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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ November 2, 1871. 



take an interest in them. His lordship spoke of the number of com- 

 petitors in the present instance, there being upwards of 130, about the 

 same as last year ; also of the small quantity of frnit shown, and ex- 

 pressed his opinion that in all cases where a Plum or an Apricot could 

 be planted with advantage against the walls of a cottage it ought to 

 fee done, as the return from such trees was often very considerable, 

 and even said he would take care to have this done against such of 

 Ma cottages as afforded space for them. After some further remarks 

 of a like kind his lordship said he hoped the successful competitors 

 would not regard their winnings as being of less value than on two 

 former occasions, when they were handed to them by a Princess and a 

 Prime Minister, and that a lady whom many of them knew had kindly 

 consented to give the prizes. These consisted mostly of money, but 

 one, a bible, given, we believe, by a lady in the neighbourhood, seemed 

 very appropriate, as did some garden tools and other things. 



The above digression on the subject of a horticultural show must not 

 -prevent us making mention of tbe kitchen garden and forcing houses. 

 "We are not sure whether the site is entirely a fresh one ; be that as it 

 may, the kitchen garden now is a short distance from the mansion, 

 and concealed from it by the high growth between. It is, nevertheless, 

 still in the park, and conveniently placed for shelter, quality of soil, 

 and the other points that constitute a good garden. A harried run 

 through it enabled us to see that it was well cropped with vegetables, 

 and the trees against the walls, and those grown as open standards, had 

 a good crop of fruit on them for the season. The walls of the gar- 

 den enclose upwards of four acres, and amongst other things we noticed 

 some fine Keens' Seedling Strawberries, ripe and of fair size on August 

 16th. We had made up our mind to inquire for these, as in Mr. Cunning- 

 ham's collection at the show there were dishes of these Strawberries 

 and other fruits. Mr. Cuimingham told us they were from some of 

 those plants earliest forced, that were turned out as soon as the weather 

 allowed, and which were then bearing well. He said he never was 

 without Strawberries from the end of February up to that time. In 

 the houses the earliest Peaches had been gathered in May, but there 

 were later ones that were just then ripe, and more to follow, and the 

 same might be said of Grapes. Some of these which had been planted 

 about four years were just in their prime, and the whole betokened 

 the best of management. The condition of the flower garden and old 

 pleasure ground reflected the greatest credit on Mr. Cunnineham, who 

 in addition to his many other duties, had much to do with the arrange- 

 ment for the show. Lord Ebury considerately provided a dinner at 

 the mansion for the gardeners who had brought plants to the show, 

 where upwards of thirty sat down. Mr. Fleming, of Cliveden, was the 

 Tice-Chairman; and Mr. Frost, from Dropmore, Mr. Wood, from Lord 

 Ravens worth's, with others from a distance, were also present, making 

 alotgether an extraordinary meeting of the craft. 



This notice of Moor Park would be incomplete without an outline of 

 its history, for it is connected with many great events, and many great 

 personages of bygone times. 



1* Although never a Royal palace, it has on more than one occasion 

 been the abode of one or more of our monarchs, and has changed 

 owners as often, perhaps, as most large mansions. Nevertheless, with 

 one exception, each of the many proprietors has done well by it. The 

 fine timber trees that ornament the park have been allowed to stand, 

 ■so that they now present the venerable aspect so much coveted. It 

 has been the scene of events alluded to by Shakespeare, as well as 

 ■furnished heroes and heroines for Sir Walter Scott andBulwer-Lytton, 

 so the ground can with all propriety be called classic ; but our task is 

 with dry facts, and to them we must adhere. The earliest record of 

 the manor of " The More," tells of its being given to the Abbey of 

 St. Alban's, by Offa, Eing of Mercia, more than eleven hundred years 

 since, as an atonement for a cruel and treacherous murder he had 

 ■committed, in putting to death the young sovereign of another state at 

 the wedding feast of his own daughter. We then lose sight of Moor 

 Park for several centuries, and it next appears leased from the Abbey 

 at a penny a-year. But no residence of importance at Moor Park is 

 noted till the beginning of that disastrous period of English history 

 fenown as the "Wars of the Roses," when it became the property of 

 Archbishop Nevill, a younger brother to the warlike and powerful 

 Earls of Warwick and Montacute. The Archbishop appears to have 

 been temporising and deceitful, actuated, perhaps, by anxiety to pro- 

 tect his great wealth. He it was who built the first mansion here, 

 and history records that when Edward IV. was once his guest, an 

 attendant whispered in the King's ear that some unfair play was me- 

 ditated, and the King stole out of the house at night, and fled to 

 Windsor. Soon after this the King himself, having given offence to 

 the great Earl, was obliged to fly the kingdom, but returning soon after 

 he fought the great and decisive battle of Bamet, in which the two 

 Earls fell. The Archbishop soon after this was deposed from his 

 high clerical position, and also from that of the Lord Chancellorship. 

 The nest occupant of Moor Park was one who had also fought at 

 Barnet on the same side as the Nevills — the Earl of Oxford, who, 

 after many changes of fortune, was eventually restored to his rights 

 for the aid he rendered Henry YII. at Bosworth. He died in 1513, 

 when Moor Park passed into the hands of another prelate and chan- 

 cellor, one not more scrupulous than the former one, and whose end was 

 somewhat of a like kind. Cardinal Wolsey who here, as at Hampton 

 Court, lived most sumptuously, entertained Henry VIII. and his 

 Queen, Catherine of Arragon, for a whole month, with all the pageantry 

 which he knew so well how to display. Wolsey fell, and Moor Park 



then becoming Crown property, the Earl of Bedford was appointed 

 ranger. The capricious Henry again paid the place a visit for three 

 weeks, but this time accompanied by his fifth Queen, Catherine Howard. 

