Lawford Hall and the lady of Lawford, or, The Boughtons of Warwickshire
page: Illustration (TitlePage) [View Page Illustration (TitlePage) ]LAWFORD HALL AND THE LADY OF LAWFORD; OR THE BOUGHTONS OF WARWICKSHRE. Smiled then, well-pleased, -the Aged Man, And thus his tale continued ran." , SCOTT . ,' MDCCCLXXI II page: 0[View Page 0] Entered, according to Act uo Congress, in the year 1873, by M. H. MALLORY & CO., In'the Office ofthe Librarian ot Congress, at Washington. TO MSS ISABEL S. STONE, ' AND MSS EMME W. D. WARREN, THESE CHRISTMAS STORIES ARE RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR. page: 0 (Table of Contents) [View Page 0 (Table of Contents) ] CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE THE HAUNTED HOUSE, . .. . CHAPTER II. THE STORY OF THE ONE-HANDED BOUGHTON,. 13 CHAPTER III. MAY GAMES, . . . . . . 31 31I CHAPTER Iy. ADDISON'S WALK, . 37 5, 37 CHAPTER V. THE IADY OF LAWFORD.--A TALE OF THE OLDEN TIME, . 43 CHAPTER VI. A PILGRIMAGE TO PIPEWELL, . . 52 CHAPTER VII, A HOLy SHRINE, . . .6 page: vi (Table of Contents) -vii[View Page vi (Table of Contents) -vii] VI 'CONTENTS. f CHAPTER VIII. THE CLERKS OF ST. NICHOLAS, . . . 69 ; i CHAPTER IX. A JUDICIAL COMBAT, . . . . . " CHAPTER X. ACHRISTMAS WELCOME, . . . . . 82 CHAPTER XI. CONCLUSION, . . . . 85 ', , " . A. ^ ^ . , - . \ , SA . . I year's Holidays. On reference to th MS. confided to ,his care, he found that there was still remaining material for sev- eral additional Tales, from which. the following have. been selected. Whether the racketing spectre which troubled the good peoplea of Strasbourg was- identical with : the ghost of Lawford Hall, does not appear from the manuscript from which these stories have. been derived. The editor, however, s- inclined to the ,opinion that both houses were haunted by one and the same goblin, which, under different forms, appeared- sometimes in the once place, sometimes in the other,-a thing easilyb done, seeing tliat ' the' ghost had the accommodation of a travelling "coach-and-six." page: viii-1[View Page viii-1] ' viii To THE READER.. The mysterious origin of these stories may be explained on some future occasion, when, perhaps, some light may be thrown on .the "wholEsome moral" sought to be conveyed; for, like Geoffry Crayon, the author of, these Tales seems to have written with a purpose, disguising, his meaning in a "m ask 'of Christm as, it were, "so that, while the simple reader is listening, with open mouth, to a 'ghost or' a love-story, he may have' a boltis of sound morality popped down his throat, and be never the .wiser for the fraud." "* -l ' * 'N. B, W ? ' A sense of Mystery the spjirit daunted -d said, as plain as whisper inthe ear, w i ' The'place is haunted." H OOD. concluded We were summoned to the) draw- LAWFO'RD HALL. CHAPTER I. easure of been mad to the family party., The. new ," O'er all ther e hung a shadow and a fear; A sense of Mystery the spirit daunted And said, as plain as whisper in the ear, The'iplace is haunted." HOOD. JUST as the Marquis' de Chamilly had concluded, we swere summoned t o, the Goodraw- ing-room. There -I had the pleasure of finding that an agreeable accession' had been made to the family party. The, new comers were the Uncle John and the Cou- ' sin Marian so often mentioned in my friend's story.* , * A few copies of the story, "Hidden Treasure; or, the Good St. Nicholas," have been already printed by the Editor for private circulation. , page: 2-3[View Page 2-3] 2 LAWFORD HALL,. From the moment I beheld the benev- olent face of Uncle John, I determined to adopt him as "uncle- of mine;" and this liking was evidently mutual. After we had taken our coffee, Uncle John observecd that he had heard of our table-talk, and of my curiosity oni the subject of goblin-haunted houses, and, as we all seemed in a story- 1 telling humor, he' proposed to give us a little of his own experience in that way, which he assured us was not inconsiderable, alth6ugh by no means so extensive as, that of his nephew, the Marquis. After the ap- : plause which greeted this announcement had subsided, the old gentleman settled himself in his comfortable arm-chair, and thus began: "About forty years since," said he, "when I was a junior partner in the firm of J. Osborne & Co., 'Leeds, I made a visit to an old friend in Warwickshire, who had been my school-fellow. Frank Skipwith, for such was my friend's name, was a cler,- gyman of an archaeological turn of mind, THE HAUNTED HOUSE. - 3 the curate of Newhold-upon-Avon, and in the absence of the incumbent--for those were the days of pluralities and non-resi- dence--he resided in the' Parsonage, which was just, such a house as a man of his antiquarian tastes would naturally select. It had a projecting stone porch, overgrown with ivy, and study windows' overlooking the churchyard and the village green. The eminence upon which the village of New- bold stands, commands a beautiful and extensive prospect -on every side; the gently-flowing Avon meanders through a, valley of luxuriant verdure, and in the dis- tance may be seen the spire of the church at Bilton, a village once the rural home ,of Addison. ; ' "But to me the chief object of interest I in the neighborhood was Lawford Hall, one of the ancient homes of the Boughton -family; for it seems that the descendants of' that Seigneur de Fay patronized by the good St. Nicholas are numerous; be- -t page: 4-5[View Page 4-5] 4 LAWFORD HALL. - ingi dispersed abroad like the children of Israel, and like the vine-to use a more grateful simile--they seem to have 'taken root downward and borne fruit upward,' in many lands, besides that of their own native Burgundy'." At this mention of the, Boughton family, 'I expressed myself particularly interested, for being myself nearly related to the Connecticut branch of that name, I was, like most New Englanders, rather curious, especially orf the subject of ancestry. In- deed, the solicitude of these most demo- cratic of democratic Americans, in the matter of pedigree, is most remarkable; X but such 'is the fact, as witnesseth their \ numerous Antiquarian Societies, and their learned genealogical works. To be sure, a historian of the Knickerbocker school has claimed for the Dutch of New York some- thing like exclusive gentility; in particular, for, one, Mr. Phillips, living at Yonkers, Westchester county, before the Revolution, . THE HAUNTED HOUSE. 5 "Iord of all he surveyed," who, he asserts, was always spoken of by his tenantry as "The Yonker, the Gentleman par excellence." Now, had the historian stepped over the line which,separates New:,York from New England, he might there have discovered many Yonkers, "lords, of all they sur- veyed;" indeed, such were the number and respectability of these landed propri- etors, that they have actually given the name "Yonkers" to the whole population; albeit, the title has been in modern times corrupted into "Yankees," a term which, like the race, has gradually spread wider and wider, until it embraces a great part of the people of America. But I must not further digress, for my subject is not America and the Ameri- cans, but simply the Boughtons of Warwick- shire, whose gentility must be unquestioned, as they have lorded it over their domain for nearly four hundred years. ; "Lawford Hall," continued Uncle John, page: 6-7[View Page 6-7] V 6 LAWFORD HALL. "was. built, or rather ,rebuilt, by Edward IBoughton, Esquire, in the time of Queen Elizabeth, -from the ruins of a Cistercian monastery, the church of which he had pulled down that it might furnish the req- uisite materials. As usual, bad luck had followed the demolition of an edifice which had been solemnly consecrated, 'forever' to the service. of God; for not'only did the founder of the Hall lose his right hand in a manner 'Vwhich, considering the sacri- lege commitftdd, seemed .like a judgment upon him, butl from the day of his death, the room in which he died had the repu- tation of being haunted; not like that in Strasburg, by a goblin in the shape of the good St. Nicholas, but -by the unlucky house-builder himself; whose shade, in spite of all laws, human or divine, continued to linger about its earthly habitation for two centuries or more after his body had been' consigned to the family vault, beneath the chancel of the church at Newhold. f THE HAUNTED HOUSE. ; 7: "The 'One-handed Boughton,' as he', is called, had been in his lifetime high-sheriff of the'county, besides sitting in Parliament' as one of the knights if the shire. But unfortunately for his eputation, and for the rest of his soul, he had' obtained, through the favor of Earl Leicester, an order from the Queen for the pulling down of White Friars' Church, Coventry. Indeed, an' especial fatality seemed to rest upon those who meddled with the sacred things of the city of Coventry, ,a 'city which seems still to remain under the pro- tection of the good Lady Godiva. "I learned all these particulars from my friend the curate, who, at my request, took me over to see the place. The house- keeper at the Hall received us- with the greatest respect, throwing open the win- dow-shutters, and uncovering the antique furniture, that we might see everything to the best advantage. "The family did not reside at the Hall; page: 8-9[View Page 8-9] 8 LAWFORD HALL. indeed, it had not been occupied for many years, except by a 'few servants 'and the , ghost I have mentioned, which, according to precedent, had established itself in the best room in the house; this weird apart- ment, after someN hesitation, we were also permitted to see.' The faded tapestry and high-backed, claw-footed chairs had a for- saken and dreary look about them. Over the mantel-piece we observed a full-length portrait' of a man, in slouched hat and feather, who seemed to be concealing a hand beneath the folds of his cloak. This, we were told in a whisper, was the por- trait of the One-handed Boughton himself. The room was spacious, and in an alcove at one1 end was a canopied bedstead, which stood ,on a raised daisl; the ,furniture all seemed to be Venetian, and opposite the fireplace was a species of sofa;, which had very much the look of an antique sarcopha- gus, or altar-tomb, with the addition of arms and'back of dark wood, richly carved. THE -HAUNTED HOUSE. 