INTRODUCTION. 



7 



Henry ; for it is not to be supposed that 

 all the details handed down by Hentzner, 

 Leland, Hollinshed, Bray, Daines Bar- 

 rington, and others, would be found in 

 the splendid gardens of Nonesuch alone. 

 The art must therefore have been intro- 

 duced by some whose names are now 

 lost ; and, in all probability, it would be 

 imported direct from Italy, which, about 

 that period, took the lead in horticulture 

 in Europe. We may here remark, that 

 if Dr Walker — considered a high autho- 

 rity — is correct in his surmises, architec- 

 tural gardens existed so early as the sixth 

 century in Scotland ; for he says, (Essays, 

 vol. ii., p. 5,) in describing the monastery 

 of Icolmkill in the Hebrides, as it existed 

 about the end of the eighteenth century, 

 that " on a plain adjoining the garden of 

 the abbey, and surrounded by small hills, 

 there are vestiges of a large piece of arti- 

 ficial water, which has consisted of several 

 acres. Its banks had been formed by 

 art into walks ; and, though now a bog, 

 you may perceive the remains of broad 

 green terraces passing through the mid- 

 dle of it, which have been raised consi- 

 derably above the water." Whatever 

 merits these gardens had, the execution 

 of them must be assigned to the monks, 

 who, no doubt, both in England and 

 Scotland, introduced Italian gardening, 

 as well as the fruits and plants of other 

 countries. That their gardening opera- 

 tions disappeared with the dissolution of 

 the monasteries by Henry VIII. is pro- 

 bable. The state of Scotland till the 

 Union was such, that we may readily 

 infer little attention was paid to garden- 

 ing, more especially as a work of art. 



James I. of Scotland is thought to have 

 introduced partially the gardening of 

 England, such as it was in Henry V.'s 

 reign, and as he saw it while a prisoner 

 in England. James III. has left vestiges 

 of his taste for geometrical gardens in what 

 is still called the Knott, or raised platform, 

 in the vale below Stirling Castle, said to 

 have been the site of the royal gardens. 



Cardinal Wolsey, about the middle of 

 Henry VIII.'s reign, laid out Hampton 

 Court garden ; much of which, including 

 the labyrinth, still exists as a monument 

 of the grandeur of that day. These gar- 

 dens were, however, further improved and 

 extended by Charles II. in the French 

 style, after the manner of Le Notre. 



Summer-houses, jets d'eau, labyrinths, and 

 statues, were in high estimation during 

 Elizabeth's reign, as were also parterres 

 of great intricacy and design, as may be 

 learned from the " Gardeners' Labyrinth," 

 published at that time. The same taste 

 prevailed during the time of her succes- 

 sor, although an attempt was made by 

 Bacon to overturn it, but without suc- 

 cess. At this period Lord Verulam's 

 garden was in high repute. Le Notre 

 visited England by invitation of Charles 

 II., and fully introduced the French style, 

 by carrying it out at Hampton Court, 

 Greenwich, St James's Park, &c. The 

 Duke of Devonshire, the Earl of Essex, 

 and Lord Capel, were at this time great 

 promoters of the art ; as were also Lady 

 Brook, Lord Craven, Lord Pembroke, 

 the Duke of Lauderdale, Lady Clarendon, 

 Lord Northampton, &c. The celebrated 

 John Evelyn, the author of the " Sylva," 

 &c, Waller the poet, Sir William Temple, 

 Sir Henry Capel, Sir Robert Clayton, &c, 

 all shone conspicuous in the higher depart- 

 ments of garden refinement. It is some- 

 what singular that both hothouses and 

 icehouses should have been first built in 

 this country during this reign. 



The Earl of Essex sent his gardener, 

 Mr Rose, to study in France; and we 

 presume this to be the first instance of an 

 English gardener having such an oppor- 

 tunity. He was appointed on his return 

 royal gardener, and fruited the first pine- 

 apple produced in Britain. A painting 

 in Kensington Palace represents him pre- 

 senting this pine to the king. Orangeries 

 and banqueting-rooms appear to have 

 been the earliest buildings connected 

 with gardens in this country. The latter 

 are spoken of by Daines Barrington as 

 being first erected at Beckett in Berk- 

 shire, by Inigo Jones, and are described 

 as having consisted of one apartment, 

 with a cellar below. One similarly con- 

 structed is stated to have existed about 

 the same time at Hampton, Middlesex. 

 Of the former — the orangeries — those of 

 Loader an anchorsmith, the Duke of 

 Lauderdale, Sir Henry Capel at Kew, 

 and that of the Carews of Beddington, 

 in Surrey, appear to have been the first. 

 We do not, however, think these were 

 dedicated to the culture of the orange 

 alone, but that they contained plants 

 of a similar nature also. 



