The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-27 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCUIT.—CROYDON, Aug. 26.
(Before Baron Bramwell and a Special Jury.)

WOOLLEY Y. POLE.

THE CAMPDEN HOUSE FIRE.-SECOND DAY.

The proceedings in this extraordinary cause were again
resumed yesterday morning, at ten o'cictck.
Mr. Bovill, Q.C., Serjeant Ballantine, Mr. Mereweather,
Mr. Henry James (specially retained), and Mr. Rosher,
appeared for the plaintiff.

Mr. Lush, Q.C., Mr. Denman, Q.C., and Mr. Garth,
were for the defendant.

The following additional evidence was adduced on behalf
of the plaintiff :
Mr. William Frederick Woolley said—l am the plaintiff
in this action. In the year 1817 I married a lady named
Cope. She had a very considerable fortune. I took Camzden
House immediately after the marriage. The rent was attrbt
£2OO, but was afterwards raised to £290. This continued
until the year 1854.

(Upon the application of the learned counsel, Crozier, a
witness who was to be examined for the plaintiff, and
Temple, who was to be called far the defendant, were or-
dered to be out of Court while the plaintiff was being ex-

amined.)
Examination continued—ln 1854 I purchased the lease of
Campden House, which at this time had 90 years to run, for
£6,000. The house was in a very dilapidated state when I
took it. It was altogether out of repair, and many persons
said I was mad to take it. I laid out considerable sums
upon the building, both internally and externally. I fitted
it up gradually, according to m 3 own. taste. I took out the
whole of the grates and fitted in others according with the
age at which the house was supposed to have been built,
When I bought the lease the place was very much improved,
but I continued the alterations afterwards, and the improve-
ments were going on down to the fire. Whenever I saw
anything I thought would suit me I purchased it. I bought
articles abroad and in country places, and, in fact, wherever
I went. I once purchased an estate- in Essex, because there
was some remarkable carving in the farm-house attached to
it. I think I gave £1,500 or £2,000 for the property. The
carving was of the time of Henry VII., and it was very re-
markable. It was afterwards put up in the breakfast room at
Campden House. I bought a great many pictures, both
abroad and in England. I purchased some of the old Italian
masters' pictures, which were not so much appreciated at
the time, tut which afterwards became very valuable. Some 1
time ago I had an illness, and I was blind for two years,
and my sight now is very bad, and for some time I have had
a servant to go about with me, I can state that there were
28 panelled pictures in Campden House, and every one of
those pictures were of great value. Some were by Spagno-
letti, and others by Velasquez. I used to amuse myself
sometimes by taking pictures out of frames and putting them
in other positions. There were a great many framed pic-
tures all over the house. I had not a large number of look-
ing-glasses, because such things did not suit the style of
the house. There was one large Florentine glass in the
bathroom, which was very beautiful and valuable, and the
frame was most elaborately carved. My brother-in-law, on
one occasion, said he should not mind giving me£4oo for this
glass if a room in a house he was building in the Isle of
Wight was large enough to hold it. I bought the furniture
in the same Way, from time to time, and when I saw any
article that I thought would suit my house I purchased it.
I gave 150 guineas for a dining-room table, and all the
other furniture was in accordance with it. The house was
full of furniture when the fire happened, and my friends
used to say it was like a broker's shop. A good deal of
1 varnishcnatsof was used to bring up the old panelling, after some
white paint had been removed from it by my orders.
I have myself used varnish for this purpose. The places
where it was used were the drawing-room, the hall, and
the staircase. •My sister and brother-in-law sometimes as-
sisted me in varnishing part of the house. This was in
varnish
lan thed early part of 1862. 1 never purchased any
myself. A man named Temple was in my ser-
vice, and his wife and a son lived with him. Temple was
originally employed as a journeymanpsrweek, bute carpenter, arpenter, and I paid
k I h
him thirty-five shillingsafterwards another
arrangement was made. I should
thin
least £7,000 or £B,OOO upon the house, decorated
oi
tuant at
made
perfencet
masedl
Tcould,
rell, A
who has died since the fire.good and
deal of money was
pmaaiddetoit gilderaas
withm y 1
vi herfe and from h tehre etyi
brotherme years.
' of
and o Myur wife'ssister
I believe he was in my service for fourteen
s mar-
riageis t er ,t
ill ims sy Cwo
ipfee,
dl jive
de d.
g the house as I did
mtoyoksealfs. mmucyh
winitfeer,sesftnritnundeewcoarsatin
about
£22,000 or £25,000.
embedesi
isfsei a Runha
dS tao el
akr,
gasufdo
rptruhed adbesouthtif
f1;00mC0
her
annum.
This was
3,inlyw
father, consisting of railway stock and debentures. I
borrowed £13,000 on mortgage from my sister-in-law upon
Campden House and the furniture in it. I used to allow
the theatre on the premises to be used for amateur per-
formances for charitable purposes. Gas was laid on in the
house. I very seldom gave evening parties after my wife
died. I kept no horses or carriages, and my establishment
was very small. For several years I only kept a butler. I
had no stock or wine in the cellar, and 1 only purchased
small quantities. Besides the £13,000 I borrowed from my
sister-in-law, I borrowed £3,000 from Mr. Borradails, which
was also lent upon the security of Campden House. In 1855,
I let it to Colonel Waugh, and was about to go abroad, but
I and my wife took a fancy to an old castle at Tunbridge
Wells, and we hired it. No furniture was taken there from
Campden House. Col. Waugh paid me twenty guineas per
week for Campden House. He took away some of my property
without my consent, but 1 was paid for a portion of it.
While I resided at Tunbridge I had the misfortune to lose my
wife and child, and my health was very much affected in
consequence of those losses. It was my only child. I remained
for some time at Tunbridge after my wife's death, and
when Col. Waugh left Campden House I went back there,
and after some time I determined to go 'to Brighton. This
was in 1859. I took an unfurnished house, a very small one,
and the furniture I put into it was brought from Tunbridge
eauTtiolen; . The rest of tho Tunbridge furniture wan sold by
It was at this Limo that I insured the furniture in
the h
Fire e se at Brighton and in Campden House with the Sun
Oface. Before I
tertained the idea went to Brighton the first time I en-
the raortgages to of
Bliss
ietting Campden House. At this time
existence, and in 1361,C0pe and Mr. Borradaile were in
insured. At this time atth their suggestion, the furniture was
and the furniture was paretfurniture was not insured at all,
money she had advanced,
neighbourhood, and Miss
an insurance being effected.
me to increase the amount of the ine9 they
ofl Miss Cope's security for the
Cope
had been some fires in the
build-
in,,, whieh was at that time only insured for
Temple if he could rebuild the house for
ulnanlBdrher brother pressed for
had also pressed
upon the build-
£4,ooo. I asked
laughed and said it could not be rebuilt foror 4"0, and lie
retlElC,.,
he yen 4O 000 I
^fed with Mr. Freeth, the surveyor to the com-
sun, and
t some one to look over the property, and the 'oeace
agreed to take an insurance for £lO,OOO. In the year 1859
the =Gums insured for were £12,000 upon the house, and
£7,000 upon the fittings Th... v Brighton furniture Was in-