 196 Canterbury Quadrangle, 194 Carfax, 232 Castle, 229 Cathedral, 192 Chapter-house, 194 Chicheley, Abp., founder of All Souls’ College, 200 Christ Church, 190 OXFORD. Index. Christ Church Hall, 191 ; Charles I.’s Parliament there, 192 Christ Church Meadows, 196 Churches : — St. Aldate’s, 228 All Saints’, 227 St. Barnabas, 229 St. Frideswide, 229 St. Giles, 228 Holywell, 209 St. Martin, 232 St. Mary Magdalen, 228 St. Mary the Virgin, 226 St. Michael, 228 St. Peter in the East, 227 St. Peter-Le-Bailey, 229 St. Philip and St. James, 229 St. Thomas the Martyr, 228 City Walls, their course, 229 Commemoration, the, 217 Conduit, the, 218 Convocation House, 214 Corn Exchange, 233 Corn Market, 232 Corpus Christi College, 197 Cranmer, Abp., memorial to, 228 Crown Inn, 232 Dates of late Gothic build- ings, 189 Dead Man’s Walk, Christ Church Meadows, 196 Deanery, Christ Church, 195 Divinity School, 213 St. Edmund Hall, 204 Elizabeth, Queen, at Christ Church, 191 Examinations, 182, 212 Excursions, 234, 257 Exeter College, 215 Folly Bridge, 234 Frewen Hall, 225 St. Frideswide, 193 Gates, 229 Grand- Pont Bridge, 234 Great Bell of Oxford, 191 Heads of Houses, titles of, 183 Heber’s Tree, 211 Henry, Prince, at Queen’s College, 203 Hertford College, 210 High Street, 188 Hints for Visitors, 187 Oxfordshire. 'Route 19 . — Oxford: Inns , Streets. 187 History of the City, 176 Univer- sity, 180 Horse Path, Christ Church Meadows, 196 Inns, 187 James II., his attack on the rights of Magdalen College, 208 Jesus College, 215 John’s, St., College, 222 Johnson, Dr., at Pembroke College, 225 Keble College, 219 Kettel Hall, 220 King’s (Bp.) House, 234 Lacordaire, Pbre, on Oxford, 188 Latimer, Bp., memorial to, 228 Latin Chapel, in the Cathe- dral, 193 Lincoln College, 214 London and County Bank, 233 Longwall Street, 208 Magdalen Bridge, 188 College, 201 School, 208 — Hall, 206 Walks, 206 Martyrs’ Memorial, 228 St. Mary Hall, 200 Maud’s Chapel, in the Castle, 229 Merton College, 197 Michael Angelo, original drawings of, 224 Mint set up in New Inn Hall, 225 Monastic remains, 230 New College, 209 New Inn Hall, 225 New Museum, 217 Observatory, the new, 218 Old Clarendon Printing Office, 217 Oriel College, 199 Osney Abbey, 230 ■ town, 230 Oxford Union Society, 231 Parks, the, 217 Peckwater Quadrangle, 195 Pembroke College, 225 Penniless Porch, 232 Physic Garden, 2u8 Picture Gallery, Bodleian, Pig Market, 213 Plate, ancient, of the Colleges, 181 Post Office, 233 Proscholium, 213 Public Examinations, 212 Queen’s College, 203 Radcliffe Infirmary; 231 Library, 211 Observatory, 231 Rafaelle, original drawings of, 223 Railway Lake, 186 stations, 186 Rewley Abbey, 230 Ridley, Bp., memorial to, 228 Royal visitors, 191 Savings’ Bank, 233 Schools, the, 211 Shops, 234 Show Sunday, 196 Slaying Lane, 233 Stodley’s Hall, 233 Taylor Buildings, 223 Theatre, 216 Tom Gateway, 191 Town and Gown fights, 233 Town Hall, 233 Trinity College, 200 University, question of date of foundation, 180, 190, 201 University College, 201 Galleries, 223 - - Prncc OQ1 Wadham College, 217 Wales, Prince and Princess of, visit, 179 Wesley, John, at Lincoln College, 214 Whitfield, George, at Pem- broke College, 225 Wolsey’s Almshouses, 233 Worcester College 224 (Inns: the Randolph, a Gothic building, at the corner of Beaumont Street (B 4), the best ; the Clarendon (formerly the Star), in the Corn- market (C 4), good; the Mitre, in the High Street (C 5) ; the King’s Arms, in Broad Street, both com- fortable). The approach from the station is through a poor suburb and narrow streets. An air of antiquity, however, prevails, and when the visitor reaches either High Street or Broad # Street he finds himself amid palatial col- leges, with Gothic halls and chapels, some with towers, others with spires, whose delicate pinnacles stand out brightly against the sky, while the grey masses below are broken by the brilliant green of trees or luxuriant gardens. The crumbling stone of which the majority of the edifices are built gives an appear- ance of age even to buildings of mo- dern date ; and the academical cos- tume so frequently seen in the streets, imparts an additional interest and picturesqueness for the passing stranger, unaccustomed to University life. To one just hurried by train from London, the impression pro- duced by the first sight of Oxford is most striking. “ From noise, glare, and brilliancy, the traveller comes upon a very different scene— a mass of towers, pinnacles, and spires, ris- ing in the bosom of a valley, from groves which hide all buildings but such as are consecrated to some wise and holy purpose. The same river which in the metropolis is covered with a forest of masts and ships, here gliding quietly through meadows, with scarcely a sail upon it — dark and ancient edifices clustered to- gether in forms full of richness and beauty, yet solid as if to last for ever; such as become institutions raised not for the vanity of the builder, but for the benefit of coming 188 Sect. III. Boute 19. — Oxford: History; ages ; streets, almost avenues of edifices which elsewhere would pass for palaces, but all of them dedicated to God; thoughtfulness, repose, and gravity in the countenance and even dress of their inhabitants ; and, to mark the stir and business of life, instead of the roar of carriages, the sound of hourly bells calling men together to prayer.” The late Pere Lacordaire wrote: “ Fancy in a plain surrounded by uplands, and bathed by two rivers, a mass of monuments Gothic and Greek; churches, colleges, quad- rangles, porticoes, all distributed profusely, but most gracefully, in quiet streets terminating in trees and meadows. All these buildings, consecrated to letters and science, have their gates open. The stranger enters as he would enter his own house, because they are the asylums of the beautiful to all who are en- dowed with feeling. As you tra- verse these noiseless quadrangles, there is no crowding or din. There is nowhere such an appearance of ruin, with so much of preservation. In Italy the buildings breathe of youth. In Oxford it is time which shows itself, but time without decay, and with all its majesty. The town itself is small, but even this does not take from the grandeur of the place ; the monuments serve for houses, and give it an air of vastness.” Oxford is in Domesday styled Ox- eneford , a name commonly regarded as derived from a ford much tra- versed by cattle, but probably a mere corruption of Ousenford, the ford over the river Ouse, which is re- garded as the ancient name of the Isis. The Pop. in 1881 was 38,289, an increase of 5,812 since 1871 ; the suburbs have extended considerably in every direction. The principal street, remarkable for its graceful curve, for the buildings which line it, and grand termination in the stately tower of Magdalen, is the High Street, which contains four colleges, two noble churches, and the Botanic Gardens, as well as the best shops. It is about a mile long, run- ning nearly E. and W. ; at its W. extremity it is succeeded by a greatly inferior street called Queen Street, which soon divides into two branches ; Castle Street (1.), and the New Road (r.), which leads to the Stat. Broad Street runs parallel with High Street at a short distance N., and St. Al- date’s and the Cornmarket run from S. to N., terminating in St. Giles’s Street, with a fine avenue of elms. The following is the order in which the hurried traveller may most easily visit the chief sights of Oxford. Passing from the Stat. by the New Road (notice D’Oiley’s Tower and the Castle Mound on r. — the Castle itself, a court-house and prison, is modern work, imitating Norman) and Queen Street, you arrive at Car- fax — quatre voles, where 4 roads meet. After a glance E. down the High Street, turn S. down St. A1 date’s Street. On rt. are the ch. of that name and Pembroke College (where Dr. Johnson was a student and Whitfield a servitor). On the op- posite side of the street you pass under the Tom Gateway into Christ Church, with its quadrangles, Cathe- dral, Wolsey’s Hall, New Buildings, and Meadows. Slightly retracing your steps, you cross the Peckwater quadrangle, and leave by Canter- bury Gate, when you face, in close proximity, Corpus, Oriel, and Merton, Colleges. Oriel Street leads from Corpus into the High Street oppo- site St. Mary’s Ch. Turning to the rt. you arrive in turn at All Souls and Queen’s Colleges on 1., and University and the new Exami- nation Schools on rt. At the end of the street stands Magdalen, with its chapel, cloisters, and beautiful tower. Opposite is the Botanic Gar- den, and close adjoining is Mag- dalen Bridge, the view from which should on no account be missed. Oxfordshire. Route 19 . — Architecture . 189 Retracing your steps as far as Queen’s Lane, and following its windings, you reach New College, whose chapel and gardens are well worthy of a visit. M ew College Lane brings you to Hertford College, the Old Schools, and the Bodleian Library, Brasenose College, and the classic Radcliffe Library, from the top of which the finest view of Oxford and its neighbourhood is to be obtained. Beyond the Schools are the Clarendon Building, the Shel- donian Theatre, and the Ashmolean Museum, whence a few steps will lead you to Wadham, with its pretty quadrangle and garden, beyond which you have the New Museum on rt., with Keble College opposite. Returning to, and following the Broad Street, passing (1 . ) Exeter, and (rt.) Trinity, and Balliol Colleges (Lincoln and Jesus are in a street called the Turl, facing Trinity), you reach St. Mary Magdalen Ch. and the Martyrs’ Memorial, near which is St. John’s College, with its beautiful gardens, and memories of Charles I. and Archbishop Laud. Almost opposite are the Taylor Build- ings, containing a picture gallery, statuary, and a famous collection of sketches by Rafiaelle and Michael Angelo. Hence the traveller may re- turn to the rly. by Beaumont Street (the site of the Palace), taking, if time allows, a glimpse of Worcester College, which is a good example of the contrast between ancient and modern architecture. If content with.mere outside views, the pedestrian may make the round with tolerable satisfaction in about two hours, but if he ventures on any detailed examination of any one of the colleges, with its hall, chapel, library, pictures, and gardens, the whole day will prove far too short. “ There is no place in England where Gothic architecture lingered so late as in Oxford. In other places the mixture of Gothic and classic styles first took place temp. Hen. VII. The chief forms of Gothic were then lost. In temp. Hen. VIII. the details also became debased. In temp. Eliz. the mixture of the two styles became more complete, and though details were often incongruous, there resulted a style, which when applied to domestic buildings was highly picturesque. In the succeeding pe- riod the decline still continued, until the old style was swallowed up— the window, the most important feature of Gothic, being the last to depart. “ The following list of the late Gothic buildings in Oxford may be found useful : — Elizabeth. — 1571. Old buildings of Jesus commenced. 1596. Library, St. John’s, built. 1597. Sir T. Bodley commenced the repairs of Duke Humphrey’s Library, and added the roof. 1600. Front of St. Alban’s Hall built. 1602. Duke Humphrey’s Library reopened after repairs. James I. — 1610. First stone of the extension of Bodleian and Proscholium laid. Great quadrangle of Merton built. First stone of Wadham laid. 1612. West side of lesser quadrangle of Lincoln built. 1613. Wadham College opened. 1617. Hall of Jesus built. 1620. Hall of Trinity finished. 1621. Chapel of Jesus finished. 1624. Old Chapel of Exeter built. Charles I. — 1626. Library of Jesus built. 1628. Front of Bishop King’s house rebuilt. 1631. First stone of garden front and lesser quadrangle of St. John’s laid. 1631. Lincoln Chapel consecrated. 1634. West side of University built. 1635. West side of St. Edmund Hall opened. 1635. Front of University begun. 1637. Oriel quadrangle and Hall built. 1639. Chapel of University begun. (Finished 1665. ) 1639-40. St. Mary Magdalen Chapel and Hall built. 1640. Hall, University, begun. (Finished 1657.) 1640. Staircase of Christ Church built. 1642. Oriel Chapel consecrated. 1656. Chapel, Brasenose, begun. (Finished 1666. ) 1663. Library, Brasenose, opened. 1665. Chapel, University, consecrated. 1666. Chapel, Brasenose, consecrated. 1669. Library, University, opened. Archceological Journal , vol. viii. 190 Sect. Ill Route 19. — Oxford: History ; “ Oxford was a school of great resort in the reign of Henry II., though its first charter was only granted by Henry III. It became in the 13th centy. second only to Paris in the multitude of its students and the celebrity of its scholastic disputations.” — Ilallam. (< See Uni- versity College). “ The earliest doctor of this Uni- versity was the sainted Neot, whose achievements, real or imaginary, coincide with our earliest national deliverance. The long line of its colleges was parallel to the long struggle of English liberty. The first two of their founders shared in the conflicts out of which sprang the House of Commons. The charter of the last foundation was signed by the dying hand of the last sove- reign of the House of Stuart. [Keble and Hertford Colleges had not been founded when this eloquent passage was written.] At every turn of the history of the Uni- versity we are brought into con- tact with the history of the nation. The name of Balliol still lives in his father’s benefaction, long after its disappearance from every other quar- ter. The dark shadow of the reign of the 2nd Edward rests on the col- lege of Stapleton, Bishop of Exeter, who perished fighting in the streets of London in the cause of his unfor- tunate master. Masses for the soul of Hugh Despenser, the unworthy favourite of the same unhappy prince, are enjoined to be offered up in Oriel. “ From Philippa down to Charlotte the Queens of England have ho- noured with their favour the college which bears their name. The youth of the most illustrious of our heirs apparent, Edward the Black Prince, — Henry V., ‘ hostium victor et sui,’ — Henry Prince of Wales, the ‘ Mar- cellus ’ of the House of Stuart, — was by tradition connected with that col- lege and Magdalen. The architect of the noblest of our royal palaces was also the architect and founder of the most elaborate of our colleges, and the genius of Wolsey still lives in the graceful tower of Magdalen and the magnificent courts of Christ Ch. The most permanent impress of the administration of Laud was till lately to be found in the new aca- demical constitution which sprung from his hands. All Souls is a mo- nument of Agincourt; Queen’s, of Halidon Hill; Lincoln, of the rise of Wycliffe; Corpus, of the revival of letters : the storms of the Refor- mation, of the Civil War, of the Revolution, swept with no ordinary vehemence round the walls of Balliol, of St. John’s, and of Magdalen.” — Dean Stanley. Having indicated the positions of the various colleges and other chief buildings, we now proceed to de- scribe them nearly in the same order. I. Colleges, Halls, Libraries, and Museums. (1.) Christ Church. ( Obs . Tom Gateway, *Hall, ^Cathedral, Li- brary, New Buildings, Meadows and Walks.) (D 4, 5) This noble foundation was com- menced by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525, and had he been able to carry out his intention, it would have been the grandest academic institution England had ever seen; but his disgrace prevented this, and Henry VIII. seized the funds appropriated for it. The king afterwards (1546) continued his design, but changed the original name of Cardinal’s Col- lege, first into King’s College, and afterwards into Christ Church. It was built on the site of a nunnery founded by St. Frideswide, who died about 740. The principal entrance is in St. Aldate’s Street, along one side of which extends the fagade of the college, 400 ft. long, broken in the Oxfordshire. Boute 19 . — Christ Church College. 191 centre by a noble gateway, sur- mounted by a six-sided tower with domed roof. This tower, added by Sir Christopher Wren in 1682, contains the Great Bell of Oxford , “ the mighty Tom,” weighing 17,000 lbs. and the clapper 342 lbs. It was brought originally from the abbey of Osney (whose bells were the most cele- brated in England) ; when it bore the inscription “ In Thom?e laude, resono Bim Bom sine fraude,” and it was recast 1680. At 9.5 every evening this bell intimates to all the colleges the usual hour for closing their gates by 101 strokes, the num- ber of students or members of the foundation which existed at Christ Ch. before the Act of 1854 for re- modelling the University. The Porter’s Lodge is in the gateway, where application to view the Hall, &c., must be made. Tom Gateway leads into the Great Quadrangle (which is always called “Torn Quad ”), measuring 264 ft. by 261 ft. It contains the lodgings of the Dean and canons, the Hall (on rt.), and many sets of rooms occu- pied by senior and junior members of the college. They stand on a terrace, the earth having been excavated (1665) by Dean Fell, in order to give height to the buildings. The ori- ginal design of Wolsey was to build a chapel on the N. side, and sur- round the whole by a cloister (of which the intended pilasters may still be seen), but this was .never carried out. The Quadrangle was terribly injured during the Civil War by the intruding Dean and Canons and their supporters. The buildings were originally surmounted by an open battlement with pin- nacles. I am nearly sure that the battlements have during the past 10 years been replaced by a balustrade : the incongruous balustrade, which still remains on the St. Aldate’s Facade, was erected by Dr. John Fell, when he completed the court and gateway in 1660-68. In the centre is a fountain known as Mer- cury, from a paltry statue, given by Dr. Kadcliffe, which formerly stood there, but has been removed to the Infirmary. The entrance to the Hall is at the S.E. corner of the Quadrangle, where a massive tower is now built, adorned with a small statue of Wolsey and two other figures. The Hall is approached by a grand and beautiful staircase, whose delicate fan-roof, springing from a single pillar, was erected for Dean S. Fell, 1640, by one “ Smith of London” ( Pes - hall). The two open arches opposite the hall-door are of Wolsey’s period, and it is considered probable, as the design of Smith’s work (at a very late date for Gothic architecture) harmonizes so well with the earlier parts of the building, that the ori- ginal drawings showing the inten- tion of Wolsey’s architect were pre- served and made use of by him. The stairs and parapet were the work of Wyatt. The *llall, the largest and finest in Oxford (length 113 ft., width 40 ft., height 50 ft.), was finished by Wolsey himself, in the late Perp. style. The carved oak roof has very elegant pendants de- corated with the arms and badges of Henry VIII. and Catherine of Aragon; the date of its completion (1529) also appears. In this hall the Sovereign is received on visiting Oxford, and on the list of royal visitors are Henry VIII., Elizabeth, James I., Charles I., George III., and George IV., who, as Prince Eegent, did the honours of the Uni- versity here to the Emperor of Russia, King of Prussia, and other potentates assembled in Oxford in 1814. Here Elizabeth was witness- ing a play, when, “ a cry of hounds having been counterfeited in the quadrangle during the performance, > the students were seized with a 1 * Keble Hall is slightly longer, but not so [ high, or wide. 192 Boute 19. — Oxford: Cathedral; Sect. Ill sudden transport, whereat her Majesty cried out 4 O excellent ! these boys, in very truth, are ready to leap out of the windows to follow the hounds.’ ” A play acted here in 1636 before Charles I. was remarkable for its scenes and stage machinery, which were the earliest of the kind made in England, and which are mentioned by Anthony Wood, “ in order that pos- terity might know that what is now seen in the playhouses at London is originally due to the invention of Oxford scholars.” In this hall Charles I. in Jan. 1644 assembled and addressed his fragment of a Par- liament, composed of 45 Peers and 118 Commoners, his loyal adherents, in opposition to that which sat at West- minster. The subsequent meetings of the Peers were held above the Schools, and those of the Commons in the Convocation House. King Charles was lodged in this college, his queen Henrietta Maria at Mer- ton. The portraits (about 120 in number) that line the walls, are in many cases of great interest, as Wolsey and Henry VIII., Holbein (copies?); Queen Elizabeth, Zuc- chero ; Bishop Morley, Lely ; Lord Grenville, Owen; George Canning, Lawrence ; Bishop King, Jansen ; Atterbury and Smallridge, Kneller ; Archbishop Robinson and Arch- bishop Markham, Reynolds; Welbore Ellis, Gainsborough ; John Locke, Kneller ; Canon Nichol (an admir- able portrait), Reynolds ; and Bishop Hooper, Hogarth. Close by the hall is the Kitchen , which should not be passed unnoticed, being an excellent specimen of the ancient English style ; it was the first point attended to by Wolsey, and is the oldest part of his building, a circumstance which gave occasion for caustic remarks among the wits of the day. The primitive arrangements, the 3 vast fire-places, &c., can still be traced ; and Wolsey 's huge gridiron is an attraction to many visitors. At the foot of the hall staircase is the entrance to what remains of the buildings of the ancient monastery, viz., the cloisters. The Cathedral. The Cathedral , entered by a re- cessed portal from the Quadrangle, serves in the place of a chapel to the college, and is part of the earliest institution in Oxford, being the church of the priory of St. Frideswide, or, as she was familiarly called, St. Frid, a princess who be- came prioress of a nunnery founded by her father King Didan, called Didymus, circa 730. She was cele- brated for a double miracle, in first striking her lover Algar blind when he attempted to pursue her, and afterwards restoring his sight. She died here Oct. 14, 740, which anniversary was long held as a gaudy, i.e., commemoration day. (The gaudy day now observed is either Commemoration day, or the day after.) This was one of the 22 minor convents, of which Wolsey procured the suppression, by a bull of Pope Clement VII. in 1 524, in order to endow this college and another at Ipswich with their re- venues. The conversion of monas- teries into colleges had been begun before this, as by Bishop Alcock at Cambridge. Wolsey commenced his operations here by shortening the nave of the ch., and altering it in various ways, designing it, as is believed, for minor services and divinity exercises, while the actual college chapel on a large and splen- did scale was to have been on the N. side of the quadrangle. The exist- ing edifice is chiefly late Norm., consecrated 1180. The tower con- tained 10 bells from Osney Abbey, the “ bonny Christ Church bells ” of Dean Aldrich, but their vibration was considered to endanger the struc- ture, and they are now hung in the large tower, erected in 1878-9, over 193 Oxfordshire. Route 1 9 . — Latin Chapel ; Monuments. the staircase leading to the Hall. The spire, 144 ft. in height, is probably the earliest existing in England, but the upper part has been rebuilt. The Cathedral Church, the restora- tion of which was commenced in 1856 by Scott , is entered from the cloisters at the S.W. corner, or from the E. side of Tom Quad, by a modern portal, and presents a mix- ture of different styles in which late Norm, predominates. The pier arches are double ; an inner and a lower arch springing from corbels ; attached to the piers beneath the main arches. Both upper and lower arches are of one date and part of the original plan. The choir was thrown open to the nave in 1856 by Dean Liddell, and further changes were made by him between 1872 and 1881. The roof of the choir, which is of the same character as that of the Divinity School (pod), is of fan-tracery, groined, with pendants — an enrichment attributed to Wolsey. The clerestory windows are examples of the latest Norman style. Beneath the fine E. wheel window there is a very beautiful reredos of sandstone and red marble, designed by Bodley, completed in 1881, and an admirable specimen of modern workmanship. The restoration was mainly carried on between 1872 and. 1875, when the seating was renewed ; the^choir was repaved ; carved stalls and wrought- iron canopies were erected for the dean and canons; a new bay was added to the nave, and a porch opened into the great quadrangle. A fine lectern was presented at ' the same time, and the organ was erected at the W. end. The E. end was restored in 1871. A carved throne of Italian walnut' was erected in 1876 to the memory of Bishop Wilberforce. Attached to the choir on the N. are three aisles, the furthest of which is called the Lady or the Latin Chapel : the college Latin prayers were for- [. Berks , (fee.] merly read in it at the beginning of each Term, and the Regius Professor of Divinity always gives his lec- tures there. Notice the painted window with the legend of St. Frides- wide, erected 1861. The nearer is the Dean’s or St. Frideswide’s Chapel, or the Dormitory, from the number of eminent persons who sleep beneath its pavement. The Latin Chapel, built by Lady Elizabeth Montacute, 1346, is of Dec. archi- tecture, and contains stalls of Wol- sey’s time of good workmanship. Between the piers which separate these two chapels are 3 tombs: — 1. Sir George Nowers, d. 1425, but the armour is of earlier date, so that the tomb may probably have been pre- pared in his lifetime; it was long supposed to be that of Sir Henry de Bath, the justiciary, d. 1261. 2. Said to be the oldest in the ch., and to represent Alexander de Sutton, Prior of St. Frideswide 1294-1316. The effigy, which has been elabo- rately painted, lies under a triple- arched canopy. 