GARDENING UNDER WILLIAM AND MARY. '2^7 



These waterworks, introduced as we have already seen in 

 Tudor times, were now very much in vogue. The ideas for 

 them came from abroad, both from France and Holland. The 

 fountains at Versailles, and other places in France, are too 

 well known to require notice. But waterworks of quaint forms 

 and surprise-arranf2:ements were t}-pical of Dutch gardens, and 

 William of Oran';e brought these into popular favour in this 

 country, together with many other Dutch fashions. In 1621, 

 Lord Chaworth in his diary "'^ remarks on the " verie fyne 

 gardens " surrounding the house of the Infanta Isabella, in 

 Brussels, " wherein are y*' most varietie of the best waterworks 

 of y*^ world." The gardens at Boughton, Northamptonshire, 

 were laid out during this reign, when the house was rebuilt 

 by Ralph, first Duke of Montague. They were very extensive, 

 covering over a hundred acres, and were remarkable for the 

 " sumptuous waterworks." There was the " parterre of statues, 

 the parterre of Basins and the water parterre, wherein is an 

 octagon basin whose circumference is 216 yards, which in the 

 middle of it has a jet d'eau, whose height is above 50 feet, 

 surrounded with other smaller jet d'eaus. . . . The Canal at 

 the bottom of all, is about 1500 yards in length in four 

 lines falling into each other at right angles. At the lower 

 end of it is a very noble Cascade . . . adorned with vases and 

 statues. The Cascade has five falls. The perpendicular about 

 seven feet. - A line or range of jet d'eaus in number thirteen 

 are placed at the Head of the Cascade . . . There are also 

 several jet d'eaus in the basin underneath. Also the knot of 

 regularly figur'd Islets beset with Aquatick Plants.^' t Such 

 Cascades were quite formal, all built of solid masonry, and 

 are totally unlike the " Cascades " or miniature waterfalls of a 

 later period. The gardens at Boughton were in the French 

 style, but the head-gardener at this time was a Dutchman 

 called Vandertmeulen. 



The gardens described by Celia Fiennes have all alike 

 gravel and grass walks, shady alleys of clipped trees, " some 



* Loseley MSS. 



•j" Natural History of Nortliamptov shire. By John Morton, 17 12. 



