120 



GARDENS OLD AND NEW. 



of Henry VIII., with the griffin and greyhound for supporters, 

 and the royal crown above, and in the spandril of the arch on 

 the left are the Castle of Castile, the pomegranate of Granada, 

 and the sheaf of arrows, which stand there for Catherine of 

 Aragon, while on the other side the portcullis badge of Henry 

 is plainly seen. The external front is very beautiful, with it-; 

 old brickwork clustered with climbing flowers, and the sundial 

 above ; but for the picturesqueness of the structure externally 

 our pictures are sufficient warrant. 



Entering the court, there is seen the great bay which 

 lights the hall, that customary feature in all the better houses of 

 the time. The walls are vested with ivy, roses, clematis, and 

 the fiery thorn, and there are old fuchsia trees along the 



FOUNTAIN, SUNDIAL, AND TOWER. 



pathways. In the south wall a door leads into the chapel, of 

 which the noble mullioned window is a conspicuous feature 

 externally. Close by, in the angle between the chapel and 

 the hall, is the great parlour panelled with oak, and having 

 a plaster ceiling bearing the arms of Compton and Spencer, 

 erected in the reign of Elizabeth by William Compton, first 

 L : arl of Northampton. Compton Wynyates had been built by 

 an earlier Sir William Compton, who gained distinction at the 

 Battle of the Spurs, where he was knighted for his bravery. 

 In the great hall of his house he welcomed Henry VIII., with 

 whom he had been at the Field of the Cloth of Gold. This 

 notable chamber has an open timber roof, a minstrels' gallery, 

 and a finely carved screen, which separates it from the lobby 



and staircase and the kitchens beyond. The chapel to which 

 we have referred is also very beautiful, and possesses some 

 most curious carvings, including the Seven Deadly Sins repre- 

 sented as knights in armour, each with an imp behind to urge 

 him forward. Sir William Compton's son Henry, created Baron 

 Compton of Compton in 1572, received Queen Eliz.ibeth at 

 his house in the same year, and was one of the peers who 

 tried Mary Queen of Scots. He was succeeded by his son 

 William, afterwards made Earl of Northampton. The drawing- 

 room on the south side is a fine apartment wainscoted with 

 oak, and having a good plaster ceiling put up by the latter noble- 

 man, to whom much of the beauty of the house is due. 



There is a romantic story connected with the Earl's 



marriage. A certain rich 

 Alderman Spencer, who was 

 Lord Mayor of London in 

 1594, had a beauteous 

 daughter, vv.iom he looked 

 upon as the apple of his 

 eye. With sturdy civic 

 character the alderman did 

 not look with a kindly eye 

 upon the gallant young 

 courtier, Lord Comp on, who 

 aspired to the lady's hand. 

 Indeed, so little did he 

 approve the youthful swain, 

 that he forbade him to enter 

 his house at Canonbury. 

 But, as Love laughs loud ac 

 locksmiths, so did Lord 

 Compton laugh at the 

 alderman. By an astu.e 

 device and ingenious 

 stratagem he came to the 

 house disguised as a baker, 

 with many loaves in a huge 

 basket, as those who saw it 

 believed. Returning he 

 encountered the alderman, 

 who commended his enter- 

 prise and gave him sixpence, 

 telling him he was on the 

 way to make his fortune, 

 which, indeed, appeared to 

 be true, for, greatly to the 

 civic anger, it was discovered 

 that he had carried away 

 the lady concealed in his 

 basket. 



The fury of the alderman 

 was not to be appeased, and 

 even Elizabeth exercised her 

 offices in vain ; but at length, 

 at her request, he consented 

 to be the godfather to an 

 infant, in whom Her Majesty 

 had some interest, and who 

 proved, as he presently 

 learned, to be his own 

 grandson. Then it would 

 appear that a reconciliation 

 was brought about, and the 



handsome carving and panelling over the mantel-piece in the 

 drawing-room at Compton Wynyates are said to have been 

 brought from the Canonbury house, and the arms of Compton 

 and Spencer are displayed in many parts of the structure. 



King James I. visited Lord Compton at Compton Wynyates 

 in 1618, the year before he was raised to the harldom. 

 Mai.y, indeed, were the royal visits paid to the old 

 Warwickshire mansion. Charles I. was there in the times 

 of Spencer Compton, the second Earl, who was killed at 

 Hopton Heath in 1643. Considerable alterations were made 

 in the house by the fourth and fifth Earls, and in the time of the 

 eighth Earl, who died in 1796, much waste occurred, whereby 

 the house subsequently fell somewhat into a state of ruin. 



