New-York tribune., 1890-05-31
4 HAPPY DISCOVERY.
THE TREASURES OF TIE COUNTRY HOUSES.
L. L nf1Ar


If the ordinary intelligent were to he asked
by foreign inquirer whether it is likely that there
are many manuscripts of interest lying hid IN the
country houses of Engand-hoards which If dis
covered by the antiquary, would throw fresh light
upon the dark places OF our history ana expose
the secret motives Of great actions, he would. in
ninety-ninc eases out of Il hundred answer with
an emphatic No" And undoubtedly he would
have strong show of reason on his side In
these DAYS there few Squire Westerns, ana
even the most devoted sportsmcn among country
gcutlcmcn pride themselves upon having n taste
for antiquarian studies. The men who used 10
declare that they would have no strangers med
ding with their old papers are an extinct species
The owners of moSS-groWn manor-h0uSeS are as
uroud of their munimc nt-rOons as of their deer
parks or their walled gardens and never think
OF refusing TO let either the local archaeolo@lcal
societies or the Record Commission 90 through
their papers. Indeed. instead of ignoring or con
ccalng their collections. they are apt 10 attach
an undue importance to them. and 10 speak oi
manuscripts which have in reality no antiquarian
or historical value whatever as if they were
worthy 70 he placed among the national archives:
The possession of valuable old documents stored
in an old house cOnfcrs Just thar little piece OF
distinction for which every one in these days IS
hungering whether he is a foX-huntng landlord
or n member of the Stock Exchange; and accord
inrlv men are anxious 10 make the most of their
family papers and. to the best of their ability.
search their lumhcr-roOms and cellars FOR posi-
blc treasures. Nor is this the only argument
AGAINST the belief thnt there remain secret rcccp-
tacles which have hitherto been overlooked IN
which exist those original records for which the
historian is always longing. There is not in tng-
land or Scotland a castle. manor. hall. or prlorY
which has not been rebuilt or done up in the
course Of the last fifty wears But the woTN oi
repairing and restoration is Ike Storm
or an earthquake; II brings up from Pie dcpihs
all the forgotten boxes and hidden lumber which
have ever been put away, IN accordance WIN
the time honored maxim that country-house Is
the proper place in which 10 keep things W'nch
are of no use but which one doesn't lkc :"
DESTROY" When the builder il abroad II ne
house. 10 depository is sacred. lie breaks mo
tie most cherished cupboaroS. and storms athcs
al his own sweet Will. dragging thereof every ,
thing upon which his eye LIGHTS. Lych ladies
have been known 10 yield without nuImur 10
the request Please. ma am, the men Wait uc
key of the room under the stairs where AL tleil
old boxes is" Ever since the last squire dicd
the new lady OF the house has been WAITING Tor
that combination of leisure and inclnaton,wmch
rcvcr came - have thesc pcnelraa properly cN-
plorcd and under her own direction vet now shc
Yields in instant, and with hut one condltloi-
that all the old papers are u be carci"Il pre-
served.
Every argument. then. Is against the existence
of unknown treasures in our country houses. Ihe
owners are eager To axe discoveries. ana ~ re
buildinGs have seemingly rendered II impoSSihI"
that there can he any boards Of papers IN m
suspected places Yet in spite OF concGSio - loNl
cal, il is certain that not hall the valuable 9"ou-
mcnts in private hands have Yet pecn nIoug' 10
light and that England is full OF unread hlst"rIcal
manuscripts of the first interest and importance
Not only in out-of-thc-way Tudor houses, hit IN
the great historic nansons there lurk ""NeS 1i
inQs OF the owners That tins - - mere "plnl0h
hut the truth. is abundantly provcl by me Story
OF the iclvor fnd. which IS SET iorth IN inc list
rcport of the Historical Manuscripts CoinihlsSl"n
Pelvoir Castle is one Of the bcst-known houses
in England. and Bclvoir was. If We remember
rightly. ruthlcssy rebuilt some sixty Or seventy
Years ago Yet. in spite Of that III. Maxwell
Iyte the Deputy Keeper of the Records, list year
discovered a large quantity Of exceedingly
valuable records, of the existence OF when me
owner had no sort Of idea. The story reads Ike
"a OF
first Historical Manuscripts Commission. the then
Duke Of Rutlands papers were examined, hl'
little matter of interest was discovered Mr.
