RICHMOND. 



of Henry V. to the throne, when the palace was rebuilt in 

 a ftyle of greater magnificence than before, and in fuch a 

 manner, as to render it " a delightful manfion of curious 

 and coftly workmanftiip, and befitting the character and 

 condition of a king." Of Henry VI. we difcover no 

 trace here, nor does it appear that Edward IV. ever oc- 

 cupied the palace ; but it is recorded, that he granted it, 

 in the fixth year of his reign, to his queen, Elizabeth, to 

 be held by her during her life. Henry VII. gave the 

 cuftody of the manor to Robert Skeene ; and on the death 

 of his own mother-in-law, the queen dowager, in i486, 

 took poffeflion of the palace, which he frequently made 

 his refidence. In 1492 he held a grand tournament here, 

 at which fir James Parker, in a controverfy with Hugh 

 Vaughan, for right of coat of armour, was killed in the 

 firft courfe. Seven years fubfequent, the king being then 

 at the palace, it was fet on fire by accident, and almoft 

 totally deltroyed. Henry, however, foon replaced it by 

 another, which was built in a ilyle of much " magnificence 

 and elegance ;" and on this occafion changed the name of 

 the manor to Richmond, in reference to his own title be- 

 fore he obtained the crown. The picture of Henry V. 

 and his family, the marriage of Henry VI. and that of 

 Henry VII. in the Strawberry -hill collection, are fuppofed 

 to have been painted for this monarch, and intended for 

 the palace of Richmond. It had been finillied only a 

 (hort time, when another fire broke out, which did con- 

 fiderable damage. One of the newly erected galleries alio 

 fell in the fame year, only a few minutes after the king 

 and his fon had been walking in it. Philip I., king of 

 Spain, was entertained here with great magnificence in the 

 year 1506; and king Henry VII. died here 2 1 ft April, 

 1509. His fucceilor kept his Chriftmas at Richmond the 

 year fucceeding his acceffion to the throne ; and on the 

 1 2th of January enfuing a tournament was held in the park, 

 when the monarch himfelf, for the firft time, took a part 

 in the exercifes. Charles V. was lodged at Richmond in 

 the year 1523. King Henry VIII. had a fon ot his own 

 name born here, who died when fcarcelv two months old. 

 Queen Elizabeth was imprifoned in the palace by her fitter, 

 queen Mary ; and after (lie was feated on the throne, it 

 became one of her favourite places of refidence. In her 

 reign, Eric IV., king of Sweden, was lodged here, and 

 here (he herfelf ended her days, on the 24th of March, in 

 the year 1603. In the autumn of the fame year the lev- r; i 

 courts of juftice were removed hither from London to avoid 

 the plague, which was then raging with great vehemence 

 in the capital. Henry, prince of Wales, refided here in 

 1605, and in 1625 the courts were a fecond time adjourned 

 to Richmond for the fame reafon as before mentioned. 

 Charles 1. was frequently at this palace, where he formed 

 a large collection of pictures. In 1636 lord Buckhurtt, 

 and lord Edward Saekville, performed a maik before his 

 majefty and his royal conlort. When the fame monarch was 

 in Scotland, the parliament ordered that the young p 

 mould be fent to Richmond with his governor, probably 

 bifhop Duppa, who is faid to have educated Charles II. 

 at this place. In the month of June, 1647, the palace 

 was prepared for the king's reception, but he is generally 

 dated to have refufed to go to it. Mr. Lyfons, however, 

 quotes a newfpaper of the 29th ot Augult in that year, as 

 mentioning that the prince elector was then at Richmond, 

 and that the king, with the duke of York, hunted in the 

 New Park, and killed a ftag and a buck. During the 

 commonwealth, the palace was told by the commiflioners of 

 the houfe of commons, who ordered a furvey of it to be 

 taken, as it then exitted. From this document we learn, 



that the great hall meafured 100 feet in length, and 40 in 

 breadth ; and that it had a fcreen at one extremity, and a 

 turret or clock-cafe, covered with lead, at the other. The 

 fame record defcribes the privy lodgings as a free-ttone 

 building, three ftories high, ar.d iurmounted by fourteen 

 turrets. A " canted tower," with a ftaircafe of 1 24 fteps, is 

 likewife noticed ; alfo a chapel 96 feet long, and 40 broad ; 

