The Hawarden Visitors' Hand-Book. _REVISED EDITION_. 1890. Chester:PRINTED FOR THE COMPILER BYPHILLIPSON & GOLDER, EASTGATE ROW. {W. Gladstone. Photographed by John Moffat, Edinburgh. 1884: p0. Jpg} ENTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Note as to the Illustrations. The Views of the Castle Gate and of Broughton Lodge are taken from Blockskindly lent for the purpose of this publication by the Proprietor of the_Leisure Hour_. And for the View of the House and Flower-garden I amindebted to the courtesy of the Proprietors of _Harpers Magazine_. W. H. G. Regulations as to Hawarden Park and Old Castle. Visitors are allowed to use the Gravel Drives through the Park and Woodbetween Noon and Sunset. Persons exceeding this permission and not keeping to the Carriage Roadwill be deemed Trespassers. The Park is closed on Good Friday and Whit-Monday. Dogs not admitted. _Excursion parties can only be received by special permission_, _and notlater in the year than the first Monday in August_. _The House is in no case shown_. Hawarden Village and Manor. Hawarden, in Flintshire, lies 6 miles West of Chester, at a height of 250feet, overlooking a large tract of Cheshire and the Estuary of the Dee. It is now in direct communication with the Railway world by the openingof the Hawarden and Wirral lines. It is also easily reached fromSandycroft Station, or from Queen's Ferry, (1. 5 m. )--whence the Church isplainly seen--or again from Broughton Hall Station (2. 25m. ). The GlynneArms offers plain but comfortable accommodation. There are also somesmaller hostelries, and a Coffee House called "The Welcome. " The Village consists of a single street, about half a mile in length. TwoCrosses formerly stood in it; the Upper and the Lower, destroyed in 1641. The site of the Lower Cross, at the eastern end, is marked by a Lime treeplanted in 1742. Here stood the Parish Stocks, long since perished. Moredurable, but grotesque in its affectation of Grecian architecture, may beseen close by, the old House of Correction. This spot is still calledthe Cross Tree. The Fountain opposite the Glynne Arms is designed as a Memorial of theGolden Wedding of the Right Hon. W. E. And Mrs. Gladstone. A littlelower down is the new Police Office; and further on is the Institute, containing mineralogical and other specimens, together with a goodpopular library. In Doomsday Book, Hawarden appears as a Lordship, with a church, twoploughlands--half of one belonging to the church--half an acre of meadow, a wood two leagues long and half a league broad. The whole was valued at40 shillings; yet on all this were but four villeyns, six boors, and fourslaves: so low was the state of population. It was a chief manor, andthe capital one of the Hundred of Atiscross, extending from the Dee tothe Vale of Clwyd, and forming part of Cheshire. The name is variously spelt in the old records. In Doomsday Book it isHaordine; elsewhere it is Weorden or Haweorden, Harden, HaWordin, Hauwerthyn, Hawardin and Hawardine. It is pretty clearly derived fromthe Welsh _Din_ or _Dinas_, castle on a hill (although some attribute toit a Saxon derivation), and was no doubt, like the mound called Truman'sHill, west of the church, in the earliest times a British fortification. No Welsh is spoken in Hawarden. By the construction of Offa's Dyke aboutA. D. 790, stretching from the Dee to the Wye and passing westwards ofHawarden, the place came into the Kingdom of Mercia, and at the time ofthe Invasion from Normandy is found in the possession of the gallantEdwin. It would appear, however, from the following story, derived, according to Willett's History of Hawarden, from a Saxon MS. , that in thetenth century the Welsh were in possession. "In the sixth year of the reign of Conan, King of North Wales, there wasin the Christian Temple at a place called Harden, in the Kingdom of NorthWales, a Roodloft, in which was placed an image of the Virgin Mary, witha very large cross, which was in the hands of the image, called HolyRood. About this time there happened a very hot and dry summer; so drythat there was not grass for the cattle; upon which most of theinhabitants went and prayed to the image or Holy Rood, that it wouldcause it to rain, but to no purpose. Among the rest, the Lady Trawst(whose husband's name was Sytsylht, a nobleman and governor of HardenCastle) went to pray to the said Holy Rood, and she praying earnestly andlong, the image or Holy Rood fell down upon her head and killed her; uponwhich a great uproar was raised, and it was concluded and resolved uponto try the said image for the murder of the said Lady Trawst, and a jurywas summoned for this purpose, whose names were as follows:-- Hincot of Hancot, Span of Mancot, Leech and Leach, and Cumberbeach. Peet and Pate, with Corbin of the gate, Milling and Hughet, with Gill and Pughet. " The Jury--so continues the story--found the Holy Rood guilty of wilfulmurder, and the sentence was proposed that she should be hanged. Thiswas opposed by Span, who suggested that, as they wanted rain, it would bebest to drown her. This, again, was objected to by Corbin, who advisedto lay her on the sands of the river and see what became of her. Thiswas done, with the result that the image was carried by the tide to somelow land near the wall of Caerleon--(supposed to be Chester)--where itwas found by the Cestrians drowned and dead, and by them buried at thegate where found, with this inscription:-- The Jews their God did crucify, The Hardeners theirs did drown, 'Cos, with their wants she'd not comply, And lies under this cold stone. Hence the said low land, or island, as it may have been, is supposed tohave got the name of the Rood-Eye, or Roodee as at present. After the Conquest, Hawarden was included in the vast grant made byWilliam to his kinsman, Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, which includedCheshire and all the seaboard as far as Conway. The Earl had hisresidence at Chester, and there held his Courts and Parliament. Hissword of dignity, referred to in the heading of Common Law Indictments, is preserved in the British Museum. Among the earliest residents atHawarden occurs the name of Roger Fitzvalence, son of one of theConqueror's followers; subsequently it continued in the possession of theEarls of Chester till the death of Ranulf de Blundeville, the last earl, in 1231, when, with Castle Rising and the 'Earl's Half' in Coventry, itpassed, through his sister Mabel, to her descendants, the Montalts. The Barons de Monte Alto, sometimes styled de Moaldis or Mohaut (nowMold, 6 miles from Hawarden, where the mound of the castle remains), werehereditary seneschals of Chester and lords of Mold. Roger de Montaltinherited Hawarden, Coventry, and Castle Rising, and married Julian, daughter of Roger de Clifford, Justiciary of Chester and North Wales, whowas captured at the storming of the Castle by Llewelyn, in 1281. Robertde Montalt the last lord, died childless {8} in 1329, when the baronybecame extinct. He it was who signed the