3. Lady Elizabeth Montacute, d. 1355, who gave Ch. Ch. x meadows to the Priory : the costume and head-dress, very perfect, with broken statuettes in niches around representing her children, two of the daughters having been in succession Abbesses of Barking in Essex, and one of the sons, Simon, Bishop of Worcester, and of Ely, d. 1345. Beyond this tomb is a structure, wrongly styled the shrine of St. Fri- deswide (date 1480), but now supposed to have been the watching chamber of the guard or keeper of the shrine and its offerings, which were often of great value. A similar watch- ing chamber still exists at St. Alban’s, and in the ch. of North Marston, in Bucks (Rte. 15), where it guarded the shrine of Sir John Shorne. In each case the watching chamber now alone remains to tes- tify to the wealth of the deserted shrine. Here it is of wood, orna- mented with tabernacle work, and is o 194 Route 19. — Oxford: Cathedral; Chapter-house; Sect. TIL raised upon a table-tomb, from 'which the brasses have been removed. The shrine of St. Frideswide was fre- quently moved to different parts of the building, to stimulate subscrip- tions towards it. It was constantly visited by devout pilgrims, among whom the last of eminence was Queen Catherine of Aragon ; and it was removed, but not destroyed at the Reformation. Soon after, the wife of Peter Martyr, the Protestant canon, was buried beside St. Frides- wide. On the accession of Mary, the body was removed; but under Elizabeth it was brought back, and placed in the coffin of the saint, with the epitaph 44 Hie jacet Religio cum Superstitione.” A brass plate was placed in 1880 over the spot where the shrine of St. Frideswide once stood. In the S. transept a remarkable sacristy chamber has been brought to light and restored by Scott. The monuments and mural tablets are numerous. Some of them have recently been moved, and a new window (the 4 Lothian window ’) has been put in the N. transept. Notice, in the porch, Otho Nicholson, donor of the Carfax conduit (post) ; in the ante-chapel, Dean Gaisford; at the en- trance of the nave, Bishop Berkeley, with his monument against a pillar, and over his grave a stone inscribed with the single line from Pope, 44 To Berkeley every virtue under heav’n in the N. transept, Peter Elmsley, the Greek commentator ; in the Lady Chapel Bishop Fell, with a monu- ment remarkable for being inscribed on both sides ; in St. Frideswide’s Chapel, Burton, the author of the 4 Anatomy of Melancholy/ Demo- critus Junior, as he styles himself in his epitaph ; Dean Aldrich ; Bishop Tanner the antiquary ; and Pococke the Orientalist. In the S. aisle is the tomb of Bishop King, the last Abbot of Osney and first Bishop of Oxford, above which is his portrait in stained glass, the background of which is the best existing repre- sentation of Osney Abbey. This was taken down and preserved by one of the Bishop’s family during the usurpation in 1648, and put up again at the Restoration. In the N. transept was formerly a beautiful statue (by Chantrey) of Cyril Jack- son, Dean of Christ Ch. (d. 1819), who resigned his post in 1809, and retired to Felpham, where he is buried with the epitaph, 44 Lord, in thy sight shall no man living be justified.” It has recently been re- moved to the library. The E. window in the Latin Chapel has superseded one of 4 Christ in the Temple/ in the grey style of the 17th cent., attributed to Van Linge. In the S. transept (St. Lucy’s Chapel) is a window made up from fragments of ancient glass. Among these may be noticed a representa- tion of Becket’s murder, a hole marking the place where the head was knocked out at the Reformation, the destruction of all images and likenesses of Bucket being especially ordained. Four divisions of the great W. window were brought thither from the Latin Chapel. Much ancient glass was destroyed when Christ Cli. was in the hands of the Puritans, among whom Henry Wilkinson, Margaret Professor of Divinity, was its great enemy, 44 fu- riously stamping upon the windows, when they wejre taken down, and utterly defacing them.” There are four windows designed by Burne Jones, and executed by Wm. Morris, the poet and painter ; three at the E. end, and one at the N.W. corner. In St. Lucy’s Chapel a new font of red- veined marble was erected in March, 1882. Divine service is performed in the cathedral at 10 a. m. and 5 p.m. The Chapter house, in the clohter, has a fine Trans. -Norm, doorway, but the building (which cannot be visited without application to the Dean or 195 Oxfordshire. Route 19 . — Pictures; Library. one of the Canons) is a beautiful spe- cimen of the E. E. style, with lancet windows and a groined vault. It was beautifully restored in 1880-81. In an adjoining chamber, panelled with oak, are placed some pictures : Mary ; Elizabeth ; and Peter Martyr, first Protestant canon. The portrait of Compton Bishop of London, 1675 (famous during the Eevolution of 1688, when to protect the Princess Anne he resumed the buff coat and jack-boots of a trooper, having in his youth served in the royal guard) has been removed to the Deanery; John King, Bishop of London (called “ King of Preachers” by James I.). On the 1. wall are 2 portraits, taken at various ages, of Dean Aldrich, celebrated both as an architect, in which capacity he designed Peck- water, All Saints’ Ch., and Trinity College Chapel, and for his talents as a poet and musician, shown in his various catches and songs, and still more so in his anthems, Many other portraits have been removed to the Canons’ houses. Passing down the cloister we come to the ancient Eefectory of St. Frideswide, which was afterwards the “ Old Library,” a name it still retains, though divided into rooms for undergraduates. The S. side of the new quadrangle is occupied by the New Buildings, an ungainly Go- thic pile in the style of the Museum (post), by Deane , which extends for a considerable distance along the side of the Broad Walk ; in the centre is a gate, which gives admission to Christ Ch. meadow. Eeturning and recrossing Tom Quad., notice, 1., beyond the Hall, the house of the Eegius Professor of Hebrew (Dr. Pusey), which possesses the oldest fig-tree in England, im- ported from the Levant in 1691 by Pococke the Orientalist 4 rt. is the house of the Eegius Professor of Divinity. Dr. Bentham occupied it when Johnson visited Oxford with Boswell, and he invited them to dinner — “ which Dr. Johnson told me was a high honour : ‘ Sir, it is a great thing to dine with the Canons of Christ Church/ ” The rest of the E. side of the quadrangle is occupied by the Deanery , the gardens of which a!re very fine. It was here that Cranmer was brought, and “gently entreated,” with insidious purpose. “To the intent that the doctors and divines, who busied themselves about Cranmer during his imprisonment, might win him more easily, they had him to the Dean’s house of Christ Ch., where he lacked no delicate fare, played at the bowls, had his pleasure for walking, and all other things that might bring him from Christ.” — Foxe. The passage opposite the Hall is surmounted by a statue of Dean Fell (given by Hammond). A tower has been built here. The rooms over the gate are those that are set apart for the royal guests of the college, and they were thus occu- pied by the Prince and Princess of Wales in July, 1863, and later. The passage is sometimes called Kill- Canon, from the pernicious effects of its draughty situation, and forms the entrance to Peckwater, a large quadrangle of Palladian architecture, named from the inn of one Eadulph Peckwether, mayor of Oxford in time of Henry III., which occupied its site. Peckwater Inn was celebrated for its grammarians ; one of them was John Leland, who taught in the reigns of Henry V. and VI., of whom Wood says, that “he went beyond the learned est of his age. It was here that William Penn, who had entered the University during the Protectorate, attacked with his associates the Christ Ch. stu- dents when they appeared for the first time after the Eestoration. in their white surplices, and tore the hated garments to pieces. On the S. side of Peckwater is the Library (1761), whose chief benefactors were Otho Nicholson, the builder of the Con- duit, and Archbishop Wake, 1737. o 2 196 Sect. XIL Route 19. — Oxford: Library; Walks; The lower st&rey serves also as a picture-gallery, furnished chiefly by a bequest of Gen. Guise. This contains a few very good works, with many worthless copies. Well worthy of attention are a Virgin and Child, by Lippi ; a Magdalen of the early Venetian school ; a Parmegiano ; the Adoration of the Shepherds : a portrait of one of the Torreani family ; General Guise, by Reynolds ; a Christ Church servant by Riley ; a classical composition of the French School of the last century ; Ann. Caracei , the painter and his family as butchers; Rcifaelle , frag- ment of the cartoon of the Murder of the Innocents; An. Mantegna , Virgin and St. John, probably a fragment of a larger picture ; Titian’s Nativity. There are also several busts of eminent personages. A number of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, Andrea Mantegna, and Albert Diirer, are also preserved in the Library. On the staircase is a statue of John Locke, by Rysbrach. He was a member of Christ Church, and being a friend of Shaftesbury, was expelled in 1682 for “ seditious de- meanour.” The upper library, a noble room 142 ft. long, 80 ft. wide, and 37 ft. high, contains the libraries of Dean Aldrich, Archbishop Wake, and others. Some MSS. of interest are displayed in a case, and Wolsey’s chair stands at one end of the room. The plaster work in the roof and the carved wood porch and gallery are fine of their kind. The Canterbury Quadrangle, re- built 1770, mainly at the expense of Abp. Robinson, of Armagh, occupies the site of Canterbury Hail, founded by Abp. Islip, of which Wiokliffe w r as supposed to have been Master, and where Sir Thos. More studied under Linacre. A classic gateway leads out towards Corpus, Oriel, and Merton Colleges. The beautiful Walks which inter- sect and inclose a meadow of 50 acres, the promontory formed by the confluence of the Thames (here styled Isis) and the Cherwell, are a great and natural source of pride to Christ Ch. A famous avenue of elms, which suffered sorelv from the great gales of 1881 and 1882, dating from the Restoration, stretches across the meadows, and encloses the Broad Walk, raised by Bishop Fell with the earth removed in excavat- ing Tom Quad., and again by Dean Aldrich with earth removed from Peck water. A new Walk, running at right angles to the Broad, was completed and brought into use at the Commemoration of 1 871. Here on the evening of Show Sunday , (that immediately before Commemoration.) nearly all the members of the Uni- versity, with the strangers visiting Oxford, take a promenade, and filling the walk present an animated scene. The path running parallel to this is the Horse Path , which was for the conveyance of food to the priory. It crossed the Cherwell by a bridge, of which the abutments still remain, and went over the mea- dows opposite. The walk below Merton wall, having a S. aspect, and being protected on the E. and W., is called Dead Mari’s Walk , from being much frequented by invalids. The Christ Church walks are 1 \ m. in circuit. At the E. side the Cher- well joins the Isis. The walk by the Isis is bordered by the College barges, i which are fitted up inside as writing and reading rooms. Several of these once belonged to the London Com- panies, and figured in the ancient ! processions on the Thames. During the eight-oared boat races, which j take place in May, the tops of the barges are crowded by Collegians, who are ready to cheer their respec- tive boats, and to exult in the “ bumping ” of the foremost by those in the rear. The grand procession of the racing-boats takes place on Monday in Commemoration Week, at which time the river banks are Oxfordshire. Boute 19 . — Corpus Christi and Merton Colleges. 197 lined, and the barges are crowded with spectators. (2.) Corpus Christi (D 5.) (Notice vaulted roof of Gateway, Chapel, and view from Garden.) Founded in 1516 by Eichard Fox, Bishop of Winchester. When, al- ready in extreme and blind old age, Fox wished to devote his fortune to founding a monastic establishment at Winchester in honour of St. Swithin, but his friend Hugh Oldham, Bp. of Exeter, foreseeing the downfall of the monasteries, induced him to turn his designs to the foundation of this College. It was probably this foresight of the approaching storm that induced Fox to perpetuate a Church doctrine, in the name of Corpus Christi, which is also indicated by the chalice and paten over the gate. The College is dedicated to the patron-saints of the four Sees of which the founder was succes- sively Bishop (Exeter, Bath, Durham, Winchester). There was formerly, besides the high altar, two altars in the chapel, dedicated respectively to the Holy Trinity and St. Cuthbert. The quadrangle remains much as it was left by the founder, and con- tains a remarkable cylindrical dial, with a perpetual calendar, in its centre, constructed by Eobert Heggs, the mathematician, in 1 605, and de- scribed by him in a MS. (“ Tract, de Horologiis ”) in the college library. Opposite the entrance is the statue of the founder. The Hall, with good late Perp. roof, contains his picture. The Chapel has a fine altarpiece, by Rubens , from the col- lection of the Prince de Conde at Chantilly. The pastoral staff, rings, pyxes, and other valuables of Bishop Fox are in the possession of the College. The gallery con- necting the chapel with the Presi- dent’s Lodgings contains an inter- esting portrait of Bp. Fox when blind, as well as portraits of the ‘1 bishops who were sent to the Tower. The Library contains the founder’s collection of the Aldine Classics, besides a very valuable collection of manuscripts. The rooms on the 2nd floor of the library staircase are those inhabited by the “judicious” Hooker. Cardinal Pole, Ludovicus Yivas, Bi- shop J ewell, and the ever-memorable Hales, were also members of this Col- lege, and in modern times Dr. Buck- land, Dr. Arnold and Keble. Pro- fessorships were founded at Corpus by Fox for the then rising study of Greek, and Hebrew, as well as for Latin and Divinity, which caused Erasmus to say that “ what the Colossus was to Bhodes, what the Mausoleum was to Caria, that Corpus Christi College would be to Britain,” and to give it the name of “ Bibliotheca trilinguis ” — the library of the three learned languages. The Pelican over the gateway indicates the charitable founder, the Owl his friend Bp. Old- ham. A tame fox was long kept by the College. The view from the garden in front of “ Turner’s Build- ing ” (called after its founder, Thomas Turner, President, 1688-1714), is very agreeable. (8.) Merton. (D 5.) (Notice the Chapel, Library, Hall.) This college claims a somewhat lengthened notice, as the first fruits of the idea of a system which had no existence before the time of its founder. This was Walter de Merton, probably a native of Basing- stoke, an eminent man of the time of Henry III., to whom he was twice chancellor, and who died Bishop of Eochester in 1277. He saw with re- gret that the parochial clergy neg- lected their duties to pursue the more profitable practice of law or medicine, and he purchased at Mal- don and Merton in Surrey, estates, the rents of which he devoted to a kind of preparatory school there, and the support of scholars at Oxford, who should be forbidden to follow, in after- life, any other pursuit than that of 198 Sect. III. Boute 19. — Oxford: Merton College ; parish priests. He steadily pursued his purpose for several years, and in 1264 he obtained the royal licence to found at Oxford an endowed cor- poration of scholars, free from vows, “ qui non rehgiosi, religiose vive- rent,” at once commenced his build- ing, placing the students under a Warden, and giving them a body of statutes, which served as a pattern to future collegiate foundations. “ Our founder’s purpose,” says Bp. Hobhouse, once Fellow of Merton, “ I conceive to have been to secure to bis own order in the Church, for the secular priesthood, the academi- cal benefits which the religious orders were so largely enjoying, and to this end I think all his provisions are found to be consistently framed. He borrowed from the monastic institu- tions the idea of an aggregate body living by common rule, under a com- mon head, provided with all things needful for a corporate and perpetual life, fed by its secured endowments, fenced from all external interference, except that of its lawful patron : but after borrowing thus much, he differ- enced his institution by giving his beneficiaries quite a distinct employ- ment, and keeping them free from all those perpetual obligations which constituted the essence of the religi- ous life.” (Gent's Mag., 1858-59 .*) Walter de Merton had an especial veneration for St. John the Baptist ; hence he chose the parish church of St. John for his College chapel, and hence the sculpture over the en- trance gateway, which represents the founder in full pontificals, dedicating the 7-clasped Book of Knowledge to the Lamb in the wilderness, which is crowded with apes, unicorns, birds, and rabbits, the Baptist standing in the background. The Chapel , one of the stateliest and largest in Oxford, giving a chief feature to the city by its massive tower, consists of a choir * ‘ Sketch of the Life of Walter de Merton,’ a most interesting memoir, drawn up from College MSS. hitherto unpublished. and transepts and ante-chapel. It was an enlargement of the old parish ch. by Walter, who lived to see the dedi- cation of the high altar in 1276 ; the. windows are of the same date, except the lower part of the E. The E. window is filled with beautiful tracery, and contains the arms of Richard, King of the Romans. The others were given by Henry de Mans- field, one of the fellows, in 1307, who is represented kneeling in each be- fore an apostle. The castles in the border are the arms of Eleanor of Castile. The groundwork with the ivy-leaf pattern is very rare and beautiful. The nave of the parish church, which must have been small, was pulled down in 1414, and, as the beginning of a new one, the present ante-chapel and tower were built, c. 1440. The chapel has been re- stored, and the roof designed and painted by the Rev. J. H. Pollen, formerly a Fellow. The floor of the room originally used by the bell- ringers in the tower has been re- moved, and an open gallery con- structed for them, by which means the 4 fine arches are shown, and the groined oak roof exposed. In the choir are 2 magnificent Brasses— Henry Sever (Warden 1471), in cope, with collar of SS ; and of 2 bosom friends, Bloxham (Warden, 1387) and Whytton (1420), buried side by side under a beautiful Gothic cross ; also a lectern of the 15th centy., inscribed, “ Orate pro anima Magistri Johannis Martok.” Over the altar is a picture of the Crucifixion (Bassano, or Tin- toret?). The ante-chapel contains several monuments of members of the College — 1, Sir Thomas Bodley, founder of the Library that bears his name (post); 2, Antony Wood, the antiquary, who lived opposite Merton, in the little stone house where he was born, 1632 ; and 3, Sir Henry Savile, surrounded by the symbols of his works — 1, Chrysostom ; 2, Tacitus ; 3,' Ptolemy, with a globe; 4, Euclid, with compasses; 5, the Southern Oxfordshire. Route 19. — Quadrangles; St. Alban Hall. 199 hemisphere ; 6, Merton ; 7, Eton. A beautifully sculptured marble bas- relief, by Woolner, was erected to the memory of Bishop Patteson in 1876. There are two quadrangles, both picturesque. The Library Quad- rangle, or “Mob Quad.” has been little altered since its erection, c. 1350. It is approached by 2 pas- sages, with high -pointed groining of the 13th centy. Over the second of these is the exceedingly curious Treasury , built entirely of stone by the founder with a high-pitched ashlar roof. It contains among other curious papers the receipt of a mother for her son from the feudal lord : “ Recepi filium meum.” Attached to it is the Warden’s tower. The Hall spoiled by Wyatt, but restored 1872, retains the original doorway, and the 11th -centy. oak door, with its fine ironwork. The Hall contains por- traits of the founder. Bps. J ewel, Bar- rington, Denison, and others. The Library , being the earliest in Ox- ford, has served as a model to other colleges. It is divided into Arts, Theology, and Medicine, in which last subject it is very perfect : many of these books were left by Rede, Bp. of Chichester, d. 1415. The Library abounds in ancient Bibles. Among its curiosities are also Caxton’s 1st edition of Chaucer ; a MS. written by Duns Scotus ; a 10th centy. MS. of Eusebius. Here also are the Globes obtained by Sa- vile, then Warden (1621), in ex- change for u the fair organs ” of the chapel. The Inner Quadrangle , of Jacobean style (1610 ), has a gateway tower in imitation of that of the Schools, with four of the Orders, the spaces between being filled with Gothic panelling. It is the work of Bentley, one of the builders of the Schools. The north front of the College was restored by Blore in 1838; and in 1864 a lofty pile of buildings was added by Butterfield , facing the meadow, which has obliterated the well-known Merton Grove. The E. wall was formerly defended by a morass (where is now the nur- sery-garden), water being brought through a cutting from the Cherwell — that which runs under Magdalen. The earliest Common Room in the University was fitted up at Merton in 16(57. When dinner is ended here, as at Pembroke, the table is struck by the Senior Fellow 3 times with a trencher. These strokes sum- mon tiie butler, who enters in his book what each Fellow has had of the buttery supplies. The gracecup is then handed round, and another stroke of the trencher summons the Bible-clerk to say grace. Till the time of Henry VI., if not later, there existed to the W. of Merton Chapel the marble Cross, erected by the Jews as a penance for having de- stroyed a crucifix which was being carried i n procession to the shrine of St. Frideswide on Ascension Day, 1268. While the Court of Charles II. was at Oxford, Lady Castlemaine, after- wards Duchess of Cleveland, gave birth to a son by him at Merton. Hence “ the possessor of all the virtues save one” used to go with a friend to Trinity College Chapel “ half-dressed like angels,” or make her entrance to the College walks with a lute play- ing before her. The College possesses a small, but beautiful garden, which, however, is not accessible to the public. Adjoining Merton is St. Alban Hall (D 5), built about 1230, and named after its founder, Robt. de St. Alban, a citizen of Oxford in the time of John. The Hall and Chapel are fair modern Gothic, but the small quadrangle contains a curious ancient bell-tower. This Hall was originally dependent upon the nunnery of Littlemore. Hooper the martyr, Massinger the poet, and the Speaker Lenthall, were among its members. (4.) Oriel. (D 5.) Founded in 200 Route 19. — Oxford, 1326 by Edward II., who is said to have made a vow to the Virgin, when fleeing from the field of Bannock- burn, that he would found a reli- gious house in her honour if he returned in safety. “ Prompted and aided by his almoner (Adam de Brom), he decided on placing this house in the city of Alfred, and the Image which is opposite its entrance, is the token of the vow and its ful- filment to this day.” The original College of Adam de'Brome and Edw. II. was Tackley’s Hall, so called from having belonged to the rector of that place; it stood at the back of the High Street, where its remains may still be seen in some arches and a groined crypt behind Wheeler and Day’s shop. The mansion on the present site, bestowed on the College by Edward III., was called Le Oriole, and had belonged to James d’Espagne, Chaplain of St. Mary’s, to whom it was granted by Eleanor, mother of Edw. II. ; hence the Spanish pome- granate, which frequently appears in the decorations of the College. The word Oriole, or Oriel, was probably derived from Oratoriolum. As the small oratory was sometimes in a recess, the word was applied to pro- jecting windows or a projecting apartment. The present buildings are all comparatively modern, having been built between 1620 and 1640 ; and the Library is the work of Wyatt, 1788. The Hall and Chapel, though without striking architectural merit, are extremely picturesque. The Hall contains a portrait of Edward II., and his statue, with that of Edward III., appears over the porch, beneath that of the Virgin and child. The College possesses an interesting relic, the cup of Edward II. with this inscription, “Vir racione bibas, non quod petit atra voluptas ; sic caro casta datur ; vis linguae suppeditatur.” The cocoa-nut cup of Bp. Carpenter, of Worcester, once provost here (d. 1476), is also curious. The chapel has some stained glass by Hardman. In the \ : Oriel ; All Souls ; Sect. III. common room is a picture by Vasari containing portraits of Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, and Politian. On the upper part of the porch of the Hall is an old Northern inscrip- tion in Runic characters — MADE. ER MOLDVR AVKI, “Man is but a heap of dust” — placed there by Bp. Robinson in 1719. This Col- lege, as being the first to open its fellowships to the University, was remarkable for the celebrated mem- bers it contained at one time within its walls, viz., Copleston, Davison, % Whately, Keble, Arnold, Newman, Hampden, Pusey, and others. “ Oriel,” says Dr. Newman (‘ His- tory of my Religious Opinions’), “ from the time of Dr. Copleston to Dr. Hampden, had had a name far and wide for liberality of thought ; it had received a formal recognition from the 4 Edinburgh Review,’ if my memory serves me truly, as the school of speculative philosophy in Eng- land ; and on one occasion, in 1833, when I presented myself, with some of the first papers of the Movement, to a country clergyman in North- amptonshire, he paused awhile, and then, eyeing me with significance, asked whether Whately was at the bottom of them ? ” Near Oriel is St, Mary Hall (C 5), an offshoot of that College, founded 1333. The Hall, with Chapel above, buili about 1640, exhibits some very good tracery in the windows consider- ing its late date. Sir Thomas More, Sir Christopher Hatton, and more re- cently Dr. Hampden, whose appoint- ment to the see of Hereford occasioned so much commotion in 1848, had been members of this Hall. v For St. Mary’s Church , see II. (5.) All Souls. (C 5.) (Notice the Gateway in High Street, the Chapel, the Library). Founded in 1437 by Archbishop Chichele, as a chantry for priests to pray for the souls of all who had fallen or might fall in the French 201 Oxfordshire. Route 19 . — University College . wars. With the chantry he com- bined a place of education on a noble scale, on the model of New College, to which he himself belonged, and this probably caused it to be spared at the Reformation, when all other chantries were swept away. There is a tradition that, in digging the foundations of this, college, a large mallard issued from one of the drains, which gave rise to a mallard being the college crest, and to the song of “ The Swapping Mallard ” being sung by the fellows formerly on Jan. 14 each year. Over the gate are the statues of Henry VI. and the founder, with a high relief representing the souls re- leased from purgatory. The 1st quadrangle is in the same state in which it was erected by Chichele. The North quadrangle was designed by Hawksmoor in 1720, and com- pleted in 1740. It contains the Library, Chapel, and Hall, and pro- duces a striking effect. “ The gradu- ated stages of Hawksmoor’s diminish- ing turret, together with other characteristics, exhibit a fantastic air of continental Gothic ; but they seem to disdain all comparison, and to stand in unrivalled stateliness, chal- lenging our admiration.” The Chapel, restored 1872, is entered by a gateway with fan-tracery vaulting, and has the holy-water stoup still remaining, and some ancient glass in the tran- septs. The W. window is modern, by Hardman. Evelyn went “to see ye picture on the wall over ye altar at All Soules, being ye largest piece of fresco painting (or rather imitation of it, for it is in oil of turpentine) in England, not ill design’d by the hand of op.e Fuller. It seems too full of nakeds for a chapel.” Beneath was the “Noli me tangere ” of Raphael Mengs. During the repairs of 1872 the rich Gothic reredos of Chichele’s time and style was discovered behind a lath and plaster screen which covered the wall beyond the altar. It was erected by Archbishop Chi- chele in the early part of the 14 centy. and destroyed in 1549. It was beau- tifully restored by Scott, at the ex- pense of Lord Bathurst, and is now one of the most magnificent in England. In the Library (restored 1871) is a huge statue of Sir W. Blackstone. The Hall is spacious, but in bad taste ; it contains interest- ing portraits, of Jeremy Taylor and Bishop Heber, Fellows of this col- lege, with the bust of the latter by Chantrey, of the founder by Ron- billiae. The Library , which is a fine room built by bequest of Col. Codrington, 1716, possesses, among other interesting works, the original designs of Wren for the building of St. Paul’s, &c., 300 in number. At the Commemoration in 1863, the Prince and Princess of Wales, with 600 other guests, were entertained in this Library, and in a temporary building erected in the quadrangle. In the vestibule are a tripod from Corinth, and portraits of Henry VI. and Chichele on glass, with some others. In 1867 an additional Li- brary was erected, which is especially devoted to books on legal