Part 2
from the north wall of the chancel. The shirt to which the rings have been attached (see our initial letter) remains, but they have dropped off. It is surmounted by his helmet, bearing the family crest. Below these hang the gauntlets and spurs; and above the whole a banner has waved, now presenting only its bare staff. Attached to the wall, on the same side of the chancel, is a monumental tablet with a Latin inscription, to the effect,--that this church being in ancient times a donative chapel in Astbury parish, the ancestors of Sir William Brereton, Baron of Malpas, who erected this monument in 1618, were buried in the church-yard of Astbury. Accordingly, in this latter place, on the north side of the church, we find some curious ancient monuments. A fine canopied tomb, in the decorated style, open at both sides, covers two stone effigies, of a knight armed cap-à-pie, with his feet resting on a lion, holding a heater-shaped shield on his left arm; and his lady, with her hands conjoined on her breast, her feet resting on a dog. Within the arch of the canopy is the following inscription, surmounted by the arms of Brereton:--
“HIC JACENT RADULPHUS BRERETON MILES; ET DOMINA ADA, UXOR SUA, UNA FILIARUM DAVIDIS COMITIS NUNTINGDONIS.”
On the left side of this beautiful monument is placed a stone coffin with effigy in flowing robes, a coif, and a beard, in form resembling that of some of the Egyptian deities, being wider as it descends. The head rests on a pillow; the hands are joined in the attitude of prayer; and the feet are placed on an animal, resembling a dog. On the right side of the canopied tomb is another coffin and effigy of a knight in armour, of apparently the latter part of the fourteenth century. The heater-shaped shield has traces of heraldic bearings, seemingly the two bars of the Breretons. This figure has been richly harnessed. The head has been covered by the conical-topped helmet, with the chain camail falling from it over the neck; but some modern stonecutter has done his utmost to transform these military habiliments into an old-fashioned wig.
Cheshire abounds in ancient Halls; and a very large number of them having received but little injury from time, or the more evil influence of “renovators” and “improvers,” continue in a comparatively primitive state. Several still remain to the descendants of worthies by whom they were erected; unhappily, Brereton is not one of these; but we trust it is in safe hands, and that it is destined to sustain no farther insult or injury from convenience or caprice.
[Illustration:
Drawn by C. J. Richardson, on Stone by W. Walton.
CREWE HALL CHESHIRE]
CREWE HALL,
CHESHIRE.
[Illustration: C]REWE HALL--situate about four miles from the town of Nantwich--affords a striking example of the singular changes to which a baronial residence and its dependencies may be subjected in this utilitarian age. Formerly, it occupied the centre of a sequestered valley--now and then, when the wind was southerly, the ti-ri-la of the horn of a distant “stage” to Chester, fell upon the ear of secluded villagers; it was almost the only sound that connected them with the business of actual life. The lord of the mansion and his humble neighbours, dwelling apart from the stir of traffic and the din of commerce, scarcely heard even those “rumours of oppression and deceit” that followed or preceded “unsuccessful or successful war;” content, in their “dreary contiguity of shade,” to be overlooked and unheeded by the busy world about them. The picture at Crewe is now a new one: it is the largest of all the railway stations between Birmingham and Liverpool: the moaning of steam-engines never ceases there; a smoke perpetual gathers over the trees; travellers are rushing backwards and forwards every hour of the day; the noise unnatural is also unceasing, and is audible for miles around, breaking the calm of night in the country, and making the day seem devoted to unhealthy and unpeaceful toil. The contrast between what this pretty hamlet was and is, becomes the more striking because, as yet, the station is at some distance from the gigantic warehouses, engine-room, and coke-stores, which have suddenly grown into existence here. A small inn--new, but not much out of keeping with the ancient aspect of the place--stands beside “the station,” and on the main road which leads from Crewe Hall to Nantwich; the former being distant about a mile, the latter about four miles.
