20G 



GARDENS OLD AND NEW. 



Cofyri^hl. 



THE FOUNTAIN WALK. 



' Cuuntry Life." 



name of Coke deserves to he greatly honoured among lovers 

 of the country and its pursuits, for the Cokes have ever 

 loved both. It \vas a Coke who wrought a marvel in 

 developing the agricultural possibilities of Norfolk. It was a 

 Coke who created the gardens we are now to survey. Tlvj 

 first of the family to be resident at Melbourne was Sir John 



Copyright. 



THE HOUSE fkUM I HE GARDEN. 



Coke, Secretary of State to Charles I., who acquired tiie 

 place in 1628. He was lessee of the estate under the Bishop 

 of Carlisle, to whom it belonged, and from whom it was 

 purchased by his heirs. Sir John Coke was a man of 

 importance in the royal counsels, and it deserves to be 

 remembered to his credit that he did a great deal to reform 

 ._ the naval administration of his 

 time. It was after his marriage 

 that he retired for a period 

 from the cares of State, and 

 occupied himself in farming at 

 Melbourne until the events of 

 the Civil War called him 

 back, in January, 1643, and 

 he lived and died at his 

 house at Tottenham. His son 

 and successor was another 

 Sir John Coke, also a man 

 who loved the life of the 

 shires. It is noteworthy that 

 in the civil broil he took the 

 popular side, while his brother 

 Thomas remained a Cavalier. 

 In those troublous time.-;, if any 

 men were safe, they were the 

 brothers who thus divided their 

 sympathies, if they could but be 

 true to one another ; and the 

 curious will find that there was, 

 in effect, often a brother on either 

 side of the hedge. 



The Melbourne correspon- 

 dence gives a remarkable insight 

 into the country life of the age, 

 upon which it would be pleasant 

 to dwell. The two Sir Johns, 

 father and sen, were both devoted 



