USA > Ohio > The Western Reserve of Ohio and some of its pioneers, places and women's clubs, Vol. I > Part 24
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31
When Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne, she made Robert Dudley, son of the Duke of Northumberland, Knight of the Garter, Master of Horse and a member of the Privy Council, and gave him Kenilworth Castle; and many years afterwards when Elizabeth visited Kenilworth, Dudley, then Earl of Lei- cester, built a new bridge over the moat that she "might enter the castle by a path hitherto untrodden." The castle was again confiscated by the crown in 1603, about the time of Elizabeth's death, and was given to Prince Henry, and later to Prince Charles. In 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh was beheaded in the tower of London.
All this history had lent a charm to Kenilworth Castle before our party entered its arched gateway, walked through a lane bordered with blooming roses, then up a grassy lawn and saw its time-and-battle-scarred, but massive walls looming fifty feet high before us. As we approached, the broad sur- face showed but few opening for light; around to the left we discovered that the walls were fully six feet thick, a man
AMY ROBSART KENILWORTH CASTLE
351
Its Pioneers, Places and Women's Clubs
being able to lie at full length across a window sill. In Mer- vyn's tower a staircase formerly occupied each corner, but are now gone to decay.
We passed through a grass-grown enclosure to Queen Eliza- beth's rooms, which were in the second story of another build- ing from that first inspected. A bay-window occupied the entire side of the main room and looked out on an open court, which had a place for a fountain. An open grate with chimney was on one side, and a separate stairway led to this one room. Elizabeth could see the Earl of Leicester's building from her own. The Leicester building ran up five stories as square as a chimney. The lower room could well have been used as a
dungeon. In the rear of Elizabeth's building was the octagon tower room where it is supposed Amy Robsart, Leicester's wife, was confined by him. It has an outlook on the open country. In an enclosed grass plot below we saw a company of children, with their teachers or nurses, enjoying a picnic.
The road from Kenilworth to Warwick Castle has been made historic from the many who have traversed in the past, the same broad way, fifty to seventy feet wide and hard as a floor. On one side are forest trees of great age, and on the other, well-tilled farm lands. Some pretty villas were to be seen, one owned by a man who had made his money in the manufacture of pins, in Birmingham, and another who had made his fortune in lamps.
As we entered the grounds of Warwick Castle, a carriage containing Lady Warwick passed us. We noticed that she held the lines, wore gauntlets, and was beautiful.
We first saw Cæsar's tower, which has a clock and a sun- dial, and then walked around a circular drive to a grass plat where were pea-fowls in great numbers-standing like statues
352
The Western Reserve of Ohio and Some of
or spreading their gorgeous trains. Stray feathers were scat- tered about, which the children of our party gathered up as souvenirs. In cages were a raccoon, a monkey and other ani- mals. A guide next took us to the entrance of the castle, where hung six large rifles in a row, and swords, spears and armor of all kinds. We then visited the room of Queen Anne, which has a portrait of her above the mantel, and full length portraits of Lord and Lady Brooke. Gobelin tapestries are on the walls, and pieces of inlaid or gilded furniture-wardrobes, chairs and sofas, are placed about the room. The "green room" came next, which is of a very delicate shade of green, with hard wood floor. Then came the "red room," the noticeable features of which were its portraits of noted people and heavy glass chan- deliers. All the rooms were of medium size and very home-like in appearance. The rooms occupied by the family were not on exhibition.
We crossed a campus through exquisite flower gardens, to a building much like a conservatory, to see the Roman vase brought to England by the Earl of Warwick, and said to have been taken from a lake near Rome, then followed the drive to the gate and took our great wagons to Leamington Spa, the best watering place in England. In this town were stone villas hedged in with holly or cedar, with bright flowers and graveled walks, and each having its name on one of the gate posts. It was easy to see the benefit of the high hedges as we drove into the yard at Manor House. Although on a dusty highway, it seemed as clean, cool and quiet as if in the country. Who cares to see carts, hacks and pedestrians, when one can see flowers, statuary and fountains, and trees with seats in their shade?
