marble of which they are composed.

The sepulchral remains in the Church of Boxgrove are remarkable, and worthy of investigation, although it is difficult to ascertain with any degree of certainty to whom the Tombs severally belong. They are six in number, two situated against the north wall of the north aisle, and another of large dimensions under one of the arches which divide the Chancel from the north aisle; and three others, placed against the south wall of the south aisle. Two of these probably contain the bodies of a sister and daughter of William de Albini, Earl of Arundel, who left a donation to the Church for prayers to be made “pro animâ Adelizæ reginæ (his mother, and Queen-Dowager of Henry the First), et pro animabus Oliviæ; sororis meæ, et Oliviæ filiæ meæ, quæ ibi jacent.” Out of this circumstance has probably arisen a tradition, that Queen Adeliza was here interred; but there is sufficient evidence to prove that her remains were deposited in the Conventual Church of Reading.[53] Dugdale asserts, but erroneously, that Gundreda, wife of William Earl Warren, was here buried; her husband, it is believed, was a benefactor to the establishment. Thomas de Poynings and Philippa his second wife (daughter of Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March, Countess Dowager of Arundel and Pembroke), are also said to have been here interred; and upon the key-stone of one of the tombs in the north aisle are the arms of the family of St. John (argent in a chief gules, two mullets pierced or)—the tomb possibly of Thomas de Poynings, summoned as Lord St. John of Basing, 1369, (42 Edw. III.), obit. 1429. It is left mainly to conjecture, aided by the uncertain light of tradition, to determine whose dust is covered by these stones. There is, however, one Monument, concerning which no doubts can exist. It is a Sacellum, or Shrine, belonging to the family of West, or La War. The date, as may be seen on the pendant ornament between the two north-eastern arches, is 1532, which was during the lifetime of Thomas West, second Baron La War and Cantilupe; but it is supposed to have been erected after his death by his daughter, Dorothy, who married Sir Edward Owen. The inscription under the Altar in the Shrine—

seems to sanction the supposition. In other parts of the Shrine may be read the words,

and

Between the niches of the Shrine, over the arcades, are four coats of arms, supported by angels, with the quarterings of La War, Cantilupe, Mortimer, St. John, Poynings, Bonville, Wingfield, &c. The Tomb is a peculiarly interesting and remarkably beautiful object. It has recently been cleaned and repaired by order of the Duke of Richmond—somewhat clumsily, however, for the workman has disarranged several of the decorations, and one of the figures he has placed “upside down.” It is richly carved in stone, and abundantly ornamented. Mr. Prout has introduced it into the Drawing which exhibits the Interior of the venerable Church, with its Pulpit of carved oak, black with age. An ancient Font has been recently removed from the Nave to the foot of the Pulpit. In the Chancel are many encaustic tiles—one of which supplies us with an initial letter.

The Church is situated about eight miles west of Arundel, a short distance out of the road to Chichester, from which it is distant about four miles.

ASTON HALL,

WARWICKSHIRE.

Aston Hall, the residence of James Watt, Esq.—whose name has been rendered “famous for all time” by the genius and enterprise of his great father—is situate about two miles from the town of Birmingham, on an eminence which overlooks the river Tame. Although erected during the reign of James the First and his successor, it is certain that a baronial mansion previously existed adjacent to the present edifice: authorities are conclusive on this point, and its site was indicated until recently by some venerable trees, the relics of at least three centuries. Prior to the Norman conquest (according to Dugdale) the manor of Aston, or, as it was then written, Estone or East Town, was possessed by Edwin earl of Mercia. Upon the distribution of lands which followed that event, it was bestowed by the Conqueror upon William Fitz-Ausculf, lord of the neighbouring castle of Dudley, for whom it was held by one Godmund. It was certified to contain, at that time, viii. hides of land, valued at 100 shillings, a mill rated at iiis., a church, and woods extending three miles in length and half a mile in breadth. After passing through the hands of several successive lords of Dudley, it was presented by one of them, named Ralph Someri, in the beginning of the reign of King John, to William de Erdington and his heirs for ever; and we find the following curious grant respecting it, viz. “That the manour-house and demesne at Estone, with divers tenements thereto belonging, should be held by him, by the service of a pair of gilt spurs, or the value thereof, viz. vid., payable yearly at Easter, for all services or demands whatsoever.” From the Erdingtons it passed to the family of Maidenhache, whose daughter Sibel conveyed it by marriage to Adam de Grymesurwe, whose daughter sold it in 1367 to John Atte Holt of Duddeston near Birmingham, and in whose family it subsequently continued for upwards of four hundred years. Originally of the people, they became powerful and wealthy “lords of the soil,” eminent for worth and probity, and occupying offices of high trust in Warwickshire and the neighbouring counties. Thomas Holt is especially mentioned as an eminent lawyer in the reign of Henry the Eighth; he was Justice of North Wales, and in commission as a justice of the peace for his native county during the greater part of that monarch’s sovereignty. To this “worthie gentleman” succeeded his son Edward, who, dying in the thirty-fifth of Elizabeth, was succeeded by his son Thomas, who was Sheriff of Warwickshire in the forty-second of Elizabeth, was knighted by King James on his accession to the throne, and in the tenth year of his reign advanced to the dignity of a baronet. It was this Sir Thomas who enclosed the spacious park, and erected the present mansion. The date and circumstances of the building are thus recorded over the entrance doorway:—