subjects. In the bursary is preserved a drum from Sedgmoor, and in the buttery the curious silver-gilt saltcellar of the founder, 400 yrs. old. The Warden’s Lodgings contain a fine picture, by Kneller, of their architect, Dr. Clark, the secretary of Prince George of Denmark, writing from his master’s dictation ; and a portrait of Charles I., known as “ the Oxford Charles.” and described in the verses of Tickell. (6.) University. (C D 5.) (No- tice the Gateways with statues, the Chapel, the New Building.) Founded about 1229 by William de Lanum, Archdeacon of Durham ; though, according to a tradition ac- cepted as true by the Judges of the Court of King’s Bench in 1726, it owes its foundation to Alfred the Great. The earliest building pur- chased with the bequest of William 202 Bte. 19. — Oxford: University Col.; Hall ; Chapel. Sect. III. of Durham was Drogheda Hall, op- 1 posite the gate of the present col- lege, in 1255 ; and in 1263 a hall on the site of Brasenose was occu- pied by the society ; about 1313 they removed to the present site. The story of the foundation of Ox- ford by King Alfred is now proved to be a myth which had no existence until long after Alfred’s time, and is due to an interpolation in Asser’s Life. “ The history of Oxford began in the 10th centy. ; in the 11th it was a place of the first importance as a military post, and as the scene of great national gatherings. But it is not till the 12th that we get the first hint of the coming University, the first glimpses of schools, scholars, lecturers ; and it is not till the 13th that we get any- thing like colleges in the modern sense. In that age too comes not University College, but the benefac- tion out of which University College grew.” — Freeman. The long front of this College, with its two tower gateways, is very imposing, and it is a great orna- ment to the High Street, although in the debased Gothic of the time of Charles I. The gateway leading into the W. quadrangle has on the exterior, a statue of Queen Anne, and on the interior one of James II., the gift of Dr. Obadiah Walker, Master from 1676 to the Revolution in 1688, when he was expelled. He had become a convert to Romanism, and caused the mass to be openly celebrated in a room adjoining the chapel, which James himself attended. With the exception of that in White- hall Gardens, this is the only public statue of ‘‘the wise old gentleman who lost three kingdoms for a mass,” as his friend Louis XIV. remarked. The gateway of the E. quadrangle has a statue of Queen Mary on the outside, and one of Dr. Radcliffe, its builder, inside. The Hall , built in 1657, but re- modelled in 1766 at the expense of members whose arms adorn the walls, contains portraits of Archbishops Abbot and Potter, Bishop Bancroft of Oxford, Dr. Radcliffe, Lords Eldon and Stowell, &c. The new Library , by Scott (Dec.), was built in the Fellows’ Garden in 1861. It con- tains the statues of Lords Eldon and Stowell, designed by Watson, and exe- cuted by Nelson, intended for West- minster Abbey, but denied places on account of their colossal size. The Chapel (dedicated to St. Cuth- bert by the original founder), built 1665, had a screen by Gibbons, and some painted windows by Van Linge and Giles of Y ork. It was remodelled in 1862 by Scott , in the Dec. style, receiving a new roof and E. window. The windows are valuable specimens of the revival of stained glass in the time of Charles I. and II. The works of the Dutch artist Van Linge , who was extensively employed in England at the latter period, “ gene- rally consist of large pictures ex- tending over the whole or greater part of a window, irrespective of the mullions, and usually furnished with landscape backgrounds, exhibit- ing a great preponderance of green and blue. They are deficient in bril- liancy, but are in general exceedingly rich in colour, the enamels in most cases being used rather to heighten the tint of the coloured glass, than by way of substitution for it.” ( Hints on Glass Painting). Gibbons’ screen and cedar wainscoting, rich in carving, have been preserved. In the ante- chapel is a monument to Sir W. Jones, once a Fellow, by Flaxman ; a fine bas-relief represents him form- ing his Digest of Hindoo Law, while the Brahmins are expounding to him the text of the Vedas. The E. quadrangle is chiefly occu- pied with buildings formerly used as the Master’s lodgings ; it was built by a bequest from Dr. Rad- cliffe, and is open to gardens to the S. The detached New Building at the W. end is an exceedingly elegant Oxfordshire. 203 'Route 19 —Queen’s College .' structure by Sir Charles Barry , finished in 1850. A new house, for the Master was completed ! in 1879 (D 5). Dr. Johnson was a frequent visitor in the Common Room here, where he u.sed “ to drink off three bottles of port without being the worse for it.” — Boswell. Shelley, who was expelled from this college, inhabited rooms on the first floor of the staircase to the rt. of the Hall. “In his time, books, papers, boots, philosophical instruments, clothes, pistols, linen, crockery, bags, and boxes were scat- tered on the floor and in every place; tables and carpets stained with large fire spots ; an electric machine, air- pump, solar microscope, &c. ; two piles of books supported the tongs, and then a small glass retort above an Argand lamp, which soon boiled over, added fresh stains to the table, and rose in disagreeable fumes.” — Shelley's Memoirs. (7.) Queen’s. (C 6.) (Notice the Gateway, Chapel, Hall, Library.) Founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield, confessor to Queen Phi- lippa, from whom it took its name ; and “there, according to tradition, the Prince of Wales her son, as in the next generation Henry V., was brought up. If we look at the events which followed, he could hardly have been 12 yrs. old when he became a member. . . . Queen s college is much altered in every way since the little prince went there, but they still keep an en- graving of the vaulted room he is said to have occupied. . . . You may still hear the students sum- moned to dinner, as he was, by the sound of a trumpet ; and, in the hall, you may still see, as he saw, the Fellows sitting all on one side the /ta^le, with the Head of the College iiu the centre, in imitation of the ‘ Last Supper,’ as it is commonly represented in the pictures. The very names of the Head and the 12. Fellows (the number first ap- pointed by the founder, in likeness of our Lord and the Apostles) are known to us. He must have seen what has long since vanished away, the 13 beggars, deaf, dumb, maimed or blind, daily brought into the hall, to receive their dole of bread, beer, potage, and fish. He must have seen the 70 poor scholars, instituted after the example of the 70 disciples, and learning from their two chaplains to chant the service. He must have heard the mill within or hard by the College walls grinding the Fellows’ bread. He must have seen the porter of the college going round to shave the beards and wash the heads of the Fellows.” — Stanley's Memorials of Canterbury. The brasses of the founder, Eglesfield, of Dr. Langton, who enlarged the chapel (1518), of Bishop Robinson of Carlisle (1616), and others are preserved in the bur- sary, whilst in the buttery is kept a magnificent drinking-horn mounted with gold, the gift of' Queen Philippa, and the curious cocoa-nut cup of Provost Bost (d. 1503) resting on four lions. The college is a modem (so-called) Grecian building, the work of Wren and his pupil Hawks- moor, the foundation stone having been laid on the 6th Feb. 1714, Queen Anne’s birthday. The main entrance is surmounted by a cupola, under which is a statue of Caroline, queen of George II. The Chapel is a well- proportioned building, with painted windows from the history of Our Lord, and stately marble pillars. The eagle, dated 1662, bears the following inscription : — Regina avium ; avis Reginensium. The Hall, designed by Wren, is a hand- some, lofty room, with numerous portraits, many of royal personages, as Queens Philippa, Henrietta, Anne, Caroline, and Charlotte ; Henry Y Edward IY., Charles I., and Edward the Black Prince. The Library , founded by Bishop Barlow (d. 1691), 204 Route 19. — Oxford: Magdalen College . Sect. III. and since greatly added to by Dr. Mason in 1841, and well kept up by the College, now contains one of the best collections of historical works in Oxford. In the cloister under- neath, which has been adapted by Cockerell, are preserved 2 windows, saved from the lodgings of Prince Henry, and his likeness on a brass plate, with the inscription : “ In perpetuam rei Memoriam. Imperator Britannige, Triumphator Gallise, Hostium Victor, et Sui, Henricns Quintus, hnjus Collegii Et Cubiculi (minuti satis), Olim magnus Incola.” Every Christmas-day a boar’s head is served in the hall, after being introduced in grand procession * with a song, 4 The Boar’s Head ; ’ and every New Year’s day the bursar presents to the guests a needle, with thread coloured blue, red, and yellow, for the three faculties, saying, “ Take this, and be thrifty a custom said to have its derivation from a play on the name of the founder — “ aiguille,” “fil.” From the corner beyond Queen’s is one of the finest and most charac- teristic views in Oxford, and hence “ the stream-like windings of the glorious street,” as described by Wordsworth, are seen to the greatest advantage. In New College Lane, opposite the E. wing of Queen’s, is St. Edmund Hall , (C D 6), which belonged to Osney Abbey, having been founded in 1226, but was in 1557 assigned to Queen’s College by one William Burnell, who had pur- chased it at the Dissolution. It has its name from occupying the site of a hall where the Archbishop Edmund of Abingdon used to lecture. The present buildings date from about > the middle of the 17th centy. ; they ! are of very plain character. Nearly Opposite Queen’s are the * See * Sketch Book,’ vol. ii., by Washing- ton Irving, “ The Christmas Dinner,” where the words of this song are given. new Examination Schools (D 6), erected by the University at a cost of nearly 90,OOOL from designs by Mr. T. Gr. Jackson. They were com- menced in 1876, and completed in 1882. The building occupies three sides of a quadrangle, and the N. wing which faces the High Street contains a lofty Hall with an open timber roof surmounted by a lantern, and a floor of rich marble mosaic. There are three rooms for written examinations, two of them having an area of 5000 sq. ft., and one of 8000. 25 sq. ft. of space are allotted to each man under- going examination. These rooms are lofty and well ventilated, and the ceilings are panelled, and en- riched with foliage. There are also 11 viva voce rooms. The W. stair- case deserves especial notice ; it is very massive, and is constructed of , carved Italian marbles, mainly red and white. The whole building, which is of the Renaissance style, is finely decorated both within and without. It is furnished with every modern convenience : there are elec- tric bells, and electric clocks in every room ; and undoubtedly before long there will be electric lamps. It is warmed by hot water pipes, over which warm air streams into the room, while draught ventilators maintain a constant current of air. (8.) Magdalen. (D 6, 7.) Ohs. the Tower, West Front, Chapel, Cloisters, Hall, the Walks.) Founded in 1457, by William Pat- ten, Bishop of Winchester, surnamed Waynflete from his birthplace in Lincolnshire. An ancient hospital of St. John the Baptist formerly oc- cupied this site. It was placed out- side the city walls, both to guard the j ferry over the river and as a hospice for the refreshment of pilgrims visit- ing the shrine of St. Frideswide. The “ pilgrims’ wicket” is still dis- tinctly traceable in the S. wall. The low embattled buildings towards the street are in part the remains of the hospital; those round the first 205 Oxfordshire. Route 19. — Magdalen Chapel. quadrangle, which is entered by a modern gateway (designed by Pugin in 1844), were finished shortly before the founder’s death, which occurred in 1486, the Wars of the Roses having prevented his beginning to build until 1473. This is the first college arrived at on entering Oxford by the oM London road, and is distinguished at once by its graceful Perp. tower, 145 ft. high (1492-1505), rising at the side of the bridge over the Cherwell, a handsome structure, 526 ft. long. It would be difficult to exaggerate the beauties of this college, which has enchanted every beholder, from James I., who declared that it was “ the most absolute thing in Oxford.” Entering the quadrangle by a narrow wicket, the noble oriel over the further gate is that of the Founder's chamber, where Edward IV., Richard III., Henry VII., Prince Arthur, Plenry VIII., Queen Elizabeth, and Prince Henry, have been successively entertained. This and the adjoining chambers were restored in 1857 ; the bed-room contains some ancient tapestry, re- presenting the marriage of Prince Arthur and Katherine of Aragon; they are only accessible through the President’s Lodgings, where Horne wrote his 4 Commentary on the Psalms.’ New buildings were con- structed in 1882 to the W. of the President’s lodging and facing the High Street. (. Bodley & Garner , archt.) In design they are similar to the Old Quadrangle. (D 6.) In the President's garden is a pictu- resque fragment of the old Magdalen Hall , The doorway opposite leads into the chapel, and contains statues of St. John the Baptist, Edward IV., Mary Magdalen, St. Swithin, and the Founder. In the corner of the quad- rangle (called St. John’s from the hospital), on the rt., is a stone pulpit, where a sermon was formerly preached on St. John the Baptist’s day, the court being lined with green boughs and strewn with rushes to com- memorate St. John’s preaching in the wilderness. The Chapel , which has a beautiful porch, was restored by Cottingham in 1833, and a series of statues has since been added to the altar screen. The altarpiece, 44 Christ bearing the Cross,” by Bibalta , was brought from Vigo, 1702. The sculpture over the altar, “Christ appearing to Mary Magdalen,” is by Chantrey. Close to the altar is a small oratory, which contains the tomb of the founder’s father, Richard Patten, brought hither from the ruined ch. of Wayn- flete ; there is a small statue of the founder himself, seated at his father’s head. The choral service in this chapel is very fine: the organ is large enough for a cathedral. That which was here in the time of the Civil Wars, Cromwell liked so much, that he carried it off with him to Hampton Court. The windows are filled with painted glass, by Hard- man. In the ante-chapel are several Brasses , mostly to members of the Society, but the ascription of one of them to Wm. Tibarde, the first Pre- sident (d. 1480), is believed to be wrong. The chapel stands on the S. side of the Cloisters. This is a quad- rangle of the time of the Founder, but ornamented with the rude sand- stone statues erected in honour of a visit of James I. Their meaning is thus described in a MS. in the college library, styled 44 CEdipus Magdalenensis.” 44 Beginning at the S. E. corner, are the Lion and Pelican, the former the emblem of Courage and Vigilance, the latter of Parental Tenderness and Affection. Both together express the complete character of a good Col- lege governor, and, accordingly, are placed under the windows of the President’s lodgings. 44 On the rt., on the other side of the gateway, are 4 figures, viz., the Schoolmaster, the Lawyer, the Phy- sician, and the Divine. These are 206 'Route 19. — Oxford: Magdalen College; Sect. III. ranged outside the library, and re- present the duties and business of the students. By means of learning in general, they are to be introduced to one of the three learned profes- sions, or else, as hinted to us by the figure with cap and bells in the corner, they must turn out Fools in the end. “ On the N. of the quadrangle, the first 3 figures represent the his- tory of David and his conquest over the Lion and Goliath, whence we are taught not to be discouraged at any difficulties which may stand in the way, as the vigour of youth will easily enable ns to surmount them. The next figure is the Hippopotamus or River Horse, carrying his young upon his shoulders. This is the emblem of a good Tutor, or Fellow of a College, who is set to watch over the youth of the Society, and by whose prudence they are to be led through the dangers of their first entrance into the world. The figure immediately following represents Sobriety, or Temperance, that most necessary virtue of a collegiate life. The whole remaining train of figures are the vices we are instructed to avoid. Those next to Temperance are the opposite vices of Gluttony and Drunkenness. Then follow the Lycanthropos, the Hyaena, and Pan- ther, representing Violence, Fraud, and Treachery; the Griffin, repre- senting Covetousness ; and the next figure, Anger or Moroseness. The Dog, the Dragon, the Deer — Flat- tery, Envy, and Timidity; and the last 3. the Mantichora, the Boxers, and the Lamia — Pride, Contention, and Lust.” The Hall, of which the ceiling is the work of Wyatt, c. 1790, is wain- scoted with oak, carved with the linen pattern, put up in 1541 ; seve- ral compartments have incidents in the history of Mary Magdalen. The walls are hung with portraits of m embers or benefactors, including the Founder, Cardinal Wolsey, Bp. Fox, Cardinal Pole, Dean Colet, ! Prince Henry, son of James I., Prince Rupert, Dr. Hammond, Ad- dison, &c. In this hall, in 1687, sat King James’s tyrannous commission, appointed to visit the President and Fellows and deprive the college of its rights. The Library is a modern restora- tion. “ Its shelves groan under the weight of the Benedictine folios, of the editions of the Fathers and the collections of the Middle Ages, which have issued from the single library of St. Germain des Pres at Paris ” (Gibbon), but at the present day are by no means confined to them, having received many important additions. Traversing the cloisters we reach a fine open lawn and flower garden, in which is a magnificent plane-tree planted by Bp. H. Phillpotts. Facing us are the New Buildings , a stately modern sash-windowed pile, behind which is the Grove, where a herd of fallow deer is kept. On rt., Magdalen Walks, a meadow attached to the college, encircled by the arms of the Cherwell, and inter- sected by avenues of trees, along raised dykes. One of these on the N. is called Addison’s Walk. Pope, a constant visitor of his friend Digby in this college, mentions — “ Maudlen’s learned grove.” There is also on 1. a private park, bounded by the outer wall of the college, with fine elm-trees and deer. In the meadow are found Fritillaria Meleagris , snakeshead, and Arabis turrita , tower rock-cress. Wolsey entered this college 1485, and at 15 yrs. obtained the degree of B.A., whence his appellation of the Boy Bachelor. He was bursar of the college during the time that the tower was in progress. Of this, Dr. Ingram says, “It is in fact as a building, what Wolsey was as a man; and to him who cannot per- ceive and feel its beauties, it is in vain to attempt to describe them.” 207 Oxfordshire. Route 19. — Magdalen Walks. In accordance with an ancient cus- tom which originated in a requiem for Henry VII., in Commemoration of his visit in 1488, glees and madri- gals were always sung at the top of this tower at sunrise on May morning to usher in the spring, hut these have now given way to a hymn, ‘Hymnus Eucharisticus,’ with music by Hr. Rogers. On this occasion the bells (called by Anthony Wood the most tuneable and melodious in all these parts) are all rung, when the whole tower shakes and bends perceptibly. Those who witness this ceremony will call to mind the opening lines of 4 The Scholar’s Funeral’ by Prof. Wilson, himself a Magdalen man: — “ Why hang the sweet bells mute in Magda- len Tower, Still wont to usher in delightful May, The dewy silence of the morning hour Cheering with many a changeful rounde- lay? And those pure voices, where are they. That, hymning far up in the listening sky, Seemed issuing softly through the gates of day, As if a troop of sainted souls on high Were hovering o’er the earth with angel melody ? ” As the Duke of Wellington entered Oxford to be installed as Chancellor, he asked his companion, Mr. Croker, what was the building on his right hand, pointing tathe long wall which connects the tower with the rest of the college. That is the wall which James II. ran his head against,” was the answer. The re- sistance of the Fellows of Magdalen to the arbitrary ejection of their President, John Hough, and the in- fringement of their chartered' rights by James, formed one of the leading causes of the Revolution of 1688, and of the expulsion of the Stuarts. “Magdalen College, founded by Wm. Waynflete, Bp. of Winchester and Lord Chancellor, is one of the most remarkable of our academical institutions. A graceful tower, on the summit of which a Latin hymn is annually chanted by choristers at the dawn of May-day, caught, far j off, the eye of the traveller who came from London. As he ap- proached, he found that this tower arose from an embattled pile, low and irregular, yet singularly vener- able, which, embowered in verdure, overhung the sluggish waters of the Cherwell. He passed through a gateway overhung by a noble oriel, and found himself in a spacious cloister, adorned with emblems of virtues and vices, rudely carved in grey stone by the masons of the 15th centy. The table of the society was plentifully spread in a stately refectory, hung with painting, and rich with fantastic carving. The services of the Church were per- formed, morning and evening, in a chapel which had suffered much violence from the Reformers, and much from the Puritans, but which was, under every disadvantage, a building of eminent beauty, and which has in our own time been restored with rare taste and skill. The spacious gardens along the river-side were remarkable for the size of the trees, among which, towered conspicuous, one of the vegetable wonders of the island, a gigantic oak, older by a century, men said, than the oldest college in the University. u The statutes of the Society or- dained that the kings of England and princes of Wales should be lodged in their house. Edward IV. had inhabited the building while it was still unfinished. Richard III. had held his court there, had heard disputations in the hall, had feasted there royally, and had rewarded the cheer of his hosts by a present of fat bucks' from his forests. Two heirs-apparent of the Crown, who had been prematurely snatched away, Arthur, the elder brother of Henry VIII., and Henry, the elder brother of Charles I., had been members of the College. Another prince of the blood, the last and best of the Roman Catholic arch- 208 Route 1 9, — Oxford : Magdalen College School. Sect. IIL bishops, the gentle Reginald Pole, had studied there. In the time of the Civil Wars Magdalen had been true to the cause of the crown. There Rupert had fixed his quar- ters; and before some of his most daring enterprises, his trumpets had been heard sounding to horse through those quiet cloisters. Most of the Fellows were divines, and could aid the king only by their prayers and their pecuniary contri- butions ; but one member of the body, a doctor of .civil law, raised a troop of undergraduates, and fell fighting bravely at their head against the soldiers of Essex. When hostilities had terminated, and the Roundheads were Rasters of Eng- land, six-sevenths of the members of the Foundation refused to make any submission to usurped authority. They were consequently ejected from their dwellings, and deprived of their revenues. After the Re- storation, the survivors returned to their pleasant abode. They had now been succeeded by a new gene- ration, whicli inherited their opinions and their spirit/’ — Macaulay’s Hist. It was on this eminently loyal society that James II. attempted to force one Anthony Farmer as Presi- dent. He was a professed Romanist, and thus statutably ineligible, even if his notorious bad character had not stood in the way. The Fellows instead chose Dr. John Hough, and though threatened by the king, re- fused to give way. At last a body of Visitors was sent to Oxford, who held their meetings in the College hall, and finally pronounced sen- tence of deprivation. Unawed by the military force that supported them, Hough utterly abjured their authority, and addressed them thus in open court: u My lords, I do hereby protest against all your pro- ceedings, and against all that you have done, or hereafter shall do, in prejudice of me and my right, as illegal, unjust, and null ; and there- fore I appeal to my sovereign lord the king in his courts of justice.” Though this protest was dis- regarded, “ many signs showed that the spirit of resistance had spread to the common people. The porter of the college threw down his keys ; the butler refused to scratch Hough’s name out of the buttery book* and was instantly dismissed. No black- smith could be found in the whole city who would force the lock of the President’s lodgings ; it was neces- sary for the Commissioners to employ their own servants, who broke open the door with iron bars. The ser- mons which, on the following Sun- day, were preached in the University ch., were full of reflections, such as stung Cartwright to the quick, though such as he could not dis- creetly resent.” — Macaulay’s Hist. Hough was restored in the following year ; he died Bishop of Worcester in 1743. At the end of the High Street, opposite Magdalen, is the Botanic or Physic Garden (on the site of the ancient Jews’ burial-place), entered by a gateway, designed by Inigo Jones, and ornamented with statues of Charles I. and II., which were paid for by a fine levied on Anthony Wood fdr a libel on Lord Clarendon. The establishment of the garden is due to a bequest of Henry Danvers, Earl Danby, 1622, though Linacre commenced a garden at a much earlier period. It was well laid out under the energetic superintendence of the late Dr. Daubeny, the plants being arranged according to the two systems of Linnseus and Jussieu. In the Lecture-room are preserved the Herbaria of Sherard and Dillenius. There is a delightful walk by the river-side, and the small garden at the back oilers a view over Merton Meadow. A short distance W. of the college is Magdalen College School , mainly designed for the education of the I Magdalen choristers. (D 6.) Its Oxfordshire. 209 Route 19 .— foundation is coeval with that of the college, hut the present building is a good Perp. structure, by Buckler , the foundation stone of which was laid by Dr. Eouth in 1849, on his 95th birthday. In Long Wall Street , beside the school, is a considerable portion of the old wall, which the college is bound to keep in re- pair. Formerly it was enlivened in summer by the bright golden flowers of the Senecio squalidus , or inelegant ragwort , the seeds of which are said to have been sent hither from the grotto of Egeria, and which is else- where so common that it bears the name of the “ Oxford weed ; ” but a late restoration of the battlements has swept it away from this spot. This street leads to the picturesque group of buildings formed by Holywell Ch ., cemetery, school, and rectory-house, surrounded by tali elm-trees. (C 7.) The ch., of E. E. date, has been well restored. It dates probably from the 12thcenty.,andwas restored and par- tially rebuilt in 1845. In the church- yard is buried Thos. Holt, the archi- tect of the Bodleian (d. 1624). An addition to the churchyard, called the St. Cross Cemetery , but made before the days of burial boards, with their consecrated and unconse- crated grounds, is a beautiful spot, with handsome memorials to many members of the University, and flower-decked graves, from which the Christian symbol is, in hardly one case, absent. In the adjoining fields may be still traced some slight remains of the earthworks thrown up during the siege of Oxford' by Fairfax, in 1646. (9.) New College. (C 6.) (Notice the Entrance Gate, Chapel, Hall, Gardens, and the new buildings in the Slype.) Founded by William of Wykeham, as the complement to his great school at Winchester. The first stone was laid March 5, 1380, being his 55th birthday, and the work completed [Berks, cfcc.] ■New College . 