 We next read of Queen Elizabeth granting the manor to another mem- 

 ber of the Russell family for £120 a-year. and of an Earl and Countess 

 of Bedford residing here at the time of the accession of James I. The 

 Countess was an intimate friend of the Queen of that monarch, and 

 one of the few who retired from Court at her death with an honourable 

 reputation. This Earl is remembered as " the good Earl of Bedford," 

 and he and the Countess must have been amongst the earliest patrons 

 of gardening in this country, as Sir William Temple says, in 1655, 

 that the garden at Moor Park, which the Countess laid out, exceeded 

 in size and excellence all others he knew. It was sold about that 

 time to the Earl of Pembroke, a literary nobleman, from whom it 

 descended to another Earl of Pembroke, to whom the title of Mont- 

 gomery was also added. Of him little is known, but history retains the 

 tart reply of his wife some years after, made to a minister of Charles H., 

 who wished to nominate a candidate for the borough of Appleby. " I 

 have been bullied by an usurper and neglected by a Court, but I will 

 not be dictated to by a subject. Your man sha'n't stand. — An">i: of 

 Dorset, Pehbeoke, axb Moxtgosieet." 



Her husband alienated the house from the manor in 1632 to Rob. 

 Cary, Earl of Monmouth, as " all that the great house or lodge lately 

 built, wherein the Earl and Countess of Bedford lately dwelt ; also all 

 that new garden adjoining to the said house eastward, lately made by 

 the said Earl of Pembroke ; and that other garden with a bowling-green 

 thereunto adjoining." 



The next occupant of Moor Park was the Earl of Monmouth, either 

 the descendant of the Sir Robert Carey who rode from London to 

 Edinburgh in three days to announce the death of Queen Elizabeth to 

 James I. , or the veritable equestrian himself. He and his lady were en- 

 trusted with the bringing-up of the young prince, afterwards Charles I. 

 The Earl of Monmouth died in 1639, when Moor Park passed into the 

 hands of the Duke of Ormond, who sold it in 1660 to the unfortunate 

 Duke of Monmouth, illegitimate son of Charles II. After his execu- 

 tion on Tower Hill his widowed duchess is popularly believed to have 

 had all the trees in the park beheaded, but it ia doubtful if they 

 underwent any such operation, for certainly at the present time the 

 old trees present the usual features. 



Moor Park was again sold in 1720, and this time to a commoner — 

 Mr. Styles, one of the few lucky speculators who gained wealth by the 

 notorious South Sea scheme. He appears to have completely rebuilt 

 the mansion, which formerly was a brick structure but is now encased 

 with stone. An Italian architect was employed, and also artists to 

 paint the ceilings, and it is said a sum of £150,000 was expended on 

 the house and garden, a large sum at that day. Mr. Styles died in 

 1739, and the next possessor of Moor Park was Lord Anson, the cir- 

 cumnavigator, who, notwithstanding the many ups and downs he had 

 encountered, appears to have been a man quite as well fitted to adorn 

 a quiet country home as thetnrmoLls of a naval life. Notwithstanding 

 the many adventures at sea, narrow escapes, and almost miraculous 

 successes, yet he had learned so little of worldly wisdom that it was 

 jocularly said of him that *' he had been round the world but had 

 never been in it." He had, which was better, a fondness for garden- 

 ing, and planned and executed the old pleasure ground as described, in 

 which he was assisted by " Capability Brown." He also made the 

 Temple of the Winds and the other features there, including the piece 

 of ornamental water, a feat not accomplished without difficulty on a 

 dry hill. It is said that during the time he held possession of Moor 

 Park he spent the sum of £80,000 in embellishing it. 



His successor sold it to Sir Laurence Dundas, who sumptuously 

 entertained George TV. when Prince of Wales on several occasions. 

 He is said to have removed to London some of the tapestry that de- 

 corated the rooms, but that loss was trifling when compared to that 

 inflicted on Moor Park by its next occupant, a Mr. Rous, an East 

 Indian merchant, who bought it of Sir L. Dundas. He was gmlty of 

 some most unpardonable sins against good taste in pulling down part 

 of the mansion and spoiling it in other ways, but fortunately he spared 

 the timber. 



We next find it sold to a Mr. Williams, who, with his successor, 

 held Moor Park the first twenty-five years of the present century, when 

 a pressure on some bank with which he was connected induced him to 

 sell it, and it was then bought by tbe father of its present noble pro- 

 prietor, the first Marquis of Westminster. From him it passed to 

 Lord Ebury, who, we hope, may long continue its possessor, as it 

 well deserves to be presided over by one who can so thoroughly appre- 

 ciate its beauties. — J. Rousox. 



NEW BOOK. 

 Culture of the Chrysanthemum as practised in the Temple Gar- 

 dens, with a List of the Varieties. By J. Newton, Gardener 

 to the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple. 

 This is a thoronghly practical little work, and our readers 

 will find tbe resulte of the author's experience in its pages rela- 

 tive to soil, propagation, culture, insects, and varieties. We 

 will not extract from those pages, but wiE select this introdno- 

 tory note, 

 i " The red and white Eoses, the badges of the honses of York and 



