Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-02-02
Kenilworth Keep.
All that Remains Of the Stout Castle
Where leicester Reveled with
the Virgin Queen.
Coventry Town Quaint With the Tradi-
tions OF the Past. Mingled with
the Hum Of the Present.
Lady Godoya and : Peeping Tom " Whose Com
bined Exploits are so Beautifully Recorded
by Poets and Historians.

WENTWORTH CASTLE.

| Special Correspondence to THE HERALD.
WENTWORTH CASTLE.
About miles from Warwick are the
splendid ruins of Kenelworth Castle OF
the original structure there only re-
mains a massive tower called C9sar's,
which is supposed to be the only vestage
| of the original fortress built by Geoff-
rey de Clinton and though the most
ancient, is the strongest and most per-
| feet part of the castle now in existence.
The name of Caesar was often bestowed
on buildings of similar description
| of Roman antiquities, like one of the
| towers of London, another at Warwick
castle. The interior is one vast room
with closets and recesses scooped out
of the solid walls, which in many places
were sixteen feet thick. The great stair
case and some of the paintings with
which the walls were decorated, were
quite visible till within the past sixty
years. AT the northeast angle of this
tower, until within few years was
| fixed the great clock, which is rendered
memorable by an incident connected
with it, during the princely festivities by
which the visit of Queen Elizabeth was
celebrated IN 1910.
When her favorite, Robert Earl of
Leicester entertained the Virgin Queen
for the third time with great splendor,
he expended in adjoining and charging
the enormous sum of 100000 sterling
equal to half million of our money.
THE ENTERTAINMENT
which lasted seventeen days, cost $1,000
a day. "Thirty-one Barons besides the
ladies of the Queens household, attend
ed by retinue of four hundred SER
wants, in new liveries, were constantly
lodged in the castle, and all the Earl's
gentlemen, who waited at table, were
clothed in velvet. Sixteen hogsheads
of wine, forty of beer, aud ten oxen
slaughtered every morning, was but a
part of the royal entertainment each
day" Every pastime and amusement
that was then known was brought into
play for the amusement of this courtly
throng. One can hardly imagine all
that we read of this visit of Queen to
one of her subjects, and the hundreds
who were entertained, and more who
came to look on. When we look at the
IVY COVERED WALLS
and ruins once gay with life, now silent
and dreary, the wind bowling through
windows where once looked out the sad
but lovely face of Amy Robsart, whose
life Sir Walter Scott has so beautifully
narrated in his novel of Kenilworth.
Coventry, a few miles away, is another
ancient city, and stands on gentle
eminence and is watered by the Sher-
bourne and the Bradford brook, which
unites within the town. Two of the
gates and some portions of the walls
still exist, and several of the older
streets present picturesque appear
ance, from the number of halt-timbered
houses projecting over the pathways,
Since 1850, great improvements have
been made in various quarters The
most remarkable buildings are the
churches. st. Michaers, one of the
finest specimens of perpendicular arch
itecture in England, has spire 303 feet
high. St. Mary's Hall is very interest
ing, built by the united guild in the
fifteenth century. The principal room
above the crypt is rs feet long, so feet
wide and 81 feet high, its roof is of
carved oak, and in the north end is
large window of stained glass, with
A CURIOUS BIT
of tapestry beneath nearly Us old as the
building representing the gardens of
Versailles, which, remarkable to relate,
were not laid out till century later
Coventry was noted for its. woolens at
an early date, but later acquired such
a reputation for its dye that the express
sion as true as Coventry blue" be-
came proverbial. Twenty parliaments
have been held here. the most noted of
which is the one held in 1404, called the
parliamentary indoctum," because
lawyers were excluded from it also one
in 1859 called the parliamentum dab IL
icum, from its numerous acts of attain
der. The people are noted for love of
shows, pagents and professions, des-
criptions of which have served the ma
terial of many curious and interesting
works. The religious dramas called
mysteries were performed here with
great magnificence, in 1416 and often
in the presence of royalty. Coventry
derives its name (Coventre or convent
town., from a Benediction priory, rich
ly endowed by Leopric Earl of Marcia,
and Lady Godova, his Countess, in the
reign of Edward the Confessor The
walls were said to have been
CARVED WITH GOLD
and silver. Leoprice gave charter to
the town, which is commemorated in
window of Trinity church. In 1855 the
city was surrounded with walls three
miles in circuit, nine feet thick, and
eighteen feet high, strengthened with
thirty-two towers, and twelve gates,
each defended by portcullus. These
walls were originally built for the pro-
lection of trade, from the q years ac-
emulation of tolls, made for the pur-
pose. In the time of Leopric, Coventry
had to pay very heavy tolls. The inhabi-
tants appealing to the Earl for relief
without success besought the Lady
Godova to intercede for them. Think
ing to stay all further entreaty the Earl
declared he would only remove the dues
on condition that she would ride through
the streets of Coventry, at MONDAY,
naked Putting her feelings aside, only
thinking of the good to the many
LADY GoDoyA
ordered the inhabitants to keep within
doors, and close their shutters she,
yelled only by her long flowing hair,
mounted her palfrey, and rode through
the town, unseen. except by an inquisi-
tive tailor immortalized as "Peeping
Tom" whose curiosity it was said was
punished by instant blindness. This
story was first mentioned by Matthew
Westminster 250 years after its sup
posed occurrence. Tennyson had made
it famous by his beautiful poem of the
Lady GOdova, Every third year this
act has been commemorated until 1877,
when several years had passed unnotic-
ed when it was ascertained unless COM
piled with according to former custom,
the city would lose its charter and free
dom. A young woman from the opera
Bouffe company at Birmingham, dress
ed in
FLESH CoLoRED TIGHTS,
with short skirt. and her long hair
nearly covering her, came to the rescue.
and it is hoped for the last time This
is one OF the customs (which would be
more honored in the breach than the
| the observance.
/ Among other curious customs it is re-
lated in 1856 woman of low character
were publicly exhibited in carts on mar
ket days In one of the streets. in the
wall of house, is the figure of man,
over against where once stood the whip
ping post, where all knaves and rogues
were tied up and punished.