celebrated letter to the Popein 1300 as Dominus de Hawardyn. Robert de Montalt bequeathed his estates to Isabella, Queen of EdwardII. , and Hawarden afterwards passed by exchange, in 1337, to Sir Williamde Montacute, Earl of Salisbury. From that family it reverted in 1406, by attainder, to the Crown, and in 1411 was granted by Henry IV. To hissecond son, Thomas, Duke of Clarence. Clarence dying without issue in1420, it reverted once more to the Crown, but finally, in 1454, passed toSir Thomas Stanley, Comptroller of the Household and afterwards LordStanley, whose son became the first Earl of Derby. In 1495, Henry VII. Honoured Hawarden with a visit, and made some residence here for theamusement of stag-hunting, but his primary motive was to soothe the Earl(husband to Margaret, the King's mother) after the ungrateful executionof his brother, Sir William Stanley. {9a} Hawarden remained in the possession of the Stanleys for nearly 200 years. William, the sixth Earl, when advanced in years, surrendered the propertyto his son James, reserving to himself 1000 pounds a year, and retiringto a convenient house {9b} near the Dee, spent there the remainder of hislife, and died in 1642. James, distinguished for his learning andgallantry, warmly espoused the cause first of Charles I. And afterwardsthat of his son. Under his roof Charles, when a fugitive, halted on hisway from Chester to Denbigh, on Sept. 25, 1645. After the battle ofWorcester, in 1657, James was taken prisoner, tried by Court Martial, andexecuted at Bolton in the same year. In 1653, the Lordship of Hawarden was purchased from the agents ofsequestration by Serjeant (afterwards Chief Justice) Glynne; and in 1661the sale was confirmed by Charles, Earl of Derby. The Glynnes are first heard of at Glyn Llivon, in Carnarvonshire, in1567. They trace their descent, however, much further back, to CilminDroed Dhu (Cilmin of the Black Foot), who came into Wales from the Northof Britain with his uncle Mervyn, King of the Isle of Man, who marriedEsyllt, heiress of Conan, King of North Wales, about A. D. 830. Theterritory allotted to him extended from Carnarvon to beyond Clynnog. Edward Llwyd was the first to assume the name of Glynne, which hisdescendants continued till the male succession ended in John Glynne, whose daughter and heiress, Frances, married Thomas Wynne of Bodnau, created a baronet in 1742. His son, Sir John, is said to have pulleddown the old strong mansion of Cilmin, and erected the present one. Hisson again, Sir Thomas, was created a Peer of Ireland for his services inthe American war, whose descendant is the present Lord Newborough. Thefather of the Serjeant was Sir William Glynne, Knight, 21st in descentfrom Cilmin Droed Dhu. The Serjeant early espoused the cause of thepopular party, perhaps rather from ambition than from principle. Hisabilities were soon recognized, and while still young he became HighSteward of Westminster and Recorder of London. In 1640 he was electedMember for Westminster as a strong Presbyterian. He was activelyconcerned in conducting the charge against Lord Strafford. In 1646 heopposed in Parliament Cromwell's Self-denying Ordinance, and was throwninto prison. He found means, however, to get reconciled to Cromwell in1648, and became one of his Council and Serjeant-at-law. In 1654 hebecame Chamberlain of Chester, and in the following year succeeded Rolleas Lord Chief Justice--which office he discharged with credit. {10} In1656 he was returned for Carnarvonshire, and in the Rump Parliament hesat again for Westminster. Meanwhile he contrived to ingratiate himselfwith the opposite side, and in 1660 we find him assisting on horseback atthe coronation of Charles II. He now resigned the Chief Justiceship, made himself very useful in settling legal difficulties consequent uponthe usurpation, and became as loyal as any cavalier: the King, as a markof his favour, {11a} bestowing a baronetcy upon his son in 1661. Hepossessed Henley Park, {11b} in Surrey, and an estate at Bicester, inOxfordshire, (of which church, as well as Ambrosden, he was patron) wherethe family resided. He died at his house in Westminster in 1666, and wasburied in a vault beneath the altar of S. Margaret's Church. His son, Sir William Glynne, the first baronet, sat in Parliament forWoodstock, and died in 1721. It was not till 1723 that the Glynnes movedto Hawarden, from Bicester. An old stone records the building of a housein Broadlane in 1727. In 1732 Sir John Glynne, nephew of Sir William, married Honora Conway, co-heiress with her sister Catherine of theRavenscrofts of Bretton and Broadlane, an old family connected withHawarden for many generations. {11c} This lady was the great great grand-daughter of Sir Kenelm Digby, and with her one-half of the Ravenscroftlands came into possession of the Glynnes; the other half in Brettonpassing eventually to the Grosvenors. She died in 1769. In 1752 SirJohn built a new house at Broadlane, which has since been the residenceof the family. Though not the founder of the _family_, Sir John Glynne may fairly beconsidered the founder of the _place_, and of the estate in its modernsense. Though he sat for five Parliaments for the Borough of Flint, hedevoted himself largely to domestic concerns and to the improvement ofhis property by inclosure, drainage, and otherwise. The present beautyof the Park is in a great measure due to his energy and foresight. Uponthe acquisition of Broadlane Hall, he at once took in hand there-planting of the demesne, {12} first in Broadlane and about the OldCastle, and in 1747 on the Bilberry Hill. He also turned his attentionto the developement of the minerals on the estate, and attempted thecarriage of coals to Chester by water. He died in 1777. His Grandson, Sir S. R. Glynne, married in 1806 the Hon. Mary Neville, daughter of Lord Braybrooke and of Catherine, sister to George, Marquessof Buckingham, and by her had four children: Stephen, eighth and lastBaronet, born September 22, 1807; Henry, Rector of Hawarden bornSeptember 9th, 1810; Catherine, now Mrs. Gladstone, born January 6, 1812;and Mary, afterwards Lady Lyttelton, born July 22, 1813. He died in 1815at the age of 35 years, and of his children Mrs. Gladstone alonesurvives. Sir Stephen, the last Baronet, died unmarried in 1874, surviving his brother the Rector only two years; and the Lordship of theManor, together, by a family arrangement, with the estates, then devolvedupon the present owner. {Catherine Gladstone. Photographed by G. Watmough Webster, Chester:p12. Jpg} The Old Castle. The Ruins of Hawarden Castle occupy a lofty eminence, guarded on the S. By a steep ravine, and on the other sides by artificial banks andditches, partly favoured by the formation of the ground. The space sooccupied measures about 150 yards in diameter. Upon the summit standsthe Keep, towering some 50 feet above the main ward, and some 200 feetabove the bottom of the ravine. "The place presents, " says Mr. G. T. Clark, "in a remarkable degree thefeatures of a