Cobham Hall: Letters to the last Duke of Lenox, A.D. 1667-72. With Notices of the Dutch Fleet in the Thames, A.D. 1667; and the Walsingham Pedigree
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§':ii
AT COBHAM HALL.
DooRWA.Y in the north side of the Sounr WING.
[ This and tlie two followin!J Plates are talcen from drawin!JB made, and 9iven to
tke Societg, bg HERDERT 13.AXER, Esq., qf Owlets, Oobkam.]
( 373 )
COBHAM HALL.
LETTERS TO THE Dun OJi' LENOX A.D. 1667-72.
EDITED BY CANON SCOTT ROBERTSON,
TnE Additional MSS. 21947-8 in the British Museum consist
of autograph letters, addressed to Charles Stuart, last Duke
of Lenox and Richmond. They are of all kinds : some
being official letters from the King, or the Privy Council,
addressed to the Duke as Lord-Lieutenant of Dorsetshire,
or as "Lieutenant of the General Staff" of the Kentish
Militia ; others are from the Duchess (his third wife, the
lovely Frances Stuart) during his absence from home; many
are from his stewards, respecting income and expenditure ;
others are from his half-sister Lady Elizabeth Levingston,
dated from Nocton, speaking of her aunt Stanhope, and, in
May 1666, of Lord John Butler's breaking the bridge of his
nose, against the edge of a chair. There are two or more
letters from Mr. Samuel Pepys, whose Diary is so well
known; and others are from the Duke's Kentish neighbours.
Among the earlier letters, one written in 1662, by Nat.
Tilson,* deprecates the Duke's idea of taking a house in
London, on account of his extravagant expenditure, which
had already far exceeded his income. Mr. Tilson declares
that during two years the young Duke (then twenty-three
years of age) had expended £57,300, or twice as much as
his income. Probably the cost of alterations at Cobham
Hall had consumed a large sum. Yet his marriages, first
with Elizabeth coheir of Richard Rogers of Bryanston,
Dorset (widow of Charles Cavendish, Lord Mansfield), and
secondly with Margaret widow of William Lewis of the Van
* To Mr. Tilson the Duke ultimately bequeathed £100 and an annuity of
£50.
374 CO:BHAM HALL.
in Glamorganshire, had largely increased his income. Nevertheless,
throughout the Duke's life, his expenditure was
upon such a princely scale that his agents were ever in a
chronic state of dilemma as to means of raising funds to
meet it. Letters in these volumes, from Roger Payne, from
Jar. Maplesden, and from others, testify continually to
these difficulties. His third wife, from whom alone there
are letters, brought him no wealth. In Archceologia Oantiana,
XI., 254-258, I have mentioned some details of his financial
matters. Not the least of his difficulties arose from the prolonged
life of his aunt, the Dowager Duchess of Lenox and
Richmond, whose income from the Cobham estates was a
heavy burden upon him, as long as he lived.
Upon public events and upon the Duke's life from 1667
to 1672 the letters in these MS. volumes throw additional
light. A few weeks after his marriage to "la Belle Stuart,"
the Duke wrote, on the 22nd of May 1667, from Cobham
Hall to Sir Joseph Williamson, who subsequently, in 1678,
became the second husband of his grace's sister, Lady
Katherine. Two years later, writing to the Duke on the
30th of August 1669, Sir Joseph speaks of "gratitude for
your grace's many honours to me." Sir Joseph also says
in the same letter that Lord Thomond was so extremely
troublesome to his son Henry, Lord O'Brien (the first
husband of Lady Katherine Stuart), that O'Brien had need
of all the aid his friends could give him.
From his honeymoon the Duke was constrained to hurry
o:ff, into Dorsetshire, to take measures for watching the
Dutch fleet, and for protecting the coast · of Dorset, o:ff
which that fleet was cruising. While he was thus occupied,
at a distance from his bride, the Dutch attack was made
close to his home at Cobham. Dire catastrophes ensued in
the Medway and the Thames (between which rivers Cobham
Park is situated) bringing disgrace upon England. Afterwards,
Prince Rupert was despatched to fortify Sheerness, in
the hope of preventing a repetition of such incursions as the
Dutch made, up those rivers, in June 1667.
These events, which must have alarmed the young
Duchess greatly, shall be explained in detail after we have
Herbert Baker, del.
COB HAM HALL.
