210 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTTCULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  10,  1898. 
comfort  being  the  primary  object,  the  fierce  battlements,  ^  keeps,  and 
towers  developed  into  mere  ornament,  so  a  strange  mixture  is  the  result. 
A  specimen  of  indoor  decoration  still  remains  in  an  old  room  near  the 
Gate  House  and  tennis  court,  a  black  painting  on  a  whitewashed  ground. 
ATorton  marched  well  in  the  van  of  progress,  for  the  palace  was  the  first 
large  house  to  be  built  entirely  of  bricks.  Before  this  brick  chimneys 
only  had  been  used  to  stone  houses,  thus  reversing  a  style  in  vogue  at  the 
present  day.  It  was  not  until  Charles  I.’s  time  that  the  several  apart¬ 
ments  were  converted  into  the  one  great  hall  as  it  at  present  exists.” 
Samuel  Pepys’  impressions,  as  entered  in  his  Diary  on  July  22nd,  1661, 
are  worthy  of  citation  here  : — “I  come  to  Hatfield  before  twelve  o’clock, 
and  walked  all  alone  to  the  Vineyard,  which  is  now  a  very  beautiful 
place  ;  and  coming  back  I  met  with  Mr.  Looker,  my  Lord's  gardener  (a 
friend  of  Air.  Eglins),  who  showed  me  the  house,  the  chappel  with  brave 
pictures,  and  above  all,  the  gardens,  such  as  I  never  saw  in  all  my  life  ; 
nor  so  good  flowers,  nor  so  great  Gooseburys,  as  big  as  nutmegs.” 
But  if,  as  has  been  said,  no  artificial  architectural  glories  of  the 
Hatfield  of  olden  days  remain,  many  of  Nature’s  monuments  stand  that 
must  have  existed  a  thousand  years  ago.  These  are  in  the  form  of  Oaks, 
which  are  seen  on  every  hand  in  the  beautiful  park.  A  history  could,  no 
doubt,  be  weaved  round  very  many  of  them,  and  one  at  least  has  a  story 
of  its  own.  This  is  the  celebrated  Elizabeth’s  Oak,  of  which  only  about 
12  or  15  feet  high  of  shell  remain.  It  is  now  enclosed  by  a  paling,  and 
one  side  of  the  bole  has  succumbed  to  the  elements,  cement  having  taken 
the  place  to  help  uphold  this  monarch  of  its  kind.  Tradition  says  that 
the  Princess  Elizabeth  was  seated  under  this  very  tree  when  the  news 
was  brought  to  her  of  her  sister  Queen  Mary’s  death,  which  at  once 
released  her  from  a  virtual  prison,  and  made  her  Queen  of  England.  The 
story  further  says  that  when  the  news  was  made  known  to  her,  she 
exclaimed  in  Latin,  “It  is  the  Lord's  doing,  and  is  marvellous  in  our 
eyes.”  It  was  here  the  Queen  first  showed  that  preference  for  Sir 
William  Cecil,  which  extended  until  the  statesman’s  death  in  1598.  From 
Mr.  Gunton’s  lecture  we  also  learn  that  it  was  in  this  great  hall  that 
Elizabeth  held  her  first  reception,  and  when  she  appointed  Cecil  to  be  her 
Secretary.  In  making  the  appointment  the  Queen  said,  “  This  judgment 
I  have  of  you,  that  you  will  not  be  corrupted  with  any  manner  of  gift, 
and  that  you  will  be  faithful,  and  that,  without  respect  to  my  private  will, 
you  will  give  me  the  counsel  that  you  think  best ;  and  if  you  shall  know 
anything  necessary  to  declare  to  me  in  secrecy,  you  shall  show  it  to  myself 
only,  and  assure  yourself  I  will  not  fail  to  keep  taciturnity  therein,  and, 
therefore,  herewith  I  charge  you.”  The  historians  tell  us  of  his  sagacity, 
and  of  his  close  allegiance  to  the  throne  of  his  sovereign,  and  it  may  be 
inferred  that  the  kingdom  lost  a  valuable  aid  when  he  passed  away. 
