286 The History of Longleat. 
fortune created considerable jealousy: and was more particularly 
an object of discomfort to the mind of one of his neighbours (whose 
name is not given), a great Earl and a Privy Counsellor, which 
ill-conditioned gentleman actually caused Sir John to be brought up 
before the Council Table, to show how he became so rich in so short 
atime. Some expected to hear that he had found a treasure, others 
were sure that he could never have got it honestly. But the knight 
quickly made answer that his wife’s large fortune accounted for the 
chief part of it; the rest he had gained by industry and frugality: 
and he ended his statement by a sharp home-thrust at his accuser, 
saying, that ‘as that Lord, and others beside him, were now finding 
a good mistress in the Queen, so he had formerly had a good master 
in the Duke of Somerset”; which words appearing to be very much 
to the purpose, and nobody having any more remarks to make, Sir 
John made his bow to the Council, and retired without further 
trouble. 
The country into which he retired was his newly purchased estate 
in this neighbourhood: and here towards the latter part of his life, 
after providing for two families, together amounting to sixteen 
children, he began to play with house building. A fire having 
furnished him with an excuse, in or about 1566 he sent for his 
architect, and gave the order for Longleat. 
But who was the architect that he sent for? I am not aware that 
there is any positive written evidence of any kind, to show who he 
was. The accounts of the building, with all items of payment, are 
carefully preserved; but singularly enough, no architect’s name 
appears in them. Tradition, it is true, names the man, and as that 
tradition has been consistent and uniform, I see no reason why it 
should be doubted. But before we try to settle that point, or rather, 
for the very purpose of helping to settle it, it may be useful to 
enquire for a few moments what style of house architecture had 
hitherto prevailed in England; and if the new house at Longleat 
was totally unlike the country houses that had preceded it, how came 
it to be unlike? how came this novelty of style to be adopted here? 
Now the domestic architecture of any country in ancient times 
would take its character very much from the condition in which 
