USA > Virginia > Manors of Virginia in colonial times > Part 7
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In the walled garden of two acres, towering above the precise box borders, are spreading trees of the same evergreen grown to the remarkable height of ten and fifteen feet. The turfed walk- ways crossing each other at right angles are lined
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THE CELEBRATED NORTH GATEWAY AT WESTOVER with monogram of William Byrd
'THE TOMB OF WILLIAM BYRD which dominates the old-fashioned garden
WESTOVER
with chains of old-fashioned flowers and beds of delicate tea-roses, which savor always of Canton china and willow ware. But the central point towards which everything seems to bend, in this fragrant garden, is the stately monument mark- ing the resting-place of Colonel William Byrd, which dominates the entire place.
Cherokee rose-vines, ferns, and mosses fringe the brick wall, on the other side of which is the myrtle-covered graveyard, which holds much of interest in its curious epitaphs and quaint old tombs. According to some anti- quarians, the oldest tombstone in America lies at Westover. Originally the coat of arms was cut into this stone, though time has washed away or rendered faint so many of its outlines that it is now barely visible. The epitaph, which may still be deciphered, reads :
" Here lyeth the body of Captaine Wm. Perry who lived neere Westover in the Collony Who departed this life the 6th day of August Anno Domini 1637."
Here, too, rests, " in the sleep of deep peace," the fairest flower of Colonial Virginia, toast of the old world and the new, beautiful Evelyn Byrd, whose pathetic story awakens the keenest
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interest and sincerest sympathy in the hearts of stranger and friend.
When Evelyn Byrd was presented at the court of George II., her American beauty took London by storm, and though she had been educated in England, her refreshing naïveté and innocence was that of the wild flower among exotics. Ex- quisite, stately, winsome, she won the heart and returned the love of Charles Mordaunt, grandson and heir of Lord Peterborough, a bright star in the social, diplomatic, and literary world of his day, and, according to his portrait which hangs at Drayton Court, as handsome as a young god. Whether the Earl of Peterborough smiled upon the lovers history may never know, but the haughty master of Westover, whether by reason of being a staunch Protestant or for some per- sonal grievance against his one-time friend, brought his daughter back to Virginia, opposing her love for Mordaunt, on the ground of his be- longing to a leading Catholic family. But the wound never healed, and little by little the once gay life succumbed to the tyranny of the father. Evelyn Byrd's hand was sought by many, but all her love was given to one, and sorrowing for her blighted youth, wondering at the "Genial Seigneur," we quote the simple family record:
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TION PALLE SCERE
CULPA
Wham Byrd of Weltover in Virginia
BOOK PLATE OF COLONEL WILLIAM BYRD
WILLIAM BYRD
EVELYN BYRD
From the portraits by Sir Godfrey Kneller
WESTOVER
" Refusing all offers from other gentlemen, she died of a broken heart."
Westover Church, erected in 1690 in accord- ance with the law passed in 1621 by Sir Thomas Yeardley requiring a house of worship and a burial-ground on every plantation, and where were baptized, married, and buried generations of the country's most notable men and women, was moved in 1731 to another part of the estate, called Evelynton in memory of the fair Evelyn, where it now stands, in a verdant setting of giant black walnut trees, upon the eight acres of ground reserved for it in the will of Mrs. Mary Willing Byrd.
When William the Great of Westover died, in 1744, the acres of the noble estate numbered 179,440, about 281 square miles, a veritable prin- cipality indeed. The name of Colonel William Byrd will long live in the annals of the country. Of him one writer says: " His path through life was a path of roses. He had wealth, culture, the best private library in America, social considera- tion, and hosts of friends; and when he went to sleep under the monument in the garden at West- over, he left behind him not only the reputation of a good citizen, but that of the great Virginia wit and author of the century."
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COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
His writings are among the most valuable of the era in which he lived, no library now being deemed complete without the " Westover Manu- scripts," the originals of which are still at Bran- don. The life of Colonel William Byrd may be summed up in the epitaph carved into the granite shaft which marks his resting-place in the beauti- ful old-fashioned garden:
" Here lyeth the Honourable WILLIAM BYRD Esq.