Maxwell Lyte was, however, not content with
this result. and asked leave 70 make another at
tempt. This was, of course, granted hiIn, an1
he began his work. III looking for The key ot
a lu1nbcr-room in which certain papers were kept.
hc came across another key bearing a label with
the words. Key Of Old writings over stable.
With what ardor he repaired 70 the stables may
be imagined. There. in a loft under the rooi he
discovered vast mass Of old papers. No one
had entered the room for some years; curtain
OF cobwehs hung from the raftcrs. and the f"or
was so covered with documents. piled 10 height
Of three or four feet that AZ first tcr" was scarcely
standing room. over everything ncIc was u
thick layer of broken plaster and DIRT. which
made white paper undisingulshable from brown.
To lover of records. the find must have been as
delightful as the discovery Of pirates g,tL y
mere glance showed the importance Of r.diS
covcry and in thc course Of the first hnlihonr
the explorer had picked mp. such gems ae Z. holo,
graph letter Of Lord BurgllcyS and another Of
7 .
though there was much 10 I'll the mind Of an an
tiguary with joy. there was much also I" cln'c
re1rpt The disturbance Of the surface resulting
from Mr. Maxwell Lyt"'s first "h>hings caused
a horrible stencil and il soon became evident that
the loft had been tcnantcd by rats who bad done
lasting damage 10 valuable manuscripts by Qnaw
ing and staining them Some documents hid
been reduced 10 powder, others had lost their
dates or their SIGNATURES. Tie entire centre q
long letter in the hand Of Robert Dudley, Earl
Of oicestcr. h.d entirely disappeared.
Still. much remained IN n lcgible con-
diton. and every. piece Of PAPER ola
and new, invited inquiry, for the mixture
A deed Of the time Of Henry II was found among
some granary accounts Of the eighteenth century,
beth among modern vouchers. Letters 70 Henry
Vernon of IIaddon. from tie Duke Of Clarence
rhc brother Of Edward ". the Earl Of War,
wick. and Kings Edward w. Richard III and
Henry VII written paper and folded very
small lay hidden between large leases cn-rossrd
on thick parchment. II was a fortunate acc-
dent that took Mr.. Iytc and not the head coach
man or the steward. TO the loft. To the ordinary
eve there seemed little but pamphlets, almanacs.
Parliamentary papers, catalogues, and files Of
newspapers coming down to the year 1920. and
the bcst-intcntioncd Of servants might easily have
reported the whole collection as old newspapers
and Bue-Books in a filthy condition from the
rats" and under the plea that they were breed
Ing q pestilcncc. have obtained the consent Of
the Duke or Duchess to their destruction. As
il is. the Duke Of Rutland and 50 the Nation has
realized" the possession OF q collection Of manu-
scripts which will he considered indispensable
by the historian Of the future. II is not in
tention 10 make any attempt to describe the find.
| but we NAV mention one or two Of the most
striking things thus brought 10 light. For cX-
ample there is postscript 10 letter in the hand
writing Of Warwick the King Malcr-the man
who was both the last Of the English fculal
harons and the first OF modern English generals,
and who welded an almost sovereign authority
but won his battles by the judicious Of an
excellent train of artillery The words of the
| postscript have i'm them the true ring of fcudal
intrigue; Henry, ] pray you fal not now
hereof as ever | may do for YOU" An instance
! Of seventeenth-century lobbying may also lie
| noticed because of its extreme quainincss. John
| Lord Roos, anxious 10 get private Divorce
| bill through the llonsc Of Commons and this was
the mode Of procedure adopted by one Of his
| agents, whose report has been discovered "On
| Wednesday last ! got siX-and-forty Of the House
| OF Commons TO the Doq Tavern IN the Palace Yard
at Westminster, and gave them a dinner where