Rockingham Castle and the Watsons , livre ebook

ROCKINGHAM CASTLE
AND THE
WATSONS.
BY
C. WISE.
R OCKINGHAM C ASTLE FROM THE N ORTH -W EST .
P AGE 119 .
CONTENTS.

C HAPTER 1. The Rockingham Castle of History
C HAPTER 2. Three Edwards
C HAPTER 3. Sir Lewis Watson-Prosperity
C HAPTER 4. Sir Lewis Watson (afterwards first Baron Rockingham, of Rockingham Castle),-Adversity
C HAPTER 5. Edward, second Baron Rockingham, and the Wentworths; the Earls of Rockingham; the Viscounts Sondes; the Marquises of Rockingham; the Barons Sondes (Monson-Watson and Milles); and the Rockingham Watsons.
C HAPTER 6. Rockingham Castle in 1891, a Chapter for the Tourist, by G. L. W.
C HAPTER 7. Rockingham Forest, with a brief sketch of the Hereditary Mastership of the Royal Buckhounds
N OTES AND D OCUMENTS -
A. The Will of Edward Watson, Esq., of Lyddington
B. The Three Bishops of Lincoln
C. The Will of Mrs. Anne Digby
D. Mrs. Anne Digby s Inventory
E. The Will of Anne, Lady Watson
E2. The Inventory of Sir Edward Watson, of Stoke Park
F. Fees paid on the Creation of Lewis, 1 st Baron Rockingham
G. Some Manorial Possessions of the Watsons-
Bringhurst, Drayton, and Easton Magna
G. Coton, or The Cottons
Garthorpe
Great Gidding
Kettering
Lyddington
Rockingham
Stoke Albany and Wilbarston
Stoke Park
H. Statement of Sir George Sondes
I. Rockingham Church
A DDITIONS AND C ORRECTIONS
P EDIGREES -
1. Pedigree of the Watsons of Rockingham Castle.
2. Pedigree of the Montagus of Boughton.
3. Pedigree of the Digbys of Dry Stoke.
4. Pedigree of Manners.
5. Pedigree of Wentworth.
6. Pedigree of Monson.
7. Pedigree of Sondes.
I NDEX .
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

F RONTISPIECE . Rockingham Castle from the North-West, from a drawing by E. C. Frere
I NITIAL L ETTER A, from design by S. Perkins Pick
I NITIAL L ETTER R, from design by S. Perkins Pick
G ROUND P LAN OF R OCKINGHAM C ASTLE , from G. T. Clark
I NITIAL D ESIGN . - D OORWAY IN M URAL T OWER , from pen-and-ink sketch by S. Perkins Pick
T AIL P IECE .-T HE E NTRANCE T OWERS , from sketch by S. Perkins Pick
I NITIAL D ESIGN .-M URAL T OWER AT L YDDINGTON , from sketch by S. Perkins Pick
P ORTRAIT OF E DWARD W ATSON, CIR . 1552, FROM P ORTRAIT BY H OLBEIN (?) photographed by Broadhead
P ORTRAIT OF E DWARD W ATSON (artist unknown), photographed by Broadhead
R OCKINGHAM C ASTLE FROM THE B EECH T REES , from photograph by Drake
T AIL P IECE . - L YDDINGTON C HURCH AND B ISHOP S P ALACE , from sketch by S. Perkins Pick
I NITIAL D ESIGN .-E NTRANCE C OURT , from sketch by S. Perkins Pick
S IR L EWIS W ATSON CIR . 1620, from portrait by Michael Wright, photographed by Broadhead
T AIL P IECE .-N ORTH F RONT OF R OCKINGHAM C ASTLE , from sketch by S. Perkins Pick
I NITIAL D ESIGN .-S TOKE A LBANY M ANOR H OUSE , from sketch by S. Perkins Pick
O LD P LAN OF F ORTIFICATIONS OF THE K EEP , copied by S. Perkins Pick
S IR L EWIS W ATSON , F IRST B ARON R OCKINGHAM, CIR . 1650, from portrait by Michael Wright, photographed by Broadhead
T AIL P IECE .-T HE T ERRACE F RONT , from sketch by S. Perkins Pick
I NITIAL D ESIGN .- C AVALIER R ELICKS , from sketch by S. Perkins Pick
L ADY C ATHARINE S ONDES , from a portrait by Sir Peter Lely, photographed by Broadhead
G RACE P ELHAM , W IFE OF L EWIS , F IRST B ARON S ONDES , from portrait by Angelica Kauffmann, photographed by Broadhead
T AIL P IECE .-W ALKER S H OUSE , from sketch by S. Perkins Pick
I NITIAL D ESIGN .- T HE S TREET , from sketch by S. Perkins Pick
T HE Y EW H EDGE , from a photograph by Drake
T AIL P IECE .-A NCIENT C HESTS , c., from sketch by S. Perkins Pick
I NITIAL D ESIGN .-W OODLAND S CENE , from photograph by Knighton
F LANKER AND R EMAINS OF K EEP , from photograph by Knighton
T AIL P IECE . - S TOCKS AND W HIPPING P OST AT G RETTON , from sketch by S. Perkins Pick
R OCKINGHAM C ASTLE FROM THE E AST , from photograph by Knighton
G ROUND P LAN OF R OCKINGHAM C ASTLE ,
Copied by permission from a Plan by G. T. Clark .
C HAPTER F IRST .