Crewe Hall is the seat of the Right Hon. Hungerford Crewe, third Baron Crewe, who was born in 1812, and succeeded his father in 1835. His grandfather, the first peer, represented Cheshire in parliament from the year 1768 until his elevation to the upper house in 1806. The manor was from a very early period the property of the family of Crue, or Crewe, and some remains of a far more ancient seat are still to be found in the neighbourhood. “About the year 1300, Joan, eldest daughter and co-heiress of the last male heir of the elder branch of the family, married Robert Praers, whose grand-daughter conveyed the manor to Sir Robert Foulshurst.” From this family it was purchased, in 1578, by Sir Christopher Hatton. “A fortunate lawyer” had the means of restoring it to the race to whom it had originally belonged. About the year 1610 Sir Randal Crewe, Serjeant-at-Law, descended from Patrick, a younger brother of Thomas de Crewe, bought it from Sir Christopher’s heirs, and erected, between the years 1615 and 1636, the present mansion. In 1684 the male line became extinct, by the death of John Crewe, Esq.; Anne, his eldest daughter, having married John Offley, Esq., of Madeley Manor, their eldest son, John, subsequently took the name of Crewe in 1708, and, as we have stated, the family was ennobled in 1806.
The hall is a remarkably beautiful structure, and a fine example of the architecture of the period. It is characterised by a distinguished architect as “undoubtedly one of the finest remaining specimens of the English branch of the Italian cinque cento, which may be considered to have arrived at its full state of perfection during the reign of James I.” According to some passages in Fuller, at the period of its erection it must have been classed among the more sumptuous edifices of the kingdom. He says, “Nor must it be forgotten that Sir Randal first brought the model of excellent building into these remote parts--yea, brought London into Cheshire, in the loftiness, sightliness, and pleasantness of their structures.” Although it has undergone many improvements, it has lost but little of its original character. “It consists of two lofty stories, surmounted by a sculptured open parapet, concealing, in some degree, the high roof, from which rise the chimneys, representing detached octagonal columns, with their plinths, bases, and capitals.” The central compartment--the line of the front being broken at each extremity by bow windows--is composed entirely of stone, and is rich in decoration; the arch of the doorway is supported by four fluted Ionic columns, on sculptured pedestals. A dwarf wall and balustrades surround the edifice at its base; and the courtyard, now a prettily laid out lawn and garden, is entered by some finely modelled gates of cast-iron, produced at the foundry of Messrs. Bramah. The
[Illustration]
exterior is now undergoing thorough repair under the superintendence of Mr. Edward Blore. Mr. Richardson has supplied us with the appended copy of the decoration, in carved stone, which surmounts the entrance, and also of one of the exterior ornaments, of which we have formed an initial letter.
The interior of this fine old mansion is in the purest possible state; such alterations as time or circumstances may have rendered necessary have been effected with judgment, skill, and taste. “It presents an extraordinary variety of decorated ceilings, enriched plaster-work, and carved wainscot, the design and execution of which are masterly, fully equalling the choicest specimens of the French _renaissance_ of the reign of Francis I.” It contains some bas-reliefs of a very early age, and these, probably, were removed from the still older mansion of the Crewes. It must also have undergone some changes at so late a period as that of Charles II., and these, no doubt, were rendered necessary in consequence of two sieges to which it was subjected during the civil wars. In 1643 it was garrisoned by the Parliamentary troops, who were besieged there by the Royalists under Lord Byron, to whom they yielded in consequence of failure of food and ammunition: “becoming prisoners, stout and valiant soldiers, having quarter granted them.” During the subsequent year the mansion was taken by the troops of the Parliament, and, in like manner, the garrison was permitted to go out in honourable safety.
