St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-03-01
HOWTH CASTLE A WONDER.
Rugged Irish Bachelor Peer Main.
tains q Remarkably Fine
Estate.

There is no more inveterate bach
elor in all the United Kingdom than
Lord Howth, the rugged Irish peer
And there are few more interesting
family seats than Howth's castle,
which has been the home of my lords
ancestors for over 500 years. 1t has
never received the public attention it
deserves. The castde, which is about
~ miles from Dublin, is an impressive
structure, built high on the side OF q
bleak hill in the center of Lord Howth's
5000 acres. The rising ground upon
which it stands is bare looking enough
in every season but spring, when it be-
comes one mass of brilliant blooms,
whole acres being covered with rho
dodendrons and azaleas. Symmetrical
hedges of beechwood, which, thanks to
centuries of careful cultivation, are
now over 80 feet high, surround the
castle grounds, while one OF the elm
trees on the estate has over 300 years
to its credit, says London exchange.
The barons of Howth won their dis
tinguished position in Ireland by some
hard fighting. The first of them all:
Sir Armoricus Tristram, the builder OF
the historical castle, landed at Howth
in 1117, fought and defeated the native
soldiery and then threw in his lot
with the famous champion, Sir John de
Courcy, and helped him to subdue the
sturdy folk of Ulster. The present
Lord Howth takes special pride in
showing visitors to the castle his fight
ing ancestors sword, which still hangs
in the stronghold he built himself.
Lord Howth lays claim to tinge OF
royal blood as well, for the fifteenth
baron married a daughter of the duke
of Somerset, who was relative OF King
Edward III. His successor was an
other fighting man. When in Henry
Wis time there was determined re-
bellion in Ireland, he placed his sword
at the disposal OF the king, and for his
deeds at the appropriately named bat
tie of Knocktough was made lord chan
cellor of Ireland.
Round the old castle clusters many
a strange legend of olden times, with
one of which curious custom observed
there is associated. The tale runs that
an Irish chieftainess, on returning
from visit paid to Queen Elizabeth,
stopped at the Howth castle for food
and drink, but found all the gates shut
and barred, it being the dinner hour.
Angry at being disappointed, and hap
pening to see the baron's little heir tod
ding about, she carried him off to her
own castle in Mayo. Moreover, she re-
fused to lease the child until his father
had bound not only himself but his
heirs never again to close the castle
gates at dinner time. Centuries have
passed since the covenant was made;
but every baron has observed it faith
fully.
The present owner of the castle, al
though only the fourth earl, is the
thirtieth baron of Howth. A man Of
wealth, with q town house in Jermyn
street, besides his Irish home, many a
matchmaking mamma has counseled
that her daughters cap be set for him,
but all in vain. In his time he was de-
termined liberal and for years repre-
sented Galway in the house of COM
mons, but now is out of harness and
prefers to spend his winters at Borne.
mouth, quiet seaside resort, to legis-
lating at Westminster.
The Plague in the Middle Ages.
1t is consoling, now we are hearing
so much about epidemics and infec-
ton, to compare the precautions taken
against smallpox with the more un-
pleasant ones enforced in the middle
ages. For, although the great plague
of 1865 is the one we know most about,
not q. generation passed in the 300
years preceding 1t which was not
marked by pestilence that carried
off about one-fifth of the population
Of London alone. As long as the poor
only were attacked nothing was done;
then victims were counted among the
rich, and vigorous measures were
forthwith taken. All infected houses
were closed, and any inhabitant forced
to 90 out of doors carried q white rod
to warn people off. From every pump
in the city IL buckets of water were
drawn, three times week, and poured