Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-10-08
A FAMOUS TOURNAMENT.
DC Splendid Entertainment Given by Lord
Eg1inton In 1889.


DC Splendid Entertainment Given by Lord
Eglinton In 1889.
Two episodes in Lord Eglinton' S dis
iinguished history invite special atten-
ton The first is the Eglinton tourna-
ment, which took place in August, 1889;
the second, his brilliant career as twice
lord lieutenant Of Ireland. At the time
Of the famous tourname nt Lord Eglln-
ton was i'll his twenty seventh year and
one Of the handsomest and most engag-
ing men Of his day. His desire was to
produce in his own park modern imi-
tation of such a tournament rs that de-
scribed by Sir Walter Scott i'll Ivan
hoe, :" and neither expense nor research
was spared to make it great and unique
success. Preparations for it and the fes-
tivities which accompanied it cost about
$40, 900, but the munificent host omit
ted from his calculations all thought Of
the English climate, which so marred
the enjoyment of the countless guests
that the vast expenditure was in great
measure thrown away. The arena, or
scene of action, covered four acres, and
two enormous galleries were erected on
either side, the first to accommodate
the earl's private guests, and the second
for invited spectators, to whom tickets
were sent gratuitously by his orders.
Nearer the castle two vast canvas sa-
looms were set apart for the banqueting
hall and ballroom, while each Of the
knights had his own marquee. The dec
orations of the lists were of the costliest
description, and at the request of the
noble host most Of the visitors came at
tired in medieval costume.
The grand stand was filled with la
dies splendidly attired in the costumes
of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries,
to whom on entering the list each knight
in succession paid his devoir. At 2 p.
NJ, in the midst of a drenching shower,
the procession started from the castle,
but the pitiless rain marred all the
splendor Of the costly preparation. In
stead of riding on her palfrey to her
throne, the queen of love and beauty
and her ladies were forced to take shell
ter il carriages, and as they approached
the jousting ground a spectacle met
their eyes which elected uncomfortable
shouts Of laughter from the spectators
surrounding the lists.
There, firmly planted upon his mailed
war charger, sat in unconscious dignity
the Marquis of Londonderry, clad from
head to foot in FURNISHED armOr, for
which he had been measured by cunning
Milanese artificers, in steel inlaid with
gold, the cost of his panoply being, it
is said, at least 81, 900. The marquis
was short, stout old man, and above
his head he held an enormous bingham
umbrella to protect him from the pelt-
ings of the merciless storm.
Despite the weather, several jousting
matches took place, and, among others,
the Earl Of Eglinton, clad in splendid
panoply of brass, got the best of the
Marquis of Waterford, upon whose
breast he broke two spears. At night it
was announced that the banqueting ball
and the ballroom, constructed out OF
canvas tents, We're so saturated by the
heavy rain that it was impossible to en-
ter them On the afternoon of the Sec
ond day the weather cleared, but the
sports We're confined to the ball tent, IL
which Prince Louis Napoleon, after
ward the Emperor Napoleon LII, engaged
in q series of mimic cOmbatS on foot
against Mr.. (afterward Sir) Charles
Lamb, both combatants being sheathed
in armor. On the third and last day the
proceedings ended with a general melee,
in which the knights, armed with
swords, met their opponents i'll an am
icable fray. 1t was soon seen, however,
that the blows exchanged between the
fiery Marquis of Waterford and Wis
count Afford were SO far from being
amicGblO that the cOnbatantS were sen
arated by the intervention of the knight
marshal. On the fourth day the ram
was SO inccssant that by universal con-
sent the mimic conflict was given up.
So ended the great Eglinton tourna-
ment after bringing together a con-
course of spectators variously estimated
at from So 600 to 900, 900 persons. LII
addition to the vast sum spent upon 1t
by Lord Eglinton, the tournament at
tracted eager sightseers from all parts
of the United Kingdom, who paid
heavily to get there, while the CONT
nent, the colonies and the United States
were we'll represented. AS if to cover
the whole affair with ridicule, a very
humorous account Of the mock fighting
and of the attempted imitation CT old
world chlvalry was written for an Amer
lean journal by the late Mr.. N. p. Will
lis, a fitting exponent of such a bizarre
scene. To their dying hour many Of the
southern visitors never forgot what
Scotland is capable of in the way of rain
during the autumn months. London
Telegraph.
First to Wear the Kilt.