well-known class of earthworks found both in England and inNormandy. This kind of fortification by mound, bank and ditch was in usein the ninth, tenth, and even in the eleventh centuries, before masonrywas general. {13} The mound was crowned with a strong circular house oftimber, such as in the Bayeaux tapestry the soldiers are attempting toset on fire. The Court below and the banks beyond the ditches werefenced with palisades and defences of that character. " It was usual after the Conquest to replace these old fortifications withthe thick and massive masonry characteristic of Norman Architecture. Hawarden, however, bears no marks of the Norman style though the Keep isunusually substantial. It appears, according to the best authorities, {14} to be the work of one period, and that, probably, the close of thereign of Henry III. Or the early part of that of Edward I. Hence RogerFitzvalence, the first possessor after the Conquest, and the Montalts, who held it by Seneschalship to Hugh Lupus, must have been content toallow the old defences to remain, as any masonry constructed by themcould scarcely have been so entirely removed as to show no trace of thestyle prevalent at the time. The Keep is circular, 61 feet in diameter, and originally about 40 feethigh. The wall is 15 feet thick at the base, and 13 feet at the level ofthe rampart walk--dimensions of unusual solidity even at the Normanperiod, and rare indeed in England under Henry III. Or the Edwards. Thebattlements have been replaced by a modern wall, but the junction withthe old work may be readily detected. In the Keep were two floors--thelower, no doubt, a store room without fire-place or seat--the upper astate room lighted from three recesses and entered from the portcullischamber. Next to this last is the Chapel, or rather _Sacrarium_, with a cinquefoil-headed doorway, and a small recess for a piscina, with a projectingbracket and fluted foot. Against the West wall is a stone bench, andabove it a rude squint through which the elevation of the Host could beseen from the adjoining window recess. Of the two windows, one issquare, the other lancet-headed. The altar is modern. There is a muralgallery in the thickness of the wall running round nearly the wholecircle of the Keep, and with remarkably strong vaulting. Descending from the Keep and inclosing the space below, were two walls orcurtains, as they are technically called. That on the N. Side, 7 feetthick and 25 feet high, is still tolerably perfect, and within it lay theway between the Keep and the main ward. Of the South curtain only afragment remains attached to the Keep. The entrance to the court-yard--now the so-called bowling-green--was onthe N. Side. On the South side, on the first floor (the basement beingprobably a cellar), was the Hall, 30 feet high from its timber floor tothe wall plate. Two lofty windows remain and traces of a third, andbetween them are the plain chamfered corbel whence sprung the open roof. Below the hall is seen a small _ambry_ or cupboard in the wall. Outside the curtain on the East side, where the visitor ascends to theCourtyard, are remains of a kitchen and other offices with apartmentsover, resting upon the scarp of the ditch. From the N. E. Angle of the curtain projects a spur work protected by twocurtains, one of which, 4 feet thick and 24 feet high, only remains, witha shouldered postern door opening on the scarp of the ditch at itsjunction with the main curtain. This spur work was the entrance to theCastle, and contains a deep pit, now called the Dungeon, and a Barbicanor Sally-port beyond. The pit is 12 feet deep and measures 27 feet x 10feet across. It may possibly have served the double purpose of defenceand of water supply--there being no other apparent source. In thefootbridge across the pit may have been a trap-door, or other means forsuddenly breaking communication in case of need. Overhead probably laythe roadway for horsemen with a proper drawbridge. The thickness of thewalls indicates their having been built to a considerable height, sufficient probably to form parapets masking the passage of the bridge. In the mound beyond, or counterscarp, was the gate-house and Barbican, containing a curious fan-shaped chamber up a flight of steps. While theearth-works surrounding the Castle are the oldest part of thefortifications--possibly, thinks Mr. Clark, of the tenth century--thedressed masonry and the different material of the Barbican and Dungeon-pit, together with some of the exterior offices, show them to be ofsomewhat later date than the main building. They have, in fact, as Mr. Clark remarks, more of an unfinished than a partially destroyedappearance. The squared and jointed stones, so easily removable andready to hand, {16} proved no doubt a tempting quarry to subsequentowners of Hawarden, who perhaps shared the faults of a period whenneither the architectural nor historical value of ancient remains wasgenerally appreciated. It now remains to trace the history of the Castle, so far as it is knownto us. In 1264 a memorable conference took place within its walls between Simonde Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, atwhich each promised to aid the other in promoting the execution of theirrespective plans. The King, who, with the Prince of Wales, was theEarl's prisoner, was compelled to renounce his rights, and the Castle wasgiven up to Llewelyn. On the suppression of de Montfort's rebellion theCastle reverted to the Crown, and Llewelyn was called upon by the PapalLegate, Ottoboni, to surrender it. This he at first declined, but beingdeserted by the Earl, who at the same time, in order to put an end to theconflict, offered to him his daughter Eleanor in marriage agreedafterwards to a treaty by which the Castle was to be destroyed, andRobert de Montalt to be reinstated in the possession of his lands inHawarden, but to be restrained from restoring the fortification forthirty years. This stipulation appears to have been violated, for in 1281 the Welshrebelled, and under David and Llewelyn (who then made up their quarrel), an attack was made by night upon the Castle, then styled Castrum Regis, which was successful. Roger de Clifford, Justiciary of Chester, wastaken prisoner, and the Castle with much bloodshed and cruelty stormedand partly burnt on Palm Sunday. The outrage was repeated in the nextyear (Nov. 6th, 1282), when the Justice's elder son, also Roger Clifford, was slain. Soon after this Llewelyn died, Wales was entirely subjugated, and David executed as a traitor. To this period may most probably be assigned the present structure. AKeep, such as that now standing is not likely to have been successfullyassaulted in two successive years; nor does internal evidence favour theidea that it was the actual work taken by the Welsh. Robert, the last ofthe Montalts, was a wealthy man, and in all probability it was during hisLordship, between 1297 and 1329, that the Castle, as we now see it, wasbuilt. Though the unusual thickness of the walls of the Keep