COPTHORNE HUNDRED 



CUDWNGTC5 



one of the conditions of the lease being that Sir Robert 

 should from time to time convert part of the premises 

 into pasture without destroying the trees and bushes, 

 so that the same might become fit for deer in case the 

 king were minded to restore and make the same park 

 a park as formerly, Sir Robert to be keeper of the 

 park and have herbage and pannage." During the 

 plague year of 1665 Nonsuch Palace was fitted up 

 temporarily for the offices of the Exchequer. In 

 1670 Sir Robert Long pleaded for another life in his 

 lease, at the same time representing that during the 

 late disturbed times the site had been converted into 

 tillage, the wood all down, and that he, Sir Robert, 

 had compounded with the queen for her interest, 

 bought out the keepers, and paid 2,500 for repairs 

 of the house. 44 



Sir Robert Long died in 1673, and his will 4 * 

 mentions that he settled his lease on his nephew. 

 But in 1 670 the palace and fee simple of both parks 

 were bestowed by Charles II on Viscount Grandison 

 and Henry Brounker, in trust for Barbara Villiers, 

 Duchess of Cleveland, 44 in that year created Baroness 

 of Nonsuch, by whom as a means of settling her 

 pecuniary difficulties the house was entirely dis- 

 mantled, its contents sold, and the park divided up 

 into farms. 47 



In 1710 the parks were held by Charles, Duke of 

 Grafton, grandson of the duchess, 48 whose son in 1731 

 sold Worcester Park to John Walter his former 

 steward. John Walter died in 1745, and was suc- 

 ceeded by his son George, afterwards knighted. The 

 latter left two daughters, one of whom died single in 

 1749, w hile the other married Rev. Clarke, who 

 sold to Mr. Taylor, from whom it passed to William 

 Taylor, who died in 1 764. Mr. Taylor set up here 

 a large gunpowder factory.** His heir, William Tay- 

 lor, built a new house, called Worcester Park, in 1797. 

 The property has long been divided. Worcester Park 

 House is now the residence of 

 Miss Wheeler. 



The Little Park was sold 

 by the Duke of Grafton in 

 1731 to Joseph Thomson, who 

 built a house here and left it 

 to his nephew, the Rev. Joseph 

 Whateley, on condition that 

 he should take priest's orders. 

 On the death of Mr. Whate- 

 ley the estate was sold to 

 Mr. Farmer, who built a new 

 house, 10 and is now the pro- 

 perty of his descendant, Cap- 

 tain William R. G. Fanner. 



Some idea of the splendour of Nonsuch Palace may 

 be gathered from the eulogies of contemporary writers, 

 such as Leland and Camden, while it is described at 

 length by Braun in Civitates Orbit Tfrrantm. il The 

 Survey of 1650 gives a detailed account of the house 

 and grounds. The commissioners' admiration of the 

 splendid building and anxiety for its preservation can 

 be clearly seen through the dry official language of 

 their report. The ' capitall messuage or royal man- 

 sion house, commonly called Nonsuch [they say], con- 

 sists of one fayer stronge and large structure of build- 



FABMIH of Nonsuch. 

 Argent a fast table be- 

 tween three lions 1 keadt 

 rated */. 



ing of freestone of two large stories high, well wrought 

 and battled with stone and covered with blue slate, 

 standing round a court of 150 foote long and 132 

 foote broad, paved with stone, commonly called the 

 Outward Conrte,' and also of 'one other faire and 

 very curious structure or building of two stories high, 

 the lower storie whereof is of good and well wrought 

 freestone, and the higher of wood, richly adorned and 

 set forth and garnished with variety of statues, pictures, 

 and other antick formes of excellent an and workman- 

 ship, and of no small cost ; all which building lying 

 almost upon a square, is covered with blue slate, and 

 incloseth one faire and large court of one hundred 

 thirty seaven foot broad, and one hundred and sixteen 

 foot long, all paved with freestone, commonly called 

 the Inner Court.' 



The uses of the various rooms are noted ; in the 

 outer court on the ground floor were the buttery, 

 the wine cellar, and fifteen other rooms occupied by 

 Lady Holland's servants, the housekeeper, the gentle- 

 men ushers, the quarter waiter, the groom porter, and 

 Mr. Henry Jermyn. On the first floor twenty-one 

 rooms are mentioned, three for Lady Denbigh, three 

 for Lady Holland, a dining-room, drawing-room, and 

 bedchamber for Lady Carlisle, two rooms for her ser- 

 vants, four rooms for the lord chamberlain, Lord 

 Dorset, two for the queen's almoner, two for the maids 

 of honour, and two for the housekeeper. 



The outer court was entered through a three-story 

 gatehouse, 'very strong and gracefull,' with em- 

 battled turrets at the angles, and a large room on the 

 top floor 'very pleasant and delectable for pros- 

 pect.' 



The rooms of the inner court, being the royal 

 apartments, were ' very faire and large,' many of them 

 panelled and having ' spacious lights both inwards and 

 outwards,' i.e. towards the court and towards the park. 

 Another gatehouse stood between the two courts, an 

 ascent of eight steps leading up from the outer to the 

 inner court. This gatehouse was of freestone with 

 corner turrets and a clock turret in the middle, and 

 was ' of most excellent workmanship and a very speciall 

 ornament to Nonsuch house.' 



The rooms of the inner court were on the ground 

 floor a guard chamber, two rooms for Lady Gary, two 

 for ' Madam Nurse ' the queen's back stairs, two for 

 Madam Vautlet the queen's dresser, two for Dr. * My- 

 erne,' two for Madam Conget, two for the queen's 

 priests, two for the master of the horse, two for the 

 queen's robes, two for Madam Cyvet, two for the 

 queen's 'querrier,' the queen's kitchen, a room for 

 ' Mr. Cooke," and one for the queen's waiters. On 

 the first floor were the presence chamber, the privy 

 closet, the privy chamber, the privy gallery, the 

 queen's bedchamber, the queen's back stairs, the king's 

 bedchamber and back stairs, the queen's chapel, and 

 two rooms for the Marchioness Hambleton. The 

 inner court had wooden battlements covered with 

 lead, adding ' a very great grace and special ornament to 

 the whole building,' and had large angle turrets at 

 east and west, five stories high, of timber covered with 

 lead, ' the chiefe ornament of the whole house.' In 

 the west turret was a large lead cistern, serving the 

 whole house, including a white marble fountain in 



Orig. R. L.T.R. 1 5 Chai. II, pt. IT, 

 no. 4 ; Pat. 15 Chat. II, pt. T, no. I. 

 44 Cat. S.P. Dem. 1670, p. 298. 

 * Proved2oDec.i67J,P.C.Canterburr. 



* See Feet of F. SUIT. Trin. 3 Ja. II. 



* Diet. Nat. Bivg. 



48 Rccov. R. East. 9 Anne, rot. 117. 



269 



4 > Manning and Brar, Hitt. tfSurr. ii, 

 607. Ibid. 



41 Braun and Hogenburg, Civitates Orbit 

 Terr arum, Y, I. 