9 "On our return to the inhabited part of i the house, we traversed the long gallery, from the walls of which-portraits of sev- eral generations of -the Boughton family seemed' to look 'down upon us reproach- fully, as if our echoing footsteps had dis- turbed their solemn repose. "In the housekeeper's room we found that a lunch had been provided' for us. As we sipped our tea, the venerable lady who presided over the establishment grad-& ually waxed communicative. The present baronet, she informed us, had not resided at Fe Hall since the mysterious death of his eousin, Sir Theodosius. -The untimely death of that young gentleman-by poi- son, as was believed-and the consequent tragic events, had cast a settled gloom over the Hall--which, with its haunted , chamber, had never been a very cheerful abode--that made it intolerable as a fam- ily residence. 'The house was, therefore, b gradually falling into decay, and there were page: 10-11[View Page 10-11] I O LAWFORD HALL. rumors that it was shortly to be pulled down. ' -"These circumstances, as you may well imagine, increased the superstitious fears- of the servants and tenantry of the neighr- borhood; so that all the half-forgottenI stories about the'- haunted lchamber, and [ the One-handed Boughton, Were speedily revived. The servants would not go alone about the house after nightfall; and some of them were ready to swear that, on- stormy nights, they. had either seen or heard :the One-handed Boughton, in his traditional coach-and-six, driving. through the long avenues of the park. "I found that the old housekeeper, be- ing Methodistically inclined, thought, with' John Wesley, that it was heresy to doubt -the reality of such spiritual 'visitations. Why a ghost, however, should travel about in a coach-and-six, it was, difficult 'for her to explain; unless it was, as she said, to pu'nish the spirit for his pride and luxury, * b - \ I THE HAUNTED HOUSE. II while in the flesh. Willing to humor the old lady, I asked if nothing had 'ever been done to quiet this restless ghost? 'Oh, yes,' she said; 'in my grandmother's time an attempt was made which was then be- lieved to have been successful. The cler- gy of the vicinity, irn their surplices, with psalms and prayers, had regularly, exor- cised the house and park, securing the spirit in a bottle, and depositing it in a neighboring pond.* That porld no one afterward'was allowed to disturb. - ' ?" But, alas, these -exorcisms seem to be in vain! for since the sickness of my late master, the ghost has reappeared, and like the evil spirit mentioned in the Gospel, "finding the house swept and garnished," , seems to have take'n to him seven other devils Worse than himself.' ' (I dare say,' said she, turning to the curate, 'your reverence can recollect' the horrors of that awful time; and how sorely ' *ISee A- -endix I.. - -:* See Appendix I. * ^ - ' * , " : f . * , .- page: 12-13[View Page 12-13] 12' , LAWFORD HALL. the Doctor was tried, on the very night Sir Theodosius died, when he, with fool- hardy courage, insisted upon sleeping in that' haunted chamber.' "'Why, yes,' said the curate, 'and the old , Doctor is still alive, and would, I dare say, give us an account of his adventure. He was professionally called to attend upon the young baronet, and was also one of the witnesses at the trial of Captain Don- ellef, the convicted poisoner of Sir Theo- dosius, his brother-in-law. I will invite the Doctor to dine with us to-morrow; and after dinner I will persuade him to tell us all about it.'" *'i , * * 4' ' 'i CHAPTER II. THE STORY OF THE 'ONE-HANDED BOUGHTON. "'A jolly place," said he, "in times of old, But something ails it now: the place is curst." WORDSWORTH. THE next day, the village doctor dined with us, and the curate, having broached the subject of the haunted chamber, to- gether with a bottle of his best port, pre- vailed upon. him to give us an account of his experience. "Gentlemen," said he, "the subject of your inquiry is alpainful odne, and, out of regard for the feelings of the Boughton family, I seldom refer to it. However, as we are quite by ourselves, I have no ob- jection to give an account of the adven- ture, if it would be any particular gratifi- cation, to you. ' ( ', page: 14-15[View Page 14-15] 4 'LAWFORD HALL. "On the 2oth of' August, I780, I was called on to prescribe for Sir Theodosius Boughton, of Lawford Hall. As the symp- toims were peculiar and rather complicated, I consented,'at the request of his mother, Lady Boughton, -to remain all night at the Hall, In the discussion that followed, as to what, apartment I should occupy, the haunted room happened to be mentioned, and, being somewhat younger than I am now, I at .once claimed and obtained the honor of: an adventure in that celebrated guest, or rather 'ghost,' chamber. The housekeeper endeavored to dissuade 'me from the attempt; and, to that end, served up, with I a substantial supper, a number of ' raw-h ad and blo(dy-bone' stories, suf- ficient to have disturbed the slumbers of any one nervously disposed, or at all given to superstitious terrors. But as I was not troubled with any such weakness, they had little effect-upon me; indeed, I could not have drawn back had I been so disposed, THE ONE-HANDED, BOUGHTON. 5 having sought the adventure. And yet, I must confess, as I surveyed the unfre- quented apartment to which I was con- ducted, that, in spite of my philosophy, I felt some inward qualms, such as I recol- lect having experienced in my childhood days when passing a lonely churchyard at night. The grim picture of the One- handed Boughton over the chimney-'piece, which,! by the uncertain light of: the bed- room candle, seemed about to thrust the bloody stump of its handless arm into one's face; the funereal look of the cano- pied bedstead, as it stood in' its shadowy recess, and 'the altar-like tomb of the Venetian sofa,-all together, cast a' damp upon my spirits, which in vain I endeav- ored to shake off. However, I sat down at the table, intending to read awhile be- fore retiring, having brought with me a volume by Sir Henry Spelman, which I had picked up, as I passed through the li-' brary, attracted by the name of the- author. . i ' ' page: 16-17[View Page 16-17] '6 LAWFORD HALL. I opened the book, but I was struck with awe on observing the title, 'De Non Te- 'merandis Ecclesiis,' (Churches Not to be Violated). "It is ominous," said I to myself. 7"Who knows but that the reading of such a book in- this place might act like a charm or spell, for the ghost of the man whose picture hangs over the fireplace is said to walk disquieted, on account of the sac- rilegious 'act committed by him, in pull- ing down the White Friars' Church. ' "I was soon deep in the records of judg- ments and misfortunes, which, according to Spelman, had befallen the families of those who had despoiled the property of the Church, fenced and guarded by the most awful anathemas. In the midst of these studies, I was aroused from my medita- tions by a sound which seemed like a hol- low groan, and which made the blood curdle in my veins. I hesitated to look up, for I felt oppressed, as. if something, THE ONE-HANDED BOUGHTON. 17 uncouth and hideous must be looking over my shoulder. Presently the groan was repeated, and then, with a suddeni effort, I sprang to my feet. As I did so, I saw, in the dim light of my diminishing candle, a dark figure silently glide toward the win- dow. The cold shiver again ,ran over me; however, I stealthily approached the ob- ject, and discovered, to my great relief, that it was only my own shadow! On throwing open the casement, the groan was once more repeated, as if the object from which it proceeded was directly over me. I looked up, and perceived that the cause of the disturbance might have pro- ceeded from a branch of an elm, which rubbed against the frame of the window. "The wind was sighing and moaning through the trees; the moon occasionally broke through the drifting clouds, which seemed to be gathering for a storm-; the flitting of bats about the old house, and the boding cry of an owl from the 1hollow page: 18-19[View Page 18-19] 18 LAWFORD HALL. of an oak-tree in the neighborhood, did not add at all to the, cheerfulness of th surroundings. As I drew in-my head,' I found that my candle had been blown out, perhaps by a puff of wind from the open window,; although, in thile moonlight, it seemed to my excited imagination that the bed-curtains in the distant alcove were moved by invisible hands. Now, I must say, in explanation, that I was unused to eating late suppers, and it may be that the cold ham, anchovy toast, and brandy-and-water I had taken to wash them down withal, may have added to the depression pro- duced by the lugubrious surroundings. But, whatever ,may have been the exciting cause, natural or supernatural, certain it is, that' I passed a very uncomfortable night, and one that I would not willingly repeat. "The clock of the distant village church struck the midnight hour; I counted twelve, and then-. I was gradually fall- THE ONE-HANDED BOUGHTON. I9 ing into a state of unconsciousness, when I felt a quaking and trembling of the floor, as if some ponderous body had been sud- denly placed upon it. Again a feeling of oppression came over me, and I held my breath in a state of awful expectation. At length I ventured to look up; irn the cen- tre of the apartment stood some one in an antiqiuated, costume, the very counter- part of the picture over the mantel-piece. All that I had ever heard about the One- handed Boughton now flashed upon my mind. "'In God's name,' said I, in a hoarse and husky voice, 'who or what are you?' "'Few and far between,' whispered a voice, 'have been those who, during, the two hundred years that my perturbed spirit has wandered about this earthly abode, have dared to ask that question. Alas! had any listened to the warnings I gave, misfortunes and calamities that have befallen my unhappy descendants might page: 20-21[View Page 20-21] 20 LAWFORD HALL. have been averted, and my own disturbed spirit might have found i est, for truly '" the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children;" yea, for my punishment, one was slain at Naseby, his horse returning from the' fight ,without 'a rider; another wandered in foreign lands in extreme des- titution; and a third suffered from cruel suspicion, what time England went mad over the Popish Plot. Alack! alack! why enumerate? Does ,not another calamity, greater than all, threaten the heir of this house? for when murder has been com- mitted, -the curse of the Church, which, for two hundred years has hung over it, will have culminated, and the stones of the con- secrated temple, 'wrongfully, used in this house, shall henceforth be accounted- of all men most unholy. Haste, then,' to my descendants; up! fear not for thyself, but charge them that they fly this place; and would they escape-worse consequences, and free my soul from, its earthly bondage, THE ONE-HANDED BOUGHTON. 