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CHAPTER XIII VANISHED PALACES
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Besides the palaces whose stories have been related, there were at one time many other royal residences scattered1 over England. These have either entirely2 vanished, even their sites being problematical, or mere3 fragments of them alone remain. While England remained in an unsettled condition, with constant internal wars, the Kings were always moving about taking their Court with them, staying in their various castles or fortified4 houses. We find that Henry II., the first of the Plantagenet Kings, never stayed long in any place, generally moving on after a few days' visit. But when more settled times came, and the Parliament [pg 68] remained at Westminster, the King came to live longer in London or at one of his royal houses in the neighbourhood. Some of the country palaces were maintained on account of the hunting they afforded.

A few brief notes must suffice for these vanished palaces.

Baynards Castle was situated5 on the River Thames not far from St. Paul's. In 1461 the City of London tendered their allegiance to Edward, Duke of York (Edward IV.) at Baynards Castle, and by doing so secured his triumph. It became a royal house on the attainder of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, and was rebuilt by Henry VIII., but was seldom occupied by the sovereign. Queen Mary gave it to the Earl of Pembroke.

Baynards Castle in 1790.

Dartford Priory was turned into a house for the King after the dissolution of the monasteries7. It is chiefly associated with King Henry VIII.'s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, who lived there during the reign6 of Edward VI. and until her death in 1556. Queen Elizabeth occasionally visited it, but when it was found to need costly8 repairs James I. granted it to Robert, Earl of Salisbury.

Enfield Palace, though a Crown property from the time of Henry IV., was not used as a royal residence until the time of Henry VIII. Queen Elizabeth was at Enfield when Henry VIII. died, and she often visited it after she came to the Throne. It was sold to the Earl of Pembroke in 1641.

[pg 69]

Hatfield House was acquired by Henry VIII., whose daughter, Queen Elizabeth, lived there during her sister's reign. James I. persuaded Sir Robert Cecil to accept it in exchange for his house at Theobalds.

Havering-atte-Bower Palace stood near Romford, in Essex. It was the country palace of Edward the Confessor, and was afterwards occupied by various Queens, some of whom died there. James I. let it to the Earl of Oxford9.

Kempton Park was often used by the Plantagenet Kings up till the time of Richard II. Henry VIII. ordered it to be taken down, using the building materials for his new palace of Whitehall.

King's Langley, in Hertfordshire, was Crown land from the fourteenth century, the manor10 being last held by Charles I., who presented it to Sir Charles Morrison.

Nonsuch Palace.

From an engraving11 by Houfnagle.

Nonsuch Palace at Cheam, in Surrey, was built by Henry VIII., who had obtained the land in 1538. The Earl of Arundel, to whom Queen Mary gave the palace, completed the building, which was still unfinished. It was a most unusual structure, almost fantastic with its bas-reliefs and gilded12 cupolas, and quite unlike the Tudor mansion13 of the period. Queen Elizabeth often visited Arundel, who entertained his royal mistress in lavish14 manner. She afterwards bought the estate, which James I. settled upon his wife. Charles II. gave it as [pg 70] a present to Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland, who pulled it down.

Oatlands, near Weybridge, in Surrey, was the site of a palace erected15 by Henry VIII., who also enclosed a park. It was occasionally visited by Henry VIII.'s successors, down to the time of the Civil War, when it was destroyed.

Savoy Palace, about 1650.

From an etching by Hollare.

Richmond Palace, the much-loved residence of the Tudors, received its name from Henry VII., who had been known as Henry of Richmond after the town in Yorkshire, before he came to the Throne. The first house was destroyed by Richard II. when his wife died there in 1394, but Henry VII. rebuilt it, dying there in 1509. Queen Elizabeth was often at the palace, where she died in 1603.

Savoy Palace obtained its name from Peter of Savoy, the uncle of Queen Eleanor, the wife of Henry III., who resided there. It was bought back again by [pg 71] Queen Eleanor, who handed it on to Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, from whose family it returned again to the Crown, by the marriage of John of Gaunt to Blanche of Lancaster. The captive King John of France spent some years of his life there.

Somerset House was built by the Protector Somerset, who ruthlessly destroyed churches and houses to obtain a site on the river. After his execution, it came to the Crown, and was afterwards used as part of the Queen's dowry, Catharine of Braganza being the last Queen to live in the palace. In 1775 it was converted into a Public Office; Buckingham Palace, just acquired by George III., being settled upon the Queen.