WESTMINSTER ABBEY, WINDSOR CASTLE, CANTER- BURY CATHEDRAL
This ancient edifice, which has been the scene of many coronations and pompous pageants and was at one time the meeting place of Parliament, is one of the great attractions of London. It stands in front of an open park and close to London Bridge, where cabs and carriages pass in great numbers, mak- ing it easy of access. The first view of the exterior is some- what disappointing, as the dark gray stone of which it is built does not at once reveal the ornateness of its architecture. It stands on the site of a Benedictine monastery founded by St. Dunstan and built upon Thorny Island, a small area of land bounded on the east by the Thames, on the north and south by small streams running into the Thames and on the west by a moat. In 1065, Edward the. Confessor replaced the simple monastery of St. Dunstan by a massive structure in the Nor- man style of architecture and cruciform in shape, which defied the lapse of time for 200 years. Some time in the early part of the 13th century, King Henry III razed the walls of this Nor- man structure and built a more magnificent one in honor of Edward, still holding to the cruciform shape, which has not been changed, although the building was in process of con- struction through several centuries and a number of additions to it have been made. In Queen Elizabeth's time the name "Westminster Abbey" was changed to "The Collegiate Church of St. Peter;" the monastery having been dissolved and a college church established. But the time-honored edifice is still West- minster Abbey to England and all the world, and will, probably, always remain so.
354
The Western Reserve of Ohio and Some of
For 300 years the House of Commons met in the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey. When the Abbey was dissolved, the Chapter House became national property, and was used as a record office up to 1863. In 1865 it was restored to its pris- tine splendor, and its beautiful windows are now filled with illustrations of English history as blended with that of the Abbey. In the days of the monastery, the abbot and his officers met weekly in its place to judge offenders, and punished such by scourging at a whipping post which then stood in the center of the room.
The old dormitory of the monks has been converted into a large hall called The Great School, and what is now called The College Hall was the dining-room of the monastery. The Chap- ter Library is an interesting collection gathered by Dean Wil- liams, the last churchman who held the Great Seal of England, and who was both Dean of Westminster and Archbishop of York. There is also a "Jerusalem Chamber," once the abbot's parior, and which got its name from the tapestry with which it was first hung, there having been scenes from the Holy Land represented upon it. In this room occurred the dramatic death of Henry IV.
As you enter the door between the two great towers, you find yourself in the Abbey nave, which is 166 feet long. To the left, in the Statesmen's Corner, is the statue of Sir Robert Peel, Prime Minister in 1834, then Admiral Warren, and then Lord Beaconsfield, who asked not to be buried there, but whose statue is placed there to his memory. There is also a statue of William Pitt. To the right there is a gallery where are bas-reliefs of John and Charley Wesley, and where Major Andre, famous in English and infamous in American history, is immortalized. The poet's corner is on the opposite side, and in it are busts of
355
Its Pioneers, Places and Women's Clubs
famous poets, among them one of our own, Longfellow. There are, also, the tombs of Browning, Tennyson, Chaucer and many others.
As is well known, the Abbey is now noted as the burial place of famous men of all ranks and creeds and forms of genius. As we lingered in one of the galleries, some working- men were changing the position of a body, the feet of which were wrapped in red flannel. We did not stop to see whose re- mains were being disturbed, but hastened on with an increased belief in cremation.
The chapel of Henry VII is a very fine structure, and in it are buried, Mary, Queen of Scots, Queen Elizabeth and many were once borne at funerais, and were set up in the Abbey, oftex others of the rulers of England. Wax effigies of noted persons filing the place of permanent monuments. Of the eleven still preserved, that of Charles II stood for two centuries above his grave. The figure of Lord Nelson has on the very clothes he wore except the coat.
The Coronation Chair was made to the order of Edward 1, and is said to contain the stone on which Jacob rested his head at Bethel. How much of truth or fable there may be in the story is not known, but that every sovereign of England since Edward I, excepting Edward V, has been crowned in this chair, is a matter of history. The coronation ceremony is performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and at its conclusion, the sovereign ascends a throne raised for the purpose and receives the homage of the peers. The coronation of a ruler of England has no legal significance, however, as the succession of a new king or queen is instantaneous upon the death of a sovereign.
HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT
The present houses of Parliament stand on the site of the old Palace of Westminster, first built by Edward the Confessor and rebuilt later, but finally destroyed by fire in 1834. After the fire, which obliterated everything except the Great Hall, the cloisters and the crypt, architects and sculptors were en- gaged to erect an edifice fitted to enshrine England's new con- stitution. The result was the magnificent structures now called the Houses of Parliament, which cover eight acres of land and took thirteen years to prepare for occupancy. The main edifice has a tower at each extreme end, and a central one rising above an octagonal hall, where you enter to reach the House of Lords and of Commons.
One of the larger towers is called Victoria Tower, and in it are stored the original rolls of Parliament. The Clock Tower contains the old prisons, which are now but little used. The House of Lords is to the right, as you enter, and in it Parlia- ment is opened by the sovereign. It is not only the superior house of legislation, but is the final court of appeals for the Kingdom. The House of Commons, which is to the left, is purely a legislative body, having no jurisdiction as a court of justice. A peculiar feature of this room is the manner of ven- tilating it. The floor is of iron and perforated to let the air through, the air first passing over muslin which is sprayed with water under the floor, thus taking up all the dust and impurities before the air is breathed.
The room used for nearly half a century by Queen Victoria as a robing room, has a figure of herself with a statue of Justice on one side, and one of Mercy on the other, showing, as her life did, that her idea of justice was true to the teaching that it should always be tempered with mercy.
HHII
WINDSOR CASTLE, LONDON
WARWICK CASTLE
WINDSOR CASTLE
To give a full account of Windsor Castle, would be to write the history of England, and space gives room for only a passing glimpse of this magnificent edifice and its beautiful grounds. It is said that Edward the Confessor donated it to the monks as an offering for the remission of the sins of himself and all his relatives, and that William the Conqueror, being pleased with its beauty, took it as his residence, giving the monks the county of Essex in exchange. But tradition coming down through some nine centuries is so liable to change that little remains certain except the fact that Windsor existed in the 10th century, then being called Windleshore, from the winding of the Thames at this point, and that it stands today one of the most beautiful of the homes of the sovereigns of England.
On one side of the castle is a broad drive with a stone wall separating it from a deep ravine, across which is seen the fine buildings of Eton school, and also its grounds, which are exten- sive and shaded by many old elms. On the east terrace are flowers and shrubs arranged in various forms. At one end are two white elephants in stone, sent from Lucknow, India. The late queen's apartments were on this side of the castle. Thirteen acres are given to gardens of flowers and shrubs, in which are quaint retreats; such as a Brahmin hut, an Italian temple, and a hermitage. A fine park containing some hundreds of acres of forest trees affords lovely shaded walks and drives.
The royal Tomb House under the Albert memorial chapel has the tombs of George III, George IV, William IV, the Duke and Duchess of Teck, Charles Brandon, who married Mary Tudor, and was made Duke of Suffolk; the son of Empress Eugenie, slain in the African war in 1879; Princess Charlotte, only child of George IV; the Duke and Duchess of Kent, parents of Queen Victoria, and many others. It is, then, to Windsor as to Westminster we turn for the tombs of those noted in English history.
Why cannot the United States of America have a similar mausoleum for its Presidents and inspire its people to acquaint themselves with its past?
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
This oldest and most beautiful of churches stands back of a small village with narrow streets, and two story buildings of very quaint appearance. It is now the Mecca of all travelers, as it was of pilgrims centuries ago.
During the reign of Constantine, St. Martin's hill, the site of Canterbury, was occupied by Roman villas. Maximus was sent by Constantine to Great Britain, and Martin, who was an intimate friend of Maximus, was the founder of this cathedral. The venerable Bede states that it was built in honor of St. Martin. It fell into decay, and was restored by Queen Bertha, who married Ethelbert, King of Kent, in 449.
St. Augustine held missions at Canterbury in 597 A. D. The cathedral was ravaged by the Danes in the 11th century, but was repaired by the Normans, and in the 13th century it was rebuilt, in the early English style, during the reign either of King John or of Henry III. Its total length is 537 feet. The walls to the height of three or four feet are the actual walls of the Norman foundation.
The bishops sent by William the Conqueror, from 1070 to 1079 wished to make the cathedral like the stately structures they had been accustomed to on the continent, and the chalk hills near by lent their aid to the purpose, the exterior being faced with a cement made of this chalk mixed with flinty stones. The cement is like that of the Romans, and will endure for ages.
