The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-21
Visiting an Ancient Castle.

When the average tourist reaches York.
shire, England, he is apt to be chie1y
concerned with visit To Detheboys hail
Interesting as ii is 10 verify ones impre s.
sions of Nicholas Nickelby by gazing upon
the actual windows that Mr.. Squeer
boys washed after they had carefully
learned TO mIspell them, travellers 70 the
original haunts of John Brodie and his
soft-hearted bride, and the rest or The
| Yorkshire coterie of that classic tale, WI
| do well 10 undertake another interes ing
pilgrimage possible in the same coun J.
Not very far away from the historic
Dotheboys Han is the still more historic
! Raby Castle the Oldest Inhabited cast 2
in all England. The estate, which IS ca
the borders OF Yorkshire and Durham, be-
longed, until two years ago. 10 the DIAe
/ of Cleveland. On his death at that TIN
I it passed, in the absence OF direct issU,,
10 his nephew. Lord Barnard. whose in
heritance Of this magnificent property Is
ore OF. the romances Of the En-lzs2 sue
! cession law. The present owner Is a
nuiet, middle-aged man. whose life ha1
/ been passed in very different circum-
I stances from those which now surround
him. When his uncle died he was the
/ incumbent of a small government 10
! sition in London at salary of 800 a
year. The twinkling of an eye made MIN
1 master of superb property with lands
! stretching twenty miles in every dI-ac-
/ ton from the ancestral home, Ra5y Cas-
+ tie. This area includes great many
/ farms of valuable rental. In their lea IS
| the farmers arc compelled 10 have the
| farm houses. buildings and fences white
/ washed every year, a custom that makes
/ the Raby estate easily traced. and oue,
I too, that adds a picturesque aspect 10 the
/ country therea bouts.
A beautiful day in early Juiy q the
past summer, party of New YORK tray
eiers visited this castle Through TIE
good Offices of an English friend. Per
nit was got which gained admittanCe -
the house Itself, a privilege not always
10 be had.
The castle was built in the -eigl Of "a
mute, fact that one OF the American
visitors considered IAN embarrassment
of antiquity. 1 can go back" she said,
to the Norman Conquest in English his
tory without getting dizzy. but beyond
that my mind refuses 10 differenLiate.
The early kings are all a tumble of the
first part OF my history book before
things began to happen. It is like being
told a man is worth forty millions.
figure l can't comprehend in the least"
Less fiipDant minds however, app-eci-
ated and were deeply impressed with the
interesting evidences Of the great age #
the castle The moat was in admirable
preservation, better than those ab1u.
many castles that were built long after;
and many old guns were still in thei.
places on the wall around the terrace.
showing how strongly the place aad at
one time been fortified.
The original building has been mul
added to and restored at differen, times.
The kitcnen, however, is stih preserve
in its original condition as const ~uct5d
nearly nine centuries ago 1t = an in,-
mcnse room of tremendous height, nea.'-
urirg g feet IInm floor 10 ccjlinS. IRE
roof arches into a dome at tire TOP, in
which is still the hole that actei as
chimney in former times. permitting he
escape VI the smoke from thu Tres LOOK
ing through the windows cculG never
have dIstIocted the attention Of III
cooks from their duties. for the lowest
" ere thirty feet from the ground On
level with these windows. and in front
OF them a little gallery ran around a
part of the room on which the chateia.ne
might walk and see what was going on
below, for in those days no mistress
deigned TO enter her kitchen on the level
with the servants. Many Of the ancient
utensils and relics of former times are
still to be seen; most of the pots ard
pans were of brass and shone brightly
on the walls. An old clock, that was
still ticking, seemed almost too modern
in "Canute kitchen. and was merely
glanced a. among the "oders and bet
ters" with which it was surrounded.
The Barons hall was of imposing
length. The step that divided lords from
their retainers has been taken away. but
She minstrel gallery remained, a beauti-
full gallery with exquisite stone carvings.
The hall is now used as a ballroom N
special occasions, but has not been lamp
cred with enough TO prevent the easy pic
turing OF an ancient feast within its walls
The furniture throughout the castle IS
very ancient, the chairs all high-backed
and the touches stif and unc0mfortab c.
the drawing room very stately and ve-y
dreary, with not a cosy nook anyw here.
The most modern place IN the house in
deed is the billiard room. The picture
gallery, of course, showed many apc ent
canvases, a number Of the paintings be-
ing by Titan.
BY great good luck" as the fippant
member of the party remarked. when we
started to leave the castle a thunder
storm had burst. and the housekeeper, an
elderly dame, who had been over thirty
years in the service Of the family. came
out. and with true North Country hos
pitality invited the travellers to her Sit
ting-rOOm to wait till the storm had pass
cd. Here, afternoon tea was speedily
and while the New Workers SIP
ped it from coroneted spoons and nib
bled cakes that had been compounded in
that ancient kitchen, their friendly hes
tess regaled them with much interesting !
of the castles long ,ife
Many of the English kings and queens !
had slept there. and most Of them mad .
left mementoes Of their visits. A beat .
tful inlaid dressing-case and seyera-
pairs of shoes were trophies Of Queen
Elizabeth stay. A tea-caddy OF LARGE .
size was a gift from Queen Anne. ana .
a beautiful mslachite table a souvenir OF
Charles the First
Finally. however. the sun shone again f
and though the long delay IN the house
had prevented a visit to the gardens and .
greenhouses. which are unequaled III ne .
North Of England. the time spent VI .
the h0usekeeper could not be regretted
The drive through the park with the
ieer scampering in every direction and
the beautiful turf and trees fresh from
heir baptism OF rain. was one not 10
be forgotten.
Il am CAD I came" said the young
woman who has been quoted before. a.
he carriage came out into the highway.
because now I shall always remember
hat Cauure lived along with Rsby Cas-
lie in the year l9Zs.
TnGerssIi aad Little Child