One  might  enlarge  considerably  on  Hatfield  as  it  was  prior  to  the  year 
1600  ;  but  there  is  so  much  of  interest  to  be  said  of  the  present  house, 
and  its  environs,  that  the  closure  must  be  called,  or  space  will  not  be 
available  for  all  that  ought  to  be  written.  It  is  since  that  time  that  the 
horticultural  and  arboricultural  features  have  arisen,  and  to  those  it  is 
essential  that  close  attention  be  given. 
The  immense  pile  which  stands  at  the  present  moment  is  practically 
as  it  was  erected  by  Sir  Robert  Cecil,  afterwards  first  Earl  of  Salisbury, 
and  second  son  of  the  Lord  Burleigh  of  whom  mention  has  been  made. 
It  was  early  in  the  reign  of  .Tames  I.  that  this  monarch  exchanged 
Hatfield  for  Theobald’s  with  Sir  Robert  Cecil,  and  with  this  event  the 
connection  between  the  Cecils  and  Hatfield  which  continues  until  now 
commenced.  This  nobleman  appears  to  have  inherited  much  of  his 
illustrious  father's  intellectual  gifts,  and  he  it  was  who  completed,  in  the 
year  1611,  the  present  mansion.  No  visitor  could  fail  to  be  impressed 
by  the  monumental  size  of  the  structure,  which  is  in  some  portions  so 
plain  and  others  so  ornately  beautiful  in  its  style  of  architecture. 
With  the  exception  of  a  portion  of  the  western  wing,  which  was  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1835,  the  house  stands  now  as  it  stood  in  1611.  It  was  at  this 
fire  that  the  Dowager  Marchioness  of  Salisbury  perished.  Since  then 
the  structure  has  been  entirely  renovated. 
It  is,  perhaps,  needless  to  say  that  the  house  is  built  largely  in  the 
Elizabethan  style  of  architecture  of  red  brick,  with  white  stone  facings, 
and  is,  on  the  north  side  especially,  severely  plain.  The  south,  or  prin¬ 
cipal  front  of  the  mansion,  is  a  magnificent  example  of  the  Palladian 
style,  and  is  of  great  picturesqueness  and  beauty.  The  east  and  west 
sides  are  handsome,  the  former  particularly  so,  as  may  bo  seen  in  the 
illustration  on  page  216.  "lYe  find  the  following  written  of  the  mansion  : 
“  The  shape  of  the  house  is  that  of  a  half  H,  comprising  a  centre  and 
two  wings,  the  hollow  part  being  turned  towards  the  south.  The  base¬ 
ment  storey  contains  an  arcade  with  eight  arches,  divided  externally  by 
pilasters.  The  wings  are  massive  and  comparatively  plain,  supported 
at  each  corner  by  square  turrets,  70  feet  high  to  the  gilded  vanes,  the 
space  between  comprising  three  storeys,  being  relieved  by  a  fine  oriel 
window.  The  centre  tower  over  the  grand  entrance,  also  70  feet  high, 
is  surmounted  by  a  clock.”  On  three  sides  there  are  flower  gardens,  the 
north  side  having  a  large  enclosed  space,  leading  from  the  great  avenue 
to  the  entrance,  but  of  these  features  more  will  be  said  in  succeeding 
paragraphs.  _ 
It  was  about  this  period  (1611)  that  the  glories  of  Hatfield,  from  an 
arboricultural  and  a  horticultural  point  of  view,  obtained  ascendency,  and 
the  fact  is  particularly  noteworthy  that  the  first  gardener  was  the  famous 
J ohn  Tredescant,  or  Tradescant.  Though  in  subsequent  references  this 
last  established  rendering  of  the  name  will  be  adopted,  it  may  be  noted 
that  the  will  of  the  son  of  the  famous  old  gardener,  who  died  in  1638, 
is  signed  John  Tredescant ;  the  period,  however,  was  not  remarkable  for 
jwecision  in  spelling.  "Vast  indeed  must  have  been  the  work  done  by  the 
elder  Tradescant,  and  many  tokens  of  his  skill  remain  at  the  present  day. 
