PREFACE xi 



however, confiscated it to the Commonwealth, and 

 it is recorded that a private gentleman again pur- 

 chased the property and presented it to Charles 1 1. 

 after the Restoration. I believe the King occasion- 

 ally resided at Tring Mansion, which probably gave 

 rise to the report that Nell Gwynne was once the 

 possessor. The estate then became the property 

 of Mr. Henry Guy, who was Clerk to the Treasury 

 for four reigns. He built the chief part of the 

 present mansion. In the end it belonged to Sir 

 Drummond Smith, from whom it passed to Mr. 

 Kaye, who was in the silk trade, and, I believe, 

 connected with David Evans & Co. Mr. Kaye, 

 during the agricultural depression in the early 

 forties, established considerable silk factories at 

 Aylesbury and Tring, in order to find employment 

 for the agricultural poor. The Aylesbury factory has 

 been closed for some years, but the present Tring 

 factory is continued by Lord Rothschild's philan- 

 thropy, and still finds employment for many. The 

 house and park closely adjoin the little market town of 

 Tring, and the members of the local agricultural 

 association have the privilege granted them of hold- 

 ing their annual show in the park, the denizens of 

 which, acclimatised, and carefully attended to by the 



