80 Country Rambles. 



another, which entered by the drawing-room window, 

 and smashed the wood-carving on the opposite wall, is 

 shown to visitors privileged to view this beautiful hall. 

 The carving was not replaced, so that the blank space 

 preserves a distinct memorial of the attack. The siege 

 was conducted by the celebrated Colonel Robert Duken- 

 field, the most conspicuous soldier, after Sir William 

 Brereton, in the Cheshire history of the Civil War. It 

 occupied some time, and was only brought to a close by 

 getting two pieces of ordnance from Manchester, the 

 same probably from which the balls above alluded to 

 were discharged. During its progress, one of the maid- 

 servants inside, for her amusement, took aim with a 

 musket at an officer of the Parliamentary forces, who was 

 carelessly lounging about, and managed to kill him. He is 

 supposed to have been the "Captayne Adams," stated in 

 the Stockport register of burials to have been "slayne at 

 Withenshawe, on Sunday, the 25th." In the course of 

 alterations in the grounds during the last century, six 

 skeletons were discovered. They were lying close together, 

 and are reasonably supposed to have been those of soldiers 

 who perished during the siege. Cromwell afterwards 

 stayed at the hall, and slept in a room still called, from 

 his occupation of it, " Oliver Cromwell's room." The 

 bed, which is dated 1619, is of elegantly carved wood, 

 the furniture and mirrors matching it, and of the same 

 age. The wood-carving at Lyme Hall is usually con- 

 sidered to show the best local work of the period, but 

 that at Wythenshawe, in the opinion of many, is still 