Being born to one of the amplest fortunes in this country he was early sent to England for his education
where under the care and direction of Sir Robert Southwell, and ever favored with his particular instructions,
he made a happy proficiency in polite and various learning. By means of the same noble friend,
he was introduced to the acquaintance of many of the first persons of the age for knowledge, wit, virtue, birth, or high station, and particularly contracted a most intimate and bosom friendship with the learned and illustrious Charles Boyle, Earl of Orrery.
He was called to the bar in the Middle Temple, studied for some time in the low countries,
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WESTOVER
visited the Court of France, and was chosen Fellow of the Royal Society. Thus eminently fitted for the service and ornament of his country, he was made Receiver general of his Majesty's revenues here, was thrice appointed publick agent to the Court and ministry of England, and being thirty-seven years a member, at last became President of the Council of this Colony To all this were added a great elegancy and taste of life,
the well bred gentleman and polite companion, the splendid ŒEconomist and prudent father of a family,
with the constant enemy of all exorbitant power, and hearty friend to the liberties of his Country."
No beau could turn a prettier compliment than William Byrd; no wit could make a more apt speech; no scholar could write better English; nor could any fop boast finer costumes than this first gentleman of Virginia, who lived nearly three centuries ago, and died to be regretted, leaving a place and space in life that must remain forever unfilled.
The only son of Colonel Byrd, known as Wil- liam 3rd, inherited the plantation of Westover, which proved an unfortunate day for the fair
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COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
estate. He married Elizabeth, daughter of John Carter of Shirley, in 1748, but the union was not a happy one, and after her tragic death, in 1760, he is said to have married Mary Willing, of Philadelphia, godchild of Benjamin Frank- lin, within a few months.
Of the third and last Colonel Byrd, Anbury says: " His great ability and personal accom- plishments were universally esteemed; but being infatuated with play, his affairs at his death were in a deranged state. The widow, whom he left with eight children, has, by prudent management, preserved out of the wreck of his princely for- tune a beautiful home at a place called Westover, upon James River, some personal property, a few plantations, and a number of slaves." But on the death of Mrs. Byrd the estate was sold, being bought by William Carter in 1814. Hav- ing lived there four or five years, Mr. Carter sold the place to Mr. Douthat, as owing to financial reverses he could no longer keep it up. The next owner was one of the Harrisons of Brandon, a cousin of Colonel Byrd.
Twice was Westover ravaged by Benedict Arnold, and once by Cornwallis, and here McClellan pitched his tents in a later war. The plantation was then owned by Colonel John
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THE CORNER OF A GUEST-CHAMBER AT WESTOVER
THE DRAWING-ROOM AT WESTOVER Showing the famous black marble mantel
WESTOVER
Selden, who had done much towards its restora- tion, and added to the landscape features by planting the superb row of tulip poplars, now one of the greatest charms of the place. During the Civil War the mansion was also division headquarters for Fitz John Porter's corps; and his lawless troops, not content with other crimes of pure vandalism, stabled their horses in the historic church, damaging fearfully the interior.
From Colonel Selden the estate was bought by Major Drewery, and in 1899 it again changed hands, falling into the possession of one who has repaired with sincere appreciation the wreckage of years and wars, Mrs. Clarise Sears Ramsay. Mrs. Ramsay, besides being a collateral descend- ant of Col. William Byrd, is, on the maternal side, by birth, a Sears of the old Sears family of Massachusetts, and through them can claim relationship with some of England's proudest families. In addition to this she has as direct an- cestors such worthies as Lyon Gardiner of Gardi- ner's Island, Gov. Stephen Hopkins, Gov. Thos. Prince, and the famous Elder Wm. Brewster.
The blue teapot is truly lived up to in the life at Westover to-day, and in the restoration of the Georgian manor-house there is no detail of fur- nishing that has not been as carefully thought out
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as executed; so it is safe to assert that in its return to its former splendor it stands the most faultless example of eighteenth century architecture and furnishing to be found in America.
In all of these noble country-seats the per- sonality of the first owners is keenly felt and appreciated. From the very architecture to the comforts and luxuries blended harmoniously, one readily forms a mental picture of the Cavaliers who fathered them, and no one could glimpse Westover, living to-day as tranquilly as if it had never known aught but the sunshine and roses of a romantic age, without realizing vividly the man and mind under whose régime it first became famous, "the Genial Seigneur," as he was known.