 and a privy garden, with an open gallery 200 feet in length, 

 over which was a clofe gallery of the lame extent ; but no 

 mention is made of a library, though a French writer 

 afferts, that a royal library was eftablifhed at Richmond by 

 Henry VII. and the librarian is enumerated among the 

 officers of this palace in the houfehold eftablifhments of 

 queen Mary and queen Elizabeth. The furvey further 

 mentions three pipes, which fuppiied the palace with water, 

 one from the white conduit in the New Park, another from 

 the red conduit in the town-fields ; and a third from a con- 

 duit near the alms-houfes, which are fituated clofe to the 

 river. The materials of the palace are there valued at 

 10,782/. igs. id. It was purchafed by Thomas Rookefby, 

 William Goodrick, and Adam Baynes, on behalf of them- 

 felves and other creditors, and Ihortly after refold by them 

 to fir George Norton, who had been one of the com- 

 miffioners appointed to fit in judgment on Charles I. On 

 the reftoration, this gentleman having been deprived of his 

 eftates by confifcation, Richmond palace was bellowed on 

 the queen mother, but it is probable, that at this period 

 it was in a very difmantled ftate. Indeed Fuller, who 

 wrote foon after the reftoration, fpeaks of it as pulled 

 down ; but this could not literally be the cafe, as it feems 

 to have been inhabited fubfequent to his day. Now, how- 

 ever, it is totally demolished, except a few of the out- 

 offices, and its fcite is occupied by feveral houfes, which an 

 held on leaie from the crown. One of thefe, the pro- 

 perty of the late duke of Queenfberry, was built bv tin 

 third earl of Cholmondeley, who ornamented it with a 

 very fine collection of pictures. The tapeftry, which hung 

 behind the earl of Clarendon in the court of chancery, ilili 

 decorates the hall of this manfion. The firft mention made 

 of a park at Richmond is in the reign of Edward I. This 

 is the park which, in the time of Henry VIII. was called 

 the Old or Great Park, in contradiftinction to another 

 adjoining, called the New Park, which had been formed by 

 the predeceflor of that monarch. The lodge belonging to 

 it was for fome months the refidence of the celebrated 

 dinal Wolfey, after he had loft the favour of his capricious 

 and tyrannical matter. Charles I. having formed a third 

 park of tar greater extent than both the former ones united, 

 they appear to have merged into one foon after, as in the 

 furvey taken in 1649, only two parks are mentioned, via. 

 that lately inclofed by the monarch, called the New Park, 

 and another ttyled the Little or Old Park. This laft was 

 valued at 220/. $s. per annum, and was purchafed b) 

 William Brome of London for 7048/. The lodge already 

 mentioned was afterwards poflefled bv fir Thomas Jervafe. 

 and the park by fir John Trevor, in leafe from the crown, 

 to which the whole manor reverted at the reftoration. King 

 William afterwards granted the lodge, together with the 

 ftewardttiip of the manor, to John Latton, efq., who held 

 them till the death of that prince. In 1707, thev were 

 granted by queen Ann 10 James, duke of Ormond, who 

 rebuilt the lodge, and refided there till his attainder in 1715. 

 when he privately withdrew to Paris. ■ By act of parlia- 

 ment, patted in 1721, the earl of Arran, his brother, having 

 been enabled to purchafe his eftates, king George II., 

 then prince of Wales, bought this of Richmond from him, 

 and frequently retired hither, even after his acceffion to the 



throne. 



