The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-01-04
COrrespondekce Baltimore County Union.
A SCRAP FROM LOCAL HISTORY.
The American Blenheim.
BY CHARLES L. sHIPLEY.
ARTICLE vi.
The American Blenheim
BY CHARLES L. sHIPLEY.

1t was on Wednesday, November
9th, 1895, that Consuelo Vanderbilt
became the bride of Charles Richard
Henry Spencer Churchill, ninth Duke
of Marlborough, and the master of
Blenheim Palace, one Of the most
famous estates in old England.
A detailed description Of this palace
and its owners lie before US at the
time Of writing, but space forbids us
but to give passing review of the
same and then pass on to the treat
ment of the subject to which it gave
birth on this side of the Atlantic.
Two sycamore trees, planted on an
elevation beyond the river, as you en-
ter Blenheim Park from Woodstock,
are all that mark the site of the
Manor House." as the royal palace
in which so many English sovereigns
resided seems to have been styled.
Yet this royal palace had long and
eventful history, from the time of
Ethelred, who held Wittenagemot
there in the ninth century, and Of his
illustrious brother Alfred, who not
only resided there, but is said to have
made his translation of Boethius with
in its walls. In the time of William
the Conqueror it was described in
Doomsday Book as a borough, and
Henry 1. surrounded the park (Which
Rous says was the first in England)
with a wall, and filled it with foreign
wild beasts which he procured from
other princes or bought up at great
expense" But it was Henry II.
whose association with Woodstock re-
calls the memories of Fair Rosamond
perpetuated by the genius Of Sir
Walter Scott and although the site
of her Bower" is not known, the
spring which is supposed to have sup
fs1c0 frcr bath-~ retains iIer name,
and flows into an existing bath about
S feet deep and 20 square, lined at the
bottom and the sides with freestone,
and fenced with iron palisades. 1t
was at Woodstock, too, that Henry
II. received the homage of Malcolm,
King of Scotland, and of Rhys, Prince
of Wales, in 1904, and that the nup-
tials of Lady Ermengard, daughter of
Henry cousin, Lord Beaumont, with
William, King of Scotland, were eel
ebrated with great magnihcence. 1t
was at Woodstock, again, that Henry
and Thomas a-Becket had their first
serious disagreement with reference
to the Danegeld. But the history of
Woodstock Palace is the history, in a
large measure, of medieval royalty,
and beyond noting that Chaucer lived
in Woodstock, and that Queen Eliza
beth was imprisoned there by Queen
Mary, under the custody of Sir Hen
ry Bedingfeld, it will be sufficient to
say that it was jrreparably ruined dur
ing the civil war by the troops of the
Parliament, and that for nearly half
a century it was left to crumble into
dust. Then, in the beginning of the
eighteenth century, handsome Jack
Churchill" having achieved undying
fame at Blenheim, on the banks of the
Danube, received the domain as gift
from grateful nation, and proceeded
to build the new palace, which, tax
ing Nhe name of the BATTLEFIELD upon
whic.- Churchill had shattered the
united forces Of France and Bavaria,
rears its lofty turrets on the opposite
slope of the valley.
BUILT IN CHURCHILL S ABSENCE.
1t is, however, somewhat figure
of speech to describe Churchill as the
builder of Blenheim Palace, for he was
still fighting in the Low Countries,
and Germany, while Sarah Duchess
and Sir John Vanbrugh were engag-
ed in conflict of different kind as to
the construction and the cost of Blen-
helm. Into the merits of the quarrel
it is not neCSoos--,ss
= certain IS that Parliament granted
e. 10000. and that this not being
enough. the Duchess had to make
GOOD the additional sixty thousand
Sounds necessary to realize the no.
ble design of Sir John Vanbrugh
which he executed with remarkable
nrecision. With a total length O
Pas feet, it takes some time to reallz'
the boldness of the general outline
L,,t = NOV he said that there is com
nlete unity in it, there having beer
po subsequent additions, as at Went
worth and Chatsworth. The massiv
tower surmounted by open stone
work and finished off with trophie
Of coronets and cannon balls, give a
air of grandeur to the plle' winch
CO we'll built that in many parts thel
ore manv feet of solid stone as mo-
ern architect would put inches OF la'
. and plaster. The approach to 1t
verv fine, too, as, coming from WOO
stock, the visitor passes under a graz
triumphal arch of the Corlntnlan :,
der which bears, in Latin on =
I. woodstock and in English on I
: mark side, an inscription recordi
the fact that it was erected in memo
of John, first duke of Marlborough
his widow, as a monument OF
olory and of her affection to him.
> Such is a brief description OF t
I'd famous ducal palace-a gift OF
English nation to John Churcn
i, first Duke of Marlborough-tne '
tor of Blenheim, where he IN Augt
17oa, defeated the army OF 10