Houses with a History 
1858, the late 
ore a treasure 
ue which had 
A VIEW IN THE CHALONER LIBRARY 
built by Roger Giffard in 1519, whose brass 
still remains on its north wall. 
Soon after her marriage in 
Lady Vernev began to exp 
trove of great historical val 
long lain uncared for 
in a wainscoted gal¬ 
lery under the roof of 
the oldest part of the 
house. There, stored 
in numerous trunks 
on tressels, she found 
a hoard of parehy 
valued, were many fine 
historical portraits by 
the great painters of 
their day, which now' 
hang in honor on the 
walls. From these 
materials both the late 
and the present Lady 
Vernev have compiled 
the four volumes of 
the “ Verney Mem¬ 
oirs,” illustrated by ad¬ 
mirable reproductions 
of the chief portraits. 
What the diaries of 
Pepys and Evelyn 
have done for the later 
seventeenth century 
life of London, the 
“Verney Memoirs” 
have done for that of 
the country gentleman 
of the period, but 
commencing somewhat 
earlier, so as to portray for us the dislocations 
caused by the Civil War. 
The most notable figure of the family at 
this time was Sir Edmund Verney, Knight 
Marshal to Charles I., and, on the outbreak 
ments, rent rolls, old 
“ News ” sheets, and, 
above all, a vast 
number of family let¬ 
ters and papers, stain¬ 
ed by age and some¬ 
times rat-eaten. One 
packet of these letters 
had not even been 
opened, and had 
never been seen by 
those to whom they 
were addressed. Scat¬ 
tered about, too, in 
all sorts of unlikely 
places, and but little 
EAST CLAYDON VILLAGE 
4 
