114 THOMAS KEN AND IZAAK WALTON 



" Wood the antiquary tells us that, ' finding 

 it dangerous for honest men to be there, he 

 left London and lived sometimes at Stafford 

 and elsewhere ; but mostly in the families 

 of the eminent clergymen of England of whom 

 he was much beloved.' " 



With regard to this "little property near 

 Stafford," Mr. R. B. Marston says— 



" If he ever resided at or near Stafford, it 

 was most probably on the property referred 

 to in his Will as 'a farme or land nere to 

 Stafford ; which I bought of Mr. Walter 

 Noell.' The house on this property is shown 

 in the plate entitled ' Walton's house at 

 Shallowford.' ^ While making some inquiries 

 at Stafford, the most interesting relic I came 

 across was a note by Walton referring to this 

 farm and to the Mr. Noel mentioned in his 

 Will ; of this note I have had ^facsimile made 

 from a photograph by Mr. Flamark, kindly 



> I may mention here that all the copper plates, fifty- three in 

 number, contained in the Lea and Dove edition, were destroyed 

 when that work was completed. The plates were converted 

 into very pretty little copper boxes, which Mr. Marston had 

 made and presented to his friends. I have his permission 

 to reproduce three of the plates in a reduced form. 



