By Charles Edward Long, Esq. 223 



pant in plaster along the cornice of the old gallery. Sir Edward 

 Darell, the great grandfather of our hero, whose will was signed 

 on the 25th of July, 1528, thus alludes to the seat of his ancestors. 

 " The hangings and carpets in the old parlour at Littlecote ;" ditto 

 "that belongeth to the grete chamber over the said parlour," ditto 

 "in the best chamber nexte the grete chamber," "in the wiche" he 

 says, (and here our superstitious reverence is somewhat roused into 

 action,) " restith a trussing bedde imperiall with a testour and coun- 

 terpane of yelowe and red damaske, and curtains of yelowe and red 

 sarcenet." But, unhappily, the bed furniture which existed when 

 * Rokeby ' was published, was of thick blue cloth edged with yellow. 



" Litelcote" says Leland, writing about 1540, "theDarell's chief 

 house, is a mUe from Ramsbyri." Camden, writing half a century 

 later, says, " on the other side of the river, more to the east is 

 Litlecot, remarkable for its Lord, John Popham, who exercised the 

 office of Judge of the King's Court with the highest applause, as I 

 before observed." How was it that this investigating antiquary, 

 being 38 years of age when Darell died, did not note down the story 

 of his astounding crimes, and of their preternatural punishment? 

 8ymonds, whose active campaignings in the civil wars, did not 

 disable him from carrying out his ardent love of topography and 

 genealogy, says, "Popham descended of Judge Popham, owns a 

 fine large seate half a mile distant from this," sc. Chilton, "ye 

 manor of Littlecote, with a parke."^ "We passed" says Evelyn, 

 writing later, on June 9, 1654, " by Colonel Popham's, a noble 

 seate, park and river, thence to Newbury." And it is also upon 

 record, that if "the Great Deliverer" did not make Littlecote his 

 Head Quarters, on his advance from Salisbury, he, at least, honored 

 its walls with his ever-to-be-revered and remembered presence. 



The Darell aisle at Ramsbury, though sadly and shamefully shorn 

 of its interest, by the abstraction of its brasses, is still deserving of 

 much attention. It was a Chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, 



' T}iiH was Colonel Alexander Popham, the grandson of our Judge. He, and 

 two of his brothers, one of whom fell in the cause, wore stout llouudhcads, and 

 the owner of Littlecote only relaxed in his republican notions, and voted for 

 "that worst of RcvolutionB a llostoration " when there seemed to be no other 

 alternative. 