The hall, which is somewhat low and narrow, is of carved oak; to the left is the dining-room,
[Illustration]
of which the accompanying print, in lithotint, affords a satisfactory idea. The screen of richly carved oak is as fresh and sharp as if it had been painted by the artist only yesterday. The fireplace of cut stone is inlaid with marbles of various colours and countries. Opposite the screen is a fine oriel window; and the ceiling is of exquisite design, and remarkably bold in character. A side entrance leads through “the carved parlour” to the upper rooms by a staircase of surpassing beauty, “made gay” by painted monsters of all kinds, bearing blank shields. The several apartments, drawing-rooms, and bedchambers, are furnished with great taste; the library is exceedingly fine and spacious: here, as in other parts of the house, we find treasures of ancient art, and, among them, very choice productions of the modern school of England. At the extremity of the hall is the chapel of the mansion, small in size but of exquisite workmanship, being formed entirely of carved oak, to which Time has given the sombre tint that ever harmonises well with the sacred character of the structure. The chapel contains a painted window by Willement, and two noble paintings by Giordano. The roof is of white and gold, with a single pendant; the gallery is for the servants, and there is a small place at the entrance for dependants.
On the whole, there are in England few fresher or finer examples of the period of its erection.
[Illustration
F. W. Hulme, Delᵗ. on Stone by W. Walton M & N Hanbart Lithogʳˢ
DORFOLD HALL, CHESHIRE]
DORFOLD HALL,
CHESHIRE.
[Illustration: D]ORFOLD HALL, now the seat of Mrs. Tomkinson, was built by Ralph Wilbraham, Esq. in the reign of James I.--according to Lysons, in the year 1616--on the site of a still older mansion. It is situated about one mile from Nantwich; it is a brick building with stone dressings. The staircase and the great chamber are still perfect. The ceiling of the latter room is an extraordinary specimen of decorative plaster-work; the form is of the kind called “waggon-headed.” It is completely covered with a pattern, in bold relief, of the most complicated description, ornamented with shields of arms and various Tudor emblems. Few
[Illustration]
such curious specimens of the intricate design of the period can now be found. Over the doorway in the great chamber is a shield of the arms of the Wilton family. Mr. Richardson, in his observations on old English mansions, observes there is every reason to suppose that Dorfold Hall, Crewe Hall, and Aston Hall, near Birmingham, were built in successive order by the same architect; many of the ceilings, fireplaces, staircases, &c. are nearly the same in all the three houses. The early rudeness of the style is seen at Dorfold Hall, its purity in Crewe Hall, and the commencement of its deterioration in Aston Hall.
The front of Dorfold is highly picturesque. The two small lodges seen in front belong to the original construction; but modern domestic arrangements requiring more room than was afforded by the old building, the small offices between the house and the old lodges have been added. If the reader can suppose these away, and a formal balustrade or wall, with gates in the centre, connecting the old lodges in front, he will have the exact appearance of the house in the olden time. All the old buildings were then supplied in front by great courtyards, into which carriages never entered, either from their being of too lumbersome a construction, or with a view to state. It may be hinted that the buildings of the reign of Elizabeth exhibited a considerable portion of the proud, haughty character of the sovereign.
Dorfold, like many of its neighbours in Cheshire, was besieged by the army of the Parliament during the Civil Wars.
The interior of the Hall bears many unequivocal proofs that refined taste prevails over all its arrangements. The new furniture is in keeping with the old carvings; illustrated books, and prints in harmony with the impressive character of the time-honoured structure, are profusely scattered upon the tables and along the walls. Dorfold has fallen into “good hands;” its peculiar beauties and its interesting associations are appreciated and valued; and the spirits of its ancient owners may contemplate with approval the efforts of its existing proprietors--shoots from a noble and honourable stock.
[Illustration:
J. D. Harding, Delᵗ M & N Hanhart, Lithogʳˢ.
MORETON HALL, CHESHIRE.]
MORETON HALL,
CHESHIRE.