might bethought more in keeping with the Norman period, the general details, asalready stated, the polygonal mural gallery and interior, and theentrance, evidently parts of the original work, are very decidedlyEdwardian. Of the subsequent history of the Castle, we have unfortunately nothing torecord until we come to the Civil War between Charles the First and theParliament. On Nov. 11th, 1643, Sir William Brereton, who had declaredfor the Parliament, appeared with his adherents at Hawarden Castle, wherehe was welcomed by Robert Ravenscroft and John Aldersey, who had chargeof it in the name of the King. Sir William established himself in theCastle, and harassed the garrison of Chester, which was for the King, bycutting off the supplies of coals, corn and other provisions, which theyhad formerly drawn from the neighbourhood. Meanwhile the Archbishop ofYork, writing from Conway to the Duke of Ormond announced the betrayal ofthe Castle and appealed for assistance. In response to this a force fromIreland was landed at Mostyn in the same month, and employed to reducethe fortress, garrisoned by 120 men of Sir Thomas Middleton's Regiment. The garrison received by a trumpet a verbal summons to surrender, whichgave occasion to a correspondence, followed by a further and moreperemptory summons from Captain Thomas Sandford, which ran as follows:-- Gentlemen: I presume you very well know or have heard of my condition and disposition; and that I neither give nor take quarter. I am now with my Firelocks (who never yet neglected opportunity to correct rebels) ready to use you as I have done the Irish; but loth I am to spill my countrymen's blood: wherefore by these I advise you to your fealty and obedience towards his Majesty; and show yourselves faithful subjects, by delivering the Castle into my hands for His Majesty's use--otherwise if you put me to the least trouble or loss of blood to force you, expect no quarter for man woman or child. I hear you have some of our late Irish army in your company: they very well know me and that my Firelocks use not to parley. Be not unadvised, but think of your liberty, for I vow all hopes of relief are taken from you; and our intents are not to starve you but to batter and storm you and then hang you all, and follow the rest of that rebellious crewe. I am no bread-and-cheese rogue, but as ever a Loyalist, and will ever be while I can write or name THOMAS SANDFORD, Nov, 28, 1643. Captain of Firelocks. I expect your speedy answer this Tuesday night at Broadlane Hall, where I am now, your near neighbour. Reinforcements having arrived from Chester, this was followed by a briskattack on the 3rd December, whereupon the garrison being short ofprovisions, a white flag was hung out from the walls, and the Castlesurrendered on the following day to Sir Michael Emley. It was held bythe Royalists for two years, but after the surrender of Chester, in Feb. 1646, Sir William Neal, the governor, capitulated (after receiving theKing's sanction--then at Oxford--) to Major-General Mytton after amonth's siege. It was probably during these operations that thespecimens of stone and iron cannon balls still remaining were used. An entry in the Commons' Journals refers to this last event, dated 16thMarch, 1645. Ordered: That Mr. Fogge the Minister shall have the sum of 50 poundsbestowed upon him for his pains in bringing the good news of the takingof the Castle of Hawarden; and that the Committee of Lords and Commonsfor advance of Moneys at Haberdashers' Hall do pay the same accordingly. The Lords' concurrence to be desired herein. In the following year there is an Order "That the Castles of Hawarden, Flint, and Ruthland be disgarrisoned and demolished, all but a tower inFlint Castle, to be reserved for a gaol for the County"; and aconfirmation of it follows in the next year, dated 19th July, 1647. These orders were no doubt forthwith executed, and of Flint and Rhuddlanlittle now remains. At Hawarden gunpowder has been used to blow upportions of the Keep. Sir William Glynne, son of the Chief Justice, twenty or thirty years later, carried further the work of destruction. Sir John Glynne, too, is said to have made free with the materials of theCastle, and certain it is that a vast amount has been carted away andused up in walls and for other purposes. His successors, however, havedone their utmost to make amends for these ravages, and to preserve theruins from further injury. The entrance and the winding stair by whichthe visitor mounts to the top of the Keep are a restoration skilfullyeffected not long ago under the direction of Mr. Shaw of Saddleworth. Theview embraces a wide range of country, North, East, and South, extendingfrom Liverpool to the Wrekin: on the West it is bounded by Moel Fammau orQueen Mountain, on the summit of which is seen the remnant of the fallenobelisk raised to commemorate the 50th year of the reign of George III. Round about lie the Woods and the Park, presenting a happy mixture ofwild and pastoral beauty; while close beneath the Old stands the NewCastle, affecting in its turreted outline some degree of congruity withits prototype, but much more contrasting with it in its home-like air, and the luxury of its lawns and flower-beds. Not less striking is the view of the Ruins from below. Here judgment andtaste have combined with great natural advantages of position to producean exceedingly picturesque effect. From the flower garden a wide sweepof lawn, flanked by majestic oaks and beeches, carries the eye up to thefoot-bridge crossing the moat, thence to the ivy-mantled walls whichoverhang it, and upward again to the flag-topt tower that crowns theheight. Clusters of ivy, and foliage here and there intervening, serveto soften and beautify the mouldering remains. The scene brings to ourminds the words of the poet-- "The old order changeth, yielding place to new"; and, conscious as we may be that society in our day has its dangers anddisorders of a different and more insidious kind, we are thankful thatour lot is not cast in the harsh and troublous times of our history. Allaround us the former scenes of rapine and violence are changed tofertility and peace. The Old Castle serves well to illustrate thecontrast. Its hugely solid walls, reared 600 years ago with so muchpains and skill to repel the invader and to overawe the lawless, haveplayed their part, and are themselves abandoned to solitude and decay. Within the arches which once echoed to the clang of arms the owls havetheir home; while the rooks from the tree-tops around seem to chant the_requiem_ of the past. {Ruins of Old Castle: p21. Jpg} The Church. {The Church: p22. Jpg} Hawarden Church, with its large graveyard attached, finely situatedoverlooking the estuary of the Dee, is supposed to have been built aboutA. D. 1275, and has much solidity and dignity of structure. The patronsaint is S. Deiniol, founder of the Collegiate monastery at Bangor, andabout A. D. 550 made first Bishop of that See. In the old records he isstyled one of the