The building is of both Norman and Gothic architecture, and has been rebuilt, added to and improved many times. As we enter and see the vaulted ceiling and the polished arches reaching upward, we exclaim, "How beautiful!" But it must
359
Its Pioneers, Places and Women's Clubs
be seen to be comprehended; as no description would be ade- quate. We walked along the arched way for three hundred feet and then ascended on steps of white marble to the nave. A framed card which hung at the entrance said:
"Whosoever thou art that enterest this house of God, leave it not without a prayer to God for thyself and those who min- ister and those who worship here."
In the chapel of St. Andrew we were asked to register if we were of Huguent descent. In this chapel were evidences of service at the present time, there being an organ, prayer books and cushioned chairs around the pulpit. A mellow light came through the yellow stained glass windows, which were on two sides of the small, square room.
In 1850, during the first World's Fair, 100,000 persons vis- ited this shrine. We were in the chapel restored, in white-and- gold, by the Prince of Wales, in 1897. It is seventy by ninety feet in size, and eighty feet high. The cathedral was visited by Queen Elizabeth in 1571. As the seat of the Archbishops, who, we were told, receive $75,000 per year, it is honored above all other cathedrals.
We descended and inspected the undercroft, built in 1305. This is where St. Augustine held his services. It is fourteen feet high and extends the entire length of the church, brass lamps being hung at equal distances between the enormous pillars. We stood in the place to which Thomas-á-Becket fled and was struck down, lying five hours before his murderers came back to see how he fared. His skull had been fractured, and he was dead. His remains were kept here from 1170 to 1220, when they were placed in the chapel above with great religious pomp and ceremony; yet, in 1888 a stone receptacle was found, containing a fractured skull, and bones of the size
360
The Western Reserve of Ohio and Some of
and age of those of Thomas-a-Becket, which created a good deal of wondering and some doubt as to whose remains rested in the chapel.
Several tombs were shown us, one of which had been stud- ded with jewels to the amount of $3,000,000, all of them having now been removed. There was the tomb of Admiral Rooke, to whom was due the capture of Gibraltar; and that of Archbishop Warham, who was the last archbishop before the Reformation. Near the latter was the tomb of Archbishop Peckham, who pre- sided over the convocation that recognized the king as head of the church instead of the Pope. The tomb of the Black Prince is also there, in the center aisle, and over it hang his sur-coat, gloves, shield and scabbard. Next to it is that of Archbishop Courtney, before whom Wickliffe was brought for trial. On a wall is a Bible which is secured by a chain and is to be read only by the priest.
A brick structure covers the remains of Odet Coligny, Cardinal of Chantillon. His sympathies were with the cause of the Protestants, and he was obliged to flee to France. The ca . thedral shows the fate of others during the time of its partial destruction by Henry VIII. A memorial window to Dean Stanley has in it some of the glass of early manufacture. When asked the meaning of the feet of the queen resting on a dog, and the feet of the king on an eagle, the guide said the dog meant fidelity, and the eagle, ambition or expansion. At every point was posted this request: "Please give sixpence to the sup- port and preservation of this church."
MONUMENT AT WATERLOO
1
THE SPHYNX
AMSTERDAM, BRUSSELS, WATERLOO,
HOLLAND
We left the beautiful hotel Lord Warden at Dover, crossed the channel to Ostend and took train for Amsterdam. We were four hours in crossing, and as there were several tourist parties on board besides our own, every chair and place was taken. A cold wind was blowing, and all put on heavy wraps, some rais- ing umbrellas to shield themselves from the chilling blast. A Canterbury guide-book received close attention from the writer; experience having shown that an occupied mind is a good safe- guard against sea-sickness. A lunch consisting of cold ham, bread and butter, cheese and hot tea was served to all.
At Ostend, our baggage had to be examined, but was passed without trouble. We went through a part of Flanders and Bei- gium, and although the cars thundered along rapidly, that did not prevent our having a view of the country. A flat country, with the emphasis on the "flat." Canals were to be seen only occasionally, but ditches were around and across every field. One-story white houses, with window sashes painted blue and roofs of red tiles with a row of white ones at the roof-tree for a border, were some of the residences. We stopped to dine at a wayside station that had been telegraphed to for our benefit, and found hot beef-steak, tender and well seasoned; cold roast beef, with lettuce salad; cake and tarts, cherries and green gage plums, and tea and coffee-the best meal since leaving the Etruria.
