290 
TUT COTTAGE GARDENE AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, February 12, 1861. 
county form a strong contrast with the quiet eclusion of 
portions of it only a short distance from these n sy hives of 
industry, where the mansions of an ancient and deservedly 
respected aristocracy stand forth in the snug retreats selected for 
them centuries ago; for Lancashire can, perhaps, boast of as 
many residences of Peers of the realm as most other counties, 
and some of these are of an extent and interest not to be sur¬ 
passed anywhere. All readers of the daily and weekly prints 
must have heard of the princely reception Lord Derby has 
recently given to the ten thousand and odd volunteers who 
assembled at his invitation in the noble park of Knowsley, the 
seat of the worthy Peer. Mr. Appleby’s account of Worsley, 
the seat of Lord Ellesmere, in a former Number of The Cottage 
Gardener, will also be familiar to our readers, while there are 
many others of like merit in a county that possesses so great a 
variety of landscape, and a tolerable diversity of other at tractions; 
the one that forms the subject of this article being, perhaps, 
one of the most important in historical interest, and one that 
also by its other associations deserves to be more generally known. 
Lathom House, the seat of Lord Skelmersdale, is situated on 
the northern boundary of that table land which has Liverpool for 
its southern edge, and the hilly district north of Wigan for its 
extreme direction in that quarter. A district tolerably level, 
but sufficiently elevated to insure a speedy drainage. The soil, 
a deep, black, sandy one—perhaps the best of all soils to till, but 
equally adapted for grass land as well; and the facility with 
which most crops grow on it indicates that the soil, if not the 
climate, is well adapted for them. Excellent meadows, smiling 
corn fields, and, more especially, extensive breadths of Potatoes 
and Mangold "VVurtzel, meet the eye in all directions, whilst 
almost every hedge-side has its-stream of water. The public 
roads, too, differ from most that are to be met with more south¬ 
ward, they being paved with large square stones, the same as the 
streets were done with twenty years ago, but which have since 
then given place to smaller ones. The paving of parish as well as 
turnpike roads might certainly with much advantage be copied 
elsewhere, .as they present a cleaner aspect, and rarely require 
mending when once done. Having now described some of the 
features of the country, it is only necessary to say, that Lathom 
is several miles from Wigan, the nearest manufacturing town. 
Ormskirk, a small but thriving market town for agricultural 
produce and the like, being three miles to the westward and 
most accessible by rail. 
Situated in a park of several hundred acres of a slightly un¬ 
dulating character, but, in a general way, of very productive 
land, Lathom House occupies a rather elevated position ; and 
some good views from it would be obtained were the park not 
so profusely timbered as almost to hem it in on the most im¬ 
portant sides. The mansion is a large Grecian building, the 
main building presenting a bold and imposing faqade on its 
north and south sides ; while the offices form wings of corre¬ 
sponding character on the northern side, and, projecting forward 
from the two corners of the main building on the northern or 
carriage front side, form a sort of rectangular court, the main 
house being reached by a massive flight of steps from this court. 
The building is of a pale-coloured freestone common in the 
neighbourhood; and the structure, being large and well pro¬ 
portioned, carries with it a degree of dignity not often met with, 
when a mansion is placed on a level plateau unaided by any re¬ 
markable natural features. 
But Lathom can boast of more than its present architectu¬ 
ral features, although these are more important than may 
generally be supposed; the central portion of the mansion 
being 156 feet, and with the wings 320 feet. This large 
mansion contains some apartments of corresponding magni¬ 
tude. The entrance-hall is 40 feet square by 36 feet high. 
The ceiling is said to be a masterpiece of art, and w r ill bear in¬ 
spection with a magnifying glass, which few works of this kind 
will do. The saloon is 40 feet long by 24 feet wide, and the 
same in height: this is also a noble room. Other rooms are 
also good, and the whole presents that substantial character 
which is not met with everywhere, especially in dwellings built 
in the early part of the last century, which this one was ; and 
the present spirited owner of Lathom is making considerable 
alterations and additions, especially to the offices and minor 
apartments, which when completed will render this mansion 
second to few in the kingdom. 
