184 A BOOK OF ENGLISH GARDENS 



Ham House and its Gardens are beholden for 

 many beauties to this brilliant woman. Sir John 

 Reresby, in his " Memoirs," alludes to her thus : 

 " I went to visit the Duke and Duchess of Lauder- 

 dale at their fine house at Ham. After dinner the 

 Duchess in her chamber entertained me with 

 long discourse on matters of State. She had been 

 a beautiful woman and the supposed mistress of 

 Oliver Cromwell, and was even then a woman 

 of great parts." The Garden owes her much if 

 she did for it what she undoubtedly did for the 

 House. 



The Duke held an important position in the 

 Government, being one of the corrupt ministry 

 called the " Cabal " a nickname originated by the 

 first letter of their names spelling the word, causing 

 it ever afterwards to have an odious significance. 

 Through his position presents of the richest kind 

 were showered upon him and the Duchess, and in 

 all probability the Gardens were as richly favoured 

 as the House. 



Certainly it would seem so from Evelyn's 

 account : " After dinner I walked to Ham to see 

 the house and Garden of the Duke of Lauderdale, 

 which is, indeed, inferior to few of the best villas 

 in Italy itself; the house furnished like a great 

 Prince's ; the Parterres, Flower Gardens, Orangeries, 

 Groves, Avenues, Courts, Statues, Perspectives, 

 Fountains, Aviaries, and all this at the bank of 



