By the Rev. Canon J. E. Jackson, F.S.A. 65 
Cumnor. 
It cannot have been much before the very last year of her life 
that she removed from Mr. Hyde’s, at Denchworth, to Cumnor Place, 
about eleven miles off. It is quite intelligible that she might have 
found it more convenient to have a house in which she would be 
more of the mistress than would be the case whilst staying at a 
friend’s; and it seems unreasonable to suppose that if her husband 
had any evil design upon her life, he would have placed her in 
a house only a few miles from her most intimate friends. Cumnor 
was a large building, quadrangular, and of ecclesiastical style, having 
formerly belonged to the dissolved monastery of Abingdon. It was 
not lonely, for it was close to a large village: and it had plenty of 
inmates: Mrs. Owen (the proprietor), Mr. Forster and his wife, (the 
tenants), Lady Dudley, Mrs. Odingsell a widow, sister of Mr. Hyde, 
perhaps a companion to Lady Dudley. Mr. Forster purchased the 
house after Amye’s death: and what is curious, by his will he left 
the refusal of it to Dudley, on condition of his paying the widow 
Forster £1200. Dudley actually bought it, for I found it entered 
as his property in a schedule of his estates.’ It is hardly likely that 
if he had caused his wife to be put to death there he would have had 
much care to dwy the house. He would rather, one would have 
thought, have preferred never to hear the name of itagain. Besides 
the ladies I have mentioned as being in the house, there was a Mrs. 
Pinto, (her own maid,) and a number of servants. Mr. Forster 
resided there, but I have not met with any notice in these documents 
of Sir Richard Verney, the brigand in the cloak, residing there at 
all: and it seems not very likely that he would, having lands 
and a residence of his own in Warwickshire. In all the arrange- 
ments, so far as appears from these original papers, there is no sign 
or token of preparation for any dark act of villainy. 
_ And now having shown you several interesting original documents 
relating to this history, I have to produce one which is not likely to 
1 It was afterwards sold by Dudley to the Norris family (Earl of Abingdon), 
In a schedule of Dudley property, at Longleat, is this entry :— 
** A counterpart of the sale of Cumnor, &c., from Robert, Erle of Leicester, to Henrie Le Norris, 
_ dated 15 Feb. Ao. 16 Eliz.” (Schedule, p. 120.) 
VOL. XVII.—NO. XLIX. F 