The  magnificent  avenue,  leading  from  the  north  entrance  through  the 
park  to  the  Hertford  Road,  is  a  lasting  memorial  to  his  name.  It  is 
gratifying  to  be  able  to  say  that  many  of  the  trees,  which  are  mostly  Elms 
and  Limes,  are  superb  specimens,  and  show  little  effects  of  the  rough 
buffettings  they  must  have  undergone.  About  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
from  the  mansion  two  other  avenues  branch  right  and  left.  The  former 
of  these  leads  to  the  old  vineyard,  not  very  far  from  which  and  adjoining 
the  avenue  is  Elizabeth’s  Oak.  Near  here,  too,  is  an  Oak  that  was  planted 
by  our  present  Sovereign  and  the  late  Prince  Consort  on  the  occasion  of 
a  visit  made  to  Hatfield  in  1844.  It  is  a  thriving  tree  ;  but  beside  the 
shells  of  patriarchal  age,  and  the  complete  and  healthy  trees  of  a 
thousand  winters,  it  looks  a  child.  A  few  centuries  hence,  when  perhaps 
all  vestige  of  Elizabeth’s  Oak  will  have  gone,  that  of  Victoria  will  by 
bearing  the  brunt  of  the  storm,  and  the  people  of  the  future  will  weave 
around  and  about  some  charming  story  of  our  much-loved  Queen.  Stand¬ 
ing  some  £0  feet  back  from  the  old  avenue  is  a  younger  one  of  similar 
trees,  but  the  object  of  planting  cannot  readily  be  grasped.  It  was 
observed  that  round  the  bole  of  each  of  the  later  trees  a  layer  of  stones 
had  been  spread,  presumalJy  to  keep  the  roots  cool  in  dry  hot  weather. 
The  central  entrance  to  the  vineyard  was  once  the  house  of  the 
gardener— indeed,  so  recently  as  during  the  last  thirty  years  it  was 
occupied.  Bearing  this  fact  in  mind  it  is  but  reasonable  to  conclude  that 
Tradescant  lived  here.  The  vineyard  was  formed  by  tliis  famous  man 
about  the  year  1611  on  the  northern  side  of  the  River  Lee,  towards  which 
the  ground  has  a  natural  slope.  The  number  of  Vines  procured  at  the 
outset  was  30,000,  which  were  sent  over  from  France,  together  with  two 
experienced  Frenchmen  to  act  as  growers.  The  whole  of  the  vineyard  is 
enclosed  by  walls,  except  of  course  where  it  is  bisected  by  the  River  Lee, 
which  was,  probably  about  the  same  period,  considerably  widened.  It  is 
spanned  by  two  bridges,  but  neither  is  within  the  walls,  so  that  those  who 
wish  to  cross  in  the  prescribed  area  must  make  use  of  the  punt.  It  was 
not  definitely  ascertained  how  long  the  vineyard  as  such  was  maintained, 
but  probability  points  to  the  supposition  that  it  was  only  for  one  genera¬ 
tion.  One  can  readily  imagine  that  the  site  was  a  capital  one  for  the 
purpose,  with  its  southern  aspect  and  protection  from  the  north  and  west 
winds.  But  after  the  removal  of  the  "Vines  the  ground,  which  is  of  fine 
quality,  was  utilised  for  growing  fruits  and  vegetables  for  the  supply  of 
the  mansion.  To  this  purpose  the  land  was  put  until  about  twenty-five 
years  ago,  when  the  new  vegetable  garden  now  in  use  was  formed.  Even 
now  many  old  fruit  trees  remain  in  the  open  and  on  the  walls  as  reminders 
of  the  past,  but  with  these  Mr.  Geo.  Norman,  the  present  gardener,  has 
nothing  to  do.  _ 
The  labours,  however,  of  John  Tradescant  did  not  begin  and  end  with 
planting  the  avenue  and  the  vineyard,  for  many  other  operations  were 
carried  out  at  the  time  that  can  be  almost  definitely  ascribed  to  him. 