1386. Froissart says of him, “At this time reigned a priest called William of Wykeham (Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor), who was so much in favour with the King of England (Edward III.) that everything was done by him, and nothing done without him.” Though the foundation is thus nearly five centuries old, “it is not without reason that it still bears the narhe of ‘ New,’ since it marks a new era in University annals. Before this, the Aularian system, even in the case of Merton, had generally prevailed ; but since the formation of this society, it has served as a model to nearly all founders of colleges, both here and at Cambridge.” — Ingram. The buildings, in the main, are the work of Wykeham, and are thus particularly interesting. We enter by a noble Tower gateway , with the Virgin in a niche above, to whom an angel and the founder are addressing themselves in prayer. The Chapel, one of the earliest Perp. buildings, has a detached bell-tower of a very massive nature. In the ante-chapel remain some of the original painted windows, and there is a large number of Brasses , chiefly of former wardens. Among them are Cranley, Archbishop of Dublin (d. 1417), in full ponti- ficals, with a crozier ; and Yong, Bp. of Callipolis (d. 1526), laid down by him when living, the date being left to be filled up after his death, which was never done. The bust of An- tony Aylworth (rt. of the door when entering) (d. 1619) presents a minute example of costume : observe the fastening of his wristbands. In the chapel, restored 1879 at a cost of 25,000 Z., the altarpiece is a restoration by Wyatt , with alto-re- lievos by Westmacott , representing the Annunciation, Nativity, Descent from the Cross, the Resurrection, and the Ascension. A reredos, which will be somewhat similar to that at All Souls’, is in coarse of construction. In a stone recess near the altar p 210 Route 19 . — Oxford : Hertford and Brasenose ; Sect. III. is preserved the Pastoral Staff of William of Wykeham, of silver- gilt, a fine specimen of mediaeval art. Beneath the crook, the bishop himself is represented on his knees. The painted glass on the S. is good, of the early part of the 17th centy., by Flemish artists ; that on the N. is by Peckett, of York. Daily choral service is performed here during Term, as well as at Magdalen (the music of high excellence). The W. door opens into the picturesque Clois- ters (130 ft. by 85), remarkable for their ribbed roof, which resembles the bottom of a boat. In 1643 the cloisters were used as a depot for the royal military stores. The Hall , the oldest in Oxford, is entered through the muniment tower, which like the gateway has its niches still filled with statues. The screen and wainscoting are of the linen pattern, and are ascribed to Arch- bishop Warham ; the whole has been restored by Scott , panelled with oak, and a fine oak roof substituted for the former one. There are some portraits over the High Table. The Library , the work of Wyatt , cannot be praised. In the Audit Boom are preserved the College Seals, of the age of the foundation, some records nearlv of the same date, and some old pictures of saints, removed from the chapel. The collection of ancient plate and jewels is very remarkable, and includes a saltcellar and cup given by Archbishop Warham, and the remains of the Mitra Preciosa , the morse, the ring, gloves, and pax of the Founder. Scott’s building in the Slype, finished in 1878, and designed for the accommodation of thirty-six stu- dents, has been described as “ the best modern example of a collegiate building.” The Warden’s Lodgings contain a remarkable portrait of the Founder, supposed by Sir J. Reynolds to be an original. Till near the end of the last centy. the members of New College were called to dinner by two choristers chanting, from the War- den’s lodgings to the garden gate, “ Tempus est vocandi a manger tons seigneurs.” The garden court was designed by Wren. The Gardens of New College are among the most beautiful in Oxford. The mound covered with shrubs, which rises opposite the gate- way, produces a pleasing illusion. The garden is enclosed on three sides by the ancient walls of the city, which, by covenant between the Founder and the corporation, tlie college is bound to keep in repair, and they consequently present an interesting example of old civic for- tification. The iron railings and gate at the entrance of the gar- den were brought from Canons, the princely seat of the Duke of Chandos, near Edgeware. A door in one corner of the garden opens through what was an old postern of the town, into a strip of ground called “ the Slip,” or Slype, whence a picturesque view is obtained of the bastions, with the fine Perp. bell- tower and the chapel. In this tower Protestant members of the College were imprisoned during the reign of Henry VIII., by its warden Dr. London ; Quin by, one of the Fellows, died there of cold and starvation. During the Great Rebellion New College was occupied as a military post, first by the Royalists and after- wards by the Parliamentarians. At the corner of New College Lane (C 5) and facing the Bodleian, is Hertford College, formerly known as Magdalen Hall. It was founded by Bishop Waynflete in 1487, removed to the present site in 1822, and reconstituted as Hertford College in 1874 by Act of Parlia- ment. It possesses no objects of interest. (10.) Brasenose Coll. (C 5.) (Notice Entrance Gateway, with 211 Oxfordshire. Route 19 . — Radcliffe Library . brazen nose, Quadrangle, Chapel, Hall, Library.) Founded by Bishop Smith, of Lincoln, and Sir Richard Sutton, 1512. The name is a corruption of Brasinium, the brasen-hus , or brew- house of King Alfred's palace, which is supposed to have occupied its site, and to have been turned into a place of learning — a fanciful derivation ! The actual name, however, is sup- ported by a brazen nose of large dimensions, fixed over the college gate. The entrance tower is good Perp. (restored 1866), and the buildings of the quadrangle remain in their original state, except that some received an extra story in the time of James I. In the quadrangle there was formerly a statuary group of Cain and Abel, which provoked the indignation of Hearne. The place, he says, “ was once a garden, which was a delight- ful and pleasant shade in summer- time, but was cut down by direction of the Principal and some others, purely to turn it into a grass-plot and erect some silly statue there." The Chapel , built 1666, is in a mixed style. “The roof, which is a kind of hammer-beam, with fan- vaulting above, was brought from the chapel of St. Maryte College, which formerly stood in the Corn Market, founded by Henry VI., 1135 " ( Arch . Journ. vol. viii.) ; the windows also are Gothic, but there are Grecian columns and a Grecian altarpiece. In 1860 the windows were filled with painted glass, and the ceiling adorned in mediaeval style. The Hall has a curious shal- low porch, and contains portraits of Burton, the author of the 4 Anatomy of Melancholy,' Dr. Radcliffe, and others, including King Alfred. The Library , built by Wren, somewhat resembles the chapel in its mixture of styles. Reginald Heber was a member of this college. He occu- pied rooms at the N.E. corner of the quadrangle, and a fine chestnut in the gardens of Exeter, which over- shadows them, still bears the name of “ Heber’s tree." New buildings are in' 1 course of construction, which will form a quadrangle facing High Street. The space in front, Radcliffe Square, has in its centre the Rad- cliffe Library, while the E. side is occupied by A 11 Souls, the S. by St. Mary’s Ch. (post), a'id the N. by the Schools (C. 5). 44 The assemblage of buildings in that quarter," says H. W alpole,“ though no sin gle one is beau- tiful, always struck me with singular pleasure, as it conveys such a vision of large edifices, unbroken by private houses, as the mind is apt to enter- tain of renowned cities that exist no longer." The Radcliffe Library (0 5), <4 one of the most striking, and perhaps the most pleasing of the classical build- ings in Oxford," a handsome rotunda, with a dome on an octagon base (diam. 100 ft., height 140 ft.), is the best work of Gibbs, 1749. It is named after its founder, Dr. Radcliffe, the physician of Wil- liam III. and Queen Anne, a great benefactor to the University. He left 40,000Z. for its construction, and smaller sums for a librarian, pur- chase of books, &c. A noble domed hall (height 46 ft. from pavement), in which the allied sovereigns dined 1814, occupies the interior, and was filled until 1861 with books on medi- cine and science. These, however, are now removed to the Library of the New University Museum, the Radcliffe being reserved as an ad- junct to, and reading room for, the Bodleian, and appropriated to the books and periodicals of the last four years. It is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Over the door is the portrait of the founder by Sir Godfrey Kneller , the only original likeness extant. The panorama of Oxford from the roof well repays the ascent, and the small fee demanded from visitors. p 2 212 Boute 19 . — Oxford : Bodleian Library ; Sect. III. A short distance N. are the Old Schools, restored and refaced exter- nally, a quadrangular building once used for lectures in the different Faculties, but now entirely devotedto the purposes of the Bodleian Library. The entrance from Kadcliffe-square is by a vaulted passage, but the central Gate Tower (E.) is a re- markable example of the Cinque- cento style, and presents on the inside the 5 orders of architecture piled one above another. It was built (1619) by Thomas Holt, to whom Oxford was much indebted at that period. The sitting statue (formerly gilt) in the upper story represents James I. presenting his works to Fame and the University. The wooden sceptre fell from its hand on the accession of William IY. The Public Examinations of Candi- dates for Degrees were formerly held in the rooms on the ground floor. New Schools have been erected in High St., near University Coll, (v. p. 204). The entire quadrangle is occu- pied by the Bodleian Library (C 5), named after its founder Sir Thomas Bodley (a retired diplomatist, b. at Exeter 1544, d. 1612), who, “ with a munificence which has rendered his name more immortal than the founda- tion of a family would have done, bestowed on the University a library collected by him at great cost, built a magnificent room for its reception, and bequeathed large funds for its increase.” The building was com- pleted 1602, and is described by Casaubon, who visited it 1618, as “ a work rather for a king than for a private man.” In 1612 Bodley ma- tured his plan for adding Public Schools for the University to his Library, but he died within the year, and was buried in Merton Chapel March 23, on the day following which the first stone of the Schools was laid. The ground plan of the older portion of the Library is in the form of the letter H, and comprises three apart- ments. The centre or connecting one was built (1480), as an upper story to the Divinity Schools. The Duke of Gloucester’s library was placed in it, but destroyed, together with a quantity of stained glass and sculpture, in the reign of Edward VI., when the walls were left overgrown with brambles. The Eastern or Arts end was added by Bodley, and the Western by the University in 1636 for Selden’s books, with the Convocation House underneath. Among the benefactors of the library have been William, Earl of Pembroke, Archbp. Laud, Sir Kenelm Digby, John Selden, Lord Fairfax, Richard Rawlinson, Richard Gough, Edmund Malone, and Francis Douce, some of whom bequeathed also coins, medals, and drawings. The Tower and the ad- joining buildings were restored in accordance with the original design in 1882. The Library has also been augmented by purchases, and by a copy of every book entered at Stationers’ Hall, which an Act of Parliament obliges the publisher to present. It is particularly rich in Oriental literature, and possesses, perhaps, the largest Hebrew collec- tions in the world. The Library, which now contains over 400,000 printed volumes, and 30,000 MSS., is open to all graduates of the University, and all others who present a sufficient recommendation, from 9 in the morning to 3, 4 or 5 p.M., according to the time of year ; while the Radcliffe, where lights are allowed, is open from 10 ,a.m. to 10 P.M, The older printed books are in the main placed'in the part of the building erected by Bodley himself ; a lofty chamber, with the roof divided into square compartments bearing the aims of the University and of the founder, and walls hung with por traits. Among the curiosities of the Bod- leian (some of which are placed in glass cases for the inspection of Oxfordshire. Route 19 . — Picture Gallery ; Divinity School. 213 visitors) are a translation of Genesis into Anglo-Saxon by Caedmon the monk, with miniatures of the 9th centy. ; Graeco-Latin MS. of the Acts of the Apostles, of the 6th centy. ( Codex Laudianus ) ; Greek New Testament, which belonged to Ebner of Nuremberg, the binding orna- mented with ivory carvings; Terence, of 12th centy., with illustrations; MS. of the Apocalypse, probably written for Henry III. ; — the Hours of Mary of Burgundy ;-^Psalter of R. de Ormsby, monk of Norwich, beautiful miniatures, 1340*,— a MS. of Wyc- liffe’s Bible; — Latin Exercises, in the writing of Edw. VI. and Q. Eliz. ; — the Confession of the Duke of Mon- mouth, witnessed by his signature and those of 6 bishops ; the first Bible of Gutenberg, Mainz 1448, and autographs of Luther and Melanchthon; the famous long lost Mexican MS.; some curious mediaeval maps and calendars. Some of the MSS. are adorned with precious miniatures by Van Eyck, Memling, or their scholars ; that of Mary of Gonzagu by scholars of Raphael. At the end of the room is some historical stained glass, representing — the Penance of Henry II. in the Chapter-house at Canterbury; Edward II., as king of Scotland, receiving the homage of the barons and abbots; the Marriage of Henry VI. with Margaret of Anjou. Higher up on the library staircase is the Picture Gallery , which contains many curious historical portraits. Among them are almost Ml the founders of colleges. Also, Thomas Sackville Lord Buckhurst, William Herbert Earl of Pembroke, Vandyke ; Selden, Mytens; Mary Queen of Scots, Zucchero; Lord Burleigh on his mule, in his robes as Lord High Treasurer ; Handel, Hudson; Flora Macdonald, Allan Bamsay , &c. In the central division of the gallery is a bronze statue of William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke (Chancellor of the Univer- sity, 1616-30),executedfrom a portrait of Bubens, by Herbert le Sceur, the modeller of the equestrian statue of Charles I. at Charing Cross. The finest picture in the gallery is a portrait of Sir Kenelm Digby, by Vandyke , who had been studying the colouring of Titian in Italy, and on his return found Sir Kenelm, then in mourning for his wife Venetia, a fit subject for the exercise of the art which he had learnt. Here also is the chest of Sir T. Bodley, a fine specimen of ancient iron-work; and a large number of models of classic and other buildings. Descending to the Schools quad- rangle, a vaulted vestibule leads W. to th q Divinity School. The proper name of the vestibule is the Proscholium , but it commonly bears the name of the “ Pig market,” having, with the School to which it leads, been thus vilely misused in the time of Edward VI, It was the scene of the memorable encounter between the Vice-Chancel- lor (Dr. Fell) and the Parliamentary visitors, on June 4, 1647, when the latter did not appear at their ap- pointed hour in consequence of the length of Mr. Harris’ sermon at St. Mary’s. The Diviuity School itself is the basement story of Duke Humphrey’s library, commenced in 1426, and finished, as a theological lecture-room in 1480. “ Its peculiar feature is the stone roof, which con- sists of bold 4-centred arches, the spandrils of which are filled with tracery, and the spaces between these ribs are groined with 2 rows of pendants, finishing below in small niches, which reach much below r the ribs, and form 3 arches across the span.” About 1550 the fit- tings of the interior and the lead of the roof were carried off, but for- tunately the roof itself escaped with little damage, and in the time of Mary the building was restored, suffi- ciently to be used for various purposes. Here Ridley and Latimer appeared 214 Boute 19. — Oxford: Lincoln College ; Sect. ITT. before their judges : “Kidley at first stood bareheaded, but as soon as he heard the Cardinal named and the Pope’s holiness, he put on his cap.” In the Parliament held at Oxford in 1625 on account of the plague, the Peers occupied the Picture Gallery, and the House of Commons met in the Divinity School. It was after- wards used as a storehouse for corn, and was not restored till the begin- ning of the last centy. The doorway on the N., under one of the windows, was made by Wren, for the conve- nience of processions to the Theatre. The door at the W. end of this room admits the visitor to the Convo- cation House (1639), where the de- grees are conferred and the business of the University is transacted : notice the fan-tracery of the roof, its only good feature. The Vice-Chan- cellor’s Court is held in the ante- chamber, or Apody terium. (11). Lincoln. (C 5.) (Notice the Hall and Chapel, Wesley ‘s Rooms.) Founded in 1427 by Richard Flemyng, Bishop of Lincoln ; and augmented in 1479 by another bp. of that see, Thomas Rotherham, who afterwards became Archbp. of York and Lord Chancellor. Flemyng, the founder, had in earlier days been suspected of favouring the opinions of Wycliffe, but he built this col- lege as a nursery for preachers against them. He, however, en- dowed it but meanly; and some fifty years after, when Bishop Ro- therham was staying in it on a visit, the rector. Dr, Tristoppe, preached so touching a sermon on the wants of his college, from the text, “ Behold, and visit this, vine,” &c. — Ps. Ixxx. 14, 15, that the Bishop, with difficulty restraining his emo- tion till the discourse was ended, afterwards richly endowed it. In gratitude for this event, the vine is carefully cultivated at Lincoln to this day, and the walls of the inner quad- rangle are covered with its branches. The Hall , built by Dean Forest in 1436, has suffered external alteration, and the interior was remodelled in 1 70 1 by Lord Crewe, Bishop of Durham, who also gave several pictures by Sir Peter Lely. The Chapel , built 1629, by Williams, Bishop of Lincoln, and wainscoted with cedar 11 very sweet ” (Pointer), contains some remarkable glass of the 17th centy. brought from Italy by him ; the E. window should be noticed, as giving a per- fect series of types and antitypes. The seats are surmounted by an- cient carved figures. In th^ Library are some valuable MSS. ; among others, one of Wycliffe’s Bible. New buildings are in course of erection, providing accommodation for sixteen students. The Rector’ s Lodgings were built 1465, by Bishop Beckyngton, of Bath and Wells, whose rebus several times repeated remains on the walls. The fixed meetings of this Society are still called chapters, Lincoln having been founded as a college of priests attached to the adjoining Church of All Saints. Of this college John Wesley be- came a Fellow, 1726, and the pulpit from which he may have preached still remains in the ante-chapel. The society which he founded here con- sisted of about 15 persons, who were styled by their contemners “the Holy Club.” “When first they began to meet, they read divinity on Sunday evenings only, and pursued their clas- sical studies on other nights ; but reli- gion soon became the sole business of their meetings : they now regularly visited the prisoners and the sick, communicated once a week, and fasted on Wednesdays and Fri- days, the stationary days of the ancient Church.” They used to 1 4 go through a ridiculing crowd to receive the sacrament at St. Mary’s,” John Wesley especially attracting atten- tion from wearing his hair remarkably long, and flowing loose over his shoulders ; he did this in order to give to the poor the money he must 215 Oxfordshire. Route 19 . — Jesus and Exeter Colleges . tiave paid for dressing it. When re- monstrated with, he replied, “ I am much more sure that what leaving it thus enables me to do is according to the Scripture, than I am that the length of it is contrary (Southey’s Life of Wesley.) Lincoln College has the singular distinction of having contributed a Primate to the Churches both of England and France ; namely, John Potter to the Archbishopric of Can- terbury, and William Gitfard to the Archbishopric of Eheims. Bishop Sanderson, Sir William Davenant, and the non-jurors Kettlewell and Hicks, were also members of this College. (12.) Jesus. (G 5.) (Notice the Chapel and Hall.) Founded 1571 by Hugh Price, Treasurer of St. David’s ; but as Queen Elizabeth contributed much of the timber for the buildings, she is designated founder ; and the title of 44 second founder” is given to Sir Leoline Jenkins, the eminent civilian and royalist, who was mainly instrumental in re-edifying it after the Restoration. Jesus was by its founder intended exclusively for Welshmen, but this has been altered by the ordinance of the University Commissioners, and more than half of the fellowships are now open to natives of any country. The Chapel , built 1621, and restored in 1864, noteworthy as the only one in Oxford which has a double chancel, con- tains the tomb of Sir Leoline Jen- kins ; also, the monument of Sir Eubule Thelwall, who built' the Principal’s House; and a fine E. window, by Powell. Service is con- ducted here in Welsh on Wednes- days and Fridays. Over the door is the appropriate motto, “Ascendat oratio, descendat gratia.” The Hall has an elaborately carved screen in the Jacobean style, and a noble bay window. Among the portraits are those of Queen Elizabeth Charles I. and II., Sir Eubule Thel- wall, as a child with his mother, &c. The Library , built by Sir Leoline Jenkins in 1667, contains many rare MSS., but its chief curiosity is “ Y Idyfr Coch,” or the Red Book, con- taining several Welsh legends, some relating to King Arthur and the round table. Both the E. and S. fronts of the college have been re- faced by Buckler, with considerable improvement on the old design. (13). Exeter. (C 5.) (Notice the Hall, Library, and Chapel.) Founded by Walter Stapleton, Bishop of Exeter, 1314. This is one of the largest of the colleges, being, in number of members, second only to Christ Church. The greater part of the buildings are modem, and they are among the finest in Oxford. The Hall , which is a good specimen of a college refectory, was built in 1618 by Sir John Acland, and restored by Nash in 1818. Its high-pitched timber roof is very fine. The Chapel , was rebuilt by Scott in 1857-8 at a cost ofl7,000Z., on the site of a 15th- centy. edifice, which was removed at the same time. The present building is an imitation of the Sainte-Chapelle at Paris. The interior is highly decorated, and the painted windows by Bell and Clayton , the screen which divides the ante-chapel from the chapel, and the modern Venetian mosaics by Salviati, deserve notice. The Library and the Broad-street (or N.) front, also by Scott, are good specimens of modern Gothic ; the W. front, restored by Under- wood in 1832, is less striking, though its great extent makes it a notable object. The college pos- sesses a pretty but private garden, at the corner of which is a large chestnut- tree, overhanging the adja- cent street (Brasenose Street), which is called Heber’s tree ( ante ). Adjoining the Broad-street front of Exeter is the Ashmolean Museum (G 5), open from 11 to 4 daily, and well deserving a visit. It was en- tirely remodelled about 1830 by the 216 Route 19. — Oxford: Ashmolean Museum; Sect. III. brothers Duncan and Professor Phil- lips, and has now, in Mr. J. H. Parker, C.B., author of the ‘ Glossary of Architecture/ and other works, a Keeper well fitted to make it a most valuable museum of history and archaeology. The original contents of the Ashmolean Museum were in many respects very different from its present ones. Gathered together by the two Tradescants, men of exten- sive knowledge in botany and na- tural history as then studied, they formed the contents of “ Tradescant’s Ark,” a kind of Museum in their house at Lambeth, of which a Cata- logue was published in 1656; and in 1662 it passed by bequest into the hands of “ Art’s great Mecaenas, learned Esquire Ashmole,” as his friend Lilly the astrologer terms him. He, in 1677, made an offer of it, together with his library, to the University, on condition of a suitable edifice being prepared for their reception. The offer was accep- ted, and the present building was erected about 1682, by a local archi- tect named Wood, the common as- cription to Sir Christopher Wren being a mistake. “The collection, with the additions of Ashmole, in- cluded birds, beasts, and fishes, especially the productions of distant countries, all that was comprised under the general name of 4 Parities.’ Such was the general character of a Museum down to our own time.” This miscellaneous collection has now been separated, and its parts distributed — the books and MSS. to the Bodleian, the natural history objects to the New Museum, and the portraits to the various picture gal- leries in Oxford. In lieu of these tilings, there is now to be seen a choice, though not large collection of flint implements, British, Koman, and mediaeval pottery, mediaeval jewellery and metal-work, besides specimens of Egyptian, Greek, and early Christian art, as well as a volume of 2000 photographs of Roman architecture in all ages. Here is the complete collection of Anglo-Saxon remains from the Fair- ford graves (1852); most of those figured in Douglas’ ‘Naenia Bri- tannica ;’ British and Saxon remains from Stanlake, with a model of the British village there ( Archseologia , vol. xxxvii .) ; afid most of the objects represented in the folio edition of Cook’s Second Voyage; Alfred’s jewel, a pear-shaped ornament of gold and enamel, probably the head of his sceptre ; Henry VIII.’s sword and hawking glove, Queen Elizabeth’s watch and hunting boots, Queen Mary’s glove, Bradshaw’s iron-lined hat, Cromwell’s watch and privy seal ; the Staffordshire clog almanac, the branks for punishing scolds &e. In the lower story are most of the celebrated Arundel Marbles (pre- sented to the University in 1677), containing the Parian Chronicle, but some of the inscriptions remain at present built into the walls of the room that formerly contained the whole. Immediately adjoining the Ashmo- lean is the Sheldonian Theatre (C 5), built by Wren, at the expense of Arch- bishop Sheldon, in 1 669— a happy imi- tation of ancient theatres, especially that of Marcellus at Rome. “ It was one of Wren’s earliest, best, and most diffi- cult works, entirely carried out under his own superintendence. Though externally it does not possess much dignity, its facade is elegant and appropriate. The roof was justly considered in that age a masterpiece of carpentry. The interior is arranged so scientifically and with such judg- ment, that a larger number of per- sons can see and hear than in any similar building in the kingdom.”