The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-02-05
TAUNTON. VIRGINIA. FEBRUARY 5. 1880.
in England at least have perisbed from their

path, the serf with the wassail bowl, and
the most strange and eccentric of al, the rude
Jester of the old baronial hall. For moment
they all live again, while we catch once more
rude snatches of their mirth and music, rev.
elry and song. Such is the poetry of an old
castle, of an old baronial ruin In the days
of the castle and baron, however, they wer e
terrible things. In the age Of King Stephen,
A. D. 1134-1I5S, when the Barons exerted
their greatest power and INDUCED in unlim-
tied ieudal insolence ane feudal tyrany-an
age of castles-when 1900 were built and
| garrisoned, all the laws OF God and man
| were trampled under foot, and the castle
was little else than the stronghold Of robbers
and highwaymen. "Every rich nnan made
his castles (says that old chronicler, John, Of
Salisbury and held them against the King,
and the land was filled with castles. Griev-
ously they oppressed the people with their
they filled them with devils and evil men
and then they seized every one who was
supposed to have any property-man and
woman, both by day and night, and put
them in prison for their gold and silver, and
punished them with such inexpressible tor
ments as none OF the martyrs ever suffered.
They hung them by the feet and smoked
them with foul smoke; and they hung them
| by the thumbs or by the head and hung fire
to their feet :; they put knotted cords about
their heads,and twisted them till they pierre
ed their brains. They put some in dungeons
where were adders, and snakes, and toads,
and so tormented them. Others they placed
in Crucet House, that is chest which was
short, and narrow and shallow,and they put
in sharp stones, and pressed people in them
| till all their limbs we're broken. In many of
the castles were things very horrible and
hateful-these were disadvantages, that
were as much as two or three men could lift
and they were so contrived that the man
was fastened to beam with sharp iron
about his throat or neck, that he could Meth
er sit nor lie down, NOR sleep, but was always
compelled to support that weight. Many
they tormented with hunger. cannot tell
| all the sufferings and all the torments which
the wretched people bore during the nine
teen years of Stephens reign. They laid
tributes upon towns, and when the wretehed
people had no more to give, they ravaged
and burnt all the towns, so. that you might
90 long days journey and not find man
dwelling in the town, or the land titled.
Then was corn, and flesh, and cheese. and
butter DEAR"
Some may be inclined to regard this as an
exaggerated account. Far from it: 1t is
matter Of history, that during the reign Of
Stephen, England presented one continued
scene of confusion and bloc dshed. David,
King of Scotland, espoused the cause of his
niece, Matilda, daughter of Henry l., young
est son of the conqueror; by his wife Matilda,
daughter of Malcolm III. of Scotland, and
niece of Edgar Atheling. This marriage
united the Saxon and Norman lines. Henry
I. usurped the dukedom Of Normandy, and
by this act, brought England into collision
with France and laid the foundation of the
wars which ensued. Matilda, niece of Da-
vid, was the widow of Henry V, Emperor OF
Germany, and David invaded England to
maintain her right; he was defeated at the
battle of the Standard, but Matilda, who
soon landed in England was acknowledged
by the clergy, but duri ng the civil wars was
expelled. 1t was during these times Of civil
commotiOn and wars for the succession that
castles multiplied in England and the land
was desc lated by the rival barons and their
retainers.
Such having been the condition of affairs
during the reign Of Stephen, we are not sur
prised when our chronicler adds 'smany
abandoned their country, others iorsaking
their houses, built wretched huts in the
church yards, hoping for protection from the
sacred character Of the place. Whole fami-
lies, after sustaining life as long as they coule
by eating roots, herbs, dogs, and horses,per
ished at last with hunger, and you might SEE
many pleasant villages without one inhabi-
tant of either sex. In this Kings time 81
was dissension and evil, and rapine. Tit
great men rose against him they bad sworn
to support, but with whom they maintained
. no truth. They built castles which they
held out against him."
This is the poetry of old castles to which
we flock in the present day with such cage
curiosity, over which We indulge in so mucl
sentiment.
, From the State apartments we proceede'
to st. Georges Chapel, (which stands on tn
spot of the ancient ediffce, built by Edwar
III in honor of St. George Of Cappadocia, Fri
mate of Egypt in the fourth century, land Pa
tron saint Of England. st. George was put t
death by the Pagans of Alexandria. Thou2
he gave them ample provocltion still havn
been slain by detested Pagans, it wa
enough. with little legendary coloring, tt
, make him martyr. The crusaders read o
, him in their calendars and martyrologies
and under the winning appellation of s
George the Victorious, he was installe
,, among the Christians Of the East. Thes
circumstances and the assistance which the
imagined they had received from the beat
| fed st. George, at the siege of Antioch, lie
!, them to adopt him as the patron of soldier
and tutelar saint OF England. He was, a
+ one tradition AYERS, in realty Cappadocia
tanner, but be this as it may, he has bee
for many century favorite with all sor
and conditions of Englishmen, thus
= | sour ancient word OF courage, fair st. George
: was the invocation of the fierce CrooK-Bac
\ upon his last battle field of Bosworth, an
q Shakespeare, with strong double edged wi
makes the bold bastard Falconbridge ref
, ! to him, as
. est. George who swinged the dragon, and e.
since
. Sits upon horseback at mine hostess door"
The present chapel which is of modern or
gin, was erected like the first, in his homo
as patron Of chivalry.
a On entering the chapel, our admiratit
4 was excited.by the beauty of the architectur
~ which is deliberately ornate. In one of &
q chapels is the beautiful cenotaph Of t
% Princess Charlotte, the unhappy daughter
>. George w. Here are buried a long line of Ro