21 let them- not leave here one stone upon another.' "Then the phantom, stretching forth from the folds of his cloak the stump of an arm, from which issued a lambent flame that seemed. to assume the form of the lost hand, glided toward the door, which noiselessly opened as the spectre approached; and I, determined to know whether I was sleeping, or waking, arose and hastily followed it. "As we passed through the long gal- lery to the grand staircase, I found that the house was brilliantly illuminated, and that the apartments were filled with a company of people in antiquated costume, staring at us with wan countenances and lack-lustre eyes, as if the portraits that garnished the walls had stepped down from their frames to join in what seemed a dismal sort of masquerade. " "A coach was standing before the open door of the' hall, drawn by six horses, page: 22-23[View Page 22-23] 22 -- LAWFORD HALL. whose long tails swept the ground. Into the carriage stepped the apparition; swift as the wind the horses rushed down the avenue; with equal swiftness I followed; nor did the equipage pause until we reached the village church of Newhold. In a moment the phantom had descended, and, with loud knocks, was thundering at the door of a crypt beneath the chancel of the church, where for centuries had reposed the mortal remains of the Bough- tons of Lawford Hall. The blows were rapid and furious, and grew louder and' louder. The doorl rattled on its rusty hinges, and at length was burst in by the violence of the assault. Then there was a moment of confusion, a clattering of hoofs and a rattling of wheels. Some one shook me violently by the shoulders; and I found myself-not in the churchyard at Newhold, but seated on the old Venetian sofa. "The butler, the housekeeper, and Cap- X i THE ONE-HANDED BOUGHTON. 23 tain Donellan-'brother-in-law of the young baronet--were standing over me, wonder- ing that I had not heard them pounding on the door, which they had been obliged to force open, thinking that I must either have fallen into a fit or been spirited away by the goblin that haunted the chamber, "Sir Theodosius, they told me, had been taken suddenly worse, and, alarmed at the: turn the malady was taking, they had come for me. I administered some powders, carefully compounded, which had often proved efficacious in difficult cases, and remained with him until the morning, when I was obliged to return to the village. "The remedies administered were, how- ever, unavailing, for in the course of the day I learned, very much to my surprise, that Sir Theodosius was dead. "This unexpected event created a great sensation; I neednot dwell on the pain- ful circumstances. By degrees, suspicions of foul play arose. Captain Donellan, page: 24-25[View Page 24-25] 24 LAWFORD HALL. with his wife, Sir Theodosius' only sis- ter, was at the Hall; and people recol- lected that, as the baronet was a minor, his demise might be to the Captain's ad- 'vantage. "A post-mortem examination was held, and celebrated London practitioners de- clared that Sir Theodosius had been poi- soned. Circumstantial evidence pointed to Donellar. I meed not dilate on the trial which followed the accusation;, Captain Donellan. was convicted and executed, sol- emnly protesting his innocence to the last.* There were many, however, who doubted thejustice of hanging a man on mere .circumstantial evidence; but the mys- tery has never yet been cleared up. "Sir Theodosius was succeeded by his cousin, but it was some 'time before I could make'up my mind to deliver the message of the One-handed Boughton to his descendant. Indeed, it w s a long time before I had a - See Appendix II. THE ONE-HANDED BOUGHTON. 25 favorable opportunity, for the family evi- dently shunned the Hall, the baronet-only now and then driving over from the inn at Rughy. I - ' At length, urged on by my confidante, the housekeeper, 1 ventured to broach the subject. The baronet at first laughed at what he called our superstitious fears, but he admitted tha't the room in question had, from the days of ,Queen Elizabeth, an evil reputation. ('Provoked by his tone of incredulity, I boldly suggested that the baronet him- self should try the adventure of a 'night in the haunted chamber. But to. this the housekeeper strenuously objected, saying that part of the Hall had been virtually closed since' the tragic end of the unfor- tunate Captain Donellan. Indeed, a house- maid declared that, on the evening after the execution, she had heard footsteps and the clanking of fetters in the gallery lead- ing to the haunted chamber. - 2 page: 26-27[View Page 26-27] 26 LAWFORD HALL. " It is singular,' said the baronet to me, unheeding the housekeeper's remark, 'that your story should coincide with a sort of prophecy I discovered in manuscript, when I first came down here to take possession. The prediction in question seems to have been made by the famous -Count de Cag- liostro,' the last, and some say 'the great- est, of the Rosicrucian -plhilosophers. The Count, when in: England, was once lodged in that same haunted chamber; he doubt- less selected the room on account of its ghostly, reputation, as he claimed to have -identified himself with those celestial intel- :ligences which, through the planets, govern * this earth of ours., With the exception of yourself, the Count was, I believe, the last person that lever occupied the room, and it was there I found the manuscript. ,' It contained a scheme of nativity,- divination by astrology being as familiar to Cagliostro as, it was to Zoroaster or Nos- trad-amus. Curiously enough, he proved :! ^ ^ '\ . THE ONE-HANDED BOUGHTON. 27 to be a true prophet. The horoscope of Sir Thebdosius, which he had cast, pre- dicted an early death and great family misfortune. "'I myself,' continued the baronet, 'be- lieve the Count to have been a charlatan and an impostor. He claimed to be' in possession of the philosopher's stone, and many people actually believed him to be a thousand years old. He is said to have done many wonderful things, both in Eng- land and on the Continent, which seem only explicable on the principles of magic. Five times .in succession, I knew of his foretelling the lucky number in the lot- tery; indeed, an action was brought against him and his countess, in London, for sor- cery and witchcraft, and, by the aid of the devil, foretelling the fortunate numbers in the lottery. "'Were there anything in the science ,of animal magnetism, in which that Rosi- crucian philosopher was also an adept, I ? n dp,1 page: 28-29[View Page 28-29] 28' LAWFORD HALL. should say that, if not laboring under a nightmare,' you must have been in a clairvoyant state, produced by sleeping on the couch which had been previously mag- netized by the Count, who, at the very time; was astonishing the people of Stras- burg, who had received him as the evan- gelist of a mystic religion; and that, while you were in an entranced state, you must have made yourself acquainted with the: contents of the packet, which, all the while, was lying in a concealed drawer of the table near you.' "The baronet, I afterward ascertained from my friend the housekeeper, attempted 'to exorcise the haunted room by sleeping in it. What was the result of that noc- turnal experiment I never learned; the housekeeper preserved a mysterious silence upon the subject. It is said, however, that the Hall is soon to be razed to the ground and the estate sold. It seems a pity that so venerable a mansion should be pulled 's I * THE ONE-HANDED BOUGHTON. 29 down, but then the ghost of the founder would rest in peace; although at night, when distant carriage-wheels are heard, the country-people will, doubtless,still con- tinue to quiet their restless children by saying, ' Hush! there comes the One- handed Boughton in his coach-and-six.'"* Here the good-humored Doctor tinkled his spoon against the sides of his tum- bler, which had been filled with excellent. cold punch, mildly' compounded by the ; wife of our reverend host, the curate him- self professing to be unskilled in such l matters. Had there been any more punch, I cannot say how much longer the Doctor's story might have been; but, as there was no more forthcoming, he soon took his leave, wishing us a good night, and that our slumbers might not be disturbed by the ghost of the One-handed Boughton. i "' But what do you think," said I, turning to the curate as soon as the door was *- See Appendix I; page: 30-31[View Page 30-31] 30 LAWFORD HALL. closed, "what do you .think of the Doc- tor's story?" e "I;'," said my reverend' friend, "('hardly know what to say. I believe, however, that no one has ever been willing to sleep a second 'time' in the haunted chamber of Xl Lawford Hall. As for the untimely end 'l of the lyoung baronet, it is but fair to say "-although you. must never mention it- that there', are those among us who think he, fell al victim, not to that profession whose bus/iness ,it is to kill, but rather to ! that kindred profession, 'which is said to -i ',kill as often as it cures. The Doctor is a well-meaning and most excellent man, al- though of an antiquated school of practice. I sometimes take his advice, but never his medicine." ( ' ; **' :' ";1. . ^ * . .:{ i CHAPTER III. MAY GAMES. ' , "And-all the village train, from, labor free,' Led up their sports beneath the spreading tree; While many a pastime circled in the shade, The Iyoung contending as the old surveyed." GOLDSMITH. As I resided for some time with the curate, occupying a cheerfully-furnished room, in what seemed the very-beau i'deal of a quiet country parsonage, I learned many other particulars in regard to Law- ford Hall and its vicinity. Indeed, the neigh- borhood abounded in objects of interest, for besides Warwick Castle and Church, there were Stratford, Charlecote Hall, and the ruins of Kenilworth; and lastly, the adjoining village of Bilton, once the home of Addison. ^ ehm fAdsn page: 32-33[View Page 32-33] '3 2 'LAWFORD HALL. My friend, Mr. Skipwith, although of aristocratic connections, lived on a foot- ing of easy: familiarity, not only with the a gentry, but also with the farmers and small tradesmen of the parish; and, as he was of a genial, sociable disposition, he had picked up among them, in the course of his peregrinations, a large amount of tra- ditional lore; together with a collection of old songs and ballads, such as a Percy or a Ritson might have- envied. And yet Frank Skipwith was not one of. those black-letter antiquaries, content like misers to gloat over their literary treasures in the privacy -of their studies; on the contrary, he endeavored, both by precept and exam- ple, to perpetuate' such ancient sports and pastimes as were innocent in themselves, and even to, revive those which had fallen into disuse. In his reverence for the olden time the curate did not go so far as actually to read; from the desk in church, King James's 'i .. , * ' * * ' ' i ' . MAY GAMES. 