AMSTERDAM
Amsterdam is on the Zuyder Zee, a branch of the ocean, and contains a population of 350,000. We were there the day before Queen Wilhelmina was to review the fishing boats, and the children were holding a picnic in a park in her honor. The flags, with red, white and black stripes and yellow streamers, made the occasion bright with color. Our party of thirty were given a view of the city from carriages, and the pedestrians gazed upon us as we made the circuit of the streets. We first visited the diamond cutting factory, where we saw the diamond first, in the rough, like a pebble, then after an incision was made into the covering by a sharp diamond, and then when broken by a mallet. The diamond is placed in wax on the end of a wood handle, and when in pieces, is placed in lead instead of wax, and then cut and polished by machinery. The small bits of diamond falling away in the cutting make a dust with which to do the polishing. Good imitations of the diamonds of kings and emperors were on exhibition, with name attached. We then rode around the city along the waters of many canals, which give richness to the various parks. Swans were seen on the water, and beds of flowers everywhere on the land.
After lunch at the Victoria Hotel, where we had beef-steak, biscuits and butter, with peaches, what is here called a meat luncheon, we went to the Art Gallery. This is a very large building, with ceramics on the first floor, similar to those in the London Museum. The second floor is very extensive. One pic- ture called the "Night Watch," which represents a policeman just going out upon his beat, was attractive in its lights and shades and the clear expression of the faces. One by Van Dyck, of "Mary, Martha and Jesus," shows Mary as a blonde young
363
Its Pioneers, Places and Women's Clubs
lady seated on a chair, and Martha standing, with her apron on, remonstrating with Christ for Mary's indifference to the ordinary duties of life. The picture had a very modern look, not at all in keeping with the times of which is was painted. Groups of from fourteen to twenty persons on one canvas repre- sented them in the Elizabethian ruff, recalling the days in which the early builders of Amsterdam had lived.
We also visited the palace, which is much like others we had seen, except that the walls are white, with white marble around the doors and windows. The grand hall is large and high. Two statues are at the entrance, one of Minerva and repre- senting Wisdom; the other of Jupiter, and representing Strength. The "red room" was the sitting-room of the late queen. A painting on the wall represents Justice, Prudence and Peace, and is by Rubens. The throne room, in existence from 1600 to the present time, was in damask of red and yellow. Two chairs were under a canopy, one with a crown and jewels represented on the back of it. A tea room was furnished in yellow satin, and Sevres vases were on the mantel-piece. There was a secretary's room, and lastly, a banquet room, the whole side of which was covered with Rubens' paintings. They represented "The Blessing of Moses when he came down from Mt. Sinai," "Solomon Praying for Wisdom," "Sons of Brutus," and "Council of Gratitude to Moses," which last contained the greatest number of persons.
We took table d'hote at Hotel Victoria at five o'clock, and the train at six. The country is level, but has variety because of the canals and ditches that checker it. Cattle were feeding on the short, green grass, and frequent windmills lent a charm to the scenery. We passed through Rotterdam before dark, and Antwerp about ten o'clock, arriving at Brussels at
364
The Western Reserve of Ohio and Some of
midnight. The streets of Brussels are paved with brick and stone, and we saw some boys with brooms, made of twigs, and wheel-barrows, collecting the dust and garbage. At ten in the morning we visited the lace factory. Many girls were plying the bobbins or sewing applique lace, while some were attending to sales. Many of our party bought lace handkerchiefs, fans, or dress fronts and sleeves, the price being about one-half lower than in the United States. It takes a girl two days to make one of the larger flowers in Brussels lace.
A part of our company that did not make the detour to Amsterdam, met us at Hotel Empereur, Brussels, and we all took cars for the battlefield of Waterloo. The mound in the center of the battlefield was two years in being built, and the earth for it was brought by peasant women. It has a platform of sandstone and the figure of a lion on the apex, 326 steps have to be ascended to reach it, but all of our party climbed to the summit and listened to the story of the guide, whose grandfather was in the battle.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.