three "Gwynvebydd" or holy men of the Isle of Britain. He was buried in Bardsey Island. A place still called "Daniel'sAsh"--perhaps a corruption of Deiniol--may be the very spot where hegathered his disciples round him. Two Dedication festivals are observed, the one on S. Deiniol's Day, December 10th, the other on the Sunday afterHoly Cross Day, September 14th. The Church has a central towercontaining six bells, {23a} a chancel with a south aisle called theWhitley Chancel (after the Whitleys of Aston), and a nave with blindclerestory and two aisles. There is a division in the roof between thechancel and the nave which has the appearance of a transept, but notextended beyond the line of the aisles. The axis of the chancel deviatesfrom that of the nave. In 1764 the nave and aisles were newly pewed in place of the old benches, and the floor flagged instead of being strewn with rushes. In 1810 agallery was erected at the west end and an organ placed in it; thegallery was enlarged and a new organ purchased in 1836. {23b} Great improvements were made about the year 1855 by the Rev. HenryGlynne, Rector: the organ and singers were removed from the west to theeast end, the pews converted into open seats, and the cumbrous "threedecker" pulpit and reading desk {24a} exchanged for simpler furniture. Unfortunately on the 29th October, 1857, a disastrous fire occurred, almost entirely destroying the roof and fittings of the Church. Itsrestoration was at once placed in the hands of Sir Gilbert Scott, architect, who improved the occasion by adding the small spire which nowwith excellent effect crowns the otherwise somewhat stunted tower. Anorgan chamber was now added on the N. Side of the chancel, and on the14th July, 1859, with Sermons from the late Bishop Wilberforce, Dean Hookand others, the Church was re-opened. The whole expenditure was about8000 pounds. The Reredos is a representation of the Last Supper in alabaster, and waserected as a memorial to the Rev. Henry Glynne, Rector of the Parish for38 years. In the side chancel {24b} under the 'Vine' window, is arecumbent figure of his brother, Sir Stephen Glynne, who died two yearslater in 1874--a beautiful work by Noble. To his memory also were givenby the parishioners the wrought-iron gates at the main entrance to theChurchyard. Upon the altar table stands a handsome brass cross mounted on _rossoantico_ the gift of the parishioners to the present Rector. The oldCommunion plate was twice stolen, viz. , on April 13th, 1821, when it wasrecovered, being found beaten flat and buried near the Higher Ferry; andfinally in 1859. The Churchyard was enlarged in 1859, by gift of thelate Rector. The old Cross which stood in the Churchyard in 1663, hasdisappeared: possibly the Sun-dial now occupies its place. The Parish Register dates from the year 1585; and the list of Rectorsgoes back to 1180. The Living is what is termed 'a Peculiar, ' and was formerly exempt fromEpiscopal jurisdiction. The Rectors granted marriage licenses, provedwills, and had their own consistorial Courts and Proctors. The Court washeld in the Eastern Bay of the Chancel Aisle: the seal, still used, represents Daniel in the Lion's Den, with the legend 'Sigillum peculiariset exemptae jurisdictionis de Hawarden'. These privileges, originallygranted by the Pope, were continued at the Reformation; but in 1849 theParish was definitely attached to the Diocese of S. Asaph, and the powerof granting marriage licenses now alone remains. The Tithes were in 1093, granted by Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, to theMonks of S. Werburgh. In 1288 Pope Nicholas the 3rd, granted them toKing Edward the 1st, for six years. They were then valued at 13 pounds6s. 8d. At the Reformation they were estimated at 66 pounds 6s. 5. 5d. The Rectory was greatly enlarged by the Hon. George Neville Grenville, Rector from 1814 to 1834, and afterwards Dean of Windsor. The gardencomprises nearly six acres and is charmingly laid out. A list of Rectors of Hawarden is appended. Up to the middle of the 15thcentury exchanges were very frequent. 1180. William de Montalt 1209. Ralph de Montalt 1216. HughWilliam 1272. RogerRichard de Osgodly 1315. William de Melton 1317. John Walewayn 1331. Thomas de Boynton 1333. Roger de Gildesburgh 1344. John de Baddeley 1350. James de Audlegh 1353. John Bexsyn 1357. Robert de Coningham 1368. William Pectoo 1391. Roger de DavenportHenry Merston 1423. Marmaduke Lumley 1425. John Millyngton 1466. James Stanley 1478. Matthew Fowler 1487. James Stanley 1505. Randolph Pool 1557. Arthur Swift 1561. Thomas Jackson 1605. John Phillips D. D. 1633. Thomas Draycott 1636. Robert Browne 1638. Christopher Pasley D. D. 1640. Edward Bold 1655. Lawrence Fogge D. D. 1664. Orlando Fogge 1666. John Price D. D. 1685. Beaumont Percival D. D. 1714. B. Gardiner 1726. Francis Glynne 1728. John Fletcher 1742. Richard Williams 1770. Stephen Glynne 1780. Randolph Crewe 1814. George Neville-Grenville 1834. Henry Glynne 1872. Stephen E. Gladstone {Interior of Church: p26. Jpg} The Modern Residence and Park. The modern Residence was built in 1752 upon the site of Broadlane Hall, the seat of the Ravenscrofts, an old house of wood and plaster, whichcame into Sir John Glynne's possession by his marriage with HonoraConway, daughter of Henry Conway and Honora Ravenscroft. Originally asquare brick house, it was afterwards in 1809 extended by the addition ofthe Library on the West side and of the Kitchen and other offices on theEast; the whole being cased in stone {27} and castellated. The entrancewas now turned from the S. To the N. Front--the turnpike road, whichpassed in front of the house and along the Moat to the Village, havingbeen diverted in 1804--and the present Flower-garden constructed with theold Thorn-tree in the centre. Quite recently has been added the block atthe N. W. Angle of the house, containing Mr. Gladstone's Study, or, as hecalls it, the 'Temple of Peace. ' {House and Flower Garden: p27. Jpg} The most striking feature about this room is that (to use the phrase of awriter in Harper's Magazine) it is built about with bookcases. Insteadof being ranged along the wall in the usual way, they stand out into theroom at right angles, each wide enough to hold a double row facing eitherway. Intervals are left sufficient to give access to the books, and Mr. Gladstone prides himself upon the economy of space obtained by thisarrangement. His Library numbers near 20, 000 volumes, many of which haveoverflowed into adjoining rooms, where they are similarly stored. Ofthis number Theology claims a large proportion; Homer, Dante, {28a} andShakespeare also have their respective departments, and any residentvisitor is at liberty, on entering his or her name in a book kept for thepurpose, to borrow any volume at pleasure. Three writing-tables areseen. At one Mr. Gladstone sits when busy in political work andcorrespondence; the second is reserved for literary and especially, Homeric studies; the third is Mrs. Gladstone's. "It is, " remarked