IZAAK Walton's association with the river i.ea. 195 



desdon, near the old chapel or clock house, and not far from the site 

 of the old cross. Mr. Whitley quotes as his authority an authentic 

 copy of "A circuit of the Bounds of the Parish of Great Amwell, 

 as they were recorded by Thomas Hassall, clerk, Vicar there, anno 

 1634, and so observed in his day" ; in which the following mention 

 is made of the " Thatched House " : 



" In the parish of Amwell, from Cunnisbye's, or ' The Bell,' we 

 go up the town to Hoddesden, taking in all those houses which 

 stand together on the same side as ' The Feathers,' ' The Thatched 

 House,' and others, till we come to ' The White Hart,' an inn 

 fronting the new Town-house over against Lord's Lane." 



" The Bell " inn is still there, and Mr. Whitley is of opinion 

 that the front of Hoddesdon Brewery is built on the site of " The 

 Feathers," and that the house on the south side of the brewery 

 gateway, with enclosed square grass plot in front, is built on the site 

 of the old " Thatched House." His opinion is further confirmed 

 by his knowledge of certain deeds relating to " The Thatched 

 House " in which this site is indicated. " The Buffalo's Head,' 

 which had also a thatched roof, was some way off, and on the 

 other side of the road. 



" Sir," says Venator, " you have angled me on with much pleasure 

 to ' The Thatched House,' and I now find your words true, that 

 good company makes the way seem short ; for trust me, sir, I thought 

 we had wanted three miles of this house till you showed it to me. 

 But now we are at it, we will turn into it, and refresh ourselves with 

 a cup of drink and a little rest." 



Early the next morning (ALay 2nd), the anglers were at Amwell 

 Hill, now called Amwellbury, to meet the otter hounds of " noble 

 Mr. Sadler,' as AN'alton styles him. He was the son and heir of Sir 

 Thomas, and grandson of Sir Ralph Sadler, the Chief Secretary of 

 State and grand falconer to Queen lilizabeth. He lived at Standon 

 (where there is a fine monument in the church to Sir Ralph), and 

 died there in 1660, seven years after the publication of the first 

 edition of Walton's "Angler." 



Although there is no longer a pack of otter hounds maintained 

 in Hertfordshire, otters are still met with in the Lea and its 

 tributaries, where they, too often alas ! encounter an ignominious 

 death. 



A day or two later (chap, iv.) we find Walton and his com- 

 panion on their way to ''Trout Hall, ' an "'honest ale-house," as 



