The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-10-04
The GUY FAWKES
GUNPOWDER PLOT.
Ashby St LGigGrS, Where The Noted
Conspiracy Was C0nC0GtGd.
A Very Interesting Sketch Of the Manor
House, Which Is Supposed to Be More
Than 700 Years Old.
erselal to THE SUNDAY cAaL

can gIohe-trotter has not already come,
took q hasty glance, photographed every
thing and everybody with snap camera OF
upon his majestic memory, Clipped OF
piece of the object or shrine for his cOllec-
ton, made half dozen notes with stylo-
graphic pen for future reference, cut his
name ana the date of his visit upon any
available woodwork about the spot, or other
wise left his mark. aud then with "bitf"
and 'zipl" projected himself meteorically
through space to the next pleasing or hideous
object of interest
Ihave found one spot in Great Britain
where there is at least no local record OF the
species. The fact is noteworthy one, and
the place itself possesses extraordinary in-
terest II is called Ashby St. Ledgers. To
be very definite regarding locality so dis
tinctye for its so far quite unknown beau
ties and Interest, it is but tiny Village
four miles north from Dayentry, sixteen
from Northampton, in the mid-divsiOn OF
the county of northampton. hundred OF
EaWsley, petty seasonal division, unlon ana
County Court District of DVentry, rural
deanery Of Daventry, archdeaconry OF
Northampton and diocese OF Peterborough.
The tax-gatherers of the crown have thus
minut-ly located the vllaga and parish, and
to make II perfectly accessible to those who
do" Ireland, Scotland and England In one
week or less Il should be added that ASnby
ST. Ledgers is but fifteen minutes walk
westward from Wilton Station, on the main
line of the London and Northwestern Rail
WAY from London TO the noted sclopl town
Of Rugby, ami that the most noted consDlr-
acy in English history, popularity known as
"GuV FaWkes' GunpOwder Plot" was n
coeted within the sunny, slumberous pre-
cinctS of Its now crumbling and UNCOVERED
walls.
To the casual student Of history the chief
incidents If the plot may properly be re-
called. Stripped Of their usual blgoted
VeTbiage, It was plan originated by sly
Robert Catesby, lord Of this very manor,
aud other indictments, including Thomas
Percy, Christopher and John Wright,
Thomas and Robert Winter, one Bates, and
their drawer tool Guido Tor Guy Faux (or
Fawkesl representing the enemies OF James
/, then recently elevated to the throne under
the union of the English and French crowns,
and shortly thereafter proclaimed King OF
Great Britain - t. remove an obnoxious
Government In the concrete, KING, Lords
and Commons. a. a single explosion Of g1n-
powder, instead OF BY great and protract-
ed waste Of guupowder through prolonged
cruel civil war, in which an entire nation
Is often
ALL BUT DESTROYED.
This was probably the cOnsplrat0rs' con-
Siderat+ and pleasant view OF the matter.
lueN rented q HE CtlldL l4ilhCuttalC4S Ill
der Parliament House and succeeded IN
coucealiug within it thirty barrels and four
hOgSheadS of gunpOwder, covered with
billets and faggots of wood, great iron bars.
stones" tic, besides young and AMBITIOUS
Mr. FaNkes "Wrappei in a cloak and
booted and spurred,' and provided with "
dark lanth1rn aud a finder bOXe with which
to set OF the tOUCh-w0od," which, commune
eating with tbs thirty b1rrels and four
h0gsheads Of guu-PoTder, at the instant OF
the Kings converting Parli ment, N0Tem-
Der ;, 1905 was expected to give immediate
relief to tie political situation.
However. by means Of an anonymous let
ter 20 Lord MOntsage, whom sume one OF
the cOuspratOrs desired T. save, the plot
was discovered, young MI. Fawkes, whom
the pictures represent as having for some
time neglected his hair and beard, was
dragged out Of his mysterious surroundings,
spread upon a convenient rack. inducing
confession, and shortly after hanged, while
Percy. Catesby. Winter and the two
Wnghts were chased from this place through
WarWickshire to Ho beach, in StatfOrdshiIe,
where they were all slain, fighting to the
death, except Winter. He was captured
alive to die on the gailOws; and a sufficient
number Of others directly or SuppOslttlOusly
connected with this mad effort to proclaim
the Young Princess Elizabeth queen in place
Of James to appease the most fastidious
and exacting religo-pOlitical feeling of the
time and cause succeeding generations to
Remember, remember
The Fifth OF November,
GunpoWder, Treason and Plot
were put to death in the Old Palace yard at
Westminster and at St. Pauls.
