New-York tribune., 1907-01-12
BERKSHIRE.
Beauty, History and Romance in an
English County,

BY James Edmund Vincent with illustrations
BY Frederick L. Griggs. 12mo. PIP. 443 The
Macmillan Company.
Writing with genuine enjoyment and affection
of the beautiful English county of Berks," Mr..
Vincent has naturally made his pages fresh and
vivid. 1t would indeed. be difficult to be dull
upon such theme The loveness OF Berk-
shire's scenery is matched by the richness Of
its literary and historical associations. The
silver Thames runs for hundred miles along
its northern boundary through meadows whose
beauty has been sung in the Scholar Gypsy"
Saxon and Dane have battled there. King Alfred
was born within its borders, much of the strug-
gle between Parliament and the white King"
went on there. Royal Windsor rears it's towers
in Berks; at Gunner Place poor Amy Robsart
met her death; and page after page, picture
after picture. record the traditions and set forth
the charms of its manor houses, survvals from
ancient days.
The lovers of "Kenilworth" who journey
through this region need not hope to find the
Gunner Place which was the scene Of tragedy
Hardly stone remains. and apropos of this
fact the author tells humorous story of the
spot In recent times. "A gentleman with a
| fancy for ghosts bought a house at Gunner
Place in the faith that 1t was the house In which
Amy Robsart died and in the hope that 1t was
resentations. and that was a little unfortunate
since Anthony Forster built a new house in the
place of the which was fatal to Amy and
OF that new house there is not enough left to
satisfy any self-respecting apparition and the
credulous gentleman won his action for rescsson
OF contract" AS for the true story of Amy's
death Mr. Vincent Is not inclined to believe
that Dudley innocent of the murder; he
thinks that in this matter at least Walter Scott
was historically accurate.
One Of the most interesting OF these ancient
homes in the county is Bisham Abbey It dates
back to the fourteenth century, much of the
quaint and beautiful structure being unchanged
since that time. 1t was an Augustine priory
and then a Benedictine abbey until King Harry
| determined TO be rid OF his ill-favored wife,
Anne Of Cleves, divorced her and settled Bisham
upon her well $4,000 year. And by the
way Anne really so ugly as ugliness is
counted now? Holben's portrait represents
demurely pretty parsonage. while other fem
inine portraits from his hand-portraits of
women admired IN their time-are ruthlessly
| uncomely. Standards Of good looks may have
altered in four hundred years. Anne did not
cherish her prettiness--or her ugline9s-long at
Bsham. She exchanged II for Sir P.Tlp Hoby's
house in Kent and family connection between
the Hobys and the two guardians OF Princess
Elizabeth brought about the virtual imprison-
ment at Bisham OF this younger daughter Of
King Henry. Three years the great queen-to-be
spent there. and was content even happy What
alterations the abbey has seen mostly
made during her sojourn there. Bisham has a
ghost story. Of which the Lady Hoby OF the
Princess Elizabeth's day is the heroine:
It is said that the ghost Of Lady Hoby. tho
widow Of Sir Thomas. and afterwards the wife OF
LORD John Russel-of the sixteenth century not
the Acknowledgements in certain bedroom with
face and hands Of an inky black. but dressed In
ptd to wahs h shs the the " in her
days on earth beat her child, William Hoby. TO
his copyb9oks Mr. Talknsr adds: 1T is Is ,, Ger
tainy curious that about 1870 IN aIterns me win.
Of the time OF Elizabeth discovered packed
hs es one OF was wh
exactly to the story as Il The child could not " write lite
dining room is "a picture OF Lady Hoby, with a
weeds and wimple then allowed to a knights
widow MI Falkner does not say that nat ne ne ,ac, hc
man who does not place particle Gf TgianTs i ] On
grew sny sn9S there good deal Of in Of
them. The whole account minus the
than one recent trial In the criminal courts Of our
country makes it all too plain that. even in this
unusual. for highly born and we'll educated women
eSt 10 so% "f their offsprins and the DAYS in which
LADY Hoby lived. including at least the last nifty
Of the seventeenth, not mild. 1t Is quite pos
sible that the boy William perpetrated the denti-
@ Inol tbot his mother fogged him brutaIIy that he
died and that the neighbors laid his death AT his
In tfese days IS so enduring oral tradition in
country districts.
East Hendred is another Berkshire village
notable for IT'S remains of far-off age, not the
least interesting being Hendred House now.
in the fifteenth century in the possession Of the
family of Eyston. The private chapel dates
from the thirteenth century and 1t is still in
use. though in the time of Cromwell the Squire
of Hendred had to hide himself and the chapel
doors were closed These Eystons, Roman
scendants of Sir Thomas More and own precious
relics in the shape of portrait Of More by Hol-
bein and family group by the same painter
AS for the Berks of to-day Mr.. Vincent notes
with some gravity amusing popularity OF the
Berkshire sheep farmers: They distinctly re-
semble their sheep in feature:
l observed casually to friend that certain
farmer had precisely the expression OF one of his
own wethers, and the answer was, Yes, of course
he has; but did you ever meet , the great
sheep farmer Of -? He has the image OF
that there need be fear of giving offence TO any
particular producer OF wool, heeces. and mutton;
very generally noticeable Its existence is beyond
question. though its explana ton is somewhat
with sheep causes the sheep farmers mouth to be
drawn down that of the sheep is?
II in it's text this volume is OF the most
engaging of excellent series It is, in its Illus
trations equally charming. Mr.. Grggs has
surpassed himself In these drawings.
STRANGE ENGLISH TRAIT.
From Notes and Queries.
he gi OF