Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-05-23
rich carvings. Byron thus describes the Ab-

rlch carvings byron tnuS ucscIlOeS tne 40
bey;-
"The mansions self was vast and venerable,
With more Of the monasuc than has been
Elsewhere preserved the coisters still were stable,
Tho cells too, and reectory ween;
An exquisite small chapel had been able,
Still unimpared, to decorate the scene:
The rest had been rciormd, replaced. or sunk
And spoke more Of the baron than the monk"
Family differences particularly during the
time of the fifth Lord Byron, of excenric and
unsocial manners suffered, and even aided, the
dilapidations of time. The castellated stables
and Offices are however yet to be seen, and the
interior, since the time Col. Wildman became
possessor, was well maintained.
The great hall is fine specimen of antique
stye--it was the refectory and the drawing
room, the dormitory being then lighted by
small windows high up, between the spandrils
of the roof looking into the cloister, the clois-
tiers at that time being no doubt, arched over
with stone groins &c., but those were cut away
by the Byrons, and the present galleries formed
over them to give more convenient access to
the chambers
In the cloister court there stands the old
fountain. The Byrons had placed it in court
they made in 'front.' which does not now exist.
Thus -
amidst the court Gothic fountain played
Symmetrical but dcckd with carvings quaint
Strange faces II he to men in masquerade,
Aud here perhaps mons;,'. ere saint;
The spring gtishcd through grm mouths Of granite
made,
And sparkled into basins, where it spent
Us wild torrents in thousand bubbles,
Like mans vain glory and his vaincr troubles"
The cloisters present a most venerable APP
pearance, and resemble those Of Westminster
Abbey, though upon a smaller scale. These
were of the ancient abbey, and there are still
tenants TO be found beneath the pavement, but
there are no sepuchral slabs.
The old chapel is a handsome specimen of
Gothic style and spring of arches, and is, in
fact, the old vaulted chapter-house.
Lord Byron never saw Newstead until 179S,
when he was nearly eleven years old. lie was
born in London in 1888, and lost his father,
Capt. Byron when he was three or four years
old. lie was then living in Aberdeen with his
mother, whose pecuniary means we're very linz
tied. She had been Scotch heiress, but her
dissolute husband had made away with all her
property-land, houses, timber nk-shares
fisheries, cash. At last, all that was left to her
was fifteen thousand dollars, which yielded as
an income of seven hundred and fifty dollars
per annum. The impoverished woman lin
cal descendant of the royal house of Stuart,
had been Miss Gordon, of eight, in Aberdeen
shire.
While Lord Byron was at school, and after
ward at the University of Cambridge Newstead
had Lord Grey de Ruthen for its tenant. So
much attached TO Newstead was Byron, that
before he became acquainted with Lor Grey,
he used to leave Nottingham where his mother
lived, walk over to Newstead, wander about the
land by day, and sleep at night at little place
called "The Hut" opposite the main entrance to
the estate, actually on the right hand as you go
from Nottingham to Mansfield. The Hut,
since Byron's ownership made Newstead re-
markable, has been considerably enlarged, but
its rural character preserved, and is now one
of the neatest of English country taverns-
famous, above all, for its ham, poached eggs
home emade wheaton bread, and home -brewed
"stunning ale" This last was worthy of Robin
Hood himself, who, by-the-way, may often have
feasted in that location, for The Hut is on the
verge of what was Sherwood Forest, many
noble trees of which still remain, gigantic me
MORALS of by-gone time.
After becoming intimate With Lord Grey de
Ruthen, q bedroom in the kbbet was always
set apart for Byron-the same little room he
occupied to the last--and his time il the coun-
try was passed between Newstead and Annes.
ley where lived the Chaworh family whose
acquaintance he had made in London. Mary
Ann Chaworth, sole daughter and heiress, was
two years older than himself He fell in love
with her, was treated as ELAINE boy,' and the
young lady married rough John Musters, the
tox-hunter, with whom she was very unhappy
and she finally died out of her mind. Byron
attained his majority on January 22d, 1909, at
which time he was occupying Newstead Abbey
possession of which had been surrendered to
him by his noble tenant in the preceding au-
tumn. 1t was in terrible ruinous condition
and he Immediately proceeded to fit up some oi
the rooms for his mothers use, his avowed in.
tention being to secure her possession of the
abbey and manor for life, with sufficient in
come to maintain it. She had, since 1899, al
additional fifteen hundred dollars year to hel
income, in the shape of pension from thu
crown. But she died in 1911, soon after By
ron's return from the East. Until his marriage
in 1915, Byron lived good deal at Newstead
His wife resided with him there a short time il
the autumn of that year. In February, 1910
Lady Byron separated from HMM manner
to say the least of it, capricous and unjustifa
bic. Three months later, Byron had again lef
acknowledgements
Newstead Abbey derives its name from hav
ing been originally erected upon a piece o
waste land in the forest, hence New Stede o
place.