200 HISTORY OF HART1NG. 



It is curious that the foreign monasteries with 

 which the ladies of the Caryll family were connected, 

 seem to have shared their ill-luck. The convent at 

 Ghent, says Mr. Harting, Sen., of which Dame Mary 

 Caryll (noticed before as first Abbess of the Bene- 

 dictines at Dunkerque) was a member, had lent large 

 sums to King Charles the Second on his embarka- 

 tion for England, at the restoration under General 

 Monk. 



In hopes of recovering the loan, Dame Mary 

 Knatchbull and Dame Mary Caryll, came to England 

 in 1662. The king received them very graciously, 

 and gave them a ;i,ooo, promising also an annual 

 payment of 500. This was "constantly payde, as 

 long as my Lord Famont livde (some four years) ; 

 but after y l - never came ther any penny from y e privy 

 purs to Gant House (Ghent House)." In June, 1663, 

 Dame Mary Caryll came again to England on the 

 same business, but with no success." * 



Caryll paid his debt to Benedicta by Oct. 23, 1749. 

 About this time he petitioned Parliament for the 

 reversal of the entail of the Lady Holt and West 

 Harting estates. 



Perhaps the last crowning stroke of misfortune 

 causing the speedy sale of the Harting estate, was 

 the failure of his wife's relations in Lancashire. His 

 mother-in-law, Lady Molyneux, wrote as follows : 

 "26 Oct., 1753, Woolton. I am sory to acquaint d r - 

 Mr. Caryll that last Wednesday night there came a 

 Bailife to arrest me from Doctor Angier, but being 

 apprked of it, was lock up, w ch - I shall be till y e money 

 is paid, so for God sake have compassion on me and 

 hasten the sale of y estate, my unhappy situation will, 



* NOTE. Dame Mary Caryll founded the Abbey at Dun- 

 kerque. Her brother Peter (Father Alexius) was Architect of 

 the New Convent ; and her father, John Caryll ("the Squire"), 

 provided the principal staircase, which was prepared at Harting 

 from oak felled at Lady Holt, and sent out for fixing. 



