Sl’PPLEMKNT  TO  THE  “Joi'RNAE  OP  lIOJiTlCT'ETl' RE.” 
Hatfield  House,  the  Seat  of  the  Marquis  of  Salisbury. 
WHO  has  not  heard  of  Hatfield  ?  To  the  populations  of  the  English 
speaking  world,  and  to  many  millions  besides  who  speak  their  own 
mothf  r  tongues,  the  name  of  Hatfield  is  known — not  perhaps  so  much  as 
a  magnificent  estate,  but  as  the  home  of  one  of  England’s  greatest  states¬ 
men,  whose  reputation  will  be  handed  down  to  the  future  by  historians, 
even  as  the  doings  of  his  ancestors  have  been  passed  down  to  us.  Look 
far  back  into  the  pages  of  history,  and  the  family  achievements  in  the 
political  arena  will  be  found  in  page  after  page,  dynasty  after  dynasty, 
century  after  century,  and  when  you  reach  the  time  of  the  maiden 
monarch  you  will  find  Sir  William  Cecil,  afterwards  Lord  Treasurer 
Burleigh,  one  of  the  leading  politicians  of  the  time.  To-day  history  is 
repeating  itself,  for  the  Marquis  of  Salisbury,  a  descendant  from  the 
Elizabethan  Minister,  occupies  the  highest  position  in  Victoria’s  Parlia¬ 
ment.  The  reigns  of  both  these  rulers  have  been  beneficent,  and  in  the 
glory  of  each  reign  is  reflected  the  glory  of  the  Cecils.  It  is  not  proposed, 
however,  to  trace  the  history  of  the  family  back  from  the  year  1558  to 
1898,  at  least  only  so  far  as  it  affects  the  subject  of  the  present  notes 
history  of  gardening  for  nearly  three  centuries.  It,  doubtless,  has  had 
its  vicissitudes,  but  these  lend  charm  to  tb.e  page  and  make  the  picture 
painted  in  the  mind  more  beautiful  still.  So  interesting  is  the  history  of 
Hatfield  that  we  shall  venture  beyond  the  bounds  of  horticulture,  but  not 
so  much  so,  it  is  hoped,  as  to  make  the  recital  uninviting  to  our  readers. 
As  has  been  said,  Hatfield  came  into  the  possession  of  the  Cecils  just 
after  the  death  of  good  Queen  Bess,  but  prior  to  that  it  was  a  place  of 
.note,  and  during  the  reign  of  this  monarch  it  was  a  royal  residence.  For 
about  seven  hundred  years  Hatfield  has  been  widely  known,  and  a  part  of 
the  old  Palace,  which,  during  the  reign  of  Mary,  was  occupied  by 
Elizabeth,  who  was  practically  a  prisoner,  still  remains,  and  is  shown  in 
the  photographic  reproduction  (fig.  34).  The  portion  there  depicted 
was  the  banqueting  hall,  which  is  now  used  as  a  stable,  providing  adequate 
acciimmodation  for  upwards  of  two  dozen  horses.  The  roof  of  this 
structure,  which  is  comparatively  lofty,  has  the  appearance  of  being 
of  oak,  though  one  good  authority  states  it  to  be  of  Spanish  chestnut. 
Fig.  34.— THE  OLD  PALACE  AT  HATFIELD. 
_ namely,  Hatfield  House,  which  came  into  possession  of  the  family 
shortly  after  the  accession  of  James  L  to  the  throne.  But  let  us  pass 
for  a  moment  from  the  historical  features  to  those  phases  that  come  more 
within  the  social  province.  _ 
To  travellers  by  the  G.N.B.  Hatfield  has  become  familiarised  by  the 
conservatory,  of  which  a  glimpse  may  be  caught  as  the  train  speeds  past 
on  its  journey  north  or  south  ;  indeed,  to  many  going  in  the  latter 
direction  it  is  the  signal  that  London  will  be  reached  in  about  twenty 
minutes,  and  therefore  preparations  must  be  made  for  detrainment.  But 
few  of  those  passing  thousands  have  any  conception  of  the  magnificent 
house,  the  superb  park,  the  ancient  buildings,  the  relics  of  bygone  ages 
which  may  be  seen  on  every  hand.  To  the  one  who  is  wholly  interested  in 
historical  detail  Hatfield  would  prove  an  almost  inexhaustible  storehouse, 
while  the  visitor  who  lives  in  the  present  will  have  his  mind  no  less 
occupied  in  studying  the  several  features  of  the  house  and  park.  In  this 
connection  one  can  re-echo  the  sentiment  of  Bishop  Wilberforce,  who  said 
of  Hatfield :  “  This  is  a  place  at  once  of  historic  interest  and  of  present 
enjoyment.”  Truer  words  were  never  spoken  than  these,  and  none  but  a 
cultured  mind  could  thus  have  summed  up  in  a  dozen  words  the  description 
of  a  lordly  estate.  Arboriculturists  would  find  here  food  for  many  a 
thought,  while  horticulturists  could  with  little  effort  read  in  the  estate  a 
In  Saxon  days  the  name  was  Iletfulle,  and  the  estate  belonged  to  the 
Saxon  kings  until  it  was  given  to  the  monastery  of  St.  Etheldreda  at 
Ely  by  Edgar.  It  became  then  a  residence  of  the  prelates,  hence  the 
name  of  Bishop’s  Hatfield,  which  it  retains  to  the  present  day.  From 
about  the  year  1108,  which  it  will  be  remembered  was  during  the  reign 
of  Henry  I.,  it  was  the  residence  of  the  Bishops  of  Ely  until  the  accession 
of  the  Merrie  Monarch,  but  was  .occarionally  used  as  a  royal  palace. 
Edward  VI.  lived  there  before  he  came  to  the  throne  in  the  year  1547, 
and  in  the  fourth  year  after  his  accession  conveyed  it  to  the  Princess 
Elizabeth,  afterwards  (1558)  Queen  Elizabeth.  Even  from  these  brief 
data  it  can  be  gathered  that  th^  old  palace  of  Hatfield  saw  many 
changes  and  acknowledged  many  owners. 
At  a  lecture  on  the  old  palace  of  Hatfield,  Mr.  Gunton,  who  can  speak 
authoritatively,  said  the  structure  to  which  we  have  just  been  referring 
was  erected  by  Morton,  Henry  VII.’s  chief  adviser,  on  the  site  of  an 
earlier  erection.  Mr.  Gunton  went  on  to  say,  “  Only  the  west  side^  of 
the  quadrangle,  which  composed  the  original  building,  now  remains, 
however,  for  when  the  present  mansion  was  built,  the  other  three  sides 
were  sacrificed  to  make  way  for  it.  The  architecture  is  noteworthy.  Up 
to  that  time,  as  a  consequence  of  the  Wars  of  the  Roses,  defence  was  the 
first  consideration  in  building,  but  now  in  these  pijiing  times  of  peace, 