33 "Book of Sports," as his predecessors had done, in the seventeenth century; but then, he in a measure indemnnified himself for this restraint by conning over its pages in private, and by unofficially advocating its sacred 'precepts, with such modifications as the times required. ,Not only 'did women "have, leave to carry rushes to the church for the decoring of it, according to their old custom," but garlands of evergreens and flowers were no less religiously provided for thee May- pole, which from time immemorial :had stood in the village green. "The good people 'were not disturbed, letted, or dis- couraged, from any lawful recreation, such as dancing, either for men or women; archery for men, leaping, vaulting, or any other such harmiless recreations; nor from having of May games, Whitsun Ales, and' Morrice dances, provided always that such festivals were not held on a Sunday." But the royal injunction that those only ,2- page: 34-35[View Page 34-35] ,?' ; '. I. 34 LAWFORD HALL. should enjoy "this benefit and Liberty"' who had first been to church, he found more difficult to enforce; people being rather, slow to admit that those were un- worthy of recreation after service, who would not "first 'come to the church and serve God." However, as the school-children' formed the greater- part of, the congregation on these occasions, there was not much' dis- pute about the matter, especially as the older people were,'for the most part, con- tent to be mere spectators, looking on the whole affair as a, sort of dramatic .enter- tainment, gotten up for their delectatiori. It was at the joyous' festival of Whitsun- tide that I happened to be staying with my friend; ;and I well remember 'the' Mor- ris-dance, which w vas a curiosity in . its , way. It was Whitsun7Monday, and I was told that the performers were a band of itinerants, who were dancing their' way from parish to parish, as in days of y6re, when 'I .. * * : ,. . MAY GAMES- 35 f, Kemp, accompanied by-Tom Sly the piper, danced all the way from London to Norwich, and 'who afterward published an account of that "Nine-days' wonder," containing "his pleasure, pains, and kind entertainment." - But our dancers were from Hereford- shire, a county which seems to have been ever "busied with a Whitsun Morrice. dance," hence the proverb, "Old Meg of Herefordshire for a Maid Marian, and Hereford Town forl a Morrice dance." Infdeed, my friend, the 'curate, assured me that his performers were the lineal descendants' of that same Old Meg, who, with her light.-heeled brethren to the num- ber of a round dozen, danced at the horse- races of Hereford in the time of James I. The piper, who chanced to hear' the re- mark, confirmed the statement; adding that the well-battered'tabor which he was vig- orously thumping was' the -identical instru- ment borne by Old Hall' himself, on that, \ * \ , , i page: 36-37[View Page 36-37] "AWFORD HALL. memorable occasion. It had made bach- elors, and lassies dance round the Maypole threescore summers, one after another, in order; and, as you see, it is nrt even yet worm-eaten. "0 wonderful pyper! 0 admirable ta- bor-man!" exclaimed he-being somewhat elevated by exercise, or, possibly, by the home-brewed ale he had swallowed-"the people of Herefordshire are beholden to thee; thou givest the men light hearts by thy pype, and the women light heels by thy tabor." ' ' * See Morrice dance, Appendix III. CHAPTER IV. ADDISON'S WALK. "'Twas in a shady avenue Where lofty elms abound." ,HOOD. AFTER the departure of the Morrice dancers, who- had gone on their way re- joicing, the curate and I walked over to the Iittle village of Bilton, where I had the honor of an introduction to Mrs. Ad- dison, the poet's daughter,-a venerable maiden lady, who still continued to reside in the house once occupied by her illus- trious father. On taking leave, we were courteously granted permission to ramble about the grounds. Here many of Addi-: son's papers for the "Spectator" were/ composed;, and there is a long straight page: 38-39[View Page 38-39] ' 3^8 # LAWFORD HALL. walk of beautiful Spanish chestnuts and oaks, planted by the poet's own hand, where tradition says he loved to walk. i "I am inclined to think," said the cu- rate, as we paced up and down this shady avenue, "that Addison must have had Lawford Hall in mind when he described the house of Sir Roger de Coverley. The paper in the 'Spectator,' on 'Ghosts , and Apparitions,' seems to apply to Law- ford Hall; and, what is curious, it was written in 17II, the very year he pur- cehased this estate from a son of Sir Wil- liam Boughton. ,Sir Roger de Cover-l ley's account of his house, on taking pos- session, might, answer for a description of Lawford Hall as it now is, and, if we may believe report, as it was in his day. The best room' in. it," said he, "had the repu- tation of being haunted; and, by that means, was locked up. Noises also had been heard in the long gallery, so that he, could not get a servant to enter it after ADDISON's WALK. 39 nightfall." Again, the exorcising of the house by the chaplain of the good knight, "who lay in every room one after an- other," is an idea which may have been suggested by the fact that Lawford Hall had been solemnly exorcised by a numer- ous body of the clergy. The ruins of the old abbey, which are mentioned in the saine paper as being near Sir Roger's house, may have been those of Pipewell.; "for," says the "Spec- tator," "aon either side of the long walk of aged elms the ruins of the abbey are scattered up and down, half covered 'with ivy and elder-bush;" all of which ans- wers to the description that Bridges has 'given us of the ruins of Pipewell Ab- bey:* " "But," said the curate, "here we are at a- sort of hermitage, built by Addison , himself, probably on the very site of the ^ Bridges says that, in his time, several large wrought pillars, glazed tiles, fragments of painted glass, and figures of the Virgin, were found near the ruins. ;'.,*. page: 40-41[View Page 40-41] 40 LAWFORD HALL. primitive retreat which the lands of Pipe- well Abbey are said to have surrounded, in the time of Henry II. We will rest here awhile; and, since you seem inter- ested in the subject of Lawford Hall and its, ancient family; I will ,read to you a chapter or two of a. story I have myself compiled, from authentic documents and local traditions. As it is near sunset, we may not have time to finish it; but, if you like it, you may take the manuscript away with you, as I have another copy. "We did not finish the story," said Uncle John, "and my granddaughter, Madam Von Schonberg, has with her the identical manuscript the curate gave me, having brought it from England." The lady appealed to, who had been listening, perhaps to an oft-told tale, prom- ised to lend me the manuscript, and gave me permission to make such extracts from it as I might think proper. On the prin- ciple of taking an ell when given an inch, ADDISON'S WALK. 4 I aftewrd took the liberty of transfer- ring the whole of the curate's story- of "The Lady of Lawford" to my travel- ler's note-book. I have since ascertained, from high au- thority,* that the Boughtons of Warwick- shire 'first appeared in England in thei time of Edward III. William, the founder of the English branch of the family, angli- cized the name, by changing the spelling from Bouetonl to Boughton. He was prob- ably one of those Burgundian soldiers of fortune who served under Edward III.; and he may have been among!those knights and, men-at-arms whom Froissart says the king sent back from the conti- nent, to- guard his border against the dep- redations of the Scotch. By reference to Dugdale's "Monasticon," I found that there was really a Cistercian monastery at Pipewell, in Northamptonshire, with a grange of that house in the immediate * See Johnson and Kimber's "Baronetage." page: 42[View Page 42] fI ' 42 LAWFOCRD HALL. neighborhood of Lawford Hall. Unfor- t itunately, the ruins of the abbey have dis- appeared, so that it is nlow nearly impos- sible to identify the localities mentioned in the curate's story, with anything like precision, except that it stood on both sides of Harper's Brook, which divided the Hundred of Rothwell and Corby; hence the ancient name of St. Mary de Divisis. In the inventory of the abbey, how- ever, taken at the dissolution, in the time of Henry VIII., particular mention is made of the Chapel of St. Nicholas, and of a table whereon was printed the image of that benevolent patron of husbandless dames and maidens all forlorn. THE LADY OF LAWFORD. . A TALE OF THE OLDEf Tf^E page: -43[View Page -43] CHAPTER V. THE LADY OF LAWFORD.-A TALE OF THE OLDEN TIME. "'Tis a history Handed from ages down; a nurse's tale "- SOUTHEY. "Be she-fairer than the day, Or the flowery meads in May; If she be not so to me, - - '. What care I how fair she be??'" WITHERS. IN the latter part of the fourteenth cen- tury, there dwelt' in a castellated manse- house at Lawford, on the banks of the gently-flowing Avon, an interesting young widow, mistress of her own fair self and of an estate scarcely less fair. Her hus- band had died at Poictiers, gloriously fight- ing for his king. page: 44-45[View Page 44-45] " LAWFORD HALL. She was an: heiress, having inherited e the manor of Lawford from her father, who, with her brothers, had also been slain in the bloody wars of that disturbed period. The Lady Isabel--thus "to the manor born "--being without children, be- came, as might have been expected, an object of interest and solicitude, espe- cially to those young gallants who hov- ered about the provincial court held at the Castle of Warwick., Many a lance, in that chivalrous age, had been broken in her honor, and dull' would have been thought the banquet not graced by her presence. But in vain were lances broken, and in vain were chansons sung, by troubadours coming from afar. ' She looked and she listened, but, like the virgin queen of a later age, no choice would she make; no sign, such asn an adventurous cavalier might hope to build a fortune upon, would she give. 