April, i<)r5.] 



THK ORrilll) WORM). 



'55 



is the Church, ;ilso mentioned in Domesdny 

 Book, with its antique and exquisite oak 

 carvin<^-, some of wliich was I)rou^ht from 

 Belgium. I lie eastern stained-^iass window 

 dates from about iqoci. 



The family of Colman is one of orerit 

 antiquity, there bpinq; a rc^cord as far bark as 



("olman, is a Past Master of the Worshipful 

 ("ompany of Skinners, a Deputy Lieutenant 

 for the county of Surrey, servinj^- the ancient 

 office of f-figh Sheriff for the year 1893, and 

 is one of His Majesty's I^ieutenants for the 

 City of London. His many services received 

 rero<jnitioii in i()(>7 when Kin^ Edward Vlf. 



Gatton House, the Marble Hall, 



12S7, of one William Colman, of Norfolk. 

 In 15S9 Desiderius Colman was armour- 

 maker to icings Charles I. and Philip of 

 Spain, and a branch of the family flourished 

 in Augsburg during the fifteenth and 

 sixteentl: centuries. I hey were inventors of 

 complete armours for horses. In the reign of 

 James I. a grant of arms, in those days a high 

 distinction, was made to a Colman of 

 W'ymondham, from whom the ]:)resent family 

 can trace descent. Many of the family have 

 borne the Christian name Jeremiah, which 

 has passed through nine generations. The 

 present owner of Gatton, Sir Jeremiah 



conferred the honour of a Baronetcy upon 

 him. 



It has l)een the writer's pleasure to spend 

 several hours in the Orchid houses in company- 

 with Sir Jeremiah, when the remarkable 

 knowledge which he has of the subject, as 

 well as his ready memory for technical details, 

 gave ample proof of the great admiration he 

 has for these aristocratic flowers and the 

 intense interest he continues to take in them. 

 i\s a lover of all things artistic and rare, the 

 owner of this extensive estate has his time 

 fully occupied, yet notwithstanding the many 

 attractions — and some are indeed great — 