We may hence infer that “Sir Thomas Holte of Duddeston,” until the building of the mansion, chiefly resided at the old house at Duddeston, which, though still standing, is so completely altered that barely a trace of its ancient character remains. It is now used as a public place of recreation under the title of “Vauxhall.”

Sir Thomas was emphatically a good man and a loyal subject. He endowed alms-houses, which, to this day, give shelter to some aged people; and though too old to appear in arms for his sovereign during the wars of Charles with the Parliament, he was represented by his son in the army of the king, whom he received and entertained in his house a few days prior to the battle of Edgehill. For his devotion to his master he, of course, endured persecution; heavy fines were levied on his estate, and his mansion was more than once plundered. Sir Thomas was succeeded by his grandson and heir, Sir Robert Holt; subsequently the estate came into the possession of Sir Lister Holt, who, dying without issue the 8th of April, 1770. was succeeded by his eldest brother Charles, from whom it passed into the family of Bracebridge;[54] by them it was sold a few years ago to some parties in the neighbourhood of Warwick, who leased it to its present occupier.

The mansion, which is built of brick, with stone quoins and dressings, forms three sides of a square, and bears some resemblance to the letter E, a practice which originated in compliment to Queen Elizabeth, and was not altogether in disuse during the reign of her successor. The eastern or principal front derives its principal features from the massive character and judicious display of details; and a highly pleasing effect is given to the structure by its gables, numerous picturesque chimneys, bay windows to the wings, and, especially, the stately grandeur of the central and side towers.

The south, or garden front, is also an interesting portion of the structure; the appended vignette affords a correct idea

of it. It will be seen that its principal feature is an open arcade, around which are several antique carved seats, so placed as to facilitate views of the garden, with its quaint and venerable trees and shaded walks. Passing through a small door at the termination of this arcade, we step upon a noble terrace, which extends the whole length of the back or western front of the edifice. From this point we obtain an unbroken view of the park in nearly its whole extent. The house is, from this side, very imposing, from its great width and massive character.

Returning to the principal front, passing through the great doorway, which is elevated on four steps and is of good character, we enter the great hall. It is richly decorated; the fireplace is remarkably fine; along the sides are ranged various old pictures, which, combined with antique furniture profusely scattered about, take us back to the days of its early grandeur, when the mansion was the residence of a true and hospitable baronial lord. The apartments are fitted up in good keeping; the dining and drawing-rooms, entered from the hall, retain their ancient aspects; the panelling and ceilings are in excellent preservation, the chimneypieces comparatively unimpaired by time, and the whole interior is of a character sound and true.

We must not omit to mention that the fine oak staircase received considerable injury during the great civil war. It appears that a cannon was fired from a little eminence at a short distance from the south side of the house, the shot from which, after passing through two strong walls, lodged on the first landing of the great staircase, shattering in its course a considerable portion of the richly-carved balustrade—which, as a memorial of the event, has not been since repaired.

The house is reached from the main road by a noble avenue of finely-grown trees; these extend for nearly half a mile.