Mr. Gladstone to the writer above mentioned, with a wistful glance at thetable where 'Vaticanism' and 'Juventus Mundi' were written, "A long timesince I sat there. " About the room are to be seen busts and photographsof old friends and colleagues--Sidney Herbert, the Duke of Newcastle, Canning, Tennyson, Lord Richard Cavendish, and others, while in thecorners lurk numerous walking sticks and axes. Adjoining Mr. Gladstone's room is the Library of the house--awell-proportioned and comfortable room, well stored with books, prominentamong which topography and ecclesiology testify to the predelictions ofthe late owner, Sir Stephen Glynne. {28b} There are some good familyportraits and other pictures, among which are specimens of Sir PeterLely, Snyders, and a very fine likeness of Sir Kenelm Digby by Vandyke. There is a fine picture by Millais of Mr. Gladstone and his grandson, {29a} painted in 1889, and another good portrait of him by the late F. Holl; also a much-admired likeness of Mrs. Gladstone by Herkomer. Shading the windows of Mr. Gladstone's Study is a singular circle oflimes of some 20 feet in diameter, which goes by the name of Sir JohnGlynne's Dressing-Room. Mounting the slope towards the old castle is theBroad Walk, terminating in an artificial amphitheatre at the top, made bySir John Glynne to give employment in a time of distress. The groundsabound in fine trees, {29b} and in rhododendrons which in spring formmasses of bloom. In 1819, Prince Leopold, the late King of the Belgians, visited theCastle; and the small wooden door on the south side of the Ruins is stillcalled after him. The Visitors' Book at the Lodge also records, inautograph, the names of Her Gracious Majesty, as Princess Victoria, andher mother, the Duchess of Kent, in or about the year 1833. In the palmy days of the Royal British Bowmen the Castle was the frequentscene of bow-meetings; the peculiar green costumes and feathers worn byboth the ladies and gentlemen competitors contributing to the picturesqueeffect of these gatherings. Simultaneously with one of these ArcheryMeetings, in the year, we believe, 1835, was held a Fancy Bazaar, commemorated in some admirable lines by Mr. R. E. Warburton of ArleyHall, which will be read with pleasure in connection with more recentbazaars held in the same place. While tents are pitched in Hawarden's peaceful vale, And harmless shafts the platted targe assail; While now the bow (the archers more intent On making love than making war) is bent; Beneath those towers, where erst their fathers drew In deadly conflict bows of tougher yew; Lo! Charity, a native of the skies, Whose smile betrays her through a vain disguise, Mounts the steep hill, and 'neath th' o'erhanging wall, The canvass stretch'd in triumph, plants her stall; In gay profusion o'er the counter pours Her glittering wares and ranges all her stores. Beneath the magic of her touch behold Transformed at once the warlike aims of old! The mighty falchion to a penknife shrinks, The mailed meshes from the purse's links; The sturdy lance a bodkin now appears, A bunch of tooth-picks once a hundred spears; A painted toy behold the keen-edged axe! See men of iron turned to dolls of wax! The once broad shield contracted now in span Raised as a screen or fluttered as a fan; The gleaming helm a hollow thimble proves, And weighty gauntlets dwindle into gloves. The plumes that winged the arrow through the sky, Waft to and fro the shuttlecock on high; Two trusty swords are into scissors cross'd, And dinted breastplates are in corsets lost; While dungeon chains to gentler use consigned, Now silken laces, tighten stays behind. Approach! nor weapons more destructive fear, Where'er ye turn, than pins and needles here. While hobbling Age along the pathway crawls, By aid of crutch to scale the Castle's walls: With eager steps advance, ye generous youths, Draw purses all, and strip the loaded booths. Bear each away some trophy from the steep, Take each a keepsake ere ye quit the keep! Come, every stranger, every guest draw nigh! No peril waits you save from beauty's eye. Hard by the Castle and across the yard will be found Mrs. Gladstone'sOrphanage, containing from 20 to 30 boys. Close by is a little Home ofRest established by Mrs. Gladstone, for old and infirm women. The housein which the orphans are lodged is called Diglane, and was formerly theresidence of the Crachley family. It was sold to Sir John Glynne in1749. {Gateway--Castle, shewing Orphanage: p31. Jpg} The Park is about 250 acres in extent, to which have to be added theBilberry Wood and Warren Plantations. It is divided into two parts by aravine passing immediately under the old Castle and traversing its entirelength. The further side is called the Deer Park, inclosed and stockedby Sir John Glynne in 1739. Its banks and glades, richly timbered, andovergrown with bracken, afford from various points beautiful views overthe plain of Chester, with the bold projections of the Frodsham andPeckforton hills. Along the bottom of the hollow flows Broughton brook. Two Waterfalls occur in its course through the Park: the lower is calledthe Ladies' Fall: near the upper one stood a Mill, now removed, theerection of which is commemorated by a large stone, bearing the followinginscription: "Trust in God for Bread, and to the King for Justice, Protection and Peace. This Mill was built A. D. 1767 By Sir John Glynne, Bart. , Lord of this Manor: Charles Howard Millwright. Wheat was at this year 9s. And Barley at 5s. 6d. A Bushel. Luxury was at a great height, and Charity extensive, but the pool were starving, riotous, and hanged. " Between this spot and the "Old Lane, " a sandy gully, lined with oldbeeches, and once the road to Wrexham--now tenanted by rabbits--are twolarge oaks, 17 and 18 feet in circumference respectively. Another tree, a beautiful specimen of the _fagus pendula_, or feathering beech, a greatfavourite with Mr. Gladstone, deserves attention. It stands a few yardsfrom the iron railing near the moat of the old Castle, and measures 17ft. 11 in. Round. The sycamores at Hawarden are particularly fine. Norshould the visitor omit seeing the noble grove of beeches at the Ladies'Fall. The road which descends the steep hill under the Old Castle and crossesthe brook, leads up through the Park to the Bilberry Wood. Twentyminutes' walk through the wood brings one to the "Top Lodge" (1. 75 milesfrom the Castle). From this point either the walk may be continuedthrough the further plantations to the pretty Church of St. John's atPenymynydd, {32a} or, if necessary Broughton Hall Station, 2. 