BRANDON
N the banks of James River, heaven and O earth, acting in true harmony and accord, seem to have made a perfect abiding-place for man. From dewy April till black-frosted December the soft, mild air is almost that of springtime; the rich meadow lands and exquisite water highway are as well fitted for the comfort, pleasure, and luxury of men to-day as they were for the wise Colonists who, first to realize its possibilities, chose this setting for a future country that May day long ago.
Every bend of this far-famed stream teems with history, which holds the same interest for the student that the rare old homesteads have for the antiquarian. A languorous atmosphere, born of years of strife and struggle crowned with centuries of success, pervades the entire sur- roundings, being felt in each tiny leaflet, every winsome flower, that springs from such hallowed soil.
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In the halcyon days of Virginia the planta- tion homes of the settlers were little kingdoms in themselves, with their own carpenters, coopers, mechanics, and other workmen of all sorts and conditions. In some of these rare old home- steads generation has succeeded generation, and the estates have passed from father to son in such regular succession that, for instance, to speak of the Harrisons of Brandon is all that is necessary to convey to the least initiated the important posi- tion of this renowned family, which has been so closely identified with the romance and valor that made Virginia history what it is.
The great Brandon tract, of many thousand acres, was patented by James Martin, a son of Sir Richard Martin, of England, who in 1616 was granted ten shares of land by the Vir- ginia Company, which he named in memory of the little town of Brandon, in Suffolk, England.
From James Martin the estate passed to Lady Frances Ingleby, and from her to Nathaniel Harrison in 1698, since when it has remained in the possession of the descendants of this member of His Majesty's Council. This deed, as well as that to James Martin, may be seen at Brandon, among other valuable and historic papers.
The first Harrison in Virginia, Benjamin by
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By courtesy of "American Homes and Gardens"
BRANDON Mansion erected by Nathaniel Harrison in 1702
HARRISON
BRANDON
name, emigrated about 1630, when he was made Clerk of the Council and a member of the House of Burgesses. The Christian name of his wife is known to have been Mary, but we are in the dark as to her surname.
Benjamin 2nd, son of the Immigrant, was born in 1645, and became one of the most prominent men of Surry County. The name of his wife also seems a bit vague, though family tradition claims her to have been Hannah Churchill. Of the children of this marriage, Nathaniel, born in Surry County, August 8, 1677, acquired the Brandon estate.
Always known as Nathaniel Harrison of Brandon, this grandson of the Immigrant suc- ceeded to his father's place in the Council. He was also a Burgess, Naval Officer of Lower James River, Auditor-General, and County Lieutenant of Prince George and Surry Coun- ties. He married Mary Young, daughter of John and Jane Flood Cary, of London.
His son, Nathaniel 2nd, on August 23, 1713, married Mary Digges, daughter of Colonel Cole Digges, of an ancient and honorable family. On the death of his first wife he married Lucy Carter Fitzhugh, widow of Henry Fitzhugh of Bedford, and youngest daughter of King Carter.
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COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
The older wing of the mansion was built by Colonel Nathaniel Harrison in 1702, or earlier; the other, with the square central dwelling, which boasts no less a personage than Thomas Jeffer- son as its architect, was added by his son of the same name, Nathaniel Harrison 2nd. The wings are joined to the main building by one-story en- closed corridors, all being of brick laid in Flemish bond.
The entrances on both the north and the south are from porches of fair extent, which present a novel touch, proving the ingenuity of the build- ers, forced into invention through sheer neces- sity. Having but two capitals for the four front columns, and two for the rear pilasters, the car- penter with his jig-saw made the lacking orna- ments of wood, the effect being wonderfully good, giving as it does the conventional profile of the needed Corinthian capitals.
The main entrance overlooks the river, down to which sweeps the vast lawn. Here and there are informal beds of old-fashioned blossoms, while giant trees planted with but little precision break the monotony of the greensward. The mansion itself is almost hidden by trees, many of foreign importation, a peculiarly striking fact being that Brandon has more and choicer foreign
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BRANDON
trees and shrubs than any other of the old country-seats.
Marvellous box hedges that reach a height of four feet grow close to the house on the north side, the same compact shrub bordering the gar- den walks, interlined with chains of golden cow- slips or fringes of daffodils. Broken trees are garlanded with woodbine and yellow jessamine, while delicate vines of graceful wistaria festoon brick wall and slender trellis. The purple of royal iris vies with the scarlet of springtime tulips, and from April till December both beds and borders show a sequence of brilliant bloom.