'Whether it was that the fair widow cher- THE LADY OF LAWFORD. , 45 ished too fondly the memory , of her late lamented husband, or whether--like the aforesaid queen-she loved too well the sweets of undivided authority' over her feudal domain, was by no means clear. The persistent coyness of this dainty dame--which some called coquetry in dis- guise-drew notes of admiration even from a Chaucer, who thus alludes to her in the '! Canterbury' Tales:" - "Ful fetise* was hire cloke, as I was ware; Of smale corall aboute hire arm she bare A pairf of bedes, gauded all, with grene; And thereon heng a broche of gold ful shene, On whiche was, first ywriten a crouned A, And after ,'Amor :vincit omnia.'" But whatever may have been the hopes excited in the ardent bosoms of behold- ers by this flattering jewel, they seemed doomed to disappointment, for the love which conquers all had not yet conquered *Neat. \ ' ft A set of strings. i; . * . ., , page: 46-47[View Page 46-47] " LAWFORD HALL. our Lady Isabel; for Lady of Lawford she was, and Lady of Lawford she seemed determined to remain. But she soon found that a lone. woman could not well stand unsupported in the world about her. It was a gallant age, that reign of King Edward III., yet, in spite of the pictur- esque-descriptions left us by Froissart, one can sometimes perceive, under the graceful forms! of chivalry, the same hard- hearted cruelty and selfishness common to our fallen human nature in every age. ! As time rolled on, and the Lady of Law- ford ,made no choice, her admirers gradu- ally slackened in their attentions. At first, disinterested neighbors in search of wives, for 'themselves 'or for their sons, grew coldly polite; then, by degrees, they be- came aggressive, disputing her feudal rights, plundering her, tenants, destroy- ing, her game, and wasting her forests. Had she possessed a more heroic spirit, she might, like the Countess de Montfort, , THE LADY OF LAWFORD. 47 have clothed herself in her late husband's armor, and, at the head of her vassals and: retainers, held her own; but, as it was, 1 she could only trust to the generosity and magnanimity of those around her. As for an appeal to the higher powers, what could a woman do, in courts 'where the steel gauntlet of a warrior far outweighed the silken glove of a lady, let her or her cause be ever so fair? She was returning, says the Lawford chronicler, from a visit to Warwick Cas- tle, where she, with other high-born dames and demoiselles, had been assisting at one of the stately pageants for which War- wick was, "at that time,as famous as its rival Kenilworth came to be at a later' day, when she ,was met by a miller, "all woe-begone," with a complaint of ,wrong and robbery suffered at the hands of the armed retainers of a marauding baron of the neighborhood. ,This truculent baron, whose followers ' i ' * . .' , * 1 page: 48-49[View Page 48-49] 48 LAWFORD HALL. had plundered and beaten the miller, was an unsuccessful suitor of the Lady Isabel; and'on being rejected, had set up a claim to her land, which he maintained rightfully belonged to him, as heir-male of a com- mon ancestor, ,As she heard the poor man's tale of woe, the necessity of a champion to assert her rights and those of her tenantry, forc- ibly presented itself to her mind. * , 'On occasions of doubt and difficulty, her resource for counsel and advice had al- ways been her relative, ,William de Law- ford,' the Abbot of Pipewell. There was, a grange belonging to the abbey, conveniently located on! the oppo- site bank of She Avon, over against the manor-house of Lawford. Here, fortu- nately, he was found; and his advice was summed up in a word, and, strange to say, considering his calling, that word, em- phatically pronounced, was-"- Marry." "What!" said she, blushing with mod- ThIIE LADY OF LAWFORD. 49 esty or indignation; ( give myself a mas- ter?" '"ay, my daughter; but rather thyself and thy dependents a protector," replied the abbot. "And why- not retire from the world, and take the veil?" quoth she, "resign- ing my land to the next of kin, who would doubtless be willing to enrich 'the nun- nery, beyond any charge there might be on my account." "Nay, nay, my daughter," again replied the good abbot; "you should not thus shrink- from the duty Providence has laid upon you. A s for the endowment of our so-called houses of religion, they have al- ready more than enough of this world's goods; and I fear me, if they do not speedily reform, the riches they trust in will be taken from them, and, with their corruptions, their very name will be 'swept away by the already impending besom of I destruction." * 3 page: 50-51[View Page 50-51] 50 LAWFORD HALL. The mind of the good abbot, in this matter, appears -to have been somewhat in advance. of the, age. His opinions had doubtless been influenced by the preach- ing of Wycliffe, whose sermons and iwrit- ings had ,already begun to stir the hearts of thoughtful men. "But I care naught," said she, " for such gay gallants as have sought my hand in marriage; men whose lives are spent at court,; fiddling and fighting, drinking and dicing, and who, I fear," said she, with a sigh, "love the land better than the lady." A devoutly-disposed maiden aunt, her constant companion, here observed that, perhaps, if her' niece were to commendf herself to the prayers of the good St. Nicholas, he might take pity upon her un- protected state, and send one whose stal- wartl arm- might be like a 'wall of defence against her oppressors. Now, there happened to- be at Pipewell THE LADY OF LAWFORD. 5I 51 a chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas; and thus prompted, the abbot, who, although enigIhtened, was still a monk, caught at the suggestion, and forthwith recommended a pilgrimage thither. Moreover, as the festival of St. Nichlas was nowapproach- ing, the season seeme propitious; "and deed propitiouS; "and *peradventure,": said the abbot, "the Child- Ibishop, who is the bshop who is the representative of the good St. Nicholas, may in his sermon en- ligten your mind as to the proper course to. e proper course, to be pursued; for, saith the proverb, 4ebi proverb, ^ ' Ve. 1 b ztN sap etat ' GracefullIy yielding to persuasive argu- ments, the: Lady of. Lawford hastily pre- pared to- make t'e nilgrima e pilgrima'bnb(T recom mended; so that sunrise, next morning saw our heroine's departure for Pipe- well Abbey, with attendance befitting her !rank and station. page: 52-53[View Page 52-53] CHAPTER VI. A PILGRIMAGE TO PIPEWELL. Bolton's old monastic, tower bells -ring loud with gladsome power; sun is bright, the fields are gay people in their best array." WORDSWORTH. FIRST there rode the steward, a bold yeoman, well mounted, and armed accord- ing to his degree, followed by several stout fellows, similarly accoutred. In the midst of the cavalcade were the ladies, mounted on pillions behind. their pages; saucy youths these, whose discourse was of the mighty things they would do with their gilded daggers,, should they be so fortu- nate as to meet with a perilous adventure. But Brewthebest, the steward, ordered PILGRIMAGE TO PIPEWELL. 53 - bridle their tongues, remarking gadocia thus early in the day I , good. The manners of the time no reply; nevertheless, the most f them murmured, loud enough ;tress to hear: Follks say, Mas- - : ebest, that thou lovest better the flagons 'than the turmoil of the he Festival of St. Nicholas, and tery of Pipewell, which they were i E g, was all astir with prepara- lhe celebration of the Feast.* Z-bishop, elected on the eve of 1 (Dec-. th), was now to assume1 Is of ecclesiastical authority, andi f the Boy-bishop, as it was called, was a cere- itiquity and general usage, which was celebrated', ;; idor on the Feast of St. Nicholas, or the Holy this occasion it was customary in all cathedral' robably -in most large and opulent parishes), for children of the choir to bear,the title and state .of * the episcopal robes, and to exact obedience from" ' who were habited like priests; nay, singular as it .et^ * took possession of the church, and, except Mass,. - a ceremonies and offices of religion.-Mfiscellanea '- page: 54-55[View Page 54-55] ' " - ' ', ' ' 1 .54 c'LAWFORD ,HALL. clad in episcopal robes, was to go in state from the abbot's house, surrounded by his fellow-choristers, likewise arrayed in priestly vestments, although their costume was that: of petty canons. In an opening glade stood the abbey, against a dark background of forest trees, its towers, gablets, and pinnacles glisten- ing in the morning sun. Here and there, on the lawn before the abbey, patches of green grass were to be seen breaking through the thin covering of snow, now rapidly disappearing in the genial atmos- phere, as if Mother Earth herself were smiling'upon this children's festival, or as if summer were still lingering to welcome the return of old Father Christmas. The five bells, which hung in the central tower of the minster, were sonorously peal- ing, and from far and near, "people in their best array" were 'assembling as the Lady of Lawford and her attendants drew near the sacred pile. A PILGRIMAGE' TO PIPEWELL. 551 As they enter the arched gateway of the monastery, the mimic bishop issues forth from the abbot's house, in all his pontifi- cal glory; and as the procession, with its glittering crosses and gorgeous banners, sweeps round the, cloistered court to -the door of the church, the bells, which till then had kelfub their clamorous wel- come, suddenly/cease; and, as if in re- sponse to their oyful chimes, the organ takes up the melodious strain, whilst the choir, advancing under a cloud of incense, moves up the nave singing "In Excelsis Gloria;" for in those days carols were sung, not only at Christmas, but' all through the season of Advent. And thus in St. Mary's aisle children sang: "When Christ was born -of Mary free' In Bethlehem, that fair city, Angels sang, with mirth and glee, In Excelsis Gloria; " even as, "in the old time before them," page: 56-57[View Page 56-57] 56 . LAWFORD HALL. children in the temple had sung "Ho'sanna in the Highestt!" But was not all this burlesquing solemn Church services:? Did not the relaxed discipline which Church dignitaries ac- corded to subordinates at this season, lead to indecent and disorderly conduct? Un- fortunately, riotous and indecent behavior too often followed the exuberant hospital- ity attendant upon the observance of the Christmas holidays; but, certainly, this was not the intention of the founders, of the in- stitution; and the abuse of. the thing is no argument against its use. To look at it in the light of the fourteenth century,' St. Nich- olas was the acknowledged patron saint of children; and why should not children com- memorate the early piety attributed to 'the saint, by taking an extraordinary part in the ritual observances of the season, especially as they approached the Festival of the INativity, when even enlightened Protestants like our- selves are willing to become children again? A PILGRIMAGE TO PIPEWELL. 