The manor of st. Ledgers, the former
home of the arch conspiratOr. Sir Robert
Catesby, is one OF the most ancient in
Britain. Il possesses an eventful history.
| am indebted for its romantic narrative to
my host, Major Ii. 2. SenhOuse, its present
proprietor and lord Of the MAJOR Aside
from It's peculiar interest, in view of st.
LedgeTs' Individual historic associations it
is most curious and fascinating as illustra-
tive of the extraordinary recorded, not ira
ditional, age Of innumerable English estates,
their frequent strange vcissitudes and the
almost purely historic volumes which might
bs written upon nearly any single piece Of
entailed immortal property in England.
The manor was granted by William the
Conqueror to Hugh de Grentmaisnil over
500 wears ago. At. the time "DOmesday
Book" the first Textbook of England, was
prepared C0S0-6), this. Hugh de Grent-
maisnil held four hides" of land in Ashby.
There were eight acres Of meadow, and the
whole was then
VALUED AT SIXTY sHILLINGs.
This Hugh accompanied the conqueror on
his expedition to England and was re-
warded tor his services with upward of 100
manots in different counties. twenty of
which lay in NOrthamDtonshire. He was
dSSOCldIBu WIFI quo, DtSUOD vi Ddyedu4.
and William FitZ-OSbOrn in executing the
high Office of Justiciary of England two
years after the. conquest, and died in 1904,
six days after he had assumed religious
habit
He was succeeded by his son Robert. from
whom the estate descended in 1922 to Two de
Grentmaisni, his oldest survivor and heir.
This Ivo Joined the conspiracy in support Of
Robert. Duke Of Normandy, in the reign of
Henry l, but the enterprise falling, and
being heavily fined for his delinquency, he
applied for protection to Robert, Earl of
Melent, one OF the Kings chief counselors,
at whose suggestion he undertook pilgrim
age to Jerusalem. For this purpose the
Earl loaned him 500 marks or about 1888,
for which he mortgaged to him all his pos
sessions In England, by way of security, for
hlteen years, on condition that II should be
restored to his son IvO, whom the Earl en-
gagged on oath should be married 10 his own
niece, the daughter Of the Earl of Warwick.
The King ratified his agreement but Two,
the father, dying on his pilgrimage. the son
was deprived Of both his wife and his in-
heritance.
Another Hugh de GrentmaisniI, successor
OF the young Two, appears to have subse-
quently recovered mis- patrimony, which
descended to his daughter. Petronilla. who,
marrying Robert BlanchmaineS, Earl of
Leicester, the grandson of Robert, Earl Of
Melent, his possessions were all transferred
into that family.
In the reign of Henry II, Ashby con-
tanned four hides" of the fee of the Earl
Of Leicester and subsequently, became par
eel OF the Duchy Of Lancaster. From the
reign OF King john to the latter part Of the
reign of Edward III this lordship was in the
hand Of the family De Crawford, when
Emma, daughter of Robert de Crawford,
carried it in marriage to John de Catesby of
Ladbroke, in Warwickshire.
Sir William Cateshy, grandson Of John,
was one OF the three favOrites who ruled En-
gland under Richard III, the others being
Sir Richard Radcliffe and Viscount Lowell,
giving rise to the memorable distich:
The rat, the cat and Lowell dog
Rule all England under the hog
The "hog" being an Illusion to King Richard
having adopted boar as one Of the her.
aldic Supporters upon his regal escutcheon.
For this poetical libel Collingbourne, its au-
thor, was expeditiously changed, headed
and -quartered' on Tower Hill, London.
Sir William Catesby obtained grants of
various forfeited manors and lucrative
wardships; and attending King Richard in
his last expedition against the Earl of Rich
mond, he was taken prisoner in Bosworth
"a for his ms sfar nd