— Fergusson’s Mod. Arch. The piers of the iron railing in front are surmounted by colossal heads, said to represent the Sages of Antiquity or the Caesars, but they are really execrable copies of sportive masks, as may be seen by their ornaments. Its internal di- 217 Oxfords. Rte. 19. — Theatre; Old Clarendon Press, mensions are 80 ft. by 70 ; its roof, an ingenious geometrical construc- tion, is perfectly flat, and, as the classic theatres had no roof, this is designed to represent a canvas stretched over gilt cordage. It was painted by Streater. An octagonal cupola was added to the exterior by Blore in 1838, from which an excel- lent view of Oxford is obtained. In this building the annual “ Comme- moration” (when the Term has ended, usually in June) of bene- factors to the University is held, prize compositions are recited from pulpits in fanciful imitation of a Roman rostrum, and honorary degrees are conferred on distinguished persons. Here in 1814 the Emperor Alexander of Russia, the King of Prussia, Blucher, the Cossack PlatofF, and others received the honour, and were arrayed in the red robe of doctors. On such occasions the area below is filled with Masters of Arts and strangers ; the dignitaries of the University and more distinguished visitors occupy the lower seats of the semicircle ; while the galleries are crowded with undergraduates, who formerly kept up a perpetual storm of applause or hisses, not only on persons present, but on political and other noted personages, even at a distance, as their names were called out at random by any of their own body. This practice, which was an innovation of late years, has now been very much diminished by causing the upper and lower gal- leries to be occupied both by ladies and undergraduates. Not many yards from the Theatre, on the E., is the Old Clarendon Printing Office, erected 1711, by William Townsend, and not as is commonly said by Sir John Van- brugh, from the profits of the sale of Lord Clarendon’s ‘ History of the Rebellion,’ given exclusively and for ever to the University by the author’s son. Since 1830, when the new print- ing office (jpost) was completed, it has been devoted to other purposes, as the Registrar's offices, a Council chamber, and the University police station. In the Clarendon, the pall of Henry VII. (i.e. the rich cloth used at the formal celebration of his obsequies by the University) was long preserved.- It is now kept at the College of the Vice-Chancellor for the time being, but is not shown. (14.) Wadham. (B 5, 6.) Notice the Entrance-tower, Chapel, Hall, Gardens.) Founded 1613, by Nicholas Wad- ham, a Somersetshire gentleman, on the site of the Austin Friars’ monastery ; he did not live to com- plete it, but his widow Dorothy fully carried out his intentions. The buildings are Gothic, of excellent character for so late a period, and were executed, it is said, by a body of Somersetshire masons specially selected for the purpose. The En- trance-tower is particularly hand- some, and well-proportioned, and the Chapel , which is very striking, has a good E. window by Van Linge. The Hcdl has an open timber roof, “ which is curious, as showing how, while the Gothic form was retained, the details were altered to suit the taste of the times,” and the same may be said of the carved oak screen ; “ they are among the most remarkable in the University ; and the great S. and oriel windows are particularly good.” ~{J. H. P.) There are many por- traits, as of Admiral Blake, Speaker Onslow, and others. The Carden is very secluded and beautiful ; it con- tains two fine cedars. The Royal So- ciety had its origin in the meetings of a number of learned and inquiring men, such as Dr. Wilkins, Seth Ward, Sir C. Wren, Dr. Sprat, &c., held (1650-59) in the room over the Wadham gateway. Beyond Wadham, on the space called the Parks (said to be the site of the artillery park at the siege of Oxford in 1646), is the New Museum 218 Route 19. — Oxford: Observatory; Museum. Sect. ITI. (A 5, 6), built 1855-60 by Messrs. Deane and Woodward. It is in the style of the 13th centy., not English Gothic, but borrowed from foreign examples, and is by no means suc- cessful. To the rt. of the Museum, on rising ground in the Parks, is the new Observatory , built 1874-5 and 1877-8 (A 7), containing the mag- nificent astronomical instruments presented to the University by Dr. Warren de la Rue. Charsley Hall , a private Hall, established under the statute of 1855 is on the left-hand side of the entry to the Parks. The W. or principal front of the Museum is richly ornamented, but objection has been taken to the grand entrance being perfectly flat with the rest of the building. The E. front is left without ornament, in order that the Museum may be easily added to on that side, as occasion requires. On the N. and S. are out-lying buildings for anatomical and chemical purposes; the Labo- ratory , on the type of the Abbot’s kitchen at Glastonbury, is a very conspicuous object, and a large build- ing for the same purpose beside it was finished in 1880. At the S. E. angle is the residence of the keeper of the Museum. The Museum is open to members of the University from 10 to 4 ; and visitors are ad- mitted, without fee, after 2 p.m. The principal entrance leads to the central quadrangle, which is covered by a glass roof, supported on cast- iron columns, ornamented with co- loured leafage. This court is sur- rounded by 2 galleries, with open arcades, which furnish, on either story, a ready means of communica- tion to every part of the collection. “ The roof and the ironwork that supports it are purposely made clumsy.” — Fergussoris Mod. Archit. The shafts of the pillars have been selected, under the direction of Pro- fessor Phillips, as examples of the more important rocks of the British Isles: thus those on the W. are of the granitic series ; those on the E. of the metamorphic ; N. calcareous rocks chiefly from Ireland; S. the English marbles. The capitals and bases represent various groups of plants and animals, illustrative of dif- ferent climates and various epochs. Some of the capitals (by the O’Shea family), especially those of the Eng- lish ferns and flora, are of a delicacy and beauty worthy of Yenice. “ The one really good point in the whole design is the range of pillars, with their capitals, but they are good precisely because they are not Gothic.” — Fergusson. The corbels, in front of the piers, are occu- pied, or are to be occupied, by statues of those who have been famous in each of the sciences which the Museum is intended to illus- trate. “ As those who have laid the deepest and widest the foundations of science, Aristotle and Bacon are set up at the portal— the one given by H. M. the Queen, the other by undergraduates of Oxford. In the mathematical department are placed Euclid and Leibnitz ; in the astro- nomical, Newton and Galileo ; in the chemical, Davy and Priestly ; in that of zoology and botany, Linnaeus ; in that of medicine, Hippocrates and Harvey; in that of applied mecha- nics, Watt and Stephenson ” (Ac- land). A statue of the late Prince Consort, by Woolner, stands near the head of* the great central aisle, and about 20 other statues are still want- ing to complete the series. They will be provided, as the others have been, by private subscription. The central area of the Museum * is divided into 5 compartments, or passages running parallel from W. to E. ; i.e ., 2 N. and 2 S. of the cen- tral compartment, which faces the principal entrance. This central * See Prof. Phillips’ ‘Geology of Oxford and the Valley of the Thames/ — the best companion and guide to this Museum. 219 Oxfordshire. Route 19 . — Museum ; Keble College. compartment is devoted to birds and mammalia ; the aisles N. to skeletons of vertebrata; the aisles S. to rep- tiles and fishes, and minerals. The N. corridor contains human crania, the E. fossils, the S. philosophical instruments, and the W. the patho- logical department. The Upper Floor has a large lecture-room, capable of containing 600 persons. Along the W. front are the Reading-rooms and Library, containing a valuable col- lection of books on medicine and science brought hither from the Rad- cliffe. The collection of marbles in the Upper Corridor was also brought from the same building. A large apartment on this floor is devoted to the entomological collection of Mr. Hope, formerly preserved in the Taylor Buildings. Probably the most special object among the fossils is the Cetiosaurus , an extinct crea- ture 40 ft. long and 12 ft. high ; but beside this many of the specimens here deposited have a peculiar in- terest as illustrating the early re- searches and discoveries of geolo- gists. The most conspicuous parts of the collection are the numerous and well-selected examples of many fossil quadrupeds from the caverns of Germany, France, and the Brit- ish Isles. In the investigation of these ossiferous caves no person was so distinguished . as Dr. Buckland for industry -and sagacity. The re- markable speculations which he ad- vanced concerning Kirkdale and other caves have been since for the most part confirmed, and are well illustrated by the specimens pre- served in the Museum. The Local Geology of Oxfordshire has furnished some of the more con- spicuous fossils. Stonesfield (Rte. 26) in particular has yielded the Mega- losaurus, the flying Pterodactylus, and the small Marsupial Mammalia whose best analogues are now in Australia. Shotover Hill (Exc. d) has been ransacked for the bones of the Plesiosaurus, and many other interesting species. Lyme Regis, another classic land of geology, is represented by Plesiosauri and Ich- thyosauri. The footprints of Cheiro- therium and other reptiles are seen on the sandstones of Lochmaben, and a vast amount of Bovine and Elephantine reliquise, which, with bones of Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, Megatherium, and other monsters of the earlier time, makes the palaeon- tological collection in some sort the monument of Dr. Buckland. (15.) Keble Coll. (A 5.) Founded in 1868 by the friends of the late Rev. John Keble, author of ‘ The Christian Year,' and Vicar of Hursley, as a memorial to his memory. It is designed to promote a cause that he had much at heart, placing a collegiate education within the reach of many who might otherwise have difficulty in obtaining it. Those who are in- tended for holy orders are considered especially likely to benefit by it, but it is not confined to such students, though it is intended to train up all in the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England ; “ it is not to be, in any invidious sense, a ‘ poor man’s college,’ thougii it will be possible to five there on a smaller in- come than elsewhere.’ 5 The sum of 45 ,(j 00Z. was first raised, and was ex- pended on the site, some of the build- ings, and the necessary outlay at start- ing. The buildings, by Butterfield , are of variegated brick; they form two sides and a half of a large quad- rangle, the other half of the third side being occupied by the Chapel ; the Hall and Library form the fourth side. In April, 1876, the foundation of the Gliapel , designed by Butter- field, was laid by W. Gibbs, Esq., M.A., of Tyntesfield, the munifi- centfounder, who devoted no less than 30,000Z. to erect it. It was dedicated on St. Mark’s Day, 1876. The proportions are very fine, the height from floor to roof being 70 ft., while the breadth 220 Boute 19 . — Oxford : Trinity College ; Sect. IIT. is 35 feet, and the length .124 ft. The interior contains beautiful carv- ing, coloured mosaics, and painted glass. In the chancel there is a large mosaic of the Crucifixion, and on the opposite side is one of the Resurrection. The Hall and Librany form the southern side of the quadrangle, and were commenced in 1876, and opened in 1879. They were erected at the cost of members of the Gibbs family. The Hall contains a few portraits, among them those of Mr. Keble and the Warden. The Library ; con- tains Keble's large collection of books, and many gifts from Cardinal Newman, Lord Beauchamp and others ; also Holman Hunt’s picture of the “Light of the World.” A portion of a new quadrangle was commenced in 1881, and the E. wing finished 1882. There will even- tually be a second and smaller quad- rangle, ending in the Warden’s House, opposite the Museum ; and an extension of the building on the side of Keble Terrace. The College, having been opened by the Chancellor (Marquis of Salis- bury) June 22, 1870, was formally received into the University by a decree of Convocation, April 18, 1871. The Rev. E. S. Talbot is the Warden, and the number of members on Jan. 1, 1872, was 79, which in 1882 had increased to 394. In Lent Term, 1882, there were 161 students. (16.) Trinity. (B 5.) (Notice the Chapel — especially G. Gibbons’ carv- ings in it — and Gardens.) Founded in 1554 by Sir Thomas Pope, a lawyer, who had been clerk of the Star-chamber, and was then Lord Mayor of London. Upon the site stood the ruined buildings of Durham College, a foundation of the 13th centy., which once possessed the famous library of Richard de Bury, the learned Bishop of Durham (1333-1345), known as Philobiblos. Though more than half its members were laymen, it was suppressed at the Dissolution, and it lay in ruins for many years. Sir Thomas, who had been greatly instrumental in saving St. Alban’s Abbey from de- struction, purchased the site, and re- paired the buildings sufficiently for occupation. The present structure is all of later date than his time. The Tower and Chapel are of Grecian architecture, built by Dr. Bathurst, c. 1695, and favourable specimens of their kind. The chapel contains the fine tomb of the Founder and his wife (brought from St. Stephen, Walbrook, London), and has a most beautiful carved screen and altar- piece by Gibbons — his masterpiece, and well worth study. In the Library is a chalice that belonged to St. Alban’s Abbey, as also some good ancient painted glass. This was a favourite retreat of Dr. Johnson, when visiting Oxford, and a copy of Baskerville’s Yirgil is shown as his gift. The Hall , which occupies the site of the refectory of Durham College, was built in 1620, but has since undergone many alterations both internal and external ; it contains portraits of the founder, Archbp. Sheldon, Thomas Warton, and others. The buildings stand back from the street, with a handsome gate and grass-plat in front, and the rather extensive Gardens have a trellised walk of great beauty. Dr. Bathurst, who was for 40 years President of Trinity (d. 1704), used to surprise the un- dergraduates, if walking in this grove at unseasonable times, with a whip in his hand, — an instrument of academic discipline, not then en- tirely' laid aside. See Oxoniana , iv. 106. At the corner of the green to the E. of Trinity stands Kettel Hall, (B 5.), the most picturesque speci- men of domestic architecture in Ox- ford. It was called after its founder, Dr. Ralph Kettel, President of Trinity, as its predecessor, on the same Oxfordshire. 221 Boute 19 . — Balliol College . site, Perilous Hall, was called after its founder Perles. Dr. Kettel was cele- brated for his feats of bodily strength, but a story of him, which Dean Aldrich tells, cannot be reconciled to chronology, as he died in July, 1643, three years before the surrender of Oxford. The Doctor, he says, “ was accustomed to attend the daily disputations in the hall of Trinity, where he sate with a black fur muff and an hour-glass before him to time the exercise. One day, when Crom- well was in possession of Oxford, a halberdier rushed in, and, breaking his hour-glass with his halberd, seized his muff and threw it in his face. The Doctor instantly seized the soldier by the collar and made him prisoner, and the halberd was carried out before him in triumph” This hall was originally intended as a lodging for students, but is now a private dwelling. Dr. Johnson re- sided here for 5 weeks when visiting Oxford. (17.) Balliol. (B4, 5.) (Notice the South Front, the Chapel, the North Building.) Founded about 1263 by Sir John Balliol, of Barnard Castle, the father of John Balliol, King of Scotland. His benefaction was confirmed and added to by his widow Dervor- gilla, who also founded Sweetheart Abbey (Suave Cordium) in Galloway, in order to deposit her husband’s heart there.. No part of the existing building is older than 1431. The south front, built by Waterhouse (1868), has a massive tower, of four stories in height, and is much ad- mired for the boldness of its outline and the varied character of the de- tail; the free use of the shouldered arch is somewhat remarkable. The Chapel, which is the 4th in succes- sion since the building of the Col- lege, was designed by Butterfield, and erected in 1858. It is built, in a foreign-looking Gothic style, of alternate layers of red and white stone, and is handsome in its internal decorations, of which Derbyshire ala- baster forms a conspicuous part. The windows are filled with glass from the old chapel, some of which is of the time of Henry VIII. The Library is of the 15th centy. externally, but the interior was “ re- arranged ” by Wyatt , about the close of the last century. The same may be said of the Hall, except that it has been enlarged since Wyatt’s time, and which is now used as a Lecture room. The new Hall, erected by Waterhouse , was opened in 1877. It contains portraits of Wyc- liffe (once Master), Abp. Dolben, Bp. Barrington, and others. W. of the Hall extend other buildings, one of which, the North Building, by Salvin, 1852, has a good Gothic gate-house with oriel window. The gridiron, carved in various parts of the college, is a memorial of its early possession (1294) of lands in the parish of St. Lawrence in London. As Oriel was the first to open its fellowships, so this college was the first to open its scholarships, and under the auspices of a late Master, Dr. Jenkyns (d. 1854), it reached the high point of scholarship that it still maintains. Pennant says : “ Within my memory majestic elms graced the street before this and the neigh- bouring colleges. The scene was truly academick, walks worthy of the contemplative Schools of ancient days. But alas ! in the midst of numberless modern elegancies, in this single instance some demon whispered, ‘Oxford have a taste/ and by the magic line every vene- rable tree fell prostrate.” Opposite the door of the Master’s Lodging, four small stones set cross- wise in the road are supposed to indicate the vicinity of the spot where Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer suffered martyrdom, 1555, 1556. “ It probably was somewhat further S. on the bank of the moat of the city 222 Route 19. — Oxford: St. John's College; Sect. III. wall, now covered by the houses of Broad Street, or perhaps by the foot- path in front of them, where an extensive layer of wood ashes is known to remain ” (J. H. P.). In 1850, in forming a culvert in Broad Street, an oak post burnt off at the upper end was found driven very firmly into the otherwise unmoved gravel; it is now preserved in the Ashmolean Museum, being “ sup- posed to be a part of the stake to which one of [the bishops] was fas- tened.” (18.) St. John’s, opposite the Taylor Museum (B 5.) (Notice the two Old Quadrangles, especially the inner one, the Chapel, and Gardens.) Founded 1555 by Sir Thomas White, Lord Mayor of London. u White was warned in a dream that he should build a college for the education of youth in religion and learning, near a triple elm, having three trunks issuing from one root ; whereupon he repairs to Oxford, and first met with something near Glou- cester Hall (now Worcester College), that seemed to answer his dream, where accordingly he erected a great deal of building. But afterward, finding another elm near St. Ber- nard’s College, supprest not long before by Henry VIII., he left off at Gloucester Hall, and built St. John Baptist College, which, with the very tree beside it, that occasioned its foundation, flourishes to this day.” (Plot, 1677.) Two of the trunks existed in 1749, when Pointer pub- lished his ‘ Oxoniensis Academia ; ’ both have perished now, but the elm in the small court opposite the President’s lodging is believed to be the representative of one of them. The college has a fine terrace walk in front, shaded by a row of elms. The front and gateway tower are parts of Chichele’s foundation of St. Bernard’s (1437). White (the son of a clothier at Beading, and himself a merchant in London) engrafted his foundation on this, designing it especially for the education of youths from the school of the Merchant Taylors in London, to which it was confined until the Oxford University Commissioners threw the majority of its endowments open. In the first quadrangle is the Hall , once the refectory of the monks, but much modernised. The portraits that line its walls include the Founder, Abps. Laud and Juxon, Sir Walter Raleigh, Hudson the navigator, &c. The Chayel , built 1530, after suffering much from the Puritans, was repaired in the de- based style of Charles II., but in 1843 it was restored to its original state by Blore. Sir Thomas White, the founder, and Archbishop Laud, who, from being born at Reading, entered here on the foundation of his fellow-townsman and afterwards became one of the chief benefactors of the college, are buried without monuments beneath the altar. Here also is preserved the heart of Hr. Rawlinson (buried in St. Giles’s ch.), with the inscription “ Ubi thesaurus ibi cor.” A vaulted passage, with rich fan- tracery ceiling, leads into the second quadrangle, of picturesque Palladian architecture, built by Inigo Jones for Archbishop Laud— a much ad- mired example of the style. The gate-towers, adorned with classic pillars in the Cinque-cento style, are surmounted by bronze statues of Charles I. and his queen Henrietta Maria by Fanelli. Along two sides of it run cloisters, in the style of the great Hospital at Milan, resting on pillars of Bletchingdon marble. The S. and E. sides are occupied by the Library , partly Elizabethan, partly the work of Inigo Jones for Abp. Laud. Here is a portrait of Charles I., with the whole book of Psalms written in his hair and the lines of his face. In this apartment Charles I., his queen, the Elector Oxfordshire. Route 19. — Taylor Buildings ; Galleries . 223 Palatine, and Prince Rupert were entertained by Laud with a superb banquet, and after it by a play or interlude, composed and acted by members of the college (1636). A portrait of the archbishop, his cap, and the walking-stick which sup- ported him to the scaffold, are pre- served here. The new buildings (B 4, 5) to the N. of the College, facing St. Giles, were erected from designs by G. G. Scott , in 1880-81. They contain 14 sets of rooms and a lecture room. *St. John’s Gardens , perhaps the most beautiful in the University, 5 acres in extent, were laid out by Brown and Repton. They are rich in trees, enlivened by nightingales in May, and are admirably kept up. Their beauty is much enhanced by the view of the E. front of the college, which includes the Library, with its venerable oriels and quaint stone gables. Nearly opposite St. John’s are the Taylor Buildings and University Galleries (B 4) erected in the classic style, 1845, from the designs of C. B. Cockerell , B.A. This building owes its origin to two bequests — of Sir Robert Taylor (d. 1788) for a foundation to teach modern European languages, and of Ur. Randolph (d. 1796) for a build- ing to contain the Pomfret marbles and other works of art. The E. wing facing St. John’s is the Taylor Institution, and the statues sur- mounting it are those of France, Italy, Germany, and Spain, whose languages are here taught. It con- tains the leading foreign periodicals, a library of foreign books and the Finch Art Library. The University Galleries , where the Oxford School of Art has its quarters, face the Randolph in Beau- mont-st. (B 4.) They are open daily, except in August, 12 till * 4 — a good Catalogue, price 6d. They * These have been admirably described by Mr. JT. C. Robinson. contain the original models of the busts and statues executed by Sir F. Chantrey, the munificent gift of his widow, Lady Chantrey, and including likenesses of most of the great men of his time : his statues of General Wash- ington (for America), James Watt, Bishop Heber, George Canning, the 2 sleeping children of Lichfield Cathe- dral, Mrs. Jordan and her children, &c. ; besides colossal busts of Nelson, Wellington, &c. These are the ori- ginal clay models, moulded by the sculptor himself, and often more happy than the marble copies. Of the Pomfret marbles deposited here (upwards of 70 in number) the best is a statue of Cicero : “a work of happy conception, of peculiar and fine cast of drapery, and admirable workmanship.” — Waagen. A sculp- ture of Nisroch from Nineveh was the gift of Mr. Layard. On the first-floor the admirable collection of drawings by old masters, and paintings, are well arranged. In the ante-room of the Picture Gallery are 10 fine drawings by Turner , views for the 4 Oxford Al- manack,’ and 40 other drawings and sketches by him, the gift of Mr. Ruskin. The lover of art will study with delight the original drawings by Rafaelle (162) and Michael Angelo (79), a collection unequalled in the country. Among them may be recognised many of the sketches for their most celebrated pictures, of which the following are among the most remarkable : — Bafaelle. — The Almighty sur- rounded with angels: a study for the ceiling picture of the Burning Bush, in the Vatican.— Study for the Uisputa, executed with the silver point, on tinted paper. — Study coeval with, if not for, the Sposalizio. — Study for “ the Madonna in green,” in the Belvedere, Vienna. — Study for the St. George in St. Petersburg — silver point. — Study for the tapestry of the Adoration of the Kings, in the 224 Route 19. — Oxford: Worcester College ; Sect. III. Vatican, which proves that com- position to be from Raphael’s own hand. — Men in combat (pen-draw- ing) supposed to be for the victory of Ostia, in the Vatican. — Study for the Rape of Helen. — Study for the Phrygian Sibyl, in Sta. Maria della Pace, at Rome. — Study of Minerva, and 3 other statues, for the School of Athens. — Portrait of Raphael, at the age of 16 : a real treasure. — Entrance of Cardinal Giovanni de’ Medici into Florence, probably exe- cuted by Francesco Penni. — Tobit and the Angel : study for that part of Perugino’s altarpiece in the Cer- tosa of Pavia which Raphael exe- cuted : it is now in the possession of Duke Melzi, at Milan. — Sketch for the upper part of the Disputa, in 2 rows : a most masterly pen- drawing, in bistre, 1509. — Various studies for the Entombment, 1507. — Study from nature for 2 of the figures on the steps of the School of Athens, 1510. — 7 young men drink- ing wine at a table, 1508. — Probably St. Stephen : admirably drawn. — A sketch for the tapestry occasionally hung in the Sistine Chapel, 1515 or 1516. — Hercules Gaulois, or Elo- quence. — The two undraped figures from the Borghese Entombment : very interesting. — A beautiful pen sketch of the Virgin and Child with the Baptist, for the Madonna del Cardellino, in the Tribune at Flo- rence : instead of a bird, a book is here given and the Baptist is in a quiet position. — The Presentation, said to be by Giulio Romano. — Studies for the Heliodorus. Michael Angelo . — The Last Judg- ment : admirably executed with pen and bistre. — The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, executed by the miniature- painter, Don Giulio Clovio. — A study for one of the Sibyls in the Sistine Chapel. — A study from nature for the statue of David, PalazzcfcVecchio. — Study for the Jonah of the Sistine Chapel.