5 milesdistant, may be gained direct. The inclosures and the plantations onthis portion of the estate, called the Warren, were made in 1798, andcommand some very fine views. The high road through Pentrobin andTinkersdale offers a pleasant return route to Hawarden. Everyone has heard of Mr. Gladstone's prowess as a woodcutter, and tosome it may even have been matter of surprise to see no scantiness oftrees in the Park at Hawarden. It is true that he attacks trees with thesame vigour as he attacks abuses in the body politic, {32b} but heattacks them on the same principle--they are blemishes and not ornaments. No one more scrupulously respects a sound and shapely tree than Mr. Gladstone; and if he is prone to condemn those that show signs of decay, he is always ready to listen to any plea that may be advanced on theirbehalf by other members of the family. In this, as in other matters, doubtful points will of course arise; but there can be no question that apolicy of inert conservatism is an entire mistake. Besides the naturalgrowth and decay of trees, a hundred other causes are ever at work toaffect their structure and appearance; and the facts of the landscape, thus continually altering, afford sufficient occupation for the eye andhand of the woodman. It was late in life that Mr. Gladstone took towoodcutting. Tried first as an experiment, it answered so admirably theobject of getting the most complete exercise in a short time that, thoughsomewhat slackened of late, it has never been abandoned. His procedureis characteristic. No exercise is taken in the morning, save the dailywalk to morning service but between 3 and 4 in the afternoon he salliesforth, axe on shoulder, accompanied by one or more of his sons. Thescene of action reached, there is no pottering; the work begins at once, and is carried on with unflagging energy. Blow follows blow, deliveredwith that skill which his favourite author {33a} reminds us is of morevalue to the woodman than strength, together with a force and energy thatsoon tells its tale on the tree * * * * Illa usque minatur Et tremefacta comam concusso vertice nutat, Vulneribus donec paulatim evicta supremum Congemuit, traxitque jugis avulsa ruinam. _Virgil OEn II. _ 626 "It still keeps nodding to its doom, Still bows its head and shakes its plume, Till, by degrees o'ercome, one groan It heaves, and on the hill lies prone. " _Conington's Translation_. At the advanced age he has now attained, it can hardly be expected thatMr. Gladstone can very frequently indulge in what has been his favouriterecreation for the past twenty-five years. The present winter {34}however saw the fall of at least one large tree, in which he took a fullshare--a Spanish chestnut, measuring 10ft. At the top of the face, andthose who were present can testify to the undiminished vigour with whichthe axe was wielded on that occasion. Parish and District of Hawarden. The Parish of Hawarden is a very extensive one, containing upwards of17, 000 acres, with a population, according to the census of 1871, of7088. Sixteen townships are included in it; Hawarden, Broadlane, MancotAston, Shotton, Pentrobin, Moor, Rake, Manor, Bannel, Bretton, Broughton, Ewloe Wood, Ewloe Town, Saltney and Sealand. To provide for thespiritual wants of so large a district, four daughter churches have beenbuilt--viz. : S. Matthew's, Buckley, {35a} in 1822, S. Mary's, Broughton, {35b} in 1824, S. Johns, Penymynydd, {35c} in 1843, and S. Bartholomew's, Sealand, in 1867. The work of the Parish Church is now furthersupplemented by three new School-chapels at Shotton, Sandycroft andEwloe. The chief portion of Saltney, and the district of Buckley, havebeen recently separated from Hawarden for ecclesiastical purposes. {Lodge Gate--Broughton Approach: p35. Jpg} The Rector of Hawarden has also to provide for the management and supportof eight National Schools, involving an annual expenditure of 1460pounds. The requirements of the Education Act of 1870 involved an outlayof 4300 pounds raised entirely from local sources. The patronage of the living is vested in the Lord of the Manor. {36} TheRev. S. E. Gladstone, the present Rector, was appointed by the late SirStephen Glynne in 1872. The Grammar School is finely situated, near the Church, and hasaccommodation for 50 scholars, inclusive of 20 boarders. The income fromendowment is 24 pounds. The temporary building adjoining contains a portion of the Library of theRight Hon. W. E. Gladstone. The land about Hawarden varies much in quality. The best lies towardsthe river and on Saltney, where are large and well cultivated farms. Onthe higher ground in Pentrobin the soil is poorer; here however are foundholdings that have remained in the same family for generations. The landis mainly arable; but little cheese being now made. About one mile and a half from Hawarden on the road to Northop, lieensconced in a wood the scant remains of the old Castle of Ewloe--thescene of a battle between the English and Welsh in 1157, in which theformer were defeated by David and Conan, sons of Owen Gwynedd. The district is rich in beds of coal and clay. The former have beenworked from an early period when the coal was mostly sent to Chester; butthe difficulties of carriage before the turnpike road was made, andespecially of draining the mines, which before steam-engines came intouse was attempted to be done by means of levels, {37} were a seriousimpediment to that development which under more favourable conditions hassince taken place. Formerly the only means of getting the minerals of the district away, wasa horse tramway from Buckley to Queensferry. In 1862 however was openedthe Wrexham and Connah's Quay Railway, --Mrs. Gladstone cutting the firstsod, and an address from the Corporation of Wrexham being at the sametime presented to Mr. Gladstone, then Chancellor of the Exchequer. Thisline is now carried through Hawarden, and, when connected with Birkenheadand Liverpool by the Mersey Tunnel, now happily completed, is destined inall probability to become one of importance beyond the limits of theimmediate district. Clay has been extensively worked in Buckley, where the Messrs. Hancock'sfamous fire-brick is made. Mention may also be made of the white bricksmade by the Aston Hall Coal and Brick Company, which are in great favourwith builders on account of their powers of resisting the weather and ofretaining their colour. A clay, resembling _terra cotta_ when burnt, hasalso been found on Saltney. At Sandycroft, on the river bank, are the Ironworks belonging to Messrs. Taylor, where mining and other machinery is made. The present course of the River below Chester, is called the New Cut, andwas completed under Act of Parliament, in 1737, by the River Dee Company, who have lately handed over their interest in the River to a newly formedConservancy Board. The River, which before wandered over a large tract, was thus confined to the present channel, and a large reclamation of landeffected. In compensation for the loss of rights of pasturage, 200pounds is paid yearly by the Company to Trustees for the benefit of theFreeholders of the Manor of Hawarden; 50 pounds is also paid yearly forthe repair of the south bank. This was followed by the inclosure ofSaltney Marsh, in 1778. Possessing as it does a greater depth of water over the bar than theMersey, and provided with ample railway communication with the greatindustrial centres, it is probable that the Dee may ere