57" "The memory of this Saint and Bishop Nicholas," says one of our divines, "was thus solemnized by a child, the better to remember the holy man, even when he was a child; and his childlike virtues, when he became a man. . . His meek- ness and simplicity, the proper virtues of children; he maintained from his childhood as long as he lived. 'And :therefore," saith the Festival, children don him worship be- fore all other saints." To be sure, Henry VIII. issued a proc-: lamation against this ceremonial of the Boy-bishop; but then, the king had quar- relled with the monks, and moreover, as a reformer, was strangely inconsistent. As a witness to the truth, one would prefer the testimony of his contemporary, Dean Colet, whom even zealous Protestants admit to have been a wiser and better man than the king. In the statutes- of the school attached to' St. Paul's Cathedral, we find the dean 3* , , page: 58-59[View Page 58-59] ,^ , 58 LAWFORD HALL. making provision for the continuance and. regular observance of this very festival. It was ordained (51I2) that all his scholars "shall every Childermas Day come to Paulis churche and hear the Child-bishop's ser- mon, and after be at the high mass; and each oft them offer a Id. to the Child- bishop, land with them the maisters and surveyors of the school." Dean Colet was no Papist; he would have been burnt for a heretic, says: Lati- -mer, "if God had not turned the kings heart to the contrarie." But the Lady Isabel had neither scru- ple nor doubt as to tie lawfulness or ex- pediency of the Installation service, in which ' she -was participating. Had she not em- broidered, with her own fair hhands, the vestments worn by the Episcopus Puer- orum? And did she not, at the offe'rtory which followed the sermon of the Child- bishop, contribute an amount which testi- fied, more eloquently than words could do, A PILGRIMAGE TO PIPEWELL, 59 the interest she took in the proceedings? Indeed, the glittering contents of the silken purse which the Lady of Lawford dropped into the alms-basin, reminded one of a similar action of the good Saint Nicholas himself, who threw purses of gold into the windows of certain penniless damsels, thus filling their stockings with that which, in those mercenary days, would procure a husband for them. The sermon was, in accordance with es- tablished usage, a panegyric, in which, the life and doings of the good Saint Nicho- las were held up to the wondering admiri-a- tion of the congregation. Great stress was laid by the preacher on the courtesy and liberality of the saint; his charity and benevolence in providing for the wants of others; in particular for thosel impover- ished daughters of a noble house, whom' he saved 'from infamy by furnishing them with suitable marriage-portions. In con- clusion, he exhorted his hearers, many of page: 60-61[View Page 60-61] 60 LAWFORD HALL. whom were children, some of them his schoolfellows, to emulate, the virtues of the saint; and as the Child-bishop was an Ex- hibitioner, or scholar selected by the mon- astery for university education, and as the offerings were to augment the fund for that purpose, his peroration naturally as- sumed a rather pathetic tone; for, like the noble damsels he had mentioned, he was also in want of a living, and the univer- sity was ithen, as now, the' high road to preferment. i ' . t - '?' * , \, ' -: i' t' CHAPTER VII. A HOL Y SHRINE. "Now Christ thee save, thou reverend friar, I pray thee tell to me If 'ever at yon holy shrine My true lov thou didst see." / PERCY RELIQUES. V IN those days of frequent pilgrimages, fair ladies flocked to. holy shrines, with very much the same motive as they now do to our fashionable watering-places. Worldly advancement or affairs of gallantry, rather than health--whether of body or soul- being often the' real object of the votary. Says the old ballad: "As I went to Walsingham, To the shrine with spede, Met I with a jolly Palmer, In a pilgrim's weede. page: 62-63[View Page 62-63] 62 LAWFORD HAIL. 'Now God you save, you jolly'Palmer!' ' Welcome lady gay Oft have I sued to thee for love.' 'Oft have I said you nay.' " This famous Walsingham, where one might have heart's desire, by drinking at its wishing-well, was but onel of the many shrines frequented by pilgrims,! whether in search of health: or wealth. Then, every condition of life had a patron saint or heavenly advocate, bound to in'tercede for his or her votary; and, excepting our Lady of Wals ngham, and Saint Thomas of Can- terbury, none of the celestial hierarchy were more popular--at least among the women--than the good Saint Nicholas, who was, it seems, the Hymen as well as the Neptune of the middle ages. But to our story. In a side chapel of the abbey church of Pipewell there was a shrine dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the re- sort of many a disconsolate maiden, and of 9 widows not a few. This chapel ewas separ- A HOLY SHRINE. 63 ated from the choir and south transept by several :arches springing from clustered columns. Opposite the transept door was the altar, over which, seated within a richly- mouidea niche; was an image of the won- der-working Saint Nicholas. Early and late, husbandless dames and languishing spinsters might be seen kneel- ing before this hymeneal altar. Some chose the right-hand side of the altar; some the left; others the front; as if the favor of the saint depended upon the position of the suppliant. The very steps were worn into 'hollows by the number and importu- nity of the numerous devotees,' who, oft- times, knelt upoqn their bare knees. Here, undisturbed by the bodily pres- ence of the sterner sex, these devout fair ones, while making their orisons, might lis- ten to the soothing voices of the brethren in the choir, as they chanted the canonical' hours, 'only separated from them by the' parclose or open screen of carved oak. page: 64-65[View Page 64-65] " . LAWFORD HALL. The High Mass, which followed the In- stallation service, being ended, the Lady ,of Lawford, with her female attendants, retired to the chapel we have endeavored , to describe, 'that she might accomplish her vow. . I ,.. VOW ? ; ,' Her prayers, according to our more en- lightened views, were misdirected, even idolatrous; but then the fault was that of the age, whilst the actuating piety and fer- vor were all her own. ' There was, in the cloisters, a group of mummers, grotesquely masked, who were executing a sword-dance on the grass-plot round which the cloisters were built. Robin Hood in Lincoln Green, with his maid Ma- rian in a kirtle of the same, and the hobby- horse and the dragon, were all there. Among the lookers-on, congiegated on the sunny side of the cloisters, was one whose gilt spurs and plumed cap betok- ened knightly rank. Now) whether it was Saint Nicholas, or No , *hte .t * - ' A HOLY SHRINE. 65 only her- own, good angel, that prompted her footsteps, the first person the Lady Isabel ,set eyes upon, as she left the church, was this same, gallant cavalier, by name Sir William de Boughton, whom, by the way, she 'had seen before at Warwick Castle. The recognition was mutual, and she blushed a s she curtsied to his respect- ful salutation.-- Conscious embarrassnient gave to her manner a stiffness and reserve calculated to discourage nearer approach. She noticed that one of the mummers appeared to be closely watching her move- ments, and that he seemed to be in, com- munication with a muffled figure standing apart in the shadow ofthe cloisters, as if shunning observation. At, second glance showed her that the man was' a retainer of Sir Robert d'Allesley, the unfriendly neighbor of whom the miller had com- plained. This acquaintance-with the mask- ers, who seemed unknown to t e rest of the bystanders, was suspicious. page: 66-67[View Page 66-67] " LAWFORD HALL. She thought little of the circumstance at the time, although she had afterward good reason to' recall it.. Indeed, her attention was soon diverted by a summons to- the refectory, where ,a banquet had been pro- vided befitting the occasion. After the dinner" was over and. the tables had been -drawn, there was presented to the company one of those mystery and miracle plays, which, intended for Christ- mas representation, was, like the' carols, often performed at this season, as if in anticipation of the. Festival; for, among our ancestors, the whole month of December was called, on account of the Nativity oc-' curring in it, Hfeligh, or Holy Month, just as the Germans to this day continue to call it Czhrist Mona af. The Boy-bishop and his fellows were ndw transformed into kings and prophets; the play represented being that in which the i heroes xof the Old Testament were per- sonified! , .. ' / A HOLY SHRINE. 671 As they entered the hall, each recited a verse prophetic of the' birth of Christ, There was Moses arrayed in an albe and cope, with the appearance of a horned glory over his, head, a long beard and a staff, and the tables of the law in his hand; and there was Isaiah, also 'in' an albe, with a red stole bound round his head; and Jere miah in the vestments of a priest, bearing a scroll in his hand. ' But the character which, of all. others, excited most admiration, was that of Ba- laam mounted upon an ass; there was, however, but little of the animal to be seen, except the head and ears, the rest of the body being hidden beneath a foot- cloth that swept the floor. Before him, as he rode into the hall, stood a young man with a drawn sword in his hand, as if to bar further progress; .whilst from the pene- tralia of the donkey there issued a lament- able voice: "Cur me calcaribus miseram sic lAditis?" The dialogue that followed page: 68-69[View Page 68-69] 68 LAWFORD HALL. , b , was, from the' twenty-second chapter of Numbers. Indeed, the whole thing would.