WEBB'S PART IN THE WORK 69 



among them are the elevations, as well as a plan, corresponding 

 to the isolated plan at Worcester College. The writing and the 

 drawing, the thumb-nail sketches, the alterations, variations, and 

 corrections all go to show that here we have the inception of 

 several schemes, all by Webb, the ultimate outcome of which 

 was the well-known design published some eighty years after- 

 wards by Kent. 



There are, in fact, not two, but at least seven different schemes 

 for the palace, more or less worked out. Of these two are by 

 Webb, and are preliminary to the third, which was published by 

 Kent ; a fourth is a variant of the third ; the fifth and sixth are 

 undoubtedly by Webb ; the seventh is the British Museum 

 design published by Campbell. 



The conclusion forced upon the inquirer by a prolonged ex- 

 amination of the drawings that Webb was the real author of 

 the designs for the palace is curiously confirmed by a docu- 

 ment preserved in the " State Papers," an important passage in 

 which has hitherto escaped the attention it deserves. This is a 

 petition, signed by Webb, presented soon after the restoration 

 of Charles II., \vherein he seeks the office of surveyor of the 

 king's works, which was about to be bestowed upon Mr 

 Denham, afterwards Sir John. 1 The whole document is inter- 

 esting, but is too long to quote in its entirety. In the petition 

 itself, Webb says that he was by the especial command of "your 

 Majesty's Royal Father of ever blessed memory brought up by 

 Inigo Jones, Esq., your Majesty's late surveyor of the works, in 

 the study of architecture, for enabling him to do your Royal 

 Father and your Majesty service in the said office. In order 

 whereunto he was by Mr Jones, upon leaving his house at the 

 beginning of the late unhappy war, appointed his Deputy to 

 execute the said place in his absence, which your petitioner did, 

 until by a Committee of Parliament in the year 1643 he was 

 thrust out." He then goes on to say that in preparing the royal 

 houses for His Majesty's reception he has engaged his own 

 credit to the amount of ^8,140. 5s. 40*., of which he has only 

 received ,500, and prays the king to "settle upon him the 

 surveyor's office of your majesty's work, whereunto your Royal 

 Father assigned him, and to that end only ordered his educa- 

 tion." In the " Brief of Mr Webb's Case," attached to the 

 petition, occurs the remarkable piece of testimony alluded to : 

 " That he was Mr Jones's Deputy and in actual possession of 

 1 "State Papers, Domestic : Charles II.," vol. v., Nos. 74, 74, i. 



