The Sun.
London, England, 1822-11-29 00:00:00

RICHMOND.

Richmond received its present name by Royal
command in the reign of HENRY the SEVENTH,
who was Earl of Richmond, in Yorkshire. In
Doomsday Book it is not mentioned ; the Har-
leian Manuscript, in the British Museum, calls
it Syenes ; the name was afterwards spelt
Schenes, Schene, and Sheen. Some writers, from
the latter word, which signifies bright or splen-
did, have supposed it to be expressive of the
magnificence of the ancient Palace. It is not
certain when the manor-house at Sheen first be-
came a Royal Palace. A manuscript in the Bri-
tish Museum mentions it as having heen the house
of Henry 1., who granted it, with the manor, to
the Belets. From that time, till towards the
close of the reign of Edward the First, it was the
property of subjects. Edward the First and Se-
cond resided there. The former Monarch treat-
ed with the Scottish Nobility at Sheen, after the
death of William Wallace. Edward the Third
closed a long and victorious reign at his Palace
at Sheen, June 21, 1377. Queen Anne, his suc-
cessor's consort, died there in the year 1394. The
King was so much affected at her death, that he
abandoned the Palace, and caused it to be thrown
down. Henry V. restored the Palace to its for-
mer magnificence. Henry VII. held a grand
tournament at his manor at Richmond, in 1492,
when Sir J.Parker,in controversy with H.Vaughan
for right of coat of armour, was killed at the first
course. In the year 1499, the King being then
at his Palace, it was set on fire by accident;
most of the old buildings were consumed. His
Majesty immediately caused it to be rebuilt, and
gave it the name of Richmond. Charles V.,
Emperor of Germany, was lodged at Richmond
in the year 1523. When Cardinal Wolsey gave
the lease of Hampton Court to the King, his
Majesty permitted him to reside in Richmond
Palace', a privilege of which he frequently avail-
ed himself. Hall says, that " when the common
people, and especially such as had been servants
to Henry VII., saw the Cardinal keep house
in the Manor Royal of Richmond, which that
Monarch So highly esteemed, it was a marvel
to hear how they grudged, saying, So, a butcher's
dogge doth lie in the manor of Richmond."—
Queen Elizabeth was a prisoner at Richmond
for a short time during the reign of her sister
Mary ; Queen Elizabeth ended her days at Rich-
mond Palace, on the 24th of March, 1603. In
the Autumn of that year, the Court of Exche-
quer, the Court of Chancery, and other public
Courts, were removed to Richmond, on account
of the plague.—ln the year 1550 two splendid
nuptial ceremonies were celebrated in the Priory,
in the presence of King Henry the Eighth ; Lord
Lisle being married to a daughter of the Duke
of Somerset, and Sir Robert Dudley, afterwards
Earl of Leicester, to Amy, daughter of Sir John
Robsart. The Earl's son, Robert Dudley, whom
he had by Lucy Douglas Sheffield, was born at
Sheen in 1573, and cencealed there with great
secresy, to prevent the Countess of Essex, to
whom Leicester was then a suitor, from knowing
of his birth. It is generally supposed that the
Earl was married to Lucy Douglas, though her
son in vain endeavoured to establish his legiti-
macy before the Star Chamber ; it was, never-
theless, afterwards avowed in the patent by
which his widow Alice was created a Duchess in
the reign of Charles the First. Sir Robert Dud-
ley, disappointed in the hope of proving
his legitimacy, went to the Continent, where he
was patronized by the house of Medici, who were
amply rewarded by his projecting the free port
of Leghorn. He resided many years in their
Court, and in that_of the Emperor, who having
created him a Duke, he assumed the title of the
Duke of Northumberland. This remarkable,
person died in the neighbourhood of Florence,
and lies buried at Boldrane. Antony Wood
(after enumerating his manifold accomplishments)
says, that he was the first who taught a dog to
sit, in order to catch patridges. Sir William
Temple had a lease of the Priory, and in the
year 1680 he began to reside wholly at Sheen,
having retired from public business. After a few
years he gave up his house to his son, and went
himself to Moor Park, in Surrey. Upon the ar-
rival of the Prince of Orange in England, that
place being thought unsafe, as lying between
the two armies, Sir William returned to Sheen.
About this time Swift was taken into his family
as an amanuensis. King William, who had
known Sir 'William Temple on the Continent, and
had a great esteem for his talents and character,
frequently visited him at this place, and pressed
him to become his Secretary of S tate. When his pa-
tron was lame with the gout, Swift usually attended
his Majesty iii his walks round the gardens. The
King is said upon one of these occasions to have
offered to make him a captain of -horse, and to
have taught him to cat asparagus in the Dutch
manner. Here Swift became acquainted with
the beautiful and accomplished Stella, who was
born at this place, and whose father was Sir Wm.
ITemple's steward. Sir Joshua Reynolds, Presi-
dent of the Royal Acadgmy, had a house upon
Richmond Hill. Thomson, the celebrated poet,
was buried at Richmond. The house in which
he resided was purchased after his death by Geo.
Ross, Esq. who, out of veneration to his memory,
forebore to pull it down, but enlarged and im-
proved it at the expellee of 9,0001. A theatre was
opened at Richmond in 1756 by Theophilus Gib-
ber, who, to avoid the penalties of the Act of Par-
went against unlicensed comedians, advertised it
as 66 cephalic snuff warehouse." The following
is one of his advertisements Cibber and Co.
snuff-merchants, sells, at their warehouse on Rich-
mond-hill, a most excellent cephalic snuff, which,
taken in moderate quantities (in an evening par-
ticularly), will not fail to raise the spirits, clear
the brain, throw off ill-humours, dissipate the
spleen, enliven the imagination, exhilarate the
mind, !mprove the eye, give joy to the heart, and
greatly invigorate the mind and understanding.
Mr. Cibber has also opened at the aforesaid
warehouse (late called the theatre, on the hill)
an histronic academy for the instruction of young
persons of genius in the art of acting ; and pur-
poses, for the better improvement of such pupils,
frequently, with his assistants, to give public re-
hearsals, without hire, gain, or reward."