A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



aid, he intended to be the residence of hi) younger 

 on," and which eventually became a palace. 



If my building! millike them [wrote Burghtey,in j;8;,wiih 



Elizabeth first visited Theobald? in 1564, and 

 it was probably before her second visit, in 1566, that 

 the house was enlarged," although building was going 

 on there in 1568." Elizabeth again visited Theo- 

 balds in I 57 1 (when some verses and a picture of 

 the house were presented to her), 1572, 1573, 1575, 

 ■577, i>78, 15*3. '587, 1591. '593. i>9+ and 

 I S9.6. 81 In May 1583 the queen stayed five days 

 ,-ind brought with her a large retinue. 8 * Foreigners 

 and ambassadors sometimes came to the queen at 

 Theobalds 'where she hath byn sene in as great 

 royalty, and served as bountifully and magnificently, 

 as at anie other cyme or place, all at his Lordship's 

 chardg.'" Norden was much impressed by the beauty 

 of Theobalds. 'A most stately house,' he says, 

 .... 'To speak of the state and beauty thereof as 

 large as it descrvelh, for curious buildings, delightfull 

 walkes, and pleasant conceites within and without, and 

 other things very glorious and ellegant to be seene 

 would challenge a great portion of (his little treatise, 

 and therefore least I should come shorte of that due 

 commendation that it deserveth, I leave it, as indeed 

 it is, a princely sc^te.' " A contemporary biographer 

 of Cecil says: ' He greatlie delighted in making gar- 

 dens, fountaines and walk* ; which at Theobalds were 

 perfected most costly, bewtyfully, and pleasantly. 

 Where one might walk twoe myle[j] in the walks, 

 before he came to their ends.''* Paul Hentzner, 

 describing his visit to England in 1598, gives the 

 following description of Theobalds: 



1 the gallery ■ 



En^lai 



.plac 





in 1605. 

 Scotland, 



ghley died in 1 $98, and the manor passed to 

 Robert Cecil, created Earl of Salisbury 



. May [603 J 



ce to Theobalds, ■ 



Elizabeth's Privy Council awaited his coming and 

 did homage, and where he stayed (bur days 'with 

 entertaynment such and so co>tly as hardly can be* 

 expressed.'*' He visited Theobalds again in February 

 1604, August 1604 and in May and July 1606." 

 In July he was accompanied by the King of Den- 

 mark, and Ben Jonson wrote an entertainment for 

 the occasion. Sir John Harrington, who was present, 

 writing to Mr. Secretary Barlow in 1606, give* a 

 description of the revels : 



One day a great fait wal held ; and after dinner the rcpre 

 sentation of Solomon') temple and the coming of the Queen ol 

 Sheba was marlr, or (at I may brlter lay) was meaot to turn 

 been made, before iheir Majeitiej, by device of ihc Earl of 

 Salisbury and trthcrt. But, alai I ai all earthly things do fiil 



■ part did 



> gift, tc 





eir MajeJliei j but forgetting 

 Jverset her caakcti into hii 

 j feet, though I rather think 

 ie hurry and confuiion . . . 

 ■J dance with the Queen of 

 sled himielf before her, and 



occupy 



In 1607 the manor of Theobalds, with the house, 



the Crown '" and settled on the queen, the Earl of 

 Salisbury receiving Hatfield and other manors in 

 exchange. 31 Ben Jonson wrote a masque to be acted 

 at the formal surrender of Theobalds to the queen, 

 which took place on 22 May 1607." 



In July 1607 the king, having spent some time at 

 Theobalds and found it a suitable place for sports, 

 decided to make some alterations there and appointed 

 the Earls of Suffolk, Worcester and Salisbury, with 

 the officers of the works, to supervise the proposed 

 improvements." The alterations in question appear 

 to have involved the enlargement of Theobalds Park 

 and the in closure of Cheshunt Park." The process 

 was both long and expensive. By September 1608 

 320 acres of land belonging chiefly to the manors of 

 Theobalds and Periers had been included in the 

 park." On 17 February 1612 warrants were issued 

 for the payment of £11,070 13/. 6d, for the pur- 

 chase of inclosed lands from neighbouring land- 

 owners, of whom the chief were Sir Robert Wroth 

 and Sir Thomas Dacre." Several freeholders, appa- 

 rently, held back before consenting to sell their lands 

 and caution was necessary." ' Mr. [Richard] Hale,' 

 wrote Sir Fulk Grcville, 'refuses His Majesty'i offer 

 of buying his house and land for more than its 

 value ; but he is old and will soon be out of the 

 way." 9 The Earl of Suffolk and Sir Fulk Greville 

 reported in 1617 that they had met with much 

 opposition from the people in taking in ground for 

 the enlargement of the park,** some apparently object- 

 ing to surveys of their lands being made, 100 and the 

 inhabitants of Waltham Forest being fearful of the 



' 7 Ly.ona, Environ! of Und. 

 Peck, £W«- a « Cur^a, i, H , 

 iMcriba rhc houie 11 beiog ere< 

 t. fir.t foundation by Cecil. 



" Nichols, Pmgrtuu cf Qyeet 



• C*l. & P.Dtm, 1547-80, p 

 sl Nicholt, op. cic. i, 291. 

 ** Ibid, ii, 400. 

 43 Lysom, Environ, if Led. i- 



51 Norden, Doer, of H,rt,. (ed 



3'- 



55 Peck, Dttiderata Cvisn, i, : 

 96 A Joint, into England i. 



1598 (ed. 1758), 54. 



•S°3), 



tht 



" Cat. S. P. Dom. 

 JS>. 359, ]*!■ 



m Ben Jonwn, ft 

 88;- 7 . 



' ■ S. P. Dim. 1580-1615, p. 498. 



-1°, PP- 35*, 

 («d. ,6.6), i, 



* Nichols, Progn 

 H ii, 4.8,63. 



#//««/, 1,1 19, 



■rlheSmaru, 

 Co. Trin. 5 j«, L 



" Ibid. 



1 Exch. Sprc. Cora. I Chai. 1, 1 

 K Cat. S. P. Dom. 1611-1B, p. 

 " 7 Ihid. p. 461. 



* Ibid. p. 466, ""Ibid, p. 46 



H43- 



448 