— Studies of horses, for the Conversion of St. Paul, in the Pau- line Chapel. — A study for the Adam in the Sistine Chapel. — Studies for the raising of the Brazen Serpent. Sis tine C 1 > apel . — Michael Angel o and his friend Marc Antonio della Torre, occupied on anatomical studies. Study of 3 figures for the Conversion of St. Paul. — Study for the Last Judgment. — Studies for the tombs of the Medici. — Waagen. These drawings formed part of the collection of Sir Thomas Lawrence, and were purchased for the Uni- versity at the price of 7000Z., of which Lord Eldon contributed 4105Z. Besides these drawings the gallery contains copies of Raphael’s Car- toons, and of his School of Athens ; sketches by Vandyke; Portraits of Payne, the architect, his sons, and of Mrs. Meyrick ; of Joseph Warton, and of White the Paviour (model for the figure of Ugolino), all by Sir Josh. Reynolds ; sketches by Hogarth (in- cluding his Enraged Musician, Inn Yard, and Rake’s Progress) ; 3 land- scapes by Wilson ; Southampton Castle, by Calcott ; several Dutch pictures; and others. There are also specimens of the early Italian school, &nd several fine works by Canaletti, Ostade, Teniers, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Mori and and Con- stable. A beautiful bust of the finest period of Greek art, and a fine bronze mask of Michael Angelo are placed in this gallery. (19.) Worcester. (B 3, 4.) (No- tice the Chapel and Gardens.) Founded in 1714 by Sir Thos. Cookes, Bart., of Bentley, Worces- tershire, on the site of Gloucester Hall, a place of education con- nected with Gloucester Abbey, suj>- pressed at the Dissolution, and given to Bishop King, of Oxford, a^ his palace. On his death it reverted to the Crown, and in 1559 it was purchased by Sir Thomas White, who gave it as a hall to St. John’s College. Receiving an en- 225 Oxfordshire. Route 19 . — Pembroke College . dowment in 1714 from Sir Thomas Cookes, it henceforth had the name of Worcester College. The Chapel , once very plain, is now gorgeously decorated with figure groups in me- diaeval style, on a gold ground, and in the roof by medallions and ara- besques by Burges (1866). The Hall has been panelled throughout with woodwork of original and good design. In the Library is Inigo Jones’s copy of Palladio’s works, with notes and sketches by his own hand. The extensive Gardens are prettily laid out, and contain a large sheet of water, known as Worcester Lake. In connexion with Gloucester Hall, Dr. Woodroffe, the Principal (temp. Car. II.), built lodgings amid the ruins of Beaumont Palace for “the education of young scholars from Greece, who, after they had been here educated in the Reformed religion, were to be sent back into their own country, in order to pro- pagate the same there. And accor- dingly some young Grecians were brought hither, and wore their Grecian habits ; but not finding suitable encouragement, this project come to nothing.” In New Inn Hall Street, W. of the Union Society’s Buildings (C 4), is New Inn Hall , originally Trilleck’s Hall bought by William of Wykeham in 1869, and given by him to New College. This hall, about the time of Henry VIII., was mainly occupied by lawyers, and in modern times Sir William Blackstone, author of the 4 Commentaries,’ was its Princi- pal (1761-66). In the Civil War, it was occupied as the royal mint, at which the plate of the different colleges, loyally contributed to fur- nish funds for the king’s govern- ment, was converted into money. Here were struck the coins known as “ Exsurgat money,” from the legend on the reverse, “ Exsurgat Deus, dis- sipentur inimici.” The present buildings are modern. Opposite New Inn Hall are the [Berks, &c.~\ gates of Frewen Hall (C 4) (on the site of St. Mary s College, where Erasmus resided, and named from Dr. Frewen, President of Magdalen, 1626-1644). It was the residence of the Prince of Wales w T hile a student at the University, 1859-60. (20.) Pembroke. (D 4.) (Notice the Entrance Tower and new Hall.) Founded on the site of Broadgates Hall in 1624 by Thomas Tesdale, of Glympton, and the Rev. Richard Wightwick, rector of Usley, Berks, and named in honour of William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, then Chancellor of the University. The scholars and Fellows were to be prin- cipally elected from the Abingdon Free-school, but this limitation has been set aside by the University Commission. The Entrance Gateway , and the Hall (a.d. 1848) are handsome, but the rest of the buildings are very plain . George Whitefield was a servitor here, and “ found the advantage of having been used to a public-house [his father kept an inn at Glouces- ter]. Many who could choose their servitor preferred him, because of his diligent and alert attendance : and thus, by the help of the profits of the place, and some little presents made him by a kind-hearted tutor, he was enabled to live without being beholden to his relations for more than 24Z. in the course of three years. ... At first he was rendered uncomfortable by the society into which he was thrown ; he had seve- ral chamber-fellows, who would fain have made him join them in their riotous mode of life ; and* as he could only escape from their persecutions by sitting alone in his study, he was sometimes benumbed with cold ; but when they perceived the strength as well as the simplicity of his charac- ter, they suffered him to take his own way in peace.” Samuel John- son occupied the rooms over the original gateway, from the window Q 226 Route 19. — Oxford: Churches: St. Mary's; Sect. III. of which he threw in a fury the new shoes which a well-meaning friend had placed at his door, on seeing that his old ones were no longer wearable. Poverty compelled John- son to leave Pembroke before he had taken his degree. In the gate- way itself he ‘‘was generally seen lounging, with a circle of gay young students round him, whom he was entertaining with wit, and keeping them from their studies, if not spirit- ing them up to rebellion against the College discipline which, in his ma- turer years, he so much extolled.” When he visited Oxford in 1754 his first call was at his old College, but his reception by the Master (Dr. Radclitfe) was so cold, that he ex- claimed, “ If I come to live at Oxford, I shall take up abode at Trinity.” (Warton to Boswell .) Some of his college exercises are preserved in the Library . with his bust by Bacon, and in the Sail there is an ad- mirable portrait of him by Sir J. Reynolds. II. Churches. Besides the Cathedral (see p. 192), the following Churches will be found particularly worthy of inspection. (1.) The Church of St. Mary the Virgin (C 5), which is also the Uni- versity Church, in the High Street, is conspicuous by its beautiful Dec. spire (height 150 ft. , a memorial of Eleanor of Castile, as shown by the ball-flower or pomegranate ornament which lines the panels and gables of the pinnacles. The ch. was built under the superintendence of Adam de Brome, her almoner, and occupies the traditional site of a ch. founded by Alfred, and of which John of Oxford, the opponent of Becket, was dean in the reign of Henry II. The body of the ch. is good Perp., except the Italian porch on the S. side, which is a valuable historic monument. It was erected by Mor- gan Owen, one of Archbishop Laud’s chaplains, and the image of the Virgin and Child, still remaining, formed one of the articles on which the Archbishop was impeached. The present chancel (68 ft. by 24) was erected 1472 by Lyhert, Bp. of Norwich ; the nave (94 ft. by 54) and aisles, 1488, under the direction of Sir Reginald Bray (the architect of Windsor and Great Malvern), whose arms, as a benefactor, formerly ornamented one of the windows. At this rebuilding, all the old chapels were swept away, except the monumental chantry of Adam de Brome on the N. Dr. Radclitfe, the last person in Oxford who was hon- oured with a public funeral attended by the whole University, is buried at the base of the organ-loft without a monument ; and at the W. door is the grave of the unhappy Amy Rob- sart, wife of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who was brought hither from Cumnor. When Dr. Babington, Lord Leicester’s chaplain, preached her funeral sermon in this ch., he was so nervous that 4< he thrice recommended to men’s memories that virtuous lady so pitifully murdered, instead of saying so pitifully slain ; ” at which the people, whose minds were already predisposed, took fire, and the belief was never eradicated : Sir Walter Scott has perpetuated it in ‘ Kenilworth,’ but later writers have questioned its truth (Rte. 9). Near the W. end is a monumental tablet by Flaxman to Sir William Jones. Dr. Newman was the incumbent of this ch. from 1834 to 1843, and here were preached his “ Ser- mons on Subjects of the Day,” an attack on which occasioned him to write his well-known ‘ Apologia.’ In the chancel the Mayor and Corporation, with halters round their necks, were long accustomed to do penance and pay a fine on St. Scholastica’s day (Feb. 10), for an outrage committed against the Uni- Oxfordshire. Route 1 9 . — All Saints 9 ; St . Peter’s. 227 versity in 1354. Cranmer, imme- diately before his death, was brought to this ch. to hear a sermon, and to proclaim his recantation, being placed on a platform opposite the pulpit and surrounded by armed men. But when the discourse was ended, contrary to the expectation of his enemies, he boldly repudiated and renounced all things that he had written “ contrary to the truth ” since his degradation, adding, “ As for the Pope, I refuse him as Anti- Ohrist. ,, The auditors clamoured against him; the preacher (Dr. Cole) cried “ Stop the heretic’s mouth ; ” and he was dragged to the stake.* The ch. was restored by Scott in 1862. At the N. E. end of St. Mary’s is the Old Convocation House, the only relic of an earlier ch. on this site, over which is a room which was — 1st, a Library founded 1320 by Cob- ham, Bishop of Worcester (in a mea- sure the parent of the Bodleian, to which the books were transferred 1840); 2nd, the Upper House of Convocation; 3rd, a Law School. Finally, in 1871, the lower portion was restored, and a crypt was con- verted into a chapel for the un- attached students of the University. In the High Street, a short distance W. of St. Mary’s, is (2) All Saints ’ (C 5), “ built (1705-10) of the bad Headington stone, the surface of which constantly crumbles away, from a design by Dean Aldrich, and exhi- biting a very fair specimen of the style of building he would inculcate in his ‘ Elements of Civil Architec- ture.’ Though altogether at variance with our present notions of rules of art, yet this ch. has much that is attractive in it. The proportions of the interior are particularly good, and the Graeco-Gothic spire and tower perhaps the most successful attempt of the kind existing in England ” (J. H. P.). In 1865 the interior was * See Dean Hook’s admirable ‘ Life of Arehbp. Cranmer,’ 1870. restored, and the spire was rebuilt in 1874. A ch. existed on this spot at a very early date, but the fall of its spire in 1669 reduced it almost to ruin. Tradition tells that in its churchyard St. Edmund of Abing- don (Archbp. of Canterbury) was one day preaching, when a violent storm came on. The people began to take flight, but St. Edmund im- plored them to stay, and prayed that he might be allowed to finish his sermon without interruption ; after which, though in the neigh- bouring High Street torrents of rain ran like a river, not a drop fell in the churchyard. How St. Edmund “ preached in Alle Halowene church- yerd,” is described in an old ballad, temp. Edward I. (3.) St. Peter in the East , in New College Lane. (C 6.) This ch. has a Norm, crypt, really of about the time of Stephen (a.d. 1150), but erro- neously ascribed to St. Grymbald in the 9th centy. It has two rows of short pillars, and much resembles the crypt of Winchester Cathedral ; Grymbald’s only connection with St. Peter’s must have been with an earlier ch. than the present one. The chancel, also late Norm., retains its original groined roof, — observe the chain ornament typical of St. Peter ad Vincula — two semicircular- headed windows, and two E. turrets with conical roofs. The Lady Cha- pel, built about 1240, by St. Edmund of Abingdon, founder of the adjoining hall, whose scholars used to attend service here, contains a fine tomb with brasses of K. Atkinson, “5 times Mayor of Oxford,” d. 1574. The Lent Sermons before the Uni- versity were formerly delivered from the stone pulpit here, which had once two entrances, the 2nd being set apart for the University preacher. The nave has a rich Norm, doorway ; but the porch is Perp. In the churchyard are the graves Q 2 228 Sect. III. Boute 19. — Oxford: Churches; of Dillenius the botanist, and of Hearne the antiquary, who was formerly of St. Edmund’s Hall. This vicarage in former times was commonly held by persons connected with royalty, the last who had it before the tithes were acquired by Wykeham, being Bogo de St. Clare, a kinsman of Edward I. Many halls congregated on this spot, which paid tithes to the incumbent, but Wykeham, by his influence with the Pope, swept them away in founding New College. Nicholas Wyking, the vicar, waited till Wykeham’s death, and then took occasion of the journey of his patron Edmund de Beckyngham, Warden of Merton, as representative of the University, to the anti-papal Council of Constance, to plead his cause there. He ob- tained the reversal of the papal de- cision, but before his return Martin Y. was elected, and from him the college received a confirmation of their former immunity, which they still enjoy. (4.) St. Giles (A 5), in the street of that name, has a Trans.-Norm. tower, but the rest is E. E. The N. aisle has been a series of chapels, each with a separate roof and gable ; the windows are good E. E., as are the S. doorway and porch. The font is temp. Henry III. (5.) St. Mary Magdalen (B 4), opposite Balliol College, has a S. aisle of the time of Edward II., and a Perp. tower, in which materials from the ruins of Osney Abbey are worked up — notice in a niche on the W. side a beautiful small figure of St. Mary Magdalen ; and a N. aisle, rebuilt by Scott in 1841, as a part of the Mar- tyrs Memorial ; near its N. entrance is a relic of the Beformation in the •heavy oak door brought from the prison of the bishops in Bocardo. It retains rudely carved portraits of Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley. The church was completely restored in 1875. The Memorial proper, built to commemorate the burning of Ridley, Latimer and Cranmer, in 1555 and 1556, stands N. of the ch., and is an imitation of the Eleanor crosses. The design was by G . G. Scott, and the monument was finished 1851, at a cost of 5000L ; it stands 73 ft. high. The statues are by Weekes , and are, on N. Cranmer, on E. Ridley, and S. Latimer. (6.) St Michael (B. C 4), in the Cornmarket, is remarkable for its tower, with long and short work, supposed by Rickman to be of Saxon date, and certainly little later than the Norman conquest, though a Perp. battlement has been added, c. 1500. The S. aisle is Dec., but a chapel N. of the chancel, and a S. porch are Perp. The ch. was restored by Street in 1855, and has a marble reredos of his gift. The E. window is modern, but some portions of ancient glass remain in others. Opposite the ch. is a Perp. house, now called St. Michael’s chambers, and let as offices, which was restored in 1864 by Mr. J. H. Parker, author of the ‘ Glossary of Architecture,’ &c. (7.) St. Aldates (D 4), fronting Christ Church. This is a fine Dec. ch., named after a British saint of the 5th centy. ; it was built by Sir John de Docklington in 1336, and enlarged in 1862. The tower and spire were rebuilt in 1873. The Trinity chapel contains the tomb of John Noble, Principal of Broadgates Hall, 1522. “ It was the custom for the people of the parish to eat sugar sops out of the font in this church on Holy Thurs- day.” — Hearne. (8.) St. Thomas the Martyr (B 2), near the Castle, occupies the site of a temporary ch. dedicated to St. Nicho- las, which was built in 1142 during the siege of Oxford, when the pa- rishioners of St. George within the 229 Oxfordshire. Route 19 . — Castle; City Walls. Castle (now destroyed) were excluded from their cli. The present ch. is E. E., with a good Dec. E. window, the tower Perp., and the nave partly Perp. and partly Dec., with a S. aisle in modern Dec. The ch.yard is par- ticularly neat and well kept. The remaining churches of Oxford call for but little remark. The most noticeable are St. Philip and St. James, in the Woodstock Road, an Italian Gothic structure by Street ; St. Barnabas, in the poor district called Jericho, an Italian Norman basilica by Blomfield , remarkable for its two apses (one is the baptistery), and its style of ornament, in which colour is lavishly employed; St. Martin Carfax ( C 4), St. Peter-Le- Bailey (C 4), a good Dec. structure, and St. Frideswide (B 1) (French Gothic) in Osney Town, opened for Divine Service in 1872. III. Other Objects of Interest. The remains of the Castle (C 3), though now reduced to a solitary tower, a high mound, and a few frag- ments of wall, are very interesting as a historical relic. The tower was built, probably in the reign of William Rufus, by Walter d’Oiley, a Norman follower of the Conqueror. In 1142 the Empress Maud, besieged within its walls for 3 months by Stephen, succeeded at length in escaping by sallying out (or being let down from the walls by ropes), escorted by 3 knights, and clad in white sheets, on a winter night, while snow covered the ground and the Thames was frozen over. She reached Abingdon on foot, whence she was conveyed to Wallingford. A crypt known as “ Maud's Chapel discovered while clearing the foundations for the new gaol, is a most interesting example of early Norm, work, and was pro- bably the crypt under the great hall. It was found necessary to remove it, but the pillars have been replaced in a neighbouring cellar, in the same relative position. The Mound, which supported the Norm, keep, is much earlier, probably of the time of the Mercian kings ; in its centre is a curious octagonal vaulted chamber (temp. Hen. III.), containing a well and approached by a long Right of steps. Within the precincts of the castle was the collegiate ch. of St. George; but the parishioners not being able to get to it during the siege in 1142, the Pope permitted them to build a temporary ch. Avith- out the walls, where now stands St. Thomas (ante). Beaumont Street , leading from the Martyrs’ Memorial to Worcester College, indicates the site of a Palace { de Bello Monte) built by Henry I. outside the town. Henry II. often resided in it, and here Richard and others of his chil- dren were born. The palace was granted by Edward II. to the Car melite Friars in fulfilment of a vow made in the panic of Bannockburn to a friar who was with him, though it continued to be the residence of monarchs visiting Oxford. The re- fectory remained until the 17th centy., when the materials were used in building the Library of St. John’s College. The grounds extended to the square now occupied by the city gaol, but which till so employed had been used as a bowling green. The City Walls, which date from the 11th centy., and of which several of the Gates were standing as late as 1771, may still be traced in part of their course. Beginning from the Castle Tower and Mill in the street near which stood the West Gate, they appear to have followed the ground overlooking Paradise Square, as far as the Little Gate in St. Ebbe’s ; then along the terrace and S. wall of Pembroke in Brewer Street till they crossed St. Aldate Street at the South Gate between the Almshouses and Christ Church, whence passing behind the Hall and Cathedral they may be traced on 230 Sect. III. Route 19 . — Oxford : the Suburbs ; the terrace between the Margaret Professor’s garden and that of Cor- pus : thence along the S. and E. terraces of Merton, across the High Street, where stood the East Gate, in a straight line behind the houses in Long Wall ; they appear along the garden, hall, chaj el, and cloisters of New College, forming the E. and N. boundary of the college, the whole maintained in full preservation, and in the original state with the excep- tion of one bastion, altered into a postern gateway leading into the “ Slype,” and another replaced by the lofty square belfry. At the cor- ner of New College Lane the remains of the chapel of St. Catherine ( ante ) mark the site of a bastion, and an- other still standing behind the houses in Broad Street shows the direction of the walls to St. Michael's “ ad Portam Borealem,” so called to dis- tinguish it from the other St. Mi- chael's, “ ad Portam Australem,” which was demolished to make room for the front of Christ Church. From the North Gate (or Bocardo) which crossed behind the houses of New Inn Hall Street and George Street, the walls may be traced till they reach the Jews’ Mount in Bulwarks Alley, and then complete the circuit to its narrowest extremity at the Castle- keep. The Monastic Remains in Oxford are comparatively unimportant. The Franciscans and the Blackfriars both had houses in the S. part of the town, not far from the Castle, but no vestige of either remains ; though Paradise Square recalls the memory of the Franciscans’ garden. Boger Bacon was a member of their house, where he died in 1292. Osney-town, a suburb W. of the railway, occupies the site of Osney Abbey (C 2), founded by Edith, the wife of the builder of the Castle. According to the legend, she did this at the earnest request of the souls in purgatory, who, in the form of mag- pies, chattered to her as she walked the river side, till she was induced to erect a stately priory and ch. as extensive as the buildings of Christ Ch., and, for the beauty of its archi- tecture and arrangements, the wonder not only of Englishmen, but of for- eigners, who came far and near to Worship at its 24 altars, and to ad- mire its 2 lofty campaniles, its nu- merous chapels, the house of its abbot, “ having a hall more befitting a common society than a private man ” — and its melodious chime of bells, then reputed the best in Eng- land, and now in their altered use and position in the tower of Christ Ch. almost the sole extant relics of the ancient abbey. Leland describes the tomb of the foundress Editli d’Oiley in the priory ch., with her image in stone, in the “ abbite of a Vowess,” holding a hart in her right hand, and the paintings on the wail over her grave, which represented “ the dimming of Edith to Oseneye, and Badulph [afterwards the abbot] waiting on her, and the trees with the chattering pyes.” Among the numerous pilgrims and visitors to the abbey was Henry III., who spent a Christmas here with “great revel- ling mirth.” There are 3 views of Osney in existence — the print by Balph Agas in the Bodleian, that in Dugdale's ‘ Monasticon,’ and the background of Bishop King’s window in the cathedral. The London and N. W. stat. occu- pies great part of the side of Rewley Abbey (B 2, 3), founded by Ed- mund, Earl of Cornwall, the nephew of Henry III. The Watergate of the abbey, which stood at the N. end of the isle of Osney, existed till within the last few years ; but the neighbourhood was, and is, very squalid. Warton relates that in one of their walks together, Dr. Johnson looked on Osney and Bewley for half an hour in silence, and then said “ I viewed them with indig- nation.” — Boswell's Johnson . 231 Oxfordshire. Route 19 . — Oxford Union Society . The N. suburbs of Oxford are par- ticularly open and pleasant. Here, on the Woodstock road, stands the Radclijfe Infirmary , a plain building (1770), with an ornate Gothic chapel, by Blomfield (1867). It was founded by the Radcliffe trustees in 1770. The Radcliffe sermon in Commemo- ration week is preached in aid of this institution. Adjoining this is the Observatory , founded, 1772, by the same trustees, and placed in an area of 10 acres of land given by the Duke of Marlborough. Mr. Manuel Johnson was long the Ob- server, and since 1840 the observa- tions made have been printed in an annual volume. The octagon build- ing on the top of the Observatory was designed from the Temple of the Winds at Athens. In an adjoin- ing street is the University Press , a classic building, by Robertson (1830). The press was first set up in 1586, under the patronage of the Earl of Leicester, then Chancellor, but it was not firmly established until 1633, when Archbishop Laud pro- cured a patent, with very extensive powers for the University; Arch- bishop Sheldon was also its patron, and for a while the printing was carried on in the Theatre. In 1713 the Clarendon was built for the pur- pose, where the press remained until the new building was erected. It is divided into the “ Learned ” side (N.), where classical and miscellaneous works are produced, and the “ Bible ” side (S.), confined to the printing of Bibles and Prayer Books. Admis- sion may be readily obtained on application at the gate, and the build- ings are well worth inspection. Wich- liffe Hally on the Banbury Road, is a Theological College for preparing graduates for the ministry. Returning to the main road, we pass St. Giles’s Church (ante), and enter St. Giles’s Street, which with its fine avenue of trees conducts us past the Martyrs’ Memorial to the Corn- market. On 1, is the ch. of St. Michael (ante), against the tower of which may be seen the E. abutment of the old North Gate, or Bocardo ; the W. is hid behind the houses on the opposite side. In Bocardo, Cran- mer, Ridley, and Latimer were im- prisoned in the room over the gate- way, which had in early times been used as a muniment room, but served as a common prison for debtors after the fortifications fell into disuse. The debtors were in the habit of let- ting down from one of the windows a hat, to receive charity, with the cry of “ Pray remember the poor Bo- cardo birds.” After being imprisoned here for a short time, Ridley w T as taken to the house of Mr. Irysh, and Latimer to that of one of the aider- men of the city, but they were all suffered to eat together in Bocardo (their food being bread, ale, cheese and pears), and Cranmer remained in that prison till his death— only being permitted to go thence to play at bowls in the Dean’s garden at Christ Ch. It is said that he wit- nessed the burning of his fellow- bishops from the top of the neigh- bouring ch. tower, whence, “ looking after them, and devoutly falling upon his knees, he prayed to God to strengthen their faith and patience in that their last but painful pass- age.” — Strype. He suffered burning himself on the same spot 5 months after, u never stirring or crying all the while.” Somewhat lower down, on rt., approached by Frewen passage, is the Oxford Union Society (C 4), founded 1825,“ for the maintenance of a library, reading-rooms, and writing-rooms ; and the promotion of debates on any subject not involving theological questions/’ The Society, under the name of the Union, first held its meetings in the college rooms of the different members in rotation ; next in those of Mr. Talboys, near the Angel; next in the house of Mr. Vincent in the High Street, till in 1852 the present premises were pur- 232 Sect, in. Boute 19 . — Oxford : Town and Gown ; chased by the Society. The Library contains a good collection (about 40,000) of modern books. The old Debating Room , now the Library (length 62 ft. ; breadth 33 ; height 47) was built, 1856, under Messrs. Woodward and Deane , and is a spe- cimen of modern Venetian Gothic, of red brick, with stone dressings. Over the entrance is a stone carv- ing by Alex. Munro , representing the Institution of the Round Table. The ceiling is richly painted, and the upper story is surrounded by frescoes of the acts of King Arthur and his knights in the following order : — 1. The Education of Arthur, by Merlin, Riviere ; 2, Arthur's Wed- ding, with the incident of the White Hart and Braehet, Riviere; 3, Sir Lancelot's vision of the Sangraal, Rossetti ; 4, Sir Pelleas and the Lady Ettarde, Prinsep ; 5, How King Ar- thur received his sword Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake, Pollen ; 6, King Arthur’s first victory with the sword Excalibur, Riviere ; 7, How Sir Palomydes loved La Belle Yseult, and how she loved him not again, but rather Sir Tristram, Mor- ris ; 8, Death of Merlin, Jones ; 9, Sir Gawaine and the three damsels at the fountain, S. Stanhope; It), The Death of Arthur, Hughes. The effect of these frescoes is much im- paired by the 20 circular windows by which they have since been inter- sected, heads, arms, and legs appear- ing without bodies. The University debates are held in a new Debating Room, built in 1878, every Thursday evening during Term at 8 o’clock. Strangers can be taken in by mem- bers ; ladies find places in the gallery. The fashion of modern shop-fronts has ail but destroyed a fine par- geted house in the Corn-market, once the Crown Inn , kept by John Da ven ant, and where his son Sir William was born. Aubrey says that Shakespeare, who “ was wont to go into Warwickshire once a year, did commonly lye at the Crowne Taverne at Oxford, where he was exceedingly respected.’' Sir William Davenant was the poet’s godson, and “ the notion,” said Pope to Spence, “ of his being more than a poetical child only of Shakespeare was com- mon in town, and Sir Wm. himself seemed fond of having it taken for truth.” Lower down, also on rt., at the crossways, called Carfax (quatre voies ?), is the Church of St. Martin (C 4), which was rebuilt 1822, and contains in its N. aisle a monument of John Davenant (father of Sir Wil- liam), and the entry of his son’s birth in its baptismal register. Attached to this ch. was Penniless Porch, a covered seat, latterly only the resort of idlers and beggars ; though Wood says that the mayor and his brethren used at one time to meet there to discuss the affairs of the city. In front of the ch., in a spot called the Bull Ring, was the beautiful con- duit of Otho Nicholson, now in Nune- ham Park (Exc. b). The tower of St. Martin’s is ancient, and was low- ered in the reign of Edward III., because the scholars complained that, “ in time of combat ” between town and gown, the townsfolk, re- treating to the top of it, as to a fortress, were wont to annoy them thence with arrows and stones. “ All the licence of those violent times was shared in the fullest degree by the students of Oxford. North against south, Scotch against Irish, both against Welsh, town against gown, academics against monks, Nominalist against Realist, juniors against se- niors, the whole university against the bishop of its diocese, against the archbishop of its province, against the chancellor of its own election, — were constantly in array one against another. The citizens were formed into a species of militia or burgess guard to repress the excesses of the academic mob. When the council of the nation assembled in Oxford, Oxfordshire. 