The entrance gates, of which we append an engraving, are directly opposite the very venerable church; and this church must be associated with the mansion, for it is the resting-place of nearly all its ancient owners. It is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, and consists of a nave with north and south aisles, a spacious chancel, and a substantial tower, surmounted by a tall spire, at the western extremity of the nave. The church bears evidence of being built at two distinct periods, or, at least, of having undergone considerable alterations. We find, according to Dugdale, that the south aisle was built by Henry de Erdington; for in the 12th Edward II. he gave a certain rent-seck of vid. per annum to the maintenance of the gutter betwixt the church and it. In this grant he terms it “Nova capella beatæ Mariæ de Aston;” thus proving it to have been (with the north aisle, which is precisely similar) erected during the prevalence of the decorated style. But, unfortunately, owing to some injudicious repairs a few years since, the whole of the windows, of which there are three, on each side, and one larger, at the eastern and western ends, were deprived of both mullions and tracery, and, no doubt, at the same time of several interesting portions of stained glass, of which we have a description in Dugdale, but which is now nowhere to be found. This, combined with the loss of the high-pitched roofs, gives a poor appearance to the interior. The tower and spire are by far the finest portions of the building, and add greatly to the beauty of the whole. The tower is of four stories, with battlements and pinnacles; but its chief peculiarity is the belfry story, which is decorated on three sides by six long and narrow compartments, the two centre ones of which are pierced, and have louvre boards for the better distribution of sound; on the fourth or south side are only four of these compartments, the space for the two others being taken up by an octagonal turret staircase, that adjoins this portion of the tower. The spire is octagonal, plain, but of a good substantial character; and from its details, with those of the tower, which exhibit some deviations from the true principles of pointed architecture, we may safely trace their erection to the early portion of the sixteenth century.

The pillars and arches of the nave, of which there are four on each side, seem to belong, like the exterior, to a transition period, as their general character is decorated, whilst there are several mouldings that may be ascribed to the early English period. Among the modern barbaric “restorations and improvements” to which this fine church has been subjected, may be mentioned the plaster ceilings, the altar-screen of Roman design, and an odious assemblage of pews of all shapes and sizes; but it may be hoped, from the good spirit that has lately directed the introduction of some ancient stalls from Leicester at the entrance of the chancel, a richly-carved lecturn, and last, though not least, the establishment of a choral service, that in a few years this noble edifice may resume its pristine splendour and magnificence.

In monumental architecture this church will be found to possess an interesting series. The most ancient, from the character of its design, evidently belongs to the latter part of the fourteenth century; it is supposed to be to the memory of one of the now extinct but once powerful family of Arden. It is an altar-tomb of alabaster, supporting effigies of a knight and lady, and is situated against the north wall of the chancel. Towards the eastern end of the north aisle are two monuments that will next require our attention. The first, an altar-tomb, around the side of which are angels bearing shields, and still retaining traces of their original painting and gilding; on the top are the painted effigies of William Holt, Esq. and Joan his wife, and the inscription (now obliterated) originally bore the date of 1423. Against the north wall, near this tomb, is a mural monument containing the effigies of Edward Holt, Esq. and Dorothy his wife, under an arch of Roman design, kneeling one on each side of a small lecturn or desk. This monument bears the date of 1592. In the pavement near is a large slab, containing the effigies in brass of the Thomas Holt and his wife Margaret, who, as we have mentioned, was Justice of North Wales during the reign of Henry the Eighth. The next monument demanding notice is situated against the north wall

of the chancel, and forms the subject of the accompanying vignette: it is of a bold character, but, in its minor parts, exhibits a sad falling off in execution as compared with the more ancient ones to which we have referred.[55] It is to the memory of Edward Devereux, Esq. of Castle Bromwich Hall in this neighbourhood (a seat now possessed by the Earl of Bradford), and the Lady Katherine his wife, and was erected A.D. 1627: it bears their effigies, with those of their children, painted and habited in the costume of the early part of the seventeenth century. There are also two other monuments, which, though not immediately connected with the text, may not be left unnoticed. One of these bears the effigies of Sir Thomas de Erdington and his lady, Joyce; the other is also supposed to belong to a member of the same family. They originally stood in the south aisle, which was erected by their ancestor, Henry de Erdington, in the reign of Edward II., and used as a chanting chapel for the family, but were removed a few years since to their present position on the south side of the chancel. They are both good specimens of the monumental sculpture of the middle ages.