- have been very edifying, had it not been for an unforeseen interruption. The refectory was a spacious building, in. the style of a baronial hall, with a lofty timber roof, such as may still be * seen at the St. Cross Hospital, W inches- ter; and the procession was proceeding,. round the fire, which, in those days, occu- pied the centre of the hall, the smoke escaping through an opening in the roof, when the donkey, not content with the modest part assigned to him in the pa- geant, thought proper to add 1his "most sweet voice" to the,:chorus or carol which was to close the entertainment. i The vigorous he-haw! he-haw! of the 'jackass put an end to all solemnity; and although the brute was summarily kicked out, it was found impossible to restore anything like decorum. \ " * I , I * * . . . .. CHAPTER VIII. THE CLERKS OF SAINT NICHOLAS. p - " "jIt is held That valor is the chiefest virtue, "and Most dignifies the haver." SHAKESPEARE. IT was toward the close of the short winter day that- the Lady of Lawford and- her followers set out on their return. Whether it was the recent hilarity, or their hurried departure, there appeared to be something of disorder in their march, as they straggled forth from -the courtyard of the monastery. This- carelessness of array, at any other time, would have brought down upon them a sharp rebuke from the steward. But- Master Brewthebest had just taken a very page: 70-71[View Page 70-71] 70 LAWFORD HALL. affectionate leave of his good gossip, the cellarer, at the convent buttery-hatch; con- sequently, he was somewhat oblivious. The Lady of, Lawford, however, uncon- scious of danger, and trusting to the dis- cretion of the steward, felt no apprehen-i sion; the escort under his command being thought, even in those unsettled times, quite sufficient for their protection, al- though the road homeward lay through an extensive woodland, the undergrowth of which offered tempting lurking-places for those roystering blades or robbers, profanely called "Clerks of Saint Nicholas." But Brewthebest was, at that moment, on too good terms' with himself and all the world to suspect evil from any quarter. His men, who had also partaken rather freely of the good cheer provided by -the hospitable monks, were inclined to loiter, beguiling the way with merry tales and chansons gay,such as pilgrims were wont to indulge in; and so it fell out, as they THE CLERKS OF ST. NICHOLAS. 7I forded'a stream that crossed their paith, the party became separated, the ladies, with the steward and one or two others, being in advance. Presently their further progress was stopped by the prostrate trunk of a tree lying across their path; and, as they at- tempted to clear the way, they found them- selves suddenly surrounded by an armed band in masks; who appeared to be the identical sword-dancers they had seen, in the morning, in the cloisters of the abbey. Their swords, however, were no longer used in sport, but in downright earnest; for in a moment they had disarmed the steward and his men, and had bound their hands together behind their backs. The whole was done with the utmost despatch, and they were rapidly hurried off by an unfrequented path that wound through the woods. The Lady Isabel recognized their leader as the man who had hovered about , the sword-dancers, rattling a -money-box page: 72-73[View Page 72-73] 72 LAWFORD HALL. and holding communication with the re- tainer of Sir Robert d'Allesley. The:' sun had now set, and the Lady had given up all for lost. Entreaties and prayers had been made in vain; for the ruffians were, unmoved by ,either prayers or tears. The place of her destination she \ could not learn, for the. maskers were as doggedly silent on that as on all. other subjects. The, path they were pursuing was narrow, so that they were obliged to move cautiously and in single file. As thy: advanced, the, sound of rushing water from a cascade they were approach- ing, afforded the page of the Lady Isa- bel the opportunity for which he had been waiting. "Cheer up, my Lady," said '. he, in a low voice; "help may be nigh at hand; for, as we were crossing, the stream, I chanced to look back, and I be- held, in the distance, the rays of the set- ting sun flashing' back from the arms of that good knight, Sir William, de Bough- ' ,* ' * . THE CLERKS OF ST. NICHOLAS. 73 ton, who was at the abbey this morning; 'and something tells me that Our Lady and the good Saint Nicholas will surely send him to thei rescue." ' "Now the saints be praised!" said the Lady Isabel, raising her clasped hands to heaven, as if in supplication or as wit- nesses to a vow she was mentally making. She said nothing of it, however, to the ,page, behind whom she was riding; who, l when they were attacked, had shown- no lack of spirit or manly courage. The. quick-witted youth was'quite right in his prognostication; Sir William had, observed the suspicious conduct of the sword-dancers, and also the condition of the Lady 'of Lawford's escort, as they were leaving the gate of the monastery. He therefore determined to follow, although at a respectful distance, being unwilling to thrust his company upon the ladies, but ready to afford assistance, should oppor- tunity offer. 4 page: 74-75[View Page 74-75] ,74 V LAWFORD HALL. Indeed, the good knight was by no means unacquainted with the affairs of the Lady Isabel, having had an inkling of them from their host, the abbot, who was un- easy at the unaccustomed appearance at- the abbey of a retainer of Sir Robert, d'Allesley. ' Overtaking the stragglers of the party, who, in their turn, had been arrested by the fallen tree, Sir William obtained a con- fused account of the fray from one of their severely-wounded comrade's, whom the masked ruffians had left for dead. A rapid survey of the ground soon re- vealed 'to the practised eye of the knight the route the maskers had taken; and pushing' forward one of the most active of the party as scout, he, with the others, cautiously followed. A flight of arrows, which struck' down one of their number, was the first intimation the ruffians had of these movements. The ladies were in advance, their horses I . . . 1 THE CLERKS OF ST. NICHOLAS. 75 attached by halters to the arm of the leader, who, mounted, led the way. At the unexpected attack, the marauders faced about, drawing themselves up across the now widened path. But what sort of a stand could sword-and-buckler men make against! the furious onset of, a well-accou- tred knight, effectively supported by his own attendant yeomen, whose cloth-yard shafts had already done good service? Their only man-at-arms was at once un- horsed, and the foremost of' the sword- and-buckler men went down almost at the same moment before the, powerfully-wielded battle-axe of the good knight. , The rest of the gang, seeing how mat- ters were going, took -to their heels, has- tily scrambling up the bank that over- hung the path; and, favored by the under- wood, and the increasing darkness, were soon beyond -pursuit. Fortunately for our benighted: pilgrims, they were not far from a grange belong- , * , ' page: 76-77[View Page 76-77] 76 LAWFORD HALId. ing tothe monks of Pipewell Abbey. To, this friendly shelter,. therefore, under the escort of Sir William, they speedily betook themselves, thanking heaven and the gal- lant deliverer, providentially sent to their relief, doubtless, at the intercession of Our Lady and the good Saint Nicholas; who, whatever tradition may say, proved, for once, to be no patron of the "Clerks of Saint Nicholas." r - I, ,i ' l CHAPTER IX. A JUDICIAL COMBAT., "Thrice is he arm'd who hath his quarrel just." SHAKS. Henry VI. THUS was accomplished the Pilgrimage to Pipewell, from which so much good had been hoped, but from which, as yet, nothing but disaster had been experi- enced. One of the Lady of Lawford's most trusty followers had -been mortally wounded, and she herself had. barely es- caped captivity, possibly death or dis- honor. She had, evidently, powerful enemies, and the, idea of retiring to a convent might again have taken possession of her mind,' had it not been for the consoling t page: 78-79[View Page 78-79] 78 LAWFORD HALL. thought that, if she had enemies, she had found at last a powerful friend; for Sir William de Boughton, with true chivalric generosity, had signified his intention of remaining at the grange, until her wrongs were righted. . The man-at-arms and his companion, taken in the skirmish, had been locked up in a tower* of the grange, commonly used by the monks for storing their farm produce. Being strongly built, it occa- sionally served for defensive purposes and for a prison. The outrage recorded in the last chap ter was perpetrated within: the jurisdic tion of the Abbot of Pipewell, who, it his capacity of feudal lord, possessed th so-called "right of pit and gallows." When the prisoners, therefore, wer brought forth for trial, one of them, i *This tower, on the banks of the Avon, was still standi at the demolition-of Lawford Hall, about the year 17' having been used, in modern times, as a mill. A JUDICIAL COMBAT. 79 the hope of saving his neck from' the gallows, confessed that he and his com- , rades had been set on to the commission of the crime by the bribery of Sir Rob- ert d'Allesley, who wished to get the Lady of ILawford within his power, that he might either marry her, or obtain from her the cession of certain lands, in- herited from a common ancestor, which he claimed as the heir-male. Sir Robert d'Allesley, hearing of the crime laid to his charge', denied the truth of the allegation, and offered to make his knightly word 'good, on foot or on horseback, with sword, spear, or battle- axe, against any gainsayer, his equal in rank. Sir William, who had good reason to doubt his word, promptly accepted the challenge, and, in the judicial combat that followed, vanquished the false knight,- com-. pelling him, at the sword's point, to con- fess -his knavery, and to- renounce all page: 80-81[View Page 80-81] o80 LAWFORD HALL. claim to the lands of the Lady of Law- tord. a The knowledge of this affair coming to the ears of King Edward, he com- manded a Court of Chivalry to be held, and Sir Robert, being summoned to ap- pear by a pursuivant-at-arms, was for- mally arraigned, tried, and convicted, his sentence being degradation from the honor of knighthood,-the severest pun- - ishment known to the Court of Chiv- alry. In the market-place of Warwick, there- fore, a scaffold was erected, from which a herald read -aloud the words in the judgment. Then one of the Knight-mar- shal's' men, standing on the scaffold, cut the belt whereby the culprit's sword hung, and so let it fall to the ground. *Next, the spurs were hewn off his heels, and thrown,. one one way, the other the other. After that, the Marshal's attend- - ant drew Sir Robert's sword from the A JUDICIAL COMBAT. 