long become a farmore important river as a vehicle of commerce than heretofore. Of stillmore importance to Hawarden is the establishment of direct communicationwith Liverpool already referred to, in place of the present circuitousroute by Chester and Runcorn. By the new Swing Railway Bridge across theDee, direct access will be given to Birkenhead and Liverpool by theMersey Tunnel across the Wirral; such communication will not onlystimulate and develop to the utmost the natural resources of thedistrict, but will offer residential facilities, beneficial, as it may behoped, alike to town and country. {Map of Hawarden: p38. Jpg} PHILLIPSON AND GOLDER, PRINTERS, CHESTER. Footnotes: {8} He was buried at Shuldham, in Norfolk. {9a} Pennant. Sir W. Stanley had rendered the most valuable service tothe King at the battle of Bosworth; yet, upon suspicion of his favouringthe cause of Perkin Warbeck, the King had him seized at his castle atHolt and beheaded. {9b} This may have been the house known as "The Manor, " now occupied byMr. Bakewell Bower of the Manor Farm. {10} See Campbell's Lives of the Chief Justices. {11a} The Letters Patent recite also the service rendered to the King bythe furnishing a sum of money sufficient for the maintenance of thirtysoldiers for three years in the Plantation of Ulster. {11b} Henley Park was left to John Glynne, (son of the Chief Justice byhis second wife, ) through whom it passed by marriage to Francis Tilney, Esq. {11c} We find Hugh Ravenscroft mentioned as Steward of the Lordships ofHawarden and Mold, about the year 1440. Thomas Ravenscroft, father ofHonora, afterwards Lady Glynne, by his wife Honora Sneyd of Keel Hall, Staffordshire, was a Member of Parliament, and died in 1698, aged 28. There is a monument to him in Hawarden Church. {12} Pennant learnt that the timber had been valued in 1665 at 5000pounds and subsequently sold. {13} Between 1830 and 1840 the Norman Archaeological Society visited thesites of all the Castles of the Barons who had gone over to England withWilliam the Conqueror, and in none of them found any masonry older thanthe second half of the eleventh century. {14} _e. G. _ Mr. G. T. Clark and Mr. J. H. Parker, from whom this accountis chiefly derived. {16} The uncommon strength and tenacity of the ancient mortar used inthe Castle was especially conspicuous in the Keep prior to the recentrestorations. In one place an enormous mass of masonry remainedsuspended without other support than its own coherence and adhesion. Forsecurity this has now been underpinned. {23a} In 1563 there were five bells. In 1740 they were sold and six newones purchased from Abel Rudhall of Gloucester, at a cost of 628 pounds. They bear the following inscriptions, with the initials of the maker andthe date 1745 in each case: No. 1. Peace and good neighbourhood. , , 2. Prosperity to all our benefactors. , , 3. Prosperity to this Parish. , , 4. I to the Church the living call, And to the grave do summon all. , , 5. Geo Hope, Churchwarden. Thos Fox, Sidesman. , , 6. Abel Rudhall of Gloucester cast us all. {23b} There is a curious carved oaken slab, 4ft high, surmounted by across, which forms part of the present Reading Desk. On the cross is aneagle, with a vine branch and grapes above, and with a scroll in his beakinscribed, In Domino confido. The pillar was probably in commemorationof a maiden daughter of Randolph Pool, Rector in 1537. {24a} Its peculiarity consisted in its accommodating two officiatingclergymen simultaneously. The Clerk's Desk was, as usual, below. {24b} This Chancel, called the Whitley Chancel, was restored anddecorated in 1885, by the munificence of H. Hurlbutt, Esq. , of DeeCottage, from the designs of Mr. Frampton, and under the superintendenceof Mr. Douglas, Architect, Chester. The same gentleman erected the LychGate at the North entrance to the Churchyard. {27} From Tinkersdale Quarry. {28a} Dante is one of the four authors to whom Mr. Gladstone attributesthe greatest _formative_ influence on his own mind; the other three beingAristotle, Bishop Butler, and S. Augustine. {28b} Sir S. Glynne was one of the highest authorities on EnglishEcclesiology. He visited and described in a series of Note Books, whichare carefully preserved, nearly the whole of the old parish churches inthe country. His Notes of the Churches of Kent are published by Murray. He died in 1874, at the age of 66. There is a good portrait of him byRoden. {29a} Eldest son of Mr. And Mrs. W. H. Gladstone. {29b} Sir John Glynne has recorded that only one tree was standing aboutthe place in 1730. This is supposed to be the large spreading oakadjoining the Flower Garden. {32a} This Church contains some noteworthy frescoes and other muraldecorations, the work of the Rev. John Troughton, sometime curate incharge. {32b} A wag is said to have scratched on the stump of a tree at Hawardenthe following couplet: "No matter whether oak or birch--They all go like the Irish Church. " {33a}_Homer_. _Iliad_ xxili. 315 "By skill far more than strength the woodman fells The sturdy oak. " _Ld. Derby's Translation_ {34} 1889-1890. {35a} Buckley Church, towards which a grant of 4000 pounds was made bythe Commissioners for Church building, was designed by Mr. John Gates ofHalifax, and holds 740 persons. The first stone was laid by the youthfulhands of Sir S. R. Glynne and his Brother Henry, afterwards Rector, andthe Consecration was performed nine months afterwards, by the Bishop ofChester, Dr. Gardiner, Prebendary of Lichfield, preaching the Sermon. TheSchools and Parsonage had been previously erected by the exertions of theHon. And Rev. George Neville Grenville (afterwards Dean of Windsor), at acost of about 2000 pounds. {35b} Much improved by the recent addition of a Chancel, the gift of W. Johnson, Esq. , of Broughton Hall. {35c} Built by Sir S. R. Glynne: Vicarage and Schools by Lady Glynne. {36} In the Journals of the House of Commons occurs the following entry, dated 23rd February, 1646:--"An Ordinance from the Lords for Mr. Bold, aMinister, to be instituted into the Church of Hawarden, in Flintshire. " {37} On the 1st October, 1770, assembled a grand Procession, withcoloured cockades, to start the opening of a Level, designed to be drivenone mile and three quarters in length and eighty yards deep "in order"(so the notice ran) "to lay dry a body of coal for future ages. " Thewages were to be, for boys and lads employed about the horses, andwindlasses--26 in number, 6d. A day, smiths, carpenters and labourers, above ground generally--42 in number, 1/4 a day, underground laboures 42, Cutters 68 in number, 1/6 a day, undergroundstewards 10 in number, 1/6 a day. At this date the price of coal at the pit's mouth was not less than 16/-a ton, or fully double what it is at present. The course of this notablework which effectually drained the Hollin seam of coal may still betraced for a long distance by its succession of ventilating shafts, finally issuing in the ravine called Kearsley, and discharging its watersinto the brook.