[Illustration: The] subject of our present delineation--MORETON HALL, is situated amidst the sandy plain of Cheshire, on the Staffordshire border of the county. Its eastern aspect is bounded by that range of hills which extends from Scotland southwards into the centre of England, and which here presents some of its most remarkable features in the high hills called “Mow Cop” and “Cloud,” both being upwards of 1000 feet above the sea-level. The former is surmounted by a ruined tower, and by a singular isolated rock called “The Old Man of Mow.” The latter is an abrupt and dome-shaped termination of a portion of the range to the northward. From the Hall, these hills present objects of interest not devoid of richness, as on this side they are clothed with the dark verdure of the Scotch fir. Moreton Hall--or, “Little Moreton Hall,” as it has been denominated to distinguish it from the residence of the Bellots in the immediate neighbourhood, seated on the plain below--is an ancient timbered house, partly embosomed in trees, but attracting the eye from a distance by the interrupted outline of its numerous roofs, its strange columnar chimneys,--in form resembling rows of prismatic crystals, some of them being rendered more picturesque by the o’er-covering
[Illustration]
ivy,--and its black beams and diaper-like patterns distinctly traced on the white ground of the intervening plaster. On a nearer approach we discover the house to be encompassed by a narrow moat, beyond which, and at its south-western corner, is a small conical mound, prettily surmounted by a sycamore tree. The house is approached from the south over a stone arch of antique form, and bearing the Moreton arms on either side. The square Portal, with a sun-dial over it, is adorned with some bold carvings of foliage in oak on the top and sides. These are repeated on the inner opening at the entrance into the Court; each door-post here being crowned by a halbert-bearer in high relief. Over this portal is a lofty range of building, consisting of a number of small wainscotted rooms, and an oaken staircase, which ascends to the long room or gallery, 68 feet in length, running over the top of the whole. This room is lighted from the south by a window its entire length. Like all the other apartments, its walls are lined with wainscot, except the ends, where, at the upper part, are figures and tablets, bearing inscriptions, in stucco. That at the western end represents blind Fortune with her wheel, bearing this motto on the rim: “Qui modo scandit corruet statim.” The inscription is:
“The wheel of Fortune, Whose rule is ignoraunce.”
That at the opposite extremity, Fate supporting a globe with one hand, and holding a pair of compasses in the other. The inscription:
“The speare of Destiny, Whose rule is knowledge.”
This apartment has a pitched roof, and an oaken ceiling, open to the rafters. Tradition relates that Queen Elizabeth, while on a progress through Cheshire, danced here, and that Oliver Cromwell made use of it as a council chamber during the Civil Wars.
Having passed through the portal and under the building surmounted by the long room, we enter a small Court, which is one of the most curious parts of this ancient residence. There are seven doors opening
[Illustration]
into it; the principal entrance, (that which leads into the hall,) being nearly opposite to the portal. Besides other windows, there are two large gabled bow-windows, which light the Banquetting Hall, the antique form and curious glazing of which excite immediate attention. Indeed, the glazing of most of the windows of the house is very remarkable; the panes being small, and joined by slips of lead, so as to represent many pretty patterns. Upon bands around these windows are the following inscriptions:--“God is al in al thing. This window where made by William Moreton, in the yeare of oure Lorde MDLII.” “Rycharde Dale, Carpēder made theis windows, by the grace of God.”[5]
One of the entrances from the court, on the right, leads into a small chapel, which, by the lapse of time and disuse, has lost much of its sacred character. Almost the only indication of its former purpose is a series of tablets suspended on the walls and bearing inscribed on them, in old English characters, numerous texts of Scripture.
The principal entrance leading into the house is closed by an antique oaken door, having a small wicket in it fastened with a ponderous bolt. This door is rendered still more impregnable by many a coat of whitewash. On passing through it we are ushered into a large wainscotted apartment, having seats attached to the wainscot all round,--the ancient Banquetting Hall. In it we observed a fine old long table of oak. This apartment is lighted by the large windows already described, which contain, like some other windows of the house, small portions of stained glass, consisting of the Moreton and other arms. An inner door in the wainscot leads from the Banquetting Hall into the family apartment, which likewise looks into the court. This room has an ornamented chimney-piece, which is surmounted by arms in stucco, bearing the motto “Honi soit qui mal y pense,” and a large A on each side.