8I scabbard, .and broke it over his head, doing with the fragments as with the spurs; and, finally, proclamation was made by the herald, that the degraded knight should be, thenceforward, reputed an infamous, errant knave. Thus signally did that most renowned knight, Edward III., vindicate the chival-' ric order of which he' and- his no less renowned son, the Black Prince, were the chiefest ornaments and exemplars. , NOTE.-So reluctantly, says Sir Berhard -Burke, was degra- dation from knighthood decreed, that only a few instances remain on record. 4 . I , - , page: 82-83[View Page 82-83] CHAPTER X. THE CHRISTMAS WELCOME. "Wilt thou my, true friend be? Then love not mine, but me." 'HERRICK. IT was Christmas Eve, and the Hall of the old manor-house at Lawford was decked out in all its bravery, On the ample hearth, in the midst of a pile of fagots, blazed the yale log. Embroi- dered banners hung from the gallery, now occupied by, the musicians, A minstrel, seated by the fireplace, w'ls refreshing himself after the fatigue of ihe yule-song, which, according to ancient custom, had been sung at the lighting of the Christ- mas block. THE CHRISTMAS WELCOME. 83 Mummers were issuing Prom a recess, where they had been arranging the Christ- mas play, screened from observation by the heavy folds of a crimson curtain; whilst the fair Lady of Lawford was stand-i ing temptingly, perhaps all unconsciously, beneath a branch of the mystic mistletoe, to welcome her true lknight.* i: Sir William had just arrived. It was his first visit to the manor-house, although it was not the first time he had seen the Lady Isabel since his encounter with the: false knight, Sir Robert d'Allesley, for, the wounds he- received at Warwick, in her defence, had been dressed by her own fair hands. All Warwickshire had been present in the tilt-yard of the, castle, when Sir Wil- liam had overthrown her adversary; and all Warwickshire knew that he had, on that occasion, assumed her arms--"a field sable' with three crescents or"---in allusion, *:See Frontispiece. page: 84-85[View Page 84-85] 84 . LAWFORD HALL. as they said, to his moonlight adventure in the forest of Northamptonshire, when he had been so fortunate as to rescue the Lady of Lawford. Indeed, the Lady Isabel was well pleasedl that merry Christmas and sweet Sir William should thus come together, for the crackling of the logs on the hearth, and the flourish of trumpets from the min- strels' gallery, served a double purpose, welcoming in with the New Year, the victorious knight, sent by the good Saint Nicholas or Old Father Christmas him- self; for, 'in those days, the New Year began at Christmas, even as g new era seemed about to begin in the life of the Lady of Lawford. ' \ . . CHAPTER XI. CONCLUSION. I had iny wish and way: My days were strew'd with flowers and happiness; ' There was no month but May." '; ., GEORGE HERBERT. THE Church, in the Middle Ages, encour- aged pious men and women to address their prayers to saints and angels,-a sPe- cies of worship which seems to Protestant Englishmen to differ little from that which our heathen ancestors offered to .their pagan deities. But heaven, compassionating the ignor- Tance'of fallible mortals, doubtless often answers prayers, even though they be misdirected. page: 86-87[View Page 86-87] 86 LAWFORD HALL. It was even so with' the Lady of Law- ,ford. She had, in accordance with the custom of the age, offered prayers at the shrine of Saint Nicholas. \What marvel, then, that the series of wonderful events consequent on her pil- grimage should be ascribed to the power- ful intercession-of the good Saint Nicholas! That Heaven had sent Sir William in response to her prayers, was foreshad- owed in the very motto borne on his shields: "Omne bonum Dei donum."* Ifhitherto there had been any doubt about her vocation, it seemed now quite at an end., Indeed, was hd not of noble lineage, and jof as goodly a presence as the heart of dame or damsel could desire? And had he not 'served under Edward III. both in France and on the Scottish border? 'And had he not, perilled life and limb in * Still the m6tto of the Boughtons of Warwickshire (See Burke's Peerage). CONCLUSION. 87 her service, not only in the forest, when he rescued her from the ruffian maskers, but also in the appointed lists, when he appeared as her chosen champion?' And had he not been wounded in that en- counter;, and had she not, with her own fair hands, bound up and dressed ,those wounds? 'And did not every one say that it-would be a sin and- a shame to reject so gallant a knight and a boon for which she had so earnestly prayed? For bnce' everybody was right, and the match which everybody said was made-in heaven was soon' consummated on, earth, i Merrily rang out the marriage-bells from the tower of Pipewell, Abbey, on a fine morning in the succeeding Easter holidays, -when the fair Lady of Lawford, led by , her' gallant knight, fulfilled, before the high altar; the vow she had piously made at the shrine of the good Saint Nicholas,, page: 88-89[View Page 88-89] 88 .! LAWFORD HALL. It was May-Day, and before the manor. house of Lawford a crested May-pole reared its lofty head. Around, -from far and near, were gathered lads and lassies in their holiday best. . A rusti: throne had been raised, upon whichl sat a village maiden of surpassing loveliness. Beside her stood the Lady Isabel, in all the full pride of matronly beauty. The day was unusually bright and warm, even for the merry morith of May; and as the lady, of the brave Sir William placed a garland upon the head of the blushing May Queen, a wandering minstrel in attend- ance said, or rather sung: "Spring and -summer had met together, the one crowning the other, even as the mayflower was crowned by the rose of June." ! ' APP- I APPENDIX. "N Lawford Hall, I am told, a room was pre- served as the ledchamber of an ancestor of the family, who, in the time of Elizabeth, having lost an arm, went afterward' by the appellation of One- handed Boughton. After his death,-the room was reported to be haunted, and, as such, many at,- tempts were made to sleep in it, but in. vain; and such is the credulity of the lower people, that it was with difficulty any laborer, could be prevailed on to assist in pulling it down (I792); the ghost of ' this one-handed gentleman, I was told, by persons on the spot, had been frequently seen by their. fath- ers, riding across the neighboring grounds in a coach- and-six; and, with the same air of confidence, I was informed that, within the present century,' his per- turbed spirit had been laid by a numerous'body of the clergy, who conjured it 'into a vial, and threw it into a marle pit opposite the house. Nor does . page: 90-91[View Page 90-91] -APPENDIX. y seem to have been exempt from a similar on and belief in ghosts; for it is told of Sir Theodosius's father, that, being visited eighbor, the late Sir iFrancis Sk'ipwith, and :ogether near the marle-pit, Sir Francis ob- iat he thought there, must be many fish in I, and that he should be glad to try it; to ir Edward gravely replied: "No,-that I onsent to; for the spirit of- my ancestor, -handed Boughton, lies there."-[Ifreland's i Stratford. ] . ';. THE sudden death of Sir Theodosius 'Boughton, during his minority, "caused an extraordinary sen- sation at the period it occurred. Sir Theodosius was confined to his bed by severe- indisposition, at the family mansion of Lawford Hall, wherein his mother, and Captain and Mrs. Donellan (his sister and brother-in-law) were at the time residing. Hav- ing taken a draught from the hands of Lady Bough- ton, the unfortunate gentleman almost immediately expired, 21st August, 1780.' Suspicion of poison subsequently arising, the body, after being deposited in the family vault (beneath the-Church 'of New- bold), was disinterred, when a coroner's'inquest re- turned a verdict of murder against Captain Don- E ellan, who was tried, condemned, and executed for the crime, at the Spring Assizes for the Co. War- wick, 1781. It must be remarked, however, in jus- tice to the memory of Mr. Donellan, that the evi- dence against him was solely circumstantial, and not of the strongest nature; and that he died sol- emnly protesting his ininocence."-[Burke's. Peerage and Baronetage, for 1841. page: 92-93[View Page 92-93] "I. "SOME one had undertaken, to bring to -the Here- ford races of 1609, a hobbie-horse that should out- run all the nags which. were to come thither, and to hold- out in a longer race than any. that should be there; meaning thereby, that it should be 'no race of horses, but of men ;' in a word, a dramatic per- formance in the shape of a Morrice dance, in which- the ordinary rule was to be reversed; for '-fathers were to be the actors, and beardless boys 'the spec- tators.' ' "From a bill of candidates sufficient to impanel three or four juries, were selected twelve Morrice- dancers, the sum of whose ages was, in the aggre- gate, twelve hundred years.. Besides these were the fiddler, the piper, and four whistlers; 'So, says a humorous account published in 'i609o, 'here are eighteen persons who carrie in all places about them, eighteen' hundred and thirty-seven years.' The Musitians and the twelue dauncers,; continues the account, 'had long 'coates, of the old fashon, hie. sleeues gathered at -the elbowes, and hanging sleeu6s behind: the ,stuffe Red Bifffin, stript with white, Girdles with White, stockings white,'and redde APPENDIX. 93 93 Roses to their shoes*: the one sixe, a white Jew'es cap with a Jewell, and a long, red' feather: the other' a scarlet Jewes cap, with a Jewel and a white Feather: So the Hobbi-horse, and so the Maide-Marrion was attired in colours : the whislers had long staues, white and red. And after the daunce was ended, diuerse Courtiers that won wagers at the race, tooke those colours,: and wore them in their hats.'
