Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-04-04
DEADLEIGH SWEEP.


Oue o. u most deIiehtEui o. tne orc
Enssx towns 4 Deadlstgh, 10 The shall
Nv valley Of ~ Stour. Il consists o
- broad street Of old houses, some
plsss%r ana timber, with scute gabls'
Spvrrd ths street, and odd bay-windows
ehdresriss to Gt 10. thrust out q the
cosssrs, end Of brick mansions erect
"a bstwssn The rsiens Of Queer
Anns and George fv.--nons later OIL
SassS church with stately tower, dig
ninsd, sncrustsd with mural tablets
telling Of past whom Dsadlsish was .
placs whore family and fashion congre.
esssd; Of an asssmbly-room with Dorit
p0rtico, now turned into furniture.
Dealers lumbsr.room and Of . red
brick grsmnar-school, with moulded
brick pediments and cornices, and win
dows most picturesque, and . cricket
ground behind Swallowed by giant slms
g ancient % the ancient school.
A little way outside Of Deadlelgh
stands flns mansion Of red brick, ZoO
years old; II has tiled roof, the color
Of rosst coffee; brick and tile are stain
"a. softsued In tone, and mo.tled with
yellow and gray lichens, and the house
4 large IL consists OF main body
With two wings. The wings continue
IL same range Of tall windows. and are
4 IL same axis. The roofs are, how.
ever. Z little lower than that Of the
central block, which apparently con-
tains the state apartments. This central
block has one enormous stack Of chin
nsys, also ofrsd brick, and, cspriciously,
The silly.fower seed blown by the winds
from the garden has taken root in the
intsrsticss between the bricks. and the
old chimney-stack is garlanded with
yellow and brown wsll.nowers. There
are chimney-stscks inferior in size to
tbe wings, but no flowers wreath them.
The reason, no doubt. is that these lat
ter chimneys are used and get too hot
for roots to live in them, whereas the
central block. Of chimney never gives
forth smoke.
The mansion stands we'll back from
the road, with . lawn before it and
yew.tress banking each side. On the
side of the house away from the road
are the gardens that stretch down to
the river. Access to the place is OBJ
tanned through . noble pair Of ham
msred-iron gates or through . side
wicket.
The house had been unoccupied for q
number Of years except by . widow
and her daughter, who tenanted one
wing. The proprietor lived in London
Deadlsigh was too dull for his taste,
and Deadleigh was too dull to induce
those gsntlsfolk seeking houses to settle
there and rent the mansion.
The widow who lived in part of the
house was person highly respected in
Dsadleigh. Her husband had been
surgeon in practice there. On his death
she was left with so little means that
subscription was raised in the neigh
borhood, which reached G1,000, and
this was invested for her. She lived on
the interest very quietly, and rent free,
for she was allowed by the owner Of
the mansion to occupy one wing on
condition that she kept the rest Of the
house in ordsr-lighted fires in the
winter, opened windows in summer,
had the carpets shaken occasionally,
and the windowsframes painted periodi-
cally.
Mrs. White was we'll housed at no
cost, and she and her daughter Mabel
had not only the run Of the mansion,
but also the grapes from the winery and
the vegetables from the garden, and the
fruit from the orchard, as much rs they
needed and all they did not want they
sold, and from the receipts paid the gar
dener, and accounted to the owner for
the rest. y
At last, to the alarm and grief Of
Mrs. White, the proprietor died, and,
consequent on his death, the house was
sold and purchased by Mr.. Corder, of
Birmingham.
MIR. Corder was, or rather had been,
Q button.manufacturer not maker Of
oil kinds of buttons, but . specialist
q manufacturer of smoked mother-of-
pearl buttons.
For many years Mr.. Corder had done
badly in business there had been no
demand for smoked mother. of.pesrl.
Corduroy was worn only by cheap
Jacks and velveteen by game-keepers,
and smoked mother-ofpearl buttons 60
with corduroy and velveteen as GER
tainly as primroses and peacocks went
with Lord BeaccnsHeld, by inherent
fitness. Now the cheap. acks are dwind-
ling in numbers, and the game-keep-
ers are not many, consequently the
market for smoked mother-of-pearl but
tons was sluggish, till by freak Of
fashion = rage for wearing velveteen
came over the English people. The
gentlemen wore velveteen jackets and
the ladies velveteen gowns and bodies.
With the velveteen came in smoked
mother. of.pearl as Q matter of course.
The demand for buttons of this sort
was great, and the factory was engaged
night and day in turning them out Of
oil hues Of smokiness and all sheeny
lustres. Mr.. Corder rapidly realized .
fortune, and then sold his business at
the proper moment, before the fashion
declined, and sold it as though tho fash
ion for vslysteen and smoked mother
of-pearl buttons WAS rs certain of main
tanning its place IS the Government Of
Mr.. Gladstone, or Is securely estab-
lishsd as the Church Of England. Mr..
Corder was now clear Of business,
and with . very handsome fortune
safely invested. He had an only child,
= sen, Mr.. Charles Corder, . young
gentleman Of one-and-twenty, good
looking, better educated than his
father, and very idle. Mr.. Corder's
great ambition was to have his son ac-
ceptsd BY society as . real member Of
the order which stands supreme
above trade. So Mr.. Corder moved
hom mid England to Essex, away
from where his antecedents were
known. and bought the mansion
house Of Deadlsigh, with the intsn.
tion Of settling there and getting his
son married into one Of the aristocratic
families Of the neighborhood. To ac-
oommodsts himself TO his new position
~ underwent several transformations.
He had been accustomed to very shabby