The broad, grassy walks of English appear- ance are between lilac and althea hedges, some of which lead direct to the river bank, and all of which were laid off by Mrs. Benjamin Harrison. The beautiful grove of magnolias, yews, and sycamores, with its natural ferns and bracken, is also a bit of charming landscape gardening by the same fair chatelaine.
The rear pleasaunce is canopied with dogwood borrowed from the native forests, the same snow- petalled shrubbery bordering a three-mile vista cleft through the park, one of the prides of the old plantation.
In the graveyard to the west, the oldest tombs
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COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
are those of Benjamin Harrison 2nd and his wife, Hannah, and Nathaniel Harrison 2nd. There are graves of many others who have passed out of sight, but whose nobility lives, and the ghostly procession of those whom the world delighted to honor will be irrevocably woven with the history of the nation.
A bit farther away from the mansion is the old block-house used as a refuge from the In- dians in the early days of the estate. The crude brick structure is overshadowed by hickory and walnut trees, and through the little gun-holes peeping out of the staunch walls many a redskin met his end.
The interior of the manor-house displays true Colonial lines, and the panelled hall, with its triple arches upheld by Ionic columns, is a tri- umph of architecture. The hall is the principal living-room, being well stocked with book- shelves, quaint old chairs, and dignified portraits of two centuries ago.
On the right of the rear entrance is the dining- room, where buffets with treasures of rare Shef- field and silver plate grace either side. The vases which decorate the marble mantel were used at the Lafayette banquet in Richmond in 1824, and on the richly panelled walls hang a wealth of
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FAN CARRIED BY EVELYN BYRD when she was presented at the Court of St. James
THE HALL AT BRANDON
BRANDON
famous portraits. Over the mantel is Benjamin West's likeness of Governor Alston, and near him hangs the serious face of Benjamin Frank- lin, in contrast to the gorgeous Duke of Argyll, known to all as the friend of Jeanie Deans. The rest of this gallery of noble men and beautiful women are catalogued as Colonel William Byrd, his sister-in-law, Miss Taylor, the Duke of Albemarle, and Speaker Waltho, whose broad- brimmed hat plays a conspicuous part in the painting, and who said to Colonel Byrd: " Set me among your dukes and earls with my hat on my head, to signify that I am a true Republican who will uncover to none of them, and I will give you the finest diamond ring to be bought in America." The whimsical face hangs still over the doorway, while the diamond ring is preserved among the Brandon treasures. The other por- traits are registered as Sir Robert Walpole, Mr. Randall, and Anne Randolph Harrison.
In the drawing-room opposite, the Chippen- dale chairs are of particular note, and here is shown the most prized heirloom, the fan carried by Evelyn Byrd when she was presented at the Court of St. James. It is faded and yellow with age now, the pastoral scene has sunk into the kid, but it once hid the girlish blushes of the
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COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
old-time beauty, and we touch it with reverence, remembering the momentous day when it was first held in her hand.
Still another treasure is the Communion Service presented to Martin's Brandon Church by John Westhrope, about 1659.
The choicest portraits of the Brandon collec- tion-which outnumbers any other private gal- lery in the country-hang in the drawing-room, upon the south wall of which, from left to right, are first Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, she who planted the hedges and grove; Lady Betty Clay- pole, only daughter of Oliver Cromwell; Gov- ernor Parke, from the brush of Godfrey Kneller; and Evelyn Byrd, by the same artist, who has represented the beauty in a simple satin gown without even so much as a touch of lace. One loose, dark curl falls over her right shoulder, and her hands have fallen gracefully from their gentle task of wreathing old-fashioned blossoms about her shepherdess hat. Gleaming from the foliage back of her is a cardinal-bird, a playful allusion of the artist to her name. The next portrait is of Lord Halifax, dated 1661, while over the mantel is the handsome face of Sir Charles Wager. The rest are of Earl Egre- mont, Earl Orrery, and Sir Robert Southwell,
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BRANDON
1661. The last are of Mrs. Evelyn Byrd Harri- son, Mr. Fitzhugh, Benjamin Harrison, and George Evelyn Harrison, a goodly if a ghostly company, boasting Sir Peter Lely, Charles Wil- son Peale, and other famous masters.