233 Route 19 .—- Public Buildings . orders were issued to the students to absent themselves during its con- tinuance. Carfax, the point of junc- tion between the two hostile parties, was* turned into a fortress, and thither, at the blowing of horns, the townsmen collected, either as a rendezvous for attack, or as a strong- hold whence to annoy the enemy with volleys of arrows or stones. Thence too the tocsin was sounded by the town, as from St. Mary's by the university, when the two parties met in hostile array; pitched bat- tles were fought with war standards unfurled, sometimes in the streets, sometimes in the adjacent fields;— of one of these bloody contests the memory was long preserved in ‘ Slaying Lane ’ [now Brewer Street, near Pembroke College]. One of these, in the reign of John, in which a woman was murdered by the stu- dents, led to the execution of three of the supposed culprits by the chancellor, and, in indignation at this alleged injustice, to the migra- tion of a great body of the students to other seats of learning. In the reign of Edward III., when these riots were at their climax, there is one described in colours of which no- thing in our own times can remind us, short of the wild scenes of the continental capitals in 1848 — the city-gates barricaded, the chancellor interposing in person, a savage mob of 2000 countrymen bursting in, headed by black flags, and uttering wild cries of 4 Slay, slay/ 4 havoc, havoc ’ — Oxford given up to pillage for 2 days, and the cause of the students finally avenged by the demolition of the great tower of St. Michael’s church, in which the insurgents had for the time in- trenched themselves.” — A. P. S. The fights between town and gown were till lately kept up, in a minor degree, on the 5th of November, and several succeeding evenings. From Carfax, the High Street runs E., and Queen Street W. In the former, the chief edifices have been already described, but attention may be called to the handsome building by Pearson , for the London and County Bank (1868), on the site of Stodley’s Hall, the excavation for which produced some mediaeval pot- tery now in the Ashmolean Museum. Queen Street had, till 1870, a good pargeted house, on the S. side, but the work is now hidden by a new front. Continuing our course S. we have in St. Aldate’s Street (pronounced St. Old’s — “ it takes its name from a bp. of Gloucester who cut Hengist king of the Saxons to pieces” — Hearne), on 1. the Town Hall (C 4), on the site of an ancient institution called the “Domus Conversorum,” for the re- ception of Jews converted to Chris- tianity. The centre niche in the faqade has a statue of Thos. Rowney, by whom it was rebuilt in 1752. A part is used as a free public li- brary; and the Corn Exchange , in which a ball was given to the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1863, at which upwards of 1000 persons were present, is in the rear. Adjoining is the Savings Bank, by Buckeridge (1867), probably on the site of some ch., as an altar stone with 5 crosses thereon was discovered in digging the foundations. Nearly opposite to the Town Hall is the Post Office, erected in 1881; a modern Gothic edifice of Portland stone (C D 4). Lower down is the W. front of Christ Church, with St. Aldate’s ch. and Pembroke College opposite. Below Pembroke are some picturesque Almshouses (D 4), begun by Cardi- nal Wolsey, but only finished as they now appear in 1834 by the Dean and Chapter of Christ Church. They were converted into a house by Christ Church a few years ago. In Brewer Street, adjoining, is the house in which Wolsey is said to have resided whilst his building at St. Frideswide’s was going on, but ap- parently very inadequate to accom- modate so great a man. It is now 234 Boute 19. — Oxford: Excursions; Sect. III. used as a house for the Christ Church Choir boys. Standing back from the street, in Rose Place, is a pic- turesque many-gabled house, called Bp. King's House (built by) Robert King, the last abbot of Osney, and first Bp. of Oxford, after the accession of Edward VI., when he was deprived of Gloucester Hall, which had before been assigned to him as a residence. The front was rebuilt in 1628. Cuddesden was not built till a centy. later, and in the interim the Bishops of Ox- ford had no palace. It is now divided into two dwellings, the ceilings of which are richly decora- ted, and in the 2nd house they bear the arms of King frequently re- peated. The house was subsequently occupied by Unton Croke, a colonel in Cromwell’s army, and member for Oxford. It has a handsome pargeted front, on which the date 1628 ap- pears. The street is closed by the Folly or Grand- Pont Bridge (E 4), which for- merly consisted of above 40 stone arches, but which now is reduced to 3 (built 1825-27). In a house on this bridge the abbots of Abingdon were accustomed to keep court. Here, also, was the gate-house known as Friar Bacon’s study — from Roger Bacon, the philosopher, who made it his observatory. Here tradition tells us that he made a brazen head, which was to deliver oracles, disclosing the means by which England would for ever be safe from invasion. For these oracles his friend, Friar Bun- gay, was appointed to watch, but he fell asleep instead, and the head, not being attended to, burst in pieces, with the exclamation, “ Time is past.” It was said of Bacon’s study, that it would fall when a man more learned than himself passed under it, whence the line, in the ‘Vanity of Human Wishes,’ — “And Bacon’s mansion trembles o’er his head.” It has been playfully said that it was lo avoid this risk that it was pulled down, c. 1770. At the shop of Mr. Jas. Parker, in Broad St., will be found one of the largest and best collections of mo- dern books in the kingdom. Readers of Boswell’s ‘Life’ will remember Johnson’s visit to his friend Sack- ville Parker, by whom the business was founded. Beautiful photographs of the Ox- ford buildings may be obtained at Messrs. Hill and Saunders in the Corn-market, Guggenheim in High Street, at the two establishments of the Shrimptons, in Broad Street and Turl Street, at Taunt’s in Broad Street, and at many other establish- ments. The print-shops of Mr. Ryman and Mr. Wyatt in the High Street should not pass unnoticed. The large establishment of Messrs. Spiers and Son, in the High Street, is well furnished with ornamental goods, china, guide-books, maps and stationery, and photographs ; there are few shops in London better sup- plied. Messrs. Spiers are also able and willing to give much informa- tion to strangers visiting Oxford. Excursions. The following places are all within an easy walk of Oxford : where a rly. is available, it is pointed out. (a.) Iffley Church. Cross Magdalen bridge (D E 6) and proceed along the Henley road for 1 m. Turn off on rt., and in 10 minutes you reach the village of Iffley, which, placed on a height, commands pleasant views of Oxford and the river. “ While as with rival pride their towers in- vade the sky, Itadcliffe and Bodley seem to vie Which shall deserve the foremost place, — Or Gothic strength, or Attic grace.'’ Warton. The name, which occurs as Giftelei 225 Oxfordshire. Route 19 . — Iffley and Sandford. a.d. 945, is supposed to mean “ the field of gifts/’ The ch. dedicated to St. Mary, built about 1170, and given to the priory of Kenilworth, is one of the best specimens of a small Norm. Ch. in England. It has been restored. It has 3 fine Norm, doorways, of which that at the W. end has an arcade above it, surmounted by a circular win- dow which has been filled with stained glass in memory of the author Eliot Warburton, brother of the present incumbent. The chan- cel is an E. E. addition ; it has a good painted window by Willement. The arches under the tower have rich Norm, mouldings; the font is large and square, and as old as the ch. In the churchyard is a magni- ficent yew-tree ; the churchyard cross has been restored, and groups beau- tifully with the old yew-tree and the Norm, tower richly coloured with yellow lichen. Close by is the old Rectory-house, a picturesque build- ing containing some fine panelled rooms, and a very curious and unique buttery-hatch, divided by an orna- mented pillar. Charles Forbench, the vicar of Iffiey, who was ejected by the Parlia- mentary Commissioners and was im- prisoned at Woodstock for reading the Book of Common Prayer, said, on being released, “ If I must not read it, I am resolved I will say it by heart in spite of all the rogues in England.” There is a pleasant walk back to Oxford, crossing the river at the old water-mill below the ch.,, and re- turning along the opposite bank as far as the barges, where there is a ferry to Christ Church Meadows. (5.) Sandford and Nuneliam Courte- nay. Proceed to Ifiley, as in Exc. a. I m. beyond is Littlemore (Stat.), where the ch., though modern, is in- teresting, as being one of the first results of the Oxford movement for the revival of Gothic architecture; it was built under the auspices of John Henry Newman, who officiated there for some time after he had ceased to preach at St. Mary’s, Ox- ford. 3 m. from Oxford is Sandford , the ch. of which was founded by Gerri de Planastre soon after the Conquest. Of this, little but the walls remain, the ch. having undergone repairs and alterations to such an extent as al- most to destroy its identity. The last of these was effected in 1840, when a Norm, tower of 2 stages was added, and some of the windows re- modelled. A carving in alabaster, representing the Assumption of the Virgin (15th-centy. work) is fixed against the E. wall ; it was dug up in the ch.-yard, where a well- wrought Norm, capital, supposed to have be- longed to the original porch, was also found a few years ago. N.W. of the ch. is a farmhouse, with a gateway bearing the date 1614, and having some fragments of sculpture built into the wall ; over them is a shield displaying the cross pattee of the Templars, who had a command- ery here, temp. Richard I. 1 m. E. are the remains of a nunnery, called the Minchery, founded in Saxon times, and suppressed by the Pope in 1524, in order to give its revenues to Wolsey for his new College. The seal of the establishment, a man in a gown, with flowing hair, was found here by a farmer in 1762. The river here is sometimes used as a practice- place for the Oxford boating-men, and near the Lasher , or weir„ which has more than once been fatal to inexperienced undergradu- ates, is an obelisk recording the fate of Gaisford and Phillimore of Christ Church, drowned here June 22, 1843. The same fate befell Dasent, May 1872. There are 2 or 3 small islands, on one of which is a rustic Inn , much patronised by members of the boat clubs, who row down from Oxford. 2 m. S. of Sandford, the village 236 Sect. III. Route 19. — Oxford: Nuneham. of Nuneham , transferred from the neighbourhood of the mansion by the first Lord Harcourt to the side of the old London road, attracts at- tention by the neat formality of its pretty thatched cottages. The ch. was erected by his grandson, the second lord, in 1764, after a design of his own, and is an extraordinary edifice. “ it affords a memorable in- stance of the taste of that age, of which it was the misfortune that those persons who were the most liberal, and desirous to serve the Church, and who, for their private virtues, were most worthy of praise, were precisely those who did the most mischief; the fault was that of the age, not of the individual.” (‘ Arch. Guide, Oxford/) The Har- court Arms is an excellent country inn. Nuneham Courtenay (E. W. Har- court, Esq.) once belonged to the De Redvers, earls of Devon. It, in the time of Charles II., was the pro- perty of Sir John Robinson, governor of the Tower, and it was purchased from his son-in-law, the Earl of Wemyss, by Simon, first Lord Har- court. In 1830 it was bequeathed by the last Earl to his kinsman the Archbishop of York, the grandfather of thepresent possessor. The house is well situated on a wooded height above the river, with grounds laid out by Brown. The Park of 1200 acres abounds in fine trees ; within it, on an eminence commanding a good view of the winding river, with Ox- ford in the distance, is the beautiful Conduit of Otho Nicholson (sur- rounded by his initials ON., which formerly stood opposite Carfax ch. at Oxford, and formed one of the chief ornaments of that city, where it was erected 1610. It was removed 1787, and reconstructed here, by the second Earl. The beautiful gardens, which were partly planned by Mason the poet, are generally to be seen on Fridays on application to the gar- dener. Here are tablets with in- scriptions by Mason and Whitehead. The house is not shown, except as a special favour. It contains a col- lection of paintings, among which are — A. Caracci , Susannah and the Elders ; Murillo , 2 Beggar Boys ; Gent. Bellini , a Venetian Doge ; Van Dyke, Henrietta Maria; Mignard , Louis XIV., Philip Due de Vendome ; portrait of Lettiee Knollvs ; Kneller, portrait of Pope, presented by the poet to Lord Chancellor Harcourt ; Sir J. Reynolds , Lord Harcourt, the Duchess of Gloucester (Lady Walde- grave) twice, and a beautiful group of the 3 Ladies Waldegrave. Here also is a pane of glass from Pope’s study at Stanton Harcourt, with an inscription written by him in 4 lines with a diamond, recording that he there completed the 5th book of Homer, 1718. “ Nuneham is not superb, but so calm, riant , and com- fortable, so live-at-able, one wakes in a morning on such a whole picture of beauty.” — Walpole. The Park is a favourite spot for picnic parties from Oxford by water (the distance about 7 m.), and a portion of the grounds with a cottage at the water-side is liberally thrown open to visitors. The return can be made, if desired, from the Culham Stat., 1 m. W. of the park. (c.) Dorchester. Proceed, either by road through Iffiey and Nuneham Courtenay (Exc. a , 5), or by rly. to Culham Stat., whence Dorchester, now a mere village but once a bishop’s seat, is distant 3 m. E. On the way we pass Clifton Hampden , with a small Trans. Norm, and Dec. Church (restored by Sir G. G. Scott), most picturesquely placed on a rising ground, and containing a handsome altar-tomb for Mr. G. H. Gibbs, at whose cost the restoration was effected. The lich-gate and the taper spire, both modern, add muc h to the efft ct. A fine brick bridge erected in 1865 crosses the Thames here, from which a good view of ti e river in both directions may be ob- tained. Oxfordshire. Route 19 . — Dorchester. 237 An episcopal see was established at Dorchester by Birinus in 634, after lie had effected the conversion of Cynegils, king of Wessex. “ The king,” says Bede, “ gave to the bishop the city called Dorcic, there to seat himself, where he built and consecrated churches, and by his la- bours called many to the Lord.” Of these churches, no trace now remains, the present building showing nothing earlier than Trans.-Norm. work. Bi- rinus was buried in his ch., but his body was afterwards removed to Win- chester. A succession of bishops of Dorchester is traced down to the Conquest, soon after which (probably about 1078 — see Hardy’s ‘Le Neve,’ vol. ii.) the first Norm, prelate re- moved the see to Lincoln. Dorchester was once the largest see in England, embracing the present Dioceses of Winchester, Salisbury, Bath and Wells, Lichfield, Worcester and Hereford. The Dorchester Church, ded. to SS. Deter and Paul , is a large, lofty, and spacious structure, of great length (300 feet) in propor- tion to its breadth. It was the ch. of the abbey, and being bought at the Dissolution for 140Z. by Richard Bewforest, was by him bequeathed to the parish in 1554. The edifice is of various dates, but chiefly built between 1280 and 1300, a period of transition from the E. E. to the Dec. styles, curious mixtures of which occur. The tower is late Perp., and was almost entirely rebuilt with the old materials in the time of Charles II., and has since been * repaired and partially restored. In the body of the ch. the Dec. style preponderates; but a Norm, door and window are found in the N. wall; and within the nave, which is Trans.-Norm., 1180, are 2 circu- lar arches on square piers. The S. aisle is very large, and contains the monument of an abbot ; its porch and an Early Dec. canopied buttress at the S.W. angle are both curious. The S.E. chapel was restored in 1874 by Scott. A restored ch.-yard Cross stands beside the porch. The most remarkable feature, how- ever, is the Chancel, with its 3 tine windows. The E. window, Late Dec., is filled for nearly its whole length with tracery, and contains much good stained glass. The sculpture in the tracery of this window represents events in the life of Christ. It is of the age of Edward III. On the 8. side, under a large Perp. window, dotted with fragments of armorial glass, are 3 sedilia and a double pis- cina richly carved, under Dec. cano- pies. At the back of these seats are tiny triangular windows with very beautiful mouldings, filled, at the restoration of the ch. by Butterfield , with glass of the 12th centy. On the N. side is the famous Jesse Window, the centre mullion of which represents a genealogical tree set with figures, springing from the loins of the patriarch Jesse, who reclines below. The lateral tracery represents the branches, and on each is a statuette of one of the “House of David.” The stained glass enters into the original design. In the S. aisle are 2 monuments : (1) the effigy of a knight, cross-legged, drawing his sword; the expression of countenance remarkably fierce. “His name,” says Leland, “is out of remembrance,” but Mr. Adding- ton, in his account of the ch. (pub- lished by the Oxford Arch. Society, 1845), thinks it probable that he was some follower in the train of either Richard, King of the Romans, or of Prince Edward in their crusades. (2) An effigy in legal costume, John de Stonore, chief justice of the Com- mon Pleas, d. 1354. On the N. side is a handsome Perp. altar-tomb, with the effigy of a knight in plate- armour, known by the arms to be a Segrave ; the date c. 1400. There have been many brasses, of which fragments remain, as of Sir John Drayton (1441). but the only perfect one is that of 238 Sect. III. Route 19. — Oxford: Excursions; Richard Bewforest, abbot, in a cope (c. 1510), with the inscription : “ Here lieth Sir Richard Bewfforeste, Pray Jesu geve his sowle good reste.” The very curious Font is a Norm, bowl of lead, moulded with 11 figures, supposed to be the apostles (without Judas), raised on a Perp, pedestal of stone. A great deal of restoration has been effected by the present vicar, Mr. Macfarlane. An exhaustive history of Dorchester, by Mr. J. H. Parker, was published in 1882. Near the ch. are some remains of a Priory of Black Canons, founded 1140 by Alexander Bp. of Lincoln, and granted at the Dissolution to Sir Edmund Ashfield, of Ewelme. They form the walls of the Grammar School and the foundations of an adjoining range of barns. There is an old and still existing belief that no viper will live in the parish of Dorchester. At the junction of the Thame and Isis “on the S. side of Dorchester, was a double embankment called Hykehills , extending in a string to the great bow of the river Isis, about § m. long, 20 yds. asunder at bottom ” ( Camden ), but it was nearly de- stroyed by agricultural operations in 1868. On the hill on the Berks side of the river is the fine camp of Sinodun. {d.) Shotover and Cuddesden. Cross- ing Magdalen bridge (D E 6) you enter the suburb of St. Cle- ment (E 7). The old ch.-yard occupies the angle between the Wycombe and the Henley roads, but the ch. (pseudo-Norm., built 1828) lies off to the 1. near the river. Here was a holy well, said to be granted as a token of the sanctity of Edmund of Abingdon, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, but then a student at Oxford. “He often here, as of his extraordinary piety, conversed with God in private, par- ticularly on a time, walking in the fields near Oxford. Jesus Christ appeared to him— whence a spring might well burst forth for joy, as St. Margaret’s well at Binsey did at the entreaties of St. Frid.” This pontiff was canonized. Some of the ancient Halls for stu- dents were in St. Clement’s. Among them, as Wood relates, were two that were the subject of small jokes. A tailor built one, and it at once got the name of Cabbage Hall. Soon after, a larger and better hall was built by some one else, which attracted most of the students from its prede- cessor. “ They gave it the name of Caterpillar Hall, ‘ for,’ as they said, ‘ it hath eaten up the Cabbage.’ ” Halfway up the hill you turn off on rt. and ascend gradually to Shot- over Hill (599 ft. high), whence there is a fine view of Oxford. The name is considered to be a corrup- tion of Chateau Yert, or Chateau de Yere, a hunting lodge having existed on it from very early times. This was given up to the ranger of the day by Prince Henry, son of James I., who cut off his hand by an awkward stroke while he was holding the stag (according to custom) to be slaughtered by the royal sportsman. Hence it passed to Dr. Schutz, phy- sician to George III., and thence to the Drurys. An ancestor of the poet Milton was ranger of Shot- over ; hence the family took its name from the adjoining village of Milton (Rte. 2). Shotover is exceedingly interest- ing to the geologist, both from the abundance of its fossils, and from the peculiarity of its formation, which is fully described in a paper by Professor Phillips on ‘The Es- tuary Sands of the upper part of Shotover Hill,’ published in the Journal of the Geological Society, Aug. 1858. It consists of : — “ 1. The Oxford Clay. 2. Calcgrit, or sands with cherty and shelly bands. 3. Coralline oolite, with shelly rag-beds. 4. Kimmeridge clay. 5. The Port- Oxfordshire. 'Route 19 . — Cuddesden. 239 land Sands, with included rock- bands and hard nodules, rich in shells. 6. Iron-sand and ochre series, to the top of the hill, 80 ft., consisting of yellow and white sands, varied with brown and even black colour, sandstones, sometimes cherty, nodular and geodic formations of oxide of iron, bands of white clay, and local accumulations of ochre. 5 5 Shotover is also interesting to the botanist. The plants found here in- clude — Menyanthes trifoliata , buck- bean ; Polemonium cseruleum, blue Jacob’s-ladder ; Campanula Trache- lium , nettle-leaved bellflower; Ja- sione montana , sheep’s scabious ; Camelina sativa, gold of pleasure; Anagallis tenella , bog pimpernel ; Myosolis versicolor , variegated scor- pion-grass ; Lastrea Oreopteris , moun- tain fern; Blechnum Spicant , hard fern. “ Shelley, when at University Col- lege, loved to walk in the woods, to stroll on the banks of the Thames, but especially to wander about Shot- over Hill. At a pond at the foot of the hill before ascending it, on the 1. of the road, formed by the water which had filled an old quarry, he would linger in the dusk, gazing in silence on the water, repeating verses aloud, or loudly exulting in the splash of the stones he con- tinually threw.” — New Monthly , 1832. Under the hill S. lies the little vil- lage of Horsepath , called in Domes- day Horspadan. It was then in the hands of the king, but afterwards belonged to the Templars. In 1312 it was the property of John de Bloxam, a witness against them. The ch. is small, mainly E. E. but with a Perp. tower, and a chancel rebuilt in 1840. The font and stoup are curious, and of early date. Two rude figures are built into the inner wall of the tower, a man with bag- pipes, and a woman ; they are sup- posed to represent Thomas London and his wife, who built the tower. 1J m. S.E. and nearly the same distance from Wheatley Station, we reach Cuddesden , which con- tains the Palace of the Bishop of Oxford. The Bishops resided originally in Oxford ; first in Gloucester Hall, and afterwards in the beautiful old pargeted house in St. Aldate's, still known as “ Bishop King’s House.” Bp. Ban- croft, attracted no doubt by the fine neighbouring ch., and instigated by Laud, first built a palace here in 1635, with timber presented by Charles I. from the forest of Shotover ; but this short-lived building was burnt to the ground in 1644 by Colonel Legg, the royalist governor of Oxford, for fear it should be used as a garrison by the Parliamentarians. It re- mained in ruins until Bp. Fell rebuilt it at his own cost in 1679. “ The Palace Chapel, erected by Bp. Wilberforce in 1846, is a very good imitation of Dec. work ; the win- dows are all filled with stained glass by the best artists of the day.” — H. P. The Church, (12th centy.) is a fine cruciform edifice, with a massive tower in the centre. It was built during the transition from the Norm, to the E. E. style of architecture; it has a fine Norm, doorway at the W. end, and the pointed arches beneath the tower have beautiful zigzag mouldings. The chancel is Perp., c. 1500. The whole has been well restored. Bp. Bancroft, the founder of the original palace in 1635, is buried near the S. wall of the chan- cel ; there are also mural monuments of Bishops Moss and Jackson, and in the churchyard the marble tomb of Maria, daughter of Bishop Lowth, on whom there is a touching epitaph. Opposite the Palace is the Eccle- siastical Training College , founded by Bp. Wilberforce, of Oxford, April, 1853, and opened June 15, 1854. It is intended for the reception of theo- logical students, members of the Universities, who have passed their final examination, and students of King’s College, or graduates of Tri- 240 Sect. III. 