But it is not the present building that renders Lathom re¬ 
markable in the eyes of the historian, excepting only as stand¬ 
ing on the site of the former one which sustained a two-years 
siege against the Parliamentary forces, commanded by such 
famous leaders as Fairfax, Egerton, and Rigby, wherein it 
is said the besiegers lost the extraordinary number of six 
thousand men, the besieged four hundred. These numbers are, 
doubtless, erroneous ; but when it is known that the celebrated 
Countess of Derby was the defender, we may readily account 
for the desperate nature of the defence. It is said the siege 
was on the point of being raised, when a deserter from the 
stronghold informed the besiegers of the famine in the castle ; for 
it was one at that time, and surrounded by a moat. This 
information led to the continuance of the siege until the place 
surrendered, and was razed to the ground. It would appear 
the noble lady became a captive, and on the return of more 
peaceful times made Knowsley her home, which I believe has 
been the paternal inheritance of that illustrious house since that 
time. 
In some of the excavations rendered necessary by the pre¬ 
sent alterations going on, the site of the moat was cut through, 
and various interesting relics discovered ; but the moat itself has 
been long filled up, and is now devoted to a more legitimate use, 
forming part of the pleasure ground, and healthy trees and 
shrubs now grow where the stagnant water of a stormy period 
assisted with other resources to make the building so strong as 
to resist such able leaders as those whose names are given above. 
As the present house is modern, and the grounds have but 
little inclination in any direction to give scope for terrace or 
Italian garden, the whole of the pleasure grounds present that 
natural system which some writers on such matters admire so 
much ; but as the mansion is undergoing extensive alteration, 
we may fairly expect the grounds will have their turn also, as 
there is abundance of materials out of which to form some 
attractive features. 
As before stated, Rhododendrons grow remarkably well, 
some single specimens being 18 feet high by 36 feet in 
diameter; a fine Portugal Laurel 26 feet high by 63 feet in 
diameter ; an evergreen Oak 54 feet wide by 36 feet high; and 
a cut or Fern-leaved Beech is 40 feet high by 45 feet wide. 
Many other trees are equally large, a deciduous Cypress being 
upwards of 30 feet high ; and there are some excellent Mag¬ 
nolias of the deciduous kinds, as well as other things not 
generally met with in such good condition so far northwards. 
It is not my purpose here to describe the grounds in detail; 
suffice it to say that the flower-beds are not numerous, but it is 
likely that a geometrical garden will be formed somewhere near 
the mansion, when the present building operations which engross 
all attention are over. Some useful walks intersect the pleasure 
grounds in various directions, mostly more or less curved, and 
one of these leading to the kitchen garden which is tolerably 
handy, but not too near to the mansion on its eastern side ; and 
this being an important feature in the place deserves a more 
extended notice.—J. Robson. 
(To he continued.) 
ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY’S MEETING. 
The first Meeting of the Entomological Society for the present 
year was held on the 7th of January, J. W. Douglas, Esq., the 
President in the chair. 
Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather the Meeting 
was fully attended. Yarious donations to the library were 
announced from the Royal Societies of London, Stockholm, 
Munich, and Tasmania, and different private individuals. The 
changes to be proposed at the ensuing anniversary Meeting in 
the Council and officers of the Society were announced. 
Mr. Samuel Stevens exhibited some splendid Butterflies re¬ 
cently captured in Ceram by Mr Wallace, including Papilio 
Ulysses and Codrus, and a large apparently new species. 
Mr. Edwin Sheppard exhibited a very dark variety of Heme- 
rophila abruptaria. 
Mr. F. Bond also exhibited various rare Micro-lepidoptera, 
including Gracillaria stigmatella. 
Mr. Gorham exhibited and pointed out the distinctions between 
Micropeplus staphylinoides and a new British species of the 
genus. 
Mr. Grove communicated some notes on the time of the day 
at which a number of individuals of the Death’s-head Moth 
were observed to make their escape from the chrysalis state, and 
which was found to be at variance with the observations of Dr. 
Yerloren on the same subject. 