Recently a beautiful memorial window of stained glass has been erected at the west end of the south aisle, which for excellence of design and richness and harmony of colour, is hardly surpassed by the best specimens of ancient days.

Among the very numerous series of mural monuments with which this church abounds, we need only observe that there are several to the different members of the Holt family, and one, in particular, to the good and worthy knight Sir Thomas, the builder of the present hall; but from their wholly unsuitable character for a Christian temple, and from their abounding in pagan emblems and decorations, they serve only to disfigure the walls of the sacred and very venerable edifice.

BEAUCHAMP CHAPEL,

WARWICK.

Beauchamp Chapel ranks among the most exquisitely beautiful examples of sacred edifices in Great Britain. It was founded by that famous Earl of Warwick, who, early in the fifteenth century, upheld the glories of his line, and transmitted his abundant honours unimpaired to his posterity,—the Talbots, the Dudleys, the Willoughbys, the Grevilles, and the Nevils.[56]

The purpose of its erection was to supply a fitting mausoleum for the noble family of its founder; yet few of his successors are there interred; for, having subsequently become entitled to the patronage of the Holy Abbey of Tewkesbury, they preferred it as their place of sepulture—and the great Earl is nearly the only one of his proud and lofty race whose ashes moulder beneath the fretted roof of the graceful and magnificent structure. It was commenced 21st Henry VI. and finished 3d Edward IV.; occupying a period of twenty-one years, and costing £2,481 4s. 7d.—an enormous sum, of which some idea may be formed from the fact, that, at the time, “the value of a fat ox was 13s. 4d.” The Chapel was not, however, consecrated until the 15th Edward IV., when John Hales, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, was specially commissioned for the purpose by John Carpenter, Bishop of Worcester.

The Church of St. Mary, Warwick—to which the Beauchamp Chapel is attached—is of very early date. Of its foundation, prior to the Conquest, there is conclusive evidence; for in “the Survey,” it was certified to have “one hyde of land in Myton, given to it by Turchil de Warwick, which land was then valued at ten shillings.” It was made collegiate by Hen. de Newburg, first Earl of Warwick; and his son Roger, in 1123, largely augmented its revenues.

The riches and piety of subsequent Earls of Warwick contributed to its grandeur and importance; and at the survey, 26th Hen. VIII., previous to the dissolution, its revenues were certified to amount to £334 2s. 3d. A fire, in 1694, destroyed the whole of the edifice, except the choir and the Beauchamp Chapel; and when the Church was rebuilt it was from a design of Sir Christopher Wren. It is, nevertheless, conspicuous for no architectural beauty, except the fine proportions of its Tower.

The choir—a part of the ancient church—is a rare example of the architecture of the period. It was built by Thomas de Beauchamp, about the 43rd Edward III.; and his remains, with those of his Countess, a daughter of Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, were interred in a sumptuous tomb, placed in the centre of the edifice erected for their reception. Nearly five hundred years have passed since the Earl was laid there, and the mason, the gilder, and the sculptor, laboured to perpetuate the memory of a great soldier, who led the van at Crecy, bled at Poictiers, “did great service in a sea-fight,” “warred against the infidels,” and drove a besieging army from before Calais, by the mere sound of his name,—yet the monument endures almost unimpaired by time; telling its high tale of glory after a lapse of half a thousand years.[57]

A vaulted corridor extends from the transept nearly the whole length of the choir on its north side. This has been divided by a screen of blank panelling, and the eastern portion formed into a “Vestrie.” The remainder is used as a north entrance to the Church, having also an entrance into the Chapter House. This building is hexagonal on its exterior end, and is now appropriated as a mausoleum, to which those who love the muse will resort as to a place of pilgrimage, for here repose the earthly remains of that “servant to Queen Elizabeth, Chancellor to King James, and friend to Sir Philip Sidney,” whose name will be as imperishable as that of the dear brother of his heart, whose friendship was the climax of his fame, and the consummation of all his ambitious hopes. The monument to the memory of Fulke Grevill consists of a sarcophagus, placed beneath a heavy canopy, supported by Corinthian columns. It is a heavy and ungraceful erection—rendered picturesque, however, by the ancient helmets and glaives laid upon it, and the moth-eaten banners, and rusted armour, that hang above the tomb.