For  example,  a  large  belt  of  trees  was  planted  to  protect  the  mansion 
from  the  force  of  the  south-west  winds,  which  come  with  such  terrific 
strength.  In  addition  to  this,  he  made  several  journeys  to  the  Continent, 
notably  to  Holland,  to  purchase  fruit  and  other  trees  for  the  gardens  in 
his  charge,  and  to  him  must  be  given  the  credit  of  the  introduction  of 
many  varieties  of  fruits  that  were  grown  at  Hatfield  for  the  first  time  in 
this  country.  It  is  more  than  likely  that  the  tastes  of  the  patrons  of 
horticulture  in  those  days  differed  from  those  of  to-day,  and  some  of  them 
would  not  now  be  deemed  ornamental ;  but  it  is  certain  that  Tradescant 
carried  out  many  alterations  in  the  style  that  was  then  in  vogue.  Not 
only  is  the  name  of  this  man  perpetuated  in  the  well-known  genus 
Tradescantia,  but  also  by  a  street  in  Lambeth,  where  his  garden  was 
situated.  This  was  named  Tradescant  Street,  and  remains  to  the  present 
day.  Throughout  his  life  he  appears  to  have  been  closely  interested  in 
the  study  of  all  phases  of  horticulture,  and  his  knowledge  of  earthworks 
was  of  service  to  his  country  on  at  least  one  occasion.  From  the  Cottage 
Gardener,  of  September  4th,  1860,  we  glean  that  Tradescant  accompanied 
the  ill-fated  Duke  of  Buckingham,  then  his  employer,  in  the  expedition 
against  the  Isle  of  Rhe.  In  a  dispatch  from  the  scene  of  operations,  dated 
October  16th,  1627,  it  is  stated  :  “  The  winter  comes  on  apace  :  the  men 
endure  much  wet  in  the  trenches,  and  John  Tradescant  is  one  of  our  best 
engineers  ;  pity  our  misery.”  _ 
Then,  too,  the  subject  of  these  particular  paragraphs  was  the  founder 
of  the  Tradescant  Aluseum,  of  which  frequent  mention  is  made  by  ancient 
writers.  Of  course  the  contents  of  this  have  now  become  largely  dis¬ 
tributed,  but  the  residue  is  preserved  in  the  Ashmolean  Aluseum  at 
Oxford.  His  collection  was  said  to  be  of  a  most  interesting  character, 
and  denoted  a  vast  amount  of  energy,  skill  and  knowledge  in  its  com¬ 
pilation.  It  appears,  too,  that  John  Tradescant  the  younger,  whose 
knowledge  of  kindred  subjects  was  little  less  profound  than  that  of  his 
father,  continued  to  add  to  the  museum  all  kinds  of  things  that  would  tend 
to  increase  its  value  and  interest.  John  Tradescant  the  elder,  of  whom 
we  give  herewith  a  portrait,  was,  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  born  in 
'Worcestershire,  but  the  date  of  his  birth  has  not  been  traced.  Certain  it  is 
that  he  migrated  to  Meopham  in  Kent,  for  in  the  parish  register  of  that 
place  is  found  the  record  of  the  birth  of  his  son  in  the  year  1608.  From 
here  it  is  probable  he  was  appointed  gardener  to  Sir  Robert  Cecil  at 
Hatfield,  whence  he  took  service  with  Edward  Lord  Wotton  at  Canterbury, 
whose  mansion  formed  a  portion  of  the  ancient  convent  of  St.  Augustine. 
