THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. I37 



" Behind the gatehouse are large reception rooms, occupying the same 

 position as the old buildings, and probably erected for the most part on the 

 old foundations. The moat, formerly surrounding the manor house and 

 garden, now also surrounds the garden and buildings. It is, however, 

 narrowed to a ditch in front of the gatehouse ; and a little bridge spans it, 

 where once, no doubt, there wae a drawbridge, for at the top of the gateway 

 on both sides ar2 holes, as if for the chains by which the drawbridge could 

 be drawn up when safety required. The outer court-yard, separated from 

 the dwelling house and garden by the moat (in which the horsemen and 

 other armed men were to have assembled, and been concealed to await the 

 approach of the royal party), exists as a bowling green, and is bounded on 

 one side by a long low building, occupying the place of the malt house. 

 The granary, the loop-holed wall, and the towers at the corner of the moat 

 have been removed. The grant to Andrew Ogard comprised 50 acres of land 

 — eleven acres of meadow, eight acres of pasture, sixteen acres of wood ; 

 which are now no doubt the fields surrounding the premises. The boundaries 

 are not marked in the plan, but a toll gate is mentioned 250 paces from the 

 outer court-yard fence, and apparently occupying the same position as the 

 gate which now separates the premises from the meadows. In the account 

 of Rye House (1685), it is stated, in coming from Newmarket towards 

 London, ' when you are near the House,' you pass the meadows over a narrow 

 causeway, at the end of which is a t^H gate, which having entered you go 

 through a yard, and a little field. A traveller from Newmarket by Stanstead 

 to Hoddesdon, passes now as he did in the time of Charles II., over the 

 narrow causeway through the meadow, and has to pay toll at the gate. Then 

 he passes through the yard, and through the little field, and enters the 

 narrow lane in which the cart was to have been overturned. 



" Old halls of much more architectural importance, and of an earlier date 

 are known. Netherhall was an earlier and a nobler building than Rye 

 House. Most of them, however,- are in ruins, consisting only of detached 

 portions of the walls and the plans of the buildings can only be made out by 

 tracing, where they exist, the foundations of the other portions. But Rye 

 House has the original arrangement of the buildings and premises so well 

 maintained, that there is no diificulty in following the plan of the premises in 

 1685, and also the plan of the conspirators. It has, therefore, much to render 

 it an object of great interest to all those who derive pleasure from an exam- 

 ination of places and localities which have been rendered important by their 

 historical associations." 



Mr. Winstone exhibited copies of the Plan of 1685, which he had 

 re-printed. A vote of thanks was heartily gi\en to him for the interesting 

 paper read. 



Soon afterwards the " Salisbury " was safely moored at the Rye House, 

 and the party sat down to an excellent luncheon provided by Mr. Teal. 



Then followed an Ordinary Meeting (the iSSth), Mr. T. V. Holmss, 

 F.G.S., Vice-President, in the chair. 



The following were elected members of the Club:— Dr. Alexander 

 Ambrose, B.A., M.D., L.L.D., Mrs. A. Boake, Col. Bryan, C.E., Rev. T. 