The entrance to the Beauchamp Chapel is by a descent of several steps, from the south transept of the Church, beneath a doorway of finely-carved stone—the work of a

native artist, “a mason of Warwick,” in 1704. Entered, the spectator beholds a sepulchral chapel, built in the “style of the later Gothic,” of limited extent—its size being 58 feet in length by 25 in breadth, and its height being 32 feet—but of surpassing beauty. The light is supplied by three large windows in the upper part of the side walls (north and south), on the west by a window which looks into St. Mary’s Church, and by a large window on the east. Formerly, they were all richly adorned with painted glass, of which some valuable relics yet remain. The east window is, however, even now, nearly perfect, and may be considered one of the finest examples of the art to be found in the kingdom. “Indeed,” (we quote from a writer in “The Antiquarian and Architectural Year Book,”) there are few windows of painted glass remaining in ecclesiastical or other buildings

in England that can, for its dimensions, exceed, either in beauty or general treatment, this Eastern Window of the Beauchamp Chapel.” Its value has been diminished by carelessness in repairs; some parts having been displaced: but the figures, which form its primary objects, are gorgeous specimens of art, on many accounts of rare value to the antiquary. The ceiling of the Chapel is ornamented with groined ribs, at the intersections of which are bosses elegantly painted and gilt. Old oak seats, richly carved, antique desks, niches—which, according to Dugdale, formerly held images of gold, each of the weight of 20 lbs.—and various other objects—minor, though of considerable interest—demand attention; but their examination may be postponed until a small oratory—of exquisite beauty—has been inspected. It is reached by a short flight of stone steps—the roof is fan-work, groined—peculiarly light and elegant; and a range of high and narrow windows open into the Chapel. Scattered about are some reliques—save for their antiquity, out of keeping with the peaceful and secluded character of the small confessional—glaives and head-pieces—one of which bears indisputable evidence that the wearer died not in his bed. From this oratory, some half-dozen steps, “worn by the knees of fervent devotees,” afford ascent to a small confessional, formed in the thickness of the south wall of the choir. Both these interesting objects, are represented, by woodcuts, on the preceding page. The ceiling and sides partake of the elegant character already described; and here could the holy father, through a small opening, unseen, witness the elevation of the Host, or listen to the o’erburthened penitent.

The grand object of attraction in the Beauchamp Chapel, however, is the gorgeous tomb of its founder. It is an altar-tomb, of Purbeck marble, bearing the recumbent effigy of the Great Earl, in fine latten brass, gilt. His head, uncovered, rests upon a helmet, and at his feet are a Bear and a Griffon. The tomb is surmounted by one of the few “hearses” that yet remain in our churches. It consists of six hoops of brass, kept extended by five transverse brass rods, on which formerly was hung a pall “to keep the figure reverently from the dust.” Around the tomb, in niches, are fourteen figures, in “divers vestures, called weepers”—friends and relatives of the deceased, who mourn his loss. Between each weeper are smaller niches, raised upon pillars, containing whole length figures of angels, holding scrolls inscribed—

The following inscription is on the edge of the tomb, running twice round, in the old English character, and freely interspersed with the Earl’s crest, the bear and ragged staff:—

The effigy may be considered as one of the finest works of this class executed during the middle ages, and it derives additional interest from the fact of the original contract for its construction being still in existence. Of this beautiful work the late C. A. Stothard executed four views, in his magnificent volume on the Monumental Effigies of Great Britain, in a spirit worthy of so fine a subject. He ascertained that the ponderous figure of latten or bronze which lay upon the altar-tomb was loose, and with considerable effort succeeded in turning it over, when the armour at the back was found to be as carefully and accurately represented as in front, having all the parts of a suit, its straps and fastenings, displayed with singular minuteness. It is, in this respect, a perfectly unique effigy, and of great value to the historic painter, or student in ancient armour. On the preceding page we have given the two views of the effigy, as pictured by Mr. Stothard.