The manor-house was in its early days when Benedict Arnold entered the James and, landing here, destroyed everything that came in the path of his lawless troops. The English also under General Phillips bivouacked here. Again in 1864 the horrors of war fell upon the rich plantation, and but for the mansion not a building with- stood the fires of a fearful siege. Portraits too heavy to move when the family with most of their goods and chattels took refuge in Richmond were cut from the handsome frames. The panelling and wainscoting were torn from some of the inner walls of the house. The outer blinds were hacked and riddled, and the poor pineapple, symbol of hospitality, which is set upon the ex- treme top of the roof, was the mark of soldiers, whose bullets in aiming at it battered and shat- tered the bricks of the mansion into holes that may still be seen.
But the ravages of war passed many years ago, and to-day the broad acres show peace and plenty on every side. Every foot of the estate
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COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
has its story ; each grassy walk and garden square teem with reverent associations which belong to a family of which the entire country has the right to feel supremely proud.
When Colonel Nathaniel Harrison died, in 1791, he was succeeded in his office and estate by his son Benjamin, the third of the name, who married Anne Randolph in 1738. After her death he married Evelyn Taylor, daughter of Colonel William Byrd of Westover by his third wife. Their son, George Evelyn Harrison, born in 1797, married Isabella H., daughter of Thomas Ritchie of Richmond, in 1828, and their son fell heir to the beautiful homestead, which to-day remains in the possession of the family.
A deeply appreciated fact is that the old estate has not once left the direct line, and though it may show the scars of war and the waste of years, Brandon is, as it has always been, the stately home of a stately race, whose history shows not the faintest blot upon a fair escutcheon.
SHERWOOD FOREST
HE community which produced such men as William Henry Har- rison and John Tyler, not to speak of the host of others whose names are written bravely in the book of history, was truly remarkable, for neither acci- dent nor volition is responsible for distinguished men; they are simply the natural outcome of the conditions under which they live. These con- ditions were and still are marked in Sherwood Forest, the estate that has won renown as the last home of President Tyler, and where to-day may be seen the striking and perhaps the best features of the life of the Colonial Cavalier.
This plantation came into being as Walnut Grove in the eighteenth century, the lands being first owned by the Minges, a family of note in the James River section of Virginia, who retained them until 1841, when they were sold by Collier Minge to President Tyler.
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COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
The first of the Tylers in Virginia was Henry, who emigrated from Shropshire, England, and took up lands in the Middle Plantation (Wil- liamsburg) in 1652. The origin and position of the family in England is the subject of the fol- lowing letter, written by President Tyler to the Reverend William Tyler:
" Your acceptable letter of the 11th Oct. reached me in due course of mail, and I regret I can make no suitable return for the information with which you have furnished me relative to the origin of our name and race. I say our race, because I do not doubt that all who bear the name of Tyler have a common origin. I think it probable that the first of the name who settled in England was of Norman origin, and accompanied the Conqueror in his invasion, and may have assisted him to overthrow the Saxon power, which went down with the banner of Harold and with Harold himself. If he did so, it was a scurvy trick in him, and I, one of his remote descendants, feel no great veneration for his memory on that account. Be that as it may, it is certain that the family have obeyed the great command to be fruitful, since their numbers in Great Britain and in the United States are quite great, and are still upon the increase. To all the genealogy, other
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SHERWOOD FOREST
than that of my American ancestors, I have rarely given a thought, since it seemed to me to be a Cretan labyrinth, which would lead to endless confusion and perplexity. On the page of his- tory I found one name of the family high en- rolled. He was a blacksmith, and lived at a time when royalty and its satellites trampled upon the necks of the commons and ground the people into dust. He, with others of his fellow subjects, long submitted to the inflictions of tyranny in silence; but the last drop of patience was in the cup. That was exhausted when Richard the Second imposed a poll-tax (the most unjust and unequal that can be imposed, since it operates per capita and without regard to property), in the collection of which the infamous tax-gatherer dared to offer a revolting insult to his youthful daughter. With his sledge-hammer he laid the insulting minion of power dead at his feet, and summoned the commons to the task of vindicating their rights. 'And glorious was the vindication! The satraps of the King were overthrown in battle, and the King was com- pelled to sue in person to the blacksmith for terms. Faithful to the trust imposed in him by the commons, he boldly, in an interview asked for by the King, proclaimed the public wrongs and
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