The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1865-07-28

ciO5c Oh ine luSl century anu luS pres
ent edifce erected 1t is believed to
have been of Roman origin and of
equal antiquity with the city walls.
Others fix the date of its erectios, A.
ID. 1869, by William the Conqueror
1t is stated 10y Camden to have been
repaired by Hugh Lupus, and addi-
tional Notifications erected by the
Norman Earl, his successor 1t was
the palace of the local monarchs as
well as their chief stronghold In
1897, upon the death Of James Scott,
last Earl of the Norman line, the com
missionors of Henry Ill seized Ches-
ter Castle for the King In 1865,
James De Aldithley and Urian De St
Pierre, at the head of citizens of Ches-
ter, beseiged Luke De fancy, Kings
Justice IN the Castle, which held out
for ten weeks, when hearing Of the
battle of Eyesham he surrendered.
Henry Of Lancaster afterwards Henry
lN.) having taken up arms against
Richard II. in 1889, mustered his arms
on the bank of the Dec, under Ches-
ter walls, and Sir Piers Leigh, of
/ Lyme, an adherent of Richard, was
behcadod and his head set upon the
top of the highest tower of the castle
In 1403, Henry Percy (Hotspur), Wis
tied Chester on his way to the fatal
field of Shrewsbury, and caused proc
lamation to be made that King Rich
ard was yet alive and prisoner in the
Castle where he could be seen.
Eleanor Duchess of Gloucester,
wife of the Good Duke Humphrey,
was confined for several months in
Chester Castle, in 1447 under SEN
tence of perpetual Imprisonment, on a
charge of practising the Kings
Death. Here, also in 1851, the Pu-
ritans, in their peculiar phraseology
sought the Lord, by trying and con
demning to death the gallant and pat
riotic Earl of Derby, Sir Timothy
Featherstoneaugh, and Capt. Beubon.
could multiply items of historical
items of historical interest connected
with this old castle and the city walls,
but dare say you will conclude that
the Journey around the said walls is
the longest two miles, Cor between one
and three quarters and two miles YOU
ever went over and SO | will bring you
back to the starting point with little
delay, assuring You, however, that ey-
cry rod was full of interest to me.
On the eastern wall not far from the
Cathedral is Newgate where formerly
stood a postern, called VOLTS Gate or
Pepper Gate. OF this postern Fuller
SAYS that in the sixteenth century,
the Mayor of the city had his daugh-
ter, as she was playing at ball with
other maidens in Pepper Street, stol-
en- away by young man, through the
same gate, whereupon he caused it to
be shut up" which gave rise to the
saying, when the daughter is stolen,
shut Pepper gate"
East gate and Barr gate are well
worth describing, both having a hsto-
ny emitting them to special notice.
believe l could make the tour Of
those old walls daily, for weeks, and
never grow weary Of thevaried objects
OF interest and beauty which they com
bine. The antiquarian, the historian,
the scholar, the poet, the artist, or the
man of business can there find enjoy
ment and ample food for thought; and
III comparing~those splendid and stu
pendous works of centuries gone by
and all they then Enclosed with their
present condition and uses no one can
fail to be deeply impressed with the
changes which, in the lapse of ages,
are produced by perishing nature and
more destructive man.
The city is well worth whole day S
examination; so narrow, tortuous, UNI
equal and singular are its streets and
buildings, and the arcades which are
feature of Chester They occupy
the greater part of both sides eff East
gate street, and portions of both
sides of Water-gate and Bridge
streets. Their appearance, both IN
terror and exterior, is extremely
singular, and no description can con-
yey the impression they produce on
the eye. They form a gallery, occn-
plying the front floor of each house,
parallel with the streets below, and
are approached by flights of steps at
convenient distances, in addition to
those by which they are entered or
quilted at each end. The passenger
walks over the shops on level with
the street and under the first floor of
the dwelling houses and thus two
lines of shops are created on one front.
Some of the shops nearest the street
are entered on a level with the side
walks, others by descending and a few
10y ascending steps, and the quaint
ness Of the effect is produced by the
irregularity of the whole; every build
err having, seemingly, determined to
build higher or lower than his neigh
Dor, and further back or projecting in
front of the street line. Tho houses
are principally of the old type, gable
rooted, with the old beams blackened
and between them filed with brick
or plaster. The origin and cause OF
the rows has furnished matter for
much curious speculation and inyesti-
CATION, and the subject is still involved
in much obscurity. 1t is generally
supposed that they were originally
used as places of defence, from whence
a., o,,,,o,, on1 ,.a,,ulqa tha osea,1ltc pf IN