The Chapel contains other monuments of rare beauty and exceeding interest. The most remarkable is that to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester—“Queen Elizabeth’s Leicester”—and his Countess. It is erected against the north wall, and consists of a heavy canopy, profusely ornamented, supported by Corinthian pillars, beneath which is an altar-tomb supporting the recumbent figures—that of the Earl being in armour, over which is a mantle bearing the badge of the Order of the Garter on the left shoulder, the French order of St. Michael on the left breast, and the Garter is round the knee—that of the Countess is attired in the robes of a Peeress, a circlet of jewels round the head, and wearing the high ruff of the period. A Latin inscription gives us in full the proud titles of the famous favourite of the “Maiden Queene,” who “gave up his soule to God his Saviour on the 4th day of September, in the year of Salvation, 1588,” and informs us also that “his most sorrowful wife, Lætitia, daughter of Francis Knolles, Knight of the Order of the Garter, and Treasurer to the Queen, through a sense of conjugal love and fidelity hath put up this monument to the best and dearest of husbands.”

Of the other tombs “of note,” may be mentioned that to Ambrose Dudley, the virtuous brother of Elizabeth’s Peer; that to the infant son of Robert Dudley,—“a noble impe,” a “childe of grete parentage, but of farre greter hope and towardnes;” and that to the Lady Katherine Leveson, one of the Dudleys, who “taking notice of these Tombes of her noble Ancestors being much blemisht by consuming time, but more by the rude hands of impious people, were in danger of utter ruine by the decay of this Chapell, if not timely prevented, did in her life time give fifty pounds for its speedy repair.”

In all respects the Beauchamp Chapel ranks among the most interesting of the venerable Ecclesiastical remains yet existing in Great Britain. Time has done it little injury; and it escaped the perils incident to the civil war—when all external tokens of piety were considered insults to the Deity they were designed to honour. Moreover, its history is nearly perfect: the very estimates, bills, and discharges of the builders, the gilders, and the glaziers may be examined, in the actual presence of the works they executed centuries ago.

Viewed in association with “the Castle,” of which it may be said almost to form a part, its importance is greatly enhanced. And, in reference merely to actual beauty of the design, and the exquisite character of the work, it may be said to vie with any structure of the kind, not only in Great Britain, but in Europe.

CHARLECOTE,

WARWICKSHIRE.

Charlecote—famous in association with the early history of William Shakspere—has undergone little change since he who was “for all time” wandered along the thick-hedged lanes. So primitive is the “ancient neighbourhood,” that Fancy may, almost unbidden, call up the old glories of the place,—may hear the voice of Sir Thomas Lucy chiding his keepers for the loss of his fallow-deer, and the half-suppressed “chuckle” of an unnoticed bystander who, thereafter, was to fill the world with his fame. The Mansion seems quite unaltered; the village church precisely as it was at “the Reformation;” the humbler dwellings, of red brick, are only a little older the park palings merely made picturesque by overgrowing lichen; and the Park, as well as the “sweet Avon,” exactly as they were two centuries and a half ago; the one

“flowing gently;” the other supplying, as of yore, many—

while the same deer—“dappled fools”—only look more conscious than they did, of assured safety in

Art and Nature seem both to have stopped short of all “improvement;” there has been no need of the one to disturb the renown which the locality receives from the other; even the “stocks” that stand under a group of “Patrician trees” at Hampton Lucy, are suffered to die of natural decay; and it is as certain that the “bonny sweet Robin,” whose song we heard from the hawthorn in the churchyard is the progeny of him who sung there when Elizabeth was queen, as that the lord of the mansion is the descendant of that very Sir Thomas Lucy who sat in judgment upon the youth who

This unity of character has been most carefully preserved in the new buildings erected on the estate, of which the annexed wood-cut will afford evidence.

It is difficult to descend to simple facts while describing a neighbourhood so suggestive of thought—so redolent of fancy. The Lucys, who occupy to-day the manor in which they lived three hundred years ago—“good old English gentlemen” of the present, as of the olden time—have inherited, without break, from father to son; adding little to their hereditary property, and losing no part of it by carelessness, profusion, or vice; generally, they seem to have been peaceable and liberal manorial lords, studious to make their tenantry prosperous and their dependants comfortable; dwelling apart from the bustle of action, and the stir of contentious life, even rumours of “oppression and deceit” seem rarely to have reached them; “exempt from public haunt,” they passed their days happily and slept together—a long line of kindly, if not great, men—under the roof tree of the little church where monuments loftier than their own ambitions have been raised to perpetuate their names.[59]