WEST END OF THE NORTH WING; WITH "QUEEN ELIZABETH's" ROOM ABOVE, AND
THE "cu FTON" LIBRARY BELOW.
LETTER FROM THE DUCHESS OF LENOX, A.D. 1667. 875
read her grace's letter to her absent husband. Upon several
English medals, of this period, Philip de Rothier, the engraver,
introduced an effigy of the writer's handsome form,
which now appears as Britannia upon our English copper
coins.
Cobham, the ii 0£ July 166'7.
My Dearest Lord,
Yesterday I reseived a letter from you ; it is the second
since you arrived at Do[r]chester; and for which I give you many
thankes, becasse it has eaysed me 0£ a great delle 0£ care and trobel
that I had, fearing you were not well. Oh ! my Dearest, i£ you
love me have a care 0£ yoursel£e, for longer then you are in health
I cannot be in rest.
I will not £ail to send to Mr Freeman, about what you desiered.
This day Captain Jonson came heythur, to bring me news 0£ the
Francis.* I will not give you the trobel 0£ a dubble relation
consirning her, and I belive in the enclosed hee has don it at full.
Prince Rupert has bin thisse too days in the ill of Sheppway to
fortify Sheerness, which the Citty 0£ London has undertaken to do
for Ten thousand pound, and the King gives it them. So that
Sr John Robinson is now thayr, to see what materialls the Prince
will comand for that purpos. My Ld George came yesterday from
Sheerness, and by him the Prince did desier me to send him a buke
[buolc]. I gave order imediately to have an out La yen Deere
hunted, which was done this morning; but thay could not gitt any,
so that I thinke. tis best to have one shotte.
I hope, before this comes to y1' hands, you will have liue [leave] to
come home again ; for I longe extl'emly to see my Dere Lord, in
whom consists all my hapyness. I wonder you have not reseued your
powder, for I sent it by Dicke Rogers. The snuffers and pan I
have again, for I suspected you had given them to have the armes
changed, and I sent to Mr Ellson for them. I writ you word, long
since, that Mille1· was returned; but he beeing wanting 6 days I
thought he was run away ; upon which I hyered the other painter
you mention, to paint the Bedchamber; it is now almost done, and
lickwis all that apartment, but the Alcove cannot possibelly be done
in too months, which maid me advis you not to lett them go about
it this summer; i£ you did but know how hard it is to gitt work
men at this time, and how layzey thosse are which are here, I am
sure you would be of my opinon. I have tolld Tempel that you
have ordered him money, but i£ he dos not make more hast than he
has done yet I will not pay it him so sone, £or in ernest, he is a very
iddel felow. The next weeke Fle:x:n.ey shall buy some deall bordes,
£or then tbayer will want some. Mr Paynet is at his owue house
* ']he Francis was one of the Duke's privateer vessels. He had several
cruising about in search of foreign cargoes.
t Mr. Roger Payne, of Hall Place, Otterden, managed the Duke's affairs
at Cobham, He had previously acted as steward for Lord Mansfield, whose
widow (nee Rogers) had been the first wife of Oharles, Duke of Lenox. She
inherited, from her grandfather Sir J ustini::m Lewin, the m 1.nor of O btardan
376 LETTER OF THE DUCHESS OF LENOX.
but will be here again in too or three dayes ; then I am confident
he will tell you as I do that tis the hardest thinge in. nature now to
gitt workmen.
I have given order to have the Court* inclosed with all speed
immaginabel and thayer are a great many payls allredy cutt, but
now we cannot have sawyers to do the rest. I hope we shall eare
long ; pray ex.cues this tedious letter and contineu your kindness to
hur that is
Your most affection.at wife and seruant
F. RICHMOND & LENOS.t
I have not had any newes yet £rom Coll. Titus,+ nor from the
Oring Tree.§
My Ld George, my mother, & my sister all present thayer moat
humbel seruis to you; soe dose Mr Lornell wh all respect
immaginabel.
