Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-02
ANCIENT STATE BEDsTEaDs
The One Queen Elisabeth Used tn
Sleep On.

sleep On.
From the London Standard
The statelest ancient bedsteads are. of
course. those in the state chambers. some
times the haunted" ones of historic
houses, wherein they have stood for some
three centuries at least Usually these
nave been slept in-once at any rate-in
the dim and distant past, by royalty. There
Is curious story which, after the recent
accounts of the Windsor ghosts will he
more respectfully treated than II has been.
OF George ~ sleeping in such a room, and
doubtless such bed, at Houghton, and
seeing the Brown Lady, who is, we believe.
the Walpole specter. Such experiences
were among the uneasy honors of the great
VINO were installed in some of the state
chambers of the stately homes of Eng
land. and occasionally of the humber
guests. who. from the house being crowded,
and nobody else caring to sleep there, were
I'm pllssful fgnorance) put into the state.
out haunted, chamber. Queen Elizabeth
appears to have been the record breaker
II one may be so fiippant in this connec-
ion IN the way of occupying state bed
steaos Tor In all directions she made those
progresses which have resulted in SO
many magnificent bedsteads and rooms be-
ing shown as having been slept in by the
Tudor queen.
Her successor. James, had a thrifty taste
for thus favoring his distinguished sub
1ects. though neither he nor any other
monarch come near to Elizabeth In this re-
spect. AS Hampstead is always interesting
10 Londoners-on esthetic, historical, or
bank holiday grounds, according to their
tasteS-it may be mentioned that there was
1--WE do not know If there is now) an ancient
brick mansion there known as Chicken
House, and the description from which We
quote states that there was formerly some
painted glass in the windows, part of which
exhibited small portraits of James and the
Duke of buckingham. Under the former
was the inscription: Icy dams cette cham
pre- coucha nostre Roy Jacques, premier de
nom, lie % mo Aoust, 1919" Doubtless, the
eedstead which stood under the Inscription
matched the requirements of it's position.
The romance of the ancient four-poster is
OF mingled character. Both grave and gay
are the associations. OF all these perhaps
the grimmest is that which Is attached to
the bed which stood in the chamber that
was the scene of the tragedy of Littlecote
Hall.
that has also a tragic history-that in
which Richard Ill slept, and which was
left behind at Leicester on his march to
Bosworth Field. After various vicissitudes
this fine carved structure became the
property Of the landlady of IN inn many
years later. She discovered what none had
gIessed-and probably none save Richard
himself had known-that in the woodwork
was concealed large store Of gold coin.
The find, of course. delighted the landlady,
but she did not keep the secret CT her luck
to herself. The money of the last Plan
tagenet king was like the traditional opal.
was murdered by her servants in order to
obtain the treasure. What became of the
bedstead tradition says not; probably II
was hacked up for f1rewood, even as the
stone coffin in which Richard was laid was,
it is said. ultimately used as watering
trough for horses,