The history of Charlecote and its Lords, is given with great minuteness by Dugdale. Charlecote, Cherlecote, or Cerlecote, as it is written in Domesday Book, was, previous to the Conquest, in the possession of one Saxi, but afterwards became the property of the Earl of Mellent, and doubtless came from him to Henry de Newburgh, Earl of Warwick,

whose son, Roger, (23rd Henry I.), gave half a hide of land lying in Cherlecote, with the tithes of the whole lordship, and “two mills” to his newly founded Collegiate Church of Warwick. He also enfeoffed Thurlestane de Montfort of large possessions in this county, whose son, Henry, with Alice de Harecourt, the widow of Robert de Montfort, his elder brother, gave all the village of Cherlecote to Walter the son of Thurlestane de Cherlecote, which grant was confirmed to him and his heirs by letters patent from Richard the First, with divers immunities and privileges thereto: all of which were ratified by King John, in the fifth year of his reign. From this Walter de Cherlecote (who was a knight), by Cecily, his wife, descended William, who assumed the name of Lucy, she perhaps being heir to some branch of that family.

Our space may be better occupied than in carrying their history from this remote age to the present day.

The Mansion was erected in 1558, by Thomas Lucy, who, in 1593, was knighted by

Queen Elizabeth. It stands at a short distance from, and at some little elevation above, the river Avon. The building occupies three sides of a quadrangle, the fourth being formed by a handsome central Gatehouse, which, with its octangular turrets and oriel window, constitutes an interesting portion of the façade, and as seen in the accompanying view, backed out by the Mansion and connected by the terrace wings, presents a very pleasing and picturesque appearance. The House retains its gables and angular towers, but has suffered from the introduction of the large and heavy sash-windows of the time of William III., or George I. The entrance porch runs the whole height of the building, and is ornamented by pilasters and a pierced parapet, having over the arched entrance the family arms and the crest at each angle. From this porch or loggia, you enter the Hall, of which Washington Irving in the “Sketch-book” gives a graphic description as it existed at the period of his visit. The present apartment, however, forms a portion of the extensive alterations and additions carried into effect by the refined taste of the late Mr. Lucy. The “Gallery” and “Organ” are gone, but the large and lofty proportions of the room, as also the huge Bay Window, are preserved. The interior—of which we have given an engraving—will convey an accurate idea of this fine Hall. In the centre, on a highly polished marble floor, stands a most elaborate and splendid table, purchased at the price of 1500 guineas from the late Mr. Beckford’s collection at Fonthill, composed of lapis lazuli, jasper, &c., intermixed with the rarest marble: it is a worthy rival to that at Warwick Castle. The room contains many family portraits—the most interesting of the collection being one which represents Sir Thomas, his lady, and his children, painted by Cornelius Jansen.[60]

The Fire-place is modern, but of Elizabethan design, and finely carved. Above are busts of Sir Thomas Lucy the elder, and his son, and in the centre is one of Queen Elizabeth. The chairs, tables, &c., are all handsome, and strictly according in style with the Hall, which is connected by folding-doors with a fine oak staircase. The new apartments consist of a dining-room and drawing-room, serving also as a library.

From the House we cross the quadrangle. This is laid out as an ornamental flower-garden, with very charming effect. From thence the Park is entered, which is agreeably diversified by hill and dale, wood and water. The Avon winds its way irregularly through the plain, while ever and anon the “careless herd” come sweeping by, calling up involuntarily to the mind remembrances of the “melancholy Jaques” and his sad musings, as, in “the forest of Arden,”

Under a close avenue of trees a private walk leads to a corner of the Park, where, snugly embosomed among “scented limes” stands the little Church of Charlecote—with

its belfry, simple as a dovecote, and its somewhat grotesque exterior.

There are three monuments—each being of an elaborate and costly character, with no inconsiderable pretensions to merit as works of art. The one nearest the altar is that of the Sir Thomas Lucy who is reported to have “threatened” Shakspere with punishment for deer-stealing, and is said to have been the object of a lampoon penned by the “immortal bard.”[61] The grave underneath contains also the ashes of his lady. They are represented in the usual recumbent posture, on a tomb of variegated marble, their hands uplifted in prayer. He is clad in armour, the lady in the ruff and dress of the period. Two smaller figures are kneeling below, and a tablet of black marble in the recess above their tomb has the following touching and beautiful inscription:—