The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-28
HATFIELD HOUSE.
The Historic Residence Visited by
Emperor William.
From, the Ne,D York Times.

ApOA VI w liAl6A1ls
| From the Ne,D York Times.
Hatfield house, Lord Salisbury's Hert-
fordshire seat, has been twice visited by
! Queen VictoFia-frst in the autumn of
| 1876, when she was accompanied by Prince
Albert. and again, three or four years ago.
The room occupied by her majesty on her
first sojourn has been called the queens room
ever since, and in the same gallery are two
other sleeping apartments. In one Of these
James l. slept in a gorgeous bed, still pre-
| served, with its great canopy, rich carvings
and cloth OF gold, and in the other Oliver
Cromwell is said to have reposed.
| Hatfield house has many remembrances
OF royalty, and most Of them center around
the sovereign lady familiarly known as
! Queen Bess. There is probably no country
house in three kingdoms 50 rich in memoir
ais OF Queen Elizabeth, and they begin with
| her long before she was called to the throne
The present owner is very liberal in allow
| ing visitors to go over the house and
grounds There are to be seen there several
portraits of Elizabeth, the saddle cloth upon
which she rode on her memorable visit to
| Tilbury Fort, the cradle in which she was
rocked and the silk stockings which in
later life the eminent citizen Sir Thomas
Gresham presented to her.
At Hatfield is a historic court, kept
| mostly in shadow by the antique brick
buildings around. This is the ancient
palace yard of the bishops of Ely. who
resided there prior to the tims of Henry
VIII, and the buildings so excellently pre-
| served to this day around it were portions
of the veritable inhabited by Edward VI,
and the Princess Elizabeth. 1t is true the
old banquetIng hall is stabling now, but the
tower looking eastward is an actual rem
nant OF the palace in which Princess Eliza
beth was kept in durance after her impris-
ment in the tower over the little affair of
SIR THOMAS WYATT.
II you follow the lovely avenue Of lines
far enough you will arrive at a carefully
guarded oak, which has always been said
TO have marked the limits of the princess
walk In the latter years of her sisters life,
and the tradition further asserts that she
was sitting under this self-same oak, wear
ing a hat which is shown to you in the
house along with a chair which she used
when she received the messengers aunounc-
ing the death of Queen Mary. But.there is
more glorious tree still In Hatfield park
IN the famous Sion oak, believed to be at
least 900 years DID,
The Hatfield house, which Queen Victoria
visited and the German emperor now visits,
however, is not SO venerable as Queen
Ehzabeth's accession. The ancient portions
OF the episcopal palace have already been
indicated. Hatfield house, which lies lit
tie to the east, and is really a magnificent
specimen of Elizabetban architecture, was
built between the years 1905 and 1911, and
the tower bears the latter date, When 1t W as
completed by Robert Cecil, first Earl of
Salisbury.
After Queen EIizabeth's death James |.
took u fancy to Theobalds, the favorite
residence Of the great Lord Burleigh, and
exchanged it for Hatfield palace, which
thus passed into the hands of the Cecils.
Theobalds has vanished, though there is a
park at Chestnut which preserves the name.
but Hatfield is one of the best pre-
served houses in England. How
about the noble apartments is we'll
known, thanks to the opportunities given to
the public by the present Marquis of Sails
bury. The pictures are interesting rather
than great, though some OF the best portraits
are by Vandyck and Sir Peter Lely The
historic wealth lies. chiefly in the manu-
scripts. books, etc, IN the old oak cases and
cabinets. The interesting state papers and
the letters which rank in value with them
are numbered by thousands, and there is
AN EMBLAZo NED PEDIGREE
Of Queen Elizabeth, which, disdaining half
treasures, does not stop till it takes her
directly to Adam himself. The parish is
called Bishops Hatfield by reason of the
former association with prelates of Ely.
1t may be recalled that Queen Mary had
occasion to rebuke Sir Thomas Pope for his
festivities she termed them ''folliries'1 at
Hatfield, on a certain Shrovetide junketing
which he got up, 'alle at his own costes,"
for the "Ladie Elizabeth" Sir Thomas was
the guardian of the princess, and went the
pace terribly with his masks, pageants, and
banquets. finishing up with the play of
"Holofernes." Wherefore her majesty
wrote him of her royal disapproval, and
babe not repeat his gayeties.