Many of the rooms have floors made of plaster. The fastenings of some of the doors of the upper rooms are curious; they consist of a large iron ring standing out from the middle of the door, through which is passed a bar of wood. This reaches across, and rests on the jambs on either side; a very secure mode of fastening to those who happen to be on the right side.
In the fine old parish church of Astbury, within two miles of Moreton Hall, there is a side chapel, at the east end of the north aisle, of great antiquity, divided between the two manorial proprietors of Little Moreton-cum-Rode. In the east window, which formerly contained some splendid stained glass, there now only remains the arms of one of the Blundevilles, the famous Earls of Chester. The three wide steps which led to the altar, a piscina, on one side, and a closet for relics, on the other, are almost the only remnants of its ancient purposes. At the Moreton end of this side chapel there are three large plain marble slabs over altar tombs, bearing the following inscriptions:--
DAME MARY JONES, died the 19th of April, 1743, aged 85.
SIR WILLIAM MORETON, KNT., Recorder of the City of London, died the 14th of March, 1763, aged 67.
DAME JANE MORETON, died the 10th of Feb., 1758, aged 61.
There is a fine oaken cabinet in Moreton Hall, which, from the labels in old law-hand, has most likely belonged to the above-named Sir William Moreton.
The house belongs to a lady of the Moreton family,--in whose possession it is said to have remained since the 13th century. An adjacent meadow was formerly the mill-pool of the Hall. In front of the house there formerly stood the steps of an old cross, which have been removed. It is probable that they now surround the cross piled up in the garden, and upon which is placed an old sun-dial. Of this cross, or rather, the remains, Mr. Pratt (the artist to whom we are indebted for the illustrations of this subject) made a drawing, which forms our initial letter.
Odd Rode, or Little Moreton-cum-Rode, are noticed as two manors in “The Survey,” and were subsequently granted to Hugh de Mara and Wm. Fitz Nigel. They are described in Domesday, as having inclosures for taking wild deer, and an aerie for hawks. The present divisions of the township are distinguished by the names of Little Moreton and Rode. A branch of the Grahams of Lostock settled in Little Moreton early in the thirteenth century, the third of whom assumed the name of Moreton, and his descendants in the male line continued till the death of Sir W. Moreton in 1763, when his nephew, the Rev. Richard Taylor, took the local name.
In the 12th Henry VIII. Sir W. Brereton made an award between Mr. Wm. Moreton and Mr. Thos. Rode, of Rode, in a dispute “which should sit highest in the churche, and foremost goo in procession:” when he very judiciously awarded between these two sticklers for precedence “That whyther of the said gentylmen may dispende in landes by title of enheritaunce 10 marks or above more than the other, that he shall have the pre-eminence in sitting in the churche, and in gooing in procession, with all other lyke causes in that behalf.”
We fear we must ascribe the rumoured subterranean passages of Moreton Hall, running under the moat to chambers hid in the mound, to no higher authority than that wild fancy which thus gilds, to its own delight, antique and curious buildings in all parts of our country--that native spirit of poetry,--
“One with our feelings and our powers, And rather part of us, than ours,”
without a sprinkling of which, this world in all its teeming beauty might be too much of a dull reality.
[Illustration:
F W Hulme Delᵗ. on Stone by W Walton M & N Hanhart Lithogʳˢ]
PLACE HOUSE,
CORNWALL.
[Illustration: P]LACE HOUSE, formerly called the “Plâs” (a corruption of “Palace”), from its having the reputation of being once the residence of the Earls of Cornwall, stands on elevated ground in the centre of Fowey, a seaport-town on the southern coast of Cornwall. It is a fine pile of building, a large portion being very ancient, though the exact date cannot be ascertained with certainty; there is, however, abundant evidence to prove that many parts of it existed so far back as 1455,[6] and were probably built about that time; a period to which also is assigned the re-erection of the church close by, a handsome and lofty fabric of the perpendicular English style of architecture: the two buildings are composed of similar materials.