Theobalds, on the borders of Hertfordshire, was built by Robert Cecil, Lord Burleigh, who often entertained Queen Elizabeth, an honour which cost him £2,000 a visit. James I. was so delighted with it when he came there on his royal progress from Scotland, that he induced his host to let him have it in exchange for Hatfield. He was frequently there, enjoying the hunting in the neighbourhood, and died there in 1625, his son Charles being proclaimed at the gate. At the Civil War it was much damaged, afterwards being parcelled out among some Parliamentarian officers. The last remains16 disappeared in 1766.

Winchester Castle was built, according to tradition, by Arthur, and was constantly used by the early English Kings. It was the birthplace of Henry III., and Parliament assembled there occasionally until the fifteenth century. Henry V. was the last King to reside there. In the time of the Commonwealth17 it came into the possession of Sir William Waller, from whom the Corporation bought it.

[pg 72]

Woodstock, in Oxfordshire, was a royal manor when the Domesday survey was made. It was at Woodstock that Queen Eleanor, the wife of Henry II., discovered the Fair Rosamond, daughter of Lord Clifford, who was so much loved by her royal master. Much of the story is probably legend; she was certainly not murdered by the jealous Queen, but died in Godstow nunnery. Edward III. and Queen Philippa were much attached to the palace, where their eldest18 son, the Black Prince, was born. After Wyatt's rebellion, Queen Elizabeth was guarded there as a prisoner. James I. liked it for the hunting it afforded, and Charles I. was often there during his reign, especially when his army was at Oxford during the Civil War. It fell into ruin after the war, and the estate was given to the Duke of Marlborough after his famous victory at Blenheim. The architect of Blenheim Palace wished to save the ruins which still remained, but the Duchess of Marlborough declared that they spoilt the view, and so swept them away completely in 1723.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 scattered 7jgzKF     
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的
参考例句:
  • Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来,塞进文件夹里。
2 entirely entirely     
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
  • His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
3 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
4 fortified fortified     
adj. 加强的
参考例句:
  • He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
  • The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。
5 situated JiYzBH     
adj.坐落在...的,处于某种境地的
参考例句:
  • The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
  • She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。
6 reign pBbzx     
n.统治时期,统治,支配,盛行;v.占优势
参考例句:
  • The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
  • The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。
7 monasteries f7910d943cc815a4a0081668ac2119b2     
修道院( monastery的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • In ancient China, there were lots of monasteries. 在古时候,中国有许多寺院。
  • The Negev became a religious center with many monasteries and churches. 内格夫成为许多庙宇和教堂的宗教中心。
8 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
9 Oxford Wmmz0a     
n.牛津(英国城市)
参考例句:
  • At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
  • This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。
10 manor d2Gy4     
n.庄园,领地
参考例句:
  • The builder of the manor house is a direct ancestor of the present owner.建造这幢庄园的人就是它现在主人的一个直系祖先。
  • I am not lord of the manor,but its lady.我并非此地的领主,而是这儿的女主人。
11 engraving 4tyzmn     
n.版画;雕刻(作品);雕刻艺术;镌版术v.在(硬物)上雕刻(字,画等)( engrave的现在分词 );将某事物深深印在(记忆或头脑中)
参考例句:
  • He collected an old engraving of London Bridge. 他收藏了一张古老的伦敦桥版画。 来自辞典例句
  • Some writing has the precision of a steel engraving. 有的字体严谨如同钢刻。 来自辞典例句
12 gilded UgxxG     
a.镀金的,富有的
参考例句:
  • The golden light gilded the sea. 金色的阳光使大海如金子般闪闪发光。
  • "Friends, they are only gilded disks of lead!" "朋友们,这只不过是些镀金的铅饼! 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡
13 mansion 8BYxn     
n.大厦,大楼;宅第
参考例句:
  • The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
  • The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。
14 lavish h1Uxz     
adj.无节制的;浪费的;vt.慷慨地给予,挥霍
参考例句:
  • He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
  • The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。
15 ERECTED ERECTED     
adj. 直立的,竖立的,笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立,建立
参考例句:
  • A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
  • A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。
16 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
17 commonwealth XXzyp     
n.共和国,联邦,共同体
参考例句:
  • He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
  • Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。
18 eldest bqkx6     
adj.最年长的,最年老的
参考例句:
  • The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
  • The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。


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