The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-10-14

Lincoln. Neb.. Sept 10.-He who sees
only the cities and villages Of Great
Britain misses one of the most inter-
esting features of English life Land
tenure is so different here from ten
ure in the United States that the read
er viii pardon a sketch of the old
fashioned manor. In England the
right of primogeniture still remains,
and the family home descends to the
Oldest son. II not only descends to
him, but it continues it's descent
through him to his son and his sons
son, and is not subject TO alienation.
1t was our good fortune to be invited
10 several of these homes, some of
them rich in family heirlooms and of
historic interest.
Our ambassador, Mr. Reid, is occu-
pying one OF the most famous estates
in England: il is known as Wrest
Park and is about forty miles from
London. During the LONDON season
many spend the weeks end at their
country homes, and after fortnight s
experience in London we could appre-
ciate the necessity for it, for the din
ner hour is s or SIS, while recep-
lions and balls begin at any hour from
10 TO II. The house of commons does
not convene until o'clock In the aft
ernoou, and generally sits until mid
exodus on Saturday morning.
We spent our first weeks end at
Wrest Park, and were shown through
it's SPACIOUS. grounds The house itself
is only about seventy years old, but
the land has been in the hands of the
family for several centuries. The es-
tate consists OF about 1000 acres
most of it lin cultivation. but enough
is left adjoining the house for woods
parks. lawns and gardens and these
have been laid out and ornamented by
landscape gardeners. There are walks
lined with statuary. green stretches OF
velvet turf miles of well kept hedges
of holly and box and cedar stately
oaks, summer houses, tea houses
green houses and everything in the
way of ornament that taste could die
tate and money supply.
The gardens are especially attrac-
tive. They were shut in by high walls
and against these walls fruit trees
vines and flowers are trained with ar
tistic effect In the hcthouse peaches
are ripening before their season. and
huge punches of grapes are growing
purple. Cueumbers. tomatoes and
many other vegetables. as we'll as
fruits. which we grow out of doors
are in England raised and ripened un-
der glass. The strawberries are 81
enormous size and the gooseberrieS
are as large as pigeon eggs.
Within the house are spacious
rooms hung with pictures of the no.
bility that have occupied the estate
and OF members of the royal family
who. have visited there. The library
contains several thousand books ac-
cumulated through many generations
Not far from the house stands the
manor church. supp lrted by tithes
the owner of the estate usually select
4 Z.
living" as il is called has ceased &c
be of great value.
The inheritance tax is quite heavy
burden upon the owners of these es-
tates, and many of the landholders
are SO impoverished that they ars
obliged 10 rent their estates i'm order
To raise the money to meet the tax.
X X
Mr.. Morton Frewen, who contrib
uted many articles to the silver litera-
ture in 1895. and whose wife is OF
American BIRTH. took us down to his
place. Brede. which is within sight
of the battlefield Of Hastings. 1t is q
fine old house with a splendid view
and the oak doors and woodwork. al
though 500 or 500 years old. are as
good as new. On the way to Bredt
we stopped for luncheon at Knole, an
other famous country place. owned by
the West family. The present occu-
pant. Lord Sackville West, was once
ambassador to America II is his
toric place and has seven courts fifty
two stairways and 365 windows. Tho
earliest record shows that the Earl OF
Albemarle gave the estate to his
daughter when she was married tC
the Earl of Pembroke Afteryyard il
came into the possession of Lord SAY
and Sele. and he conveyed il to the
archbishop OF Canterbury who at his
death bequeathed it to the see OF
Canterbury. Cranmer occupied the
place in the sixteenth century ant
conveyed it to Henry VIII. (Cranmel
will be remembered as one of the
three bishops who were burned at the
stake.) 1t was once I'm the possession
of Queen Mary and afterward Of
Queen Elizabeth. who conveyed IL tc
Dudley. her favorite earl The house
is veritable museum and are gal
lery, and contains hundreds of pic.
lures. many of them of kings and
others prominent In English history
One of the rooms was fitted up by
James I for himself when he paid 8
visit to Knole. and the room is kept
as IL was. The bed is said to have
cost $4,000, and the curtains and bec
| cover is embroidered with gold and
silver. The mattresses are of white
satin and the walls are hung witt