Since I writ this I reseued on £rom you, in which I find I am
still the hapyest wouman that ever was borne, in haveing the hart
of my Dearest Lord, and the only Joy of my li£e, which I will
rather chusse to dy then lousse. I will not writ you the .Artikels
of peace, which are agreed upon, becasse I beleve you have heard
them allredy. .Ambassador Covuntrey\l is gone, this morning,
post to Holland; soe as that it is to lait to writ to my Ld 0ornbury1
to spake to him; I hope you will now (that wee have peace) come
bake quickly, and do your one buissinesse becasse you understand
it better then any body else ; thowe in the mean time, if you have
any commands £or me, let me know them and I will I assure you
to se them executed, to the best of my power. I have sent my
and Otterden Place, near Faversham. Mr. Payne purchased Hall Place, and by
his will made in 1701 left £20 to be invested for the relief of poor cottagers of
Otterdeu who were good churchgoers. To him the Duke bequeathed £100 at
first by his will, and afterwards an annuity of £50 per annum.
* The Court in question was the space seen, in our illustration, between the
north and south wings of Cobham Hall, It was to be enclosed by erecting a
straight fence, of wooden pales, across the western side of the court.
t "Lenos" was a method of spelling Lenox.
:t: Colonel Titus was an officer of the King's Household; a favourite with the
Duke of Buckingham. Evelyn calls him "Col. Titus of the bedchamber,
author of the famous piece, against Cromwell, 'Killing no Murder.'" Before the
Kin, about this period (1667), the Duke of Buckingham used to mimic the
Earl of Clarendon, by walking in a stately manner, with a pair of bellows before
him to represent the Chancellor's seal purse, while Colonel Titus in front of him
carried a fire-shovel on his shoulder to represent the mace.
§ The Oring Tree must have been the sign of some house in London, " The
Orange Tree."
II Mr. Henry Coventry (of the King's bedchamber) was coupled with Lord
Holles to represent England in the Congress held at Breda, which they reached
on the 20th of May. Coventry passed into England on the 2nd of July with a
note of the articles of peace agreed upon, and returned on the 8th with the
King's approbation of them.
1 This Lord Corn bury was Henry, eldest son of the great Earl of Clarendon.
Lord Cornbury became the second Earl of Clarendon in 1674, and his eldest son
Edward, Lord Cornbury, married, in 1688, the Duke of Leno:x:'s niece
Katherine, daughter of Lady Katherine O'Brien.
C F'.KCLL,LITH0,8,FU!'lNIVALST HOLIIORN,E,C•
H.eibertllaker, d.el.
COBHAM HALL.
WEST END OF THE SOUTH WING, WITH A VIEW OFTH-E STONE PORCH AND DOORWAY
IN THE NORTH WING.
COBHAM HALL, A.D. 1667. 377
letters to Monsr Courtin and my Cossen Howard, ten dayes agoe.
Yesterday I reseued this inclossed, from my Ld St Albans, and
am very sory to find the House is not at his disposall, becasse I
here sr Rary, if it be his, will keepe it for p.im selfe, now he is
maryed. I thinke your best way were to writ immediattly to him
about it ; becasse you did mention it to him ownce before you went
to Dorsetshire ; and he, I remember, ansered you that if it were in
his power to lett, it shoulld be at your seruis.
Mr Ratten has not bin here since I reseued your orders to have
the measer of the s[t]ones for Copjng sent you; when he comes I
will not fayle to do it.
The "Court" which, the Duchess says, "I have given
order to have inclosed with all speed immaginabel," was, I
think, the space shewn upon the accompanying plate, as
intervening between the Elizabethan wings (north and south)
of Cobham Hall. The enclosure was to be made with
wooden palings, that would run from north to south between
the two turrets (seen on this and a previous plate, one upon
each) or, probably, a little westward of the turrets.
These two wings contain some of the most important
portions of the mansion. The large upper window, at the
west end of the north wing, is that of a room called "Queen
Elizabeth's Chamber."* Other upper windows in the north
wing are those of the g·reat picture gallery, which in the
time of the last Stuart Duke of Lenox seems to have been
called the " Wardrobe of Pictures."
Upon a subsequent page will be found the Inventory of
Furniture and Pictures, in Cobham Hail, when the last Duke
died in 1672, in which this Wardrobe of Pictures is mentioned.
The sleeping apartments are in the south wing, and in
the central building :finished by Duke Charles. The servants
reside in the eastern court, behind.
In the north wing was the chapel; on the 1·ight or
eastern side of the handsome doorway, of Caen stone, which
may be seen in the accompanying plate, but it is more fully
represented in Vol. XL, opposite page lxvii. This private
chapel was· constantly used, from 1653 to 1655, by James,
Duke of Lenox and Richmond, and afterwards by his widow,
* See ..tl..1•cli