THE ROCKINGHAM CASTLE OF HISTORY.

Their engines eke they rear d, and with great art
Repaired each bulwark, turret, port and tow r,
And fortify d the plain and easy part
To bide the storm of every warlike stour,
Till as they thought, no sleight or force of mart
To undermine or scale the same had pow r.
(F AIRFAX Translation of Tasso , Book 18, Stan. 47.)

THE traveller by the Midland loop line from Nottingham to Kettering, when he reaches the Rutland end of that triumph of modern engineering-the Seaton Viaduct, comes upon one of the most charming pastoral scenes that can be imagined.
A broad and luxuriant valley, comprising some of the richest grazing land in the country, lies spread out before him. Ages ago this valley doubtless formed the bed of an estuary of the sea, which, following the immutable law of nature, that change, decay, and death in one age shall be the fountains of life for succeeding ages, has long since receded, and the rich alluvium it has deposited is the source to which we are indebted for the unrivalled pasturage now found there.
The only trace left of this once broad expanse of water is a narrow stream, the Fatal Welland, the Holy Welland of Michael Drayton, which gives its name to the valley through which it gently flows, with many windings.
On the north of this valley lie the somewhat imposing hills of Rutland and Leicestershire, whilst in front of him, the traveller sees the gentle and well wooded slopes of the Northamptonshire hills.
To add to the thoroughly English character of the scene, village after village is seen dotted about the valley, and on the hill sides; sometimes standing boldly out, like a sentinel upon a commanding height, as in the case of Bringhurst; sometimes hidden in a hollow, between surrounding slopes, as Lyddington; or lying basking in the open champaign country, as are Caldecott and Great Easton; or gently winding up the hill-side, like Rockingham.
Over the whole of these villages, and the greater portion of the valley, the family whose history it is proposed to trace in the following pages, once held seigniorial rights; and over much of the same district the present representative of the Rockingham branch of that family still wields a beneficent influence; and his home-the home of his ancestors for more than three hundred years, the stately Castle of Rockingham-is seen standing upon the extreme northerly point of a bold promontory above Rockingham, and commanding the valley and villages beneath.
As this Castle was, during five centuries, a royal residence, and indeed was, for a considerable period, virtually the Windsor Castle of the Midlands, a sketch of its history will doubtless be acceptable to the reader. 1
Some arch ologists profess to find traces of a British fortress having occupied the site of the present Castle. Certainly the situation was one which a tribe of our rude forefathers would be likely to utilize for purposes of defence or aggression. There are tolerably clear evidences that their conquerors, the Romans, availed themselves of the commanding position to erect a fortress here, probably for the protection of a road which they had made across the valley beneath. Still more distinct are the traces of a Saxon stronghold having existed here. Indeed, Doomsday Book tells us that it was held by the warlike Bovi; and it was, in all probability, his fortress which the Conqueror converted into a Castle.
If the reader, who is unable to visit the place itself, will take an ordnance map of the north-eastern portion of Northamptonshire, and look at the spot where Rockingham is marked, he will be better able to understand the nature of the stronghold which so long served as a secure dwelling for the royal and other owners of the fertile valley below it, and as a sort of police station, from which to watch over the security of that part of the royal forest of Rockingham which extended to the south and east of it.
As will be seen, the promontory upon which the position of the Castle is indicated, juts out almost duly northwards towards the Welland valley. East and west of it are defiles, or ravines, deepening rapidly towards the north, while on the north is a very precipitous slope down to the valley. It is evident that even a strong stockade on three sides of the summit would render this promontory tolerably secure against an attack in primitive warfare. The weakest point was on the south, abutting the extensive tableland on that side. To protect this side, a mound was, evidently in very early times, constructed towards the south-eastern edge of the promontory; and this mound was further strengthened, probably at a later date, by two ditches, or moats, extending across the southern part of the promontory. It will thus be seen that the steep declivities on three sides gave a certain amount of natural strength to the position, while the south, or weakest side, was secured by a fortified mound and entrenchments.
The constructor of the Castle evidently availed himself of these arrangements, and converting the mound into a strong keep, he enclosed all the northern part of the promontory (a space of close upon fifteen thousand square yards, or about three acres), with almost impregnable walls, and dividing the space thus enclosed into three baileys, or courts, he proceeded to erect the various buildings necessary for the housing and protection of himself and his nume