'Route 19. — Oxford: Excursions; nity College, Dublin, holding the Divinity Testimonial. The College, built from designs of Street , contains rooms for 21 students, a dining-hall, common-room, chapel, 8 rooms for a vice-principal, and a chapel erected as a Wilberforoe memorial in 1875. The style is Dec. The roofs are of very different heights, and the upper story is lighted by large dormer win- dows, with hipper gables on the side of the principal roofs. An octagonal staircase turret, with pyramidal cap- ping, makes a conspicuous and very ornamental feature on the exterior. The return to Oxford may be made by Wheatley , a stat. on Oxford and Thame line (Rte. 22). (e.) Headington , Stanton St. John’s, Beckley, and Elsfield. This was an excursion much in favour with Dr. Arnold, who speaks with delight of “ the wider skirmishing ground by Beckley, Stanton St. John’s, and. Forest Hill, which we used to ex- patiate over on whole holidays, and Elsfield on its green slope.” Passing through St. Clement’s, the road ascends Headington Hill, the same by which, on June 24, 1646, the Royalists, after the surrender of Oxford, “ marched out of the town, through a guard of the enemy, ex- tending from St. Clement’s to Shot- over Hill, armed, with colours flying and drums beating. Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice had left with the people of quality two days before.” Gibbon, in his 4 Autobiography,’ men- tions his walks up Headington Hill whilst at Magdalen. On the 1. of turnpike road, “ at the brow of the branch of the Roman way that falls down upon Marston Lane, is an elm that is commonly known by the name of Joe Pullen’s tree, it having been planted by the care of the late Mr. Josiah Pullen, of Magdalen Hall, who used to walk to that place every day, sometimes twice a day, from Magdalen Hall and back again in the space of half an hour.” — Hearne. A stone cross formerly stood here, on the spot (then in Shotover Forest) where it is said that a student of Queen’s was once attacked by a wild boar from the neighbouring forest of Shotover, when he escaped by cram- ming the volume of Aristotle, which he was reading, with the cry 44 Grse- cum est,” down the throat of that infuriated beast. This tradition is supposed to have given rise to the Christmas ceremony of the Boar’s Head at Queen’s College. King E their ed had a palace at Headington. The Church has a fine Norm, chancel-arch, and a tower originally E. E. In the ch.-yard is a fine Cross raised on three steps. A short distance from the village is the quarry, from which much of the porous stone was taken of which so many of the Oxford edifices were built. This is an inferior kind of oolite, which is soft and easily cut in the quarry, but which hardens afterwards, unless exposed to smoke, as in the case of most of the Col- leges, when it quickly crumbles away. That this is not the case when the surrounding atmosphere is clear may be seen in the garden front of Wadham, and in many of the country houses in the neighbour- hood. 2 m. further, on the 1., is Stanton St. John’s , so called from the family of St. John, who possessed it from the time of Henry III. to that of Elizabeth. Here is a fine church , temp. Edward I., the transition from the E. E. to the Dec. style, excel- lently restored by a former rector, Rev. J. Murray Holland. The tower was added in the 15th centy. The chancel is of great beauty ; fine E. window, also some good speci- mens of painted glass, 13th centy. ; a few of the old seats remain, with very remarkable poppyheads, some being heads of horses, others gro- tesques, and others human heads in Oxfordshire. Rte . 19.— Forest- costume of the time of Henry VIII. Milton's great - grandfather and grandmother are buried in the ch.- yard. The road to Beckley (2 m. N.) skirts Stow Wood , on the borders of which is a small country inn (Royal Oak : clean ; civil people) ; much re- sorted to by Oxford botanists. Among the plants found here are : Scabiosa columbaria, small scabious; Iris foeti- dissima, stinking Iris ; Asperula Cy- nanchise, small woodruff; Primula elatior, oxlip ; Turritis glabra , smooth tower-mustard ; Aquilegia vulgaris , columbine; Hyoscyamus niger , hen- bane. The village of BecMey is situated on an eminence overhanging the S, side of Ottmoor. The British Saint Donanverdh is recorded to have been buried here. Beckley was mentioned by King Alfred in his will as his hereditary property, and here was the castellated palace of Bichard, King of the Romans, of which a fragment, serving as a pigeon-house, existed in the early part of the present centy. The Church, Dec. and Perp., has some painted glass ; the tower still retains the sanctus bell. The walls are covered with the remains of very curious fresco paintings, which chiefly represent, and with horrible minute- ness, the tortures of the damned. The font has an ancient stone desk to hold the book for the officiating priest, and the pulpit retains the old hourglass-stand. In this parish is Studley Priory founded 1184 by Bernard de St. Valon, who was killed at the siege of Acre. At the Disso- lution it was granted to John Croke, and the remains have been converted into a very picturesque Elizabethan house with a chapel added in lb39. The house is not shown ; but many views of the remains of the Priory (13th and 14th cents.) are given in Sir A. Croke’s ‘ History of the Croke Family.’ Horton is an adjoining hamlet. A church has been built on a site long known as Chapel Close. [Berks, #c.] ■hill ; Holton ; Water jperry, 241 In returning to Oxford through Elsfield, notice the fine view from the hill. The little ch. is a good speci- men of E. E., with Dec. E. window ; the old hourglass-stand remains here also. Warton and Johnson walked out to Elsfield in 1754 to visit Mr. Wise, the Badcliffe Librarian. “ Oue day,” says Warton, “ Mr. Wise read to us a dissertation which he was preparing for the press, intit led, * A History and Chronology of the Fabu- lous Ages.’ Some old divinities of Thrace, related to the Titans, and called the Cabiri, made a very im- portant part of the theory of this piece : and in conversation afterwards, Mr. Wise talked much of his Cabiri. As we returned to Oxford in the evening, I outwalked Johnson, and he cried out Sufflamina/ a Latin word, which came from his mouth with peculiar grace, and was as much as to say, ‘ Put on your drag chain ’ Before we got home, I again walked too fast for him ; and he now cried out, ‘ Why. you walk as if you were pursued by all the Cabiri in a body.’ ” — Bos welVs Life of Johnson . (/.) Forest-liill, Holton , Water- perry, and Water stock. At the 3rd mile from St. Clements a bye-road turns off on 1. to Forest-hill. The small Trans. -Norm. ch. is placed on the very brow of the hill, and its curious W. bell gable is visible from a considerable distance. In this ch. Milton was married to his first wife Mary, daughter of Bichard Powell of this place. The house where Mr. Powell lived has been destroyed, but there still remains some orna- mental plastering against the wall of two outhouses, which seems to be as old as the time of Milton, and contains allusions to the subjects of ‘ Paradise Lost.’ This has been generally supposed to be the spot where Milton composed the ‘Allegro’ and * Penseroso,’ which were, how- ever, written at his father’s house at Horton in Bucks. There is no B 242 Sect. III. Route 19. — Oxford : Excursions ; record of his ever having lived here, though he may have taken many of his ideas from this place. “ The spot whence Milton undoubtedly took most of his images is on the top of the hill, from which there is a most extensive prospect on all sides .... the villages and tur- rets, partly shaded with trees of the finest verdure, and partly raised above the groves that surrounded them, the dark plains and meadows of a greyish colour, where the sheep were feeding at large .... The tradition of the poet’s having lived there is current among the villagers. One of them showed us a ruinous wall that made part of his chamber ; and I was much pleased with another, who had forgotten the name of Mil- ton, but recollected him by the title of the Poet.” — Sir W. Jones to Lady Spencer. Mickle, the translator of Camoens, resided at Forest-hill, and is buried in the ch.-yard without any memo- rial. Several members of his wife’s family (Tomkins) are also interred there, and the verses on their grave- stones are believed to be by him.* 1J m. S. is Holton , with a small Church , Trans.-Norm. and Dec., with Perp. square tower, and a sanctus- bell turret at the E. end of the nave. In the parish register is the entry : “ Henry Ireton, Commissary General to Sir Thos. Fairfax, and Bridget, daughter to Oliver Cromwell, Lieut.- Genl. of the horse to the said Sir Thos. Fairfax, were married by Mr. Dell, in the Lady Whorwood, her house, in Holton, June 15, 1646. Alban Eales, Rector.” The ancient Manor-house , a large moated build- ing, was pulled down in 1815, and the present house (W. E. Biscoe, Esq.) built on another site.f Mil- ton’s ancestors were till lately sup- posed to have lived at Holton, but * An ancient cope, of curious needlework, is preserved here. f A cherry-tree planted by Cromwell is to be seen in the park. the poet is now said to have been the grandson of Richard Milton of Stan- ton St. John’s, who is believed to have been identical with the John Milton of Holton, and ranger of Shotover, mentioned by Aubrey and Wood. In the reign of Elizabeth, Milton was a common name in the villages of the Bullington Hundred. 1 m. S.E. is Waterperry (Rt. Hon. J. W. Henley, M.P.). In the park is the ivy-covered Church , mainly E.E. andDec., but with Trans.-Norm.capi- tal to a column in the nave. There is a Dec. Cross in the ch.-yard. The chancel is E. E. with Dec. E. window containing some fragments of stained glass. The W. window is Perp. ; it, with most of the other windows, con- tains heraldic glass, some of which belongs to the Cursons, and there is a Brass of Walter Curson (d. 1527) and his wife Isabel, brought here from the Augustine Friars’ ch. in Oxford at the Dissolution. There are also Jacobean monuments of the Cursons, and a modern one by Chantrey to Mrs. Greaves, daughter of the late Mr. Henley, who succeeded the Cursons in the ownership of Waterperry. 1 m. E. is Water stock, modern ch. built in 1792, but with an Early Perp. tower, from the bat- tlement of which rises a bell-cot of singular shape. The monument of Sir George Croke, the judge who voted for John Hampden on the ship-money question (d. 1641), is preserved in the chancel ; the inscrip- tion is ascribed to Sir Matthew Hale. Some fragments of painted glass also remain ; among them are the arms and portrait of George Neville, Archbishop of York and Chancellor of Oxford, and a younger brother of “ King-making Warwick.” The re- turn to Oxford can be made from the Wheatley or Tiddington stat. on the Thame line (Rte. 22). ( g .) Binsey and Godstow. J m. beyond the rly. stat. on the Chelten- ham road, turn to the rt., and a walk Oxfordshire. Boute 19 . — Godstow. 243 of 1 m. through a bye-lane leads to the little Church of Binsey , mainly Trans.-Norm., with bell-gable and good low side window. It stands on a small island, originally called Thorney, but on a small oratory being built there by St. Frideswide, the name was changed to Binsey, which is, doubtfully, said to mean “ the isle of prayer/’ The old oratory was built of “watlyn and rough-hewn timber,” and was suc- ceeded by the present ch. about 1132, when the manor was given to the monastery of St. Frideswide. Here was a famous image of the saint, and the pavement was worn away by the knees of the pilgrims who came to worship before it. 3 yds. on the W. is the noted well of St. Margaret, which St. Frides- wide, by her prayers at the building of the chapel, caused miraculously to be opened, which was lost, but has been found and restored by the present vicar. So great was the repu- tation of this well, that the town of Seckworth (of which scarcely any traces remain) sprang up, and, it is said, once contained no less than 24 inns for the sake of those who came to profit by its healing powers. A short distance E. is Medley , another river island, mentioned by Wither : — “ In summer-time to Medley My love and I would go ; The boatmen there stood ready My love and I to row.” In the low meadows the botanist will find Aristolochia Clematitis , birthwort ; Villarsia nymphseoides , fringed water-lily; Hottonia jpalus- tris, water violet : the last a common plant in the neighbourhood of Oxford. 1 m. N.W., on the bank of the river, which has a lock here, are the ruins of Godstow Nunnery , founded by Edith d’Oiley, in 1138, King Stephen and his Queen Matilda lay- ing the foundation stone. The remains are now but slight, being part of the boundary wall, and some portion of a 15th centy. building with Perp. window of 3 lights. Wood’s MS. gives an account of its former state. “ The approach to the nunnery was through a large gate with lodging-rooms over it : this led into d, spacious court, on the rt. or S. side of which stood the nun- nery, which had a fair portico lead- ing into it. On the 1. or N. side of the court was a long range of buildings, which reached from the gatehouse almost to the end of ti e court. There was a little old chapel standing in the garden, and the re- mains of a great cloister leading from the tower of the great ch. r then destroyed, to the chapel, which was called St. Leonard’s Chapel, and which contained in its E. window 2 portraitures of Margaret Tewkes- bury and Elizabeth Brainton, ab- besses of this place. There was a second chapel, called St. Thomas’s Chapel, which was used for the guests, pilgrims, and the poor who came daily.” Here Fair Rosamond was educated ; here, there is every reason to believe, in spite of the story of the labyrinth, she passed the latter years of her life, and here she was buried by her parents beneath the high altar “ Her body then they did entombe When life was fled away, At Godstowe, near to Oxford towne, As may be seene this daye.” Lights were ordained to be con- stantly kept burning at her grave, where King John is said, by Lam- barde, to have erected a costly monu- ment, with the inscription — “ Hie jacet in Tumba, Rosa Mundi, non Rosa Munda, Non redolet, sed olet, quae redolere solet.” “When Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln,” says Stowe (N.B. Oxford was then in the diocese of Lincoln), “came to Godstow, in 1191, and entered the church to pray, he saw there a tomb, in the middle of the quire, ocvered with a pall of silke and set about with lights of waxe ; 244 Sect. m. Route 19. — Oxford : Excursions; and, demanding whose tomb it was, he was answered that it was the tombe of Rosamund, sometime lem- man to Henry II., who for the love of her had done much good to that church.” Then the bishop commanded that she should be taken up and buried without the church, “ lest Christian religion should grow in contempt.” Leland mentions Rosamund’s tomb, with the inscription “ Tumba Rosamundae ” upon the stone, and that “ her bones were found closed in lede, and within that closed in lether (lea- ther) ; when it was opened, there was a very swete smell came out of it.” Among the relics shown here till the Dissolution was the petrified trunk of a tree, which was said to have become so in answer to a prayer of Fair Rosamund, who affirmed she knew she should be saved, and that as a token of it, this tree would be turned into stone. On the bridge at Godstow (a small part of which is ancient) was for- merly a cross, inscribed — “ Qui meat hue oret, signumque salutis adoret, Urque sibi detur veniam, Rosamunda precetur ” Opposite the ruins is a neat small Jrm,“ the Trout,” well known to boat- ing men. £ m. W. is Wytham (Berks), an exceedingly pretty village, with the Abbey (Earl of Abingdon) (Rte. 9). Godstow can be reached di- rect from Oxford by crossing the “ Port Meadow a marshy level of 439 acres, mentioned in Domesday Book as a place where the burgesses of Oxford had rights of common pasturage, in the time of Edward the Confessor. It has of late been greatly improved, the roads raised, and bordered with trees. At its W. extremity is Bossom’s ferry, where lx>ats may be hired for Godstow, or the ruins may be reached by a plea- sant walk along the bank of the river. The return hence to Oxford may be varied by ascending the hill and joining the Woodstock road at IFoZ- vercote , formerly Wolvescote. Here (according to a pseudo-tradition men- tioned by Holinshed) in a dingle near a wood, Memphric, King of the Britons, great-grandson of Brutus, and traditional founder of Oxford, was seized and devoured by wolves. The Church , which was rebuilt except the Perp. tower, in 1861, contains a fine monument to Chief Baron John Walter (d. 1630) and his 2 wives ; a carved pulpit of good workmanship (t. Hen. VIII.) fell to pieces about 1868, and the ancient hourglass- stand has disappeared. The Uni- versity paper mill is near the ch. * “ Midway between this and Oxford was Aristotle’s Well , where the stu- dents, especially such as studied his philosophy, went frequently to re- fresh themselves.” — - Hearne. The progress of building has obliterated all traces of the fortifications thrown up in this neighbourhood during the Civil War. ( h .) The Hinkseys, 2 Berkshire villages, the most distant being 2 m. S.W. of Oxford. North Iiinksey (often called Ferry Iiinksey , the ferry being the shortest way, though it can also be reached by the Seven Bridges road) has a small plain ch., with E. E. tower, a good Norm, doorway, and low side window. It contains the tomb of Thomas Willis (father of Dr. Willis), who died in the royal cause during the siege of Oxford, Aug. 1643 ; and the monument of W. Fin- more, Fellow of St. John’s, 1646, with a curious inscription beginning “ Reader, look to thy feet ; honest and loyal men are sleeping under them.” In the churchyard are the remains of a Dec. Cross with a fluted shaft. In the hill-fields above the village is the Conduit built by Otho Nicholson of Christ Church in 1617, to supply Carfax with water. 1 m. further S., across some fields, Oxfordshire. Route 19 . — StanlaJce. 245 Archbishop of York, was born. The s,is South Hlnksey , where John Pier Perp. ch. has a good open timber roof. Just before reaching the vil- lage is the entrance of the so-called Happy Valley , a pretty walk emerg- ing on the hill near Sunningweli, one of “ the little valleys that de- bouche on the valley of the Thames behind the Hinkseys,” beloved by Dr. Arnold. From the hill between the villages Turner took his view of Oxford . (i.) StanlaJce. This neighbourhood furnishes a very good field for those interested in British remains. It is reached by crossing the Bablock- hythe ferry, 4 m. W. of Oxford, and then passing westward by the village of Northmoor , where the ch. is worth notice. 1 m. N. is Gaunt House , a moated 15th-centy. building, now a farm-house ; there was a brass to its builder, John Gaunt (d. 1465), in Stanluke ch. in Wood’s time. During the civil war it was a garrison for the king, being the property of the loyal Dean Samuel Fell. 2 m. W. is Stan- lake , with a cruciform ch., with octa- gonal tower and spire. It is mainly E. E. and Dec., but the chancel arch is Trans. -Norm, About J m. N. of the ch. is a British village , discovered in 1857, by Messrs. Akerman and Stone, and described in Archzeologia , vol. xxxvii. A series of 13 “fairy rings ” being then explored, it was found that they consisted of trenches very carefully made, usually about 12 ft.' wide at top, sloping till their sides met at 4 or 5 ft. below the surface, and from 60 ft. to 130 ft. in diameter. The trenches were filled with dry, but rich-looking earth, among which occurred, in some cases, fragments of rude unbaked pottery and bones of animals ; in others, human bones, calcined, and in urns. The place where the bodies were burnt, a space about 1 5 ft. in length, was discovered by the intense blackness of the soil. The finding a flint arrow-head in one of the trenches proved that the se- pulchres belonged to a very early period, long before the effect of Koman civilisation had been felt in this island; and that the remains were those of the poor, and not of chieftains, was in the opinion of the excavators satisfactorily established : “ within a portion of a circular area of 70 ft. diameter, were detected up- wards of 80 interments, only two of which were accompanied by relics, and those of the simplest and most primitive description.” A brass spiral finger-ring was discovered at a sub- sequent exploration, and is, with some of the rude urns, preserved in the Ashmolean Museum, where also a plan of the village may be seen. “ That the trenched circles were not intended as inclosures for cattle seems evident from the peculiar formation observed in all of them, for their sides slope gradually from the edge to the bottom, and would therefore offer no impediment to the ingress or egress of any animal. For the same reason they are not adapted for defence against the attacks of an enemy. If the areas inclosed within them are, as may be conjectured, tabooed spots, consecrated to religious rites, further research may possibly render this apparent. The facts already elicited shed a new light on the sepulchral usages of our primi- tive forefathers, and they help to dissipate a very common error among antiquaries, namely, the belief that the graves of the ancient inhabitants of Britain were generally protected by tumuli, a belief founded on the description given by Tacitus of the burial of men of note among the ancient Germans (Germ, xxvii.). If read by the light which researches like these supply, we shall perceive that the words of the great historian do not imply that the tumulus was erected over the graves of the lowly and unhonoured dead ; and that the 246 Route 19 . — Oxford : Stanton Har court. Sect. III. interments at Stanlake rank with the latter class seems abundantly proved .” — Archceologia , vol. xxxvii. Three other ancient burial-places are to be found in a radius of a single mile, viz., at Ookethorpe, Yelford, and Brighthampton, but they are all of much later date. Some relics from them also are preserved in the Ashmolean Museum. (j.) Stanton Harcourt. Leaving Oxford by the Seven Bridges road, you cross a corner of Berks, passing Botley and Cumnor, and at 4 m. reach Bablock-hytlie , where the ferry leads into Oxfordshire again : — “ Tliee at the ferry, Oxford riders blithe, Returning home on summer nights, have met, Crossing the stripling Thames at Bablock- hythe, Trailing in the cool stream thy fingers wet, As the slow punt swings round.” M. Arnold. Hence it is 2 m. to Stanton Har- court, which has been in the Har- court family 600 yrs., having been granted by Adeliza, Queen of Henry I., to her kinswoman Milicent de Camville, whose daughter Isabel married Richard de Harcourt. The manor-house, built in the reign of Edward IV., remained nearly entire until the end of the last century, though not inhabited by the family after the death of Sir Philip Har- court, in 1688; some few upper rooms are now occupied by a iarmer. “ The buildings originally inclosed a quadrangle, with the gatehouse on one side, which remains perfect, but of later date than the rest (c. 1540) ; one of the corner towers, known as Pope’s Tower, has the ground floor fi tted up as the chapel .” (Horn. Arch., vol. iii. 276.) The kitchen , a square tower, bears a general resemblance to that at Glastonbury. It has walls 3 ft. thick, the rooms being square below and octangular above. The height is 39 ft. to the springing of the roof, and this rises 25 ft . higher. The fires were made against the walls, and the smoke, ascending without tunnels, was stopped by the conical roof, and escaped by loop- holes on every side, which were opened and shut according to the direction of the wind. The roof is surmounted by a griffin 8 ft. high. Pope, in a letter to the Duke of Buckingham, likens the kitchen to the forge of Vulcan, the cave of Polyphemus, and the temple of Mo- loch. He says that “ the horror of it has made such an impression upon the country people, that they be- lieve the witches keep their sabbath here, and that once a year the Devil treats them with infernal venison, viz., a toasted tiger stuffed with ten- penny nails.” He graphically de- scribes the aged and desolate ap- pearance of the house in his time, and concludes by affirming that “ its very rats are grey, and praying that the roof may not fall upon them, as they are too infirm to seek other lodgings.” He also describes one of the little rooms in the tower as walled up ; “ for the ghost of Lady Frances is supposed to walk there, and some prying maids of the family report that they have seen a lady in a fardingale, through the keyhole ; but the matter is hushed up and the servants are forbidden to talk of it.” The whole of the letter is in the same ludicrous style, and is not to be taken as anything more than a flight of fancy; an existing plan of the buildings shews that almost every one stood in some other place than the poet pleases to give it. Pope’s Tower , which stands in the garden, rises to the height of 57 ft. ; it contains the Chapel , and 3 cham- bers above, each 13 ft. square. The chapel is vaulted with fan-tracery, and the ante-chapel has a flat wooden ceiling, blue, divided into squares, with gilt stones in each compart- Oxfordshire. 247 Route 19 . — Islip. merit. The upper chamber is called Pope's study. Here he spent 2 summers, and he wrote the following inscription on a pane of red glass, which was in one of the windows, but is now preserved at Nuneham Courtenay (Exc. />). — “ In the year 1718 Alexander Pope finished here the fifth volume of Homer. 1 ' While he resided here Gay was staying with the Harcourts at Cokethorpe (Ete. 25), and frequently visited him. An interesting letter of his graphic- ally describes the death of 2 lovers who were struck here by lightning in 1718. The Church , dedicated to St. Michael, is cruciform, and has a fine carved oak rood-screen, E. E., probably the earliest now existing in England. The nave is of the 12th, the chancel and transepts of the 13th, the tower and Harcourt Chapel of the 15th centy. On the N. of the chancel is an altar-tomb, with a beautiful Dec. canopy, said by Wood to be that of Isabel de Camville; but if so, erected long after her decease, probably temp. Edw. I. ; it is adorned with the symbols of the Passion, and is sup- posed to have served as an Easter (Sepulchre. On the S. side is the tomb of Maud, daughter of Lord Grey of Eotherfield Greys, and wife of *Sir Thomas Harcourt, in the costume of the reign of Eichard II. The Harcourt Chapel contains the tombs, on the S., of Sir Eobert Har- court and his wife Margaret (1471), both (the lady being one of the only 3 known instances) decorated with the order of the Garter ; on the N. that of Sir Eobert, grandson of the former, and Eichmond's standard- bearer at Bosworth after Sir W. Brandon was cut down ; also a monument to Simon, only son of the 1st Viscount Harcourt, which has an epitaph by Pope. Several of the Huntingdon family are buried in this ch. Eobert Hunt- ingdon’s monument has Congreve’s epitaph : —