6 



The Seventeenth General Meeting. 



myself j and everyone in this room under her severe loss. I fear 

 that under the circumstances we must put off our visit to Wilton 

 House. It would be indelicate to intrude upon Lady Herbert's 

 privacy at this moment. The historical reminiscences of Wilton 

 House are immense,, and cannot be satisfactorily enlarged upon in a 

 short address, but I trust that an abler pen than mine will sketch 

 for you the principal events in which members of the house of 

 Pembroke took part, while in the memory of us all we know how 

 Sidney Herbert has added to the lustre of his family by merits 

 peculiarly his own. Time will not permit me to dwell upon the 

 many points of interest to be met with at Wilton, but I shall 

 endeavour very briefly to draw your attention to its history. Once 

 the chief town in Wiltshire, its monastic history alone is fraught 

 with interesting episodes, and details of conventual life, but prac- 

 tically we find that after the dissolution of the monasteries, in 

 which Sir William Herbert (the first earl of Pembroke of the name 

 of Herbert) took no small part, and certainly reaped a benefit, the 

 way was opened for a progressive course of national improvement, 

 which was rather impeded than otherwise by the narrowed ideas of 

 men constantly immured within their convent wall. Wilton lays 

 claim to attention as having been the residence of King Egbert, 

 who came, as the old chronicler recites, to dwell u nine long winters 

 in rest and peace/'' and that of his successors, who frequently lived 

 there. It was in those days " a good town, and resorted to by much 

 people.'''' In the reign of Edgar the attractions of the place caused 

 the king in his progress from Shaftesbury to Winchester to stop 

 there ; for, says the chronicler, 



" He came to Wilton at the last, 

 And a new fair church saw he, 



And he also appears to have seen in the church a baron's fair daughter, 

 in whom he took a very lively interest. A daughter of the fair 

 Wulfrith at the age of fifteen became Abbess of Wilton, and was 

 as celebrated for her skill in singing, writing, painting, embroidery, 

 music, and sculpture, as for her meekness, charity, and self-denial. 

 The Danes, as a matter of course, could not leave Wilton alone, and 

 its monastery suffered from their lawless incursions, but on the 



