The Washington herald., 1911-03-05

fessor, and though II afterward fell into
private hands It was resumed by the
Crown in the days OF Henry III and has
remained a royal possession ever since.
The palace became a favorite dwelling
place of many sovereigns. Henry III
spent Christmas at Ethan in l27O; Ed
ward III twice held his parliament there,
and in 1864 he entertained in the palace
his prisoner, King John OF France, who
was taken in the battle OF Piotiers.
Froissart describes the palace as a mag
nificent one, and adds that he can never
tell how very honorably and magnifi-
Gently the King and Queen received King
john" The palace, too, has another
claim to respect, as it is believed that the
Order of the Garter was established at
Ethan. The Poet Chaucer was clerk of
the works at the manor of Ethan, as
he was at several other royal palaces.
On one occasion, riding to Ethan from
Westminster, with money in his possess
sion from the royal excheQuer, he was
set upon and robbed. With a vaIor that
had certainly no discretion he appears to
have returned to Westminster and OBJ
tained a fresh supply of cash and again
started on his journey to Ethan when
again he was robbed by the same gang
both of his money and his horse. He
was rescued from the necessity of re-
paying the money by royal writ, dated
at Ethan January 4. 1891.
1t was at Ethan, too, that Froissart
presented to King Richard II a copy of
his writings, illuminated and bound in
crimson velte. THE King Froissart
wrote, asked me what the book treated
Of. / repeated. OF love- He was pleased
with the answer, and dipped into several
places. reading aloud" The later Plan
tagenet kings also used the palace as
a place of residence, and so did the first
two Tutor sovereigrs. But then Ethan
appears to have gene out of fashion.
Greenwich took its place. Queen Eliza
beth passed few days there in the first
year of her reign. and James 1 also paid
parks attached to the palace were
stripped of their trees, the deer were
killed by the soldiers of the Parliament,
and the property was bought by Nathaniel
Rich.
The scholar Erasmus has described
how, with his friend, Sir Thomas More,
he visited Ethan, where the children of
Henry VII then were being educated.
Erasmus was at that time staying with
Lord Mountjoy at Greenwich. When
they entered the great hall the royal
household was assembled there I'm the
MIDST, ne writes, stood Henry, then
only nine years old. but of right royal
bearing, foreshadowing a nobility OF mind
in addition to a person of singular
beauty. Op his right hand was Lady
Margaret. then about eleven years old,
afterward married to James, King of the
Scots. Lady Mary, four years old, was
playing on the left. and near at hand
was the little Edmund in his nurses
arms"
The banqueting hall. which Is the chief
portion that now survives, dates from
the reign Of Edward ". by whom II
was rebuilt. The fine roof is of chest
nut. with hammer beams and carved
pendants. Most of the finely decorated
windows were bricked up during the pc
Rod when the hall was used as a barn.
and though the Crown interviewed in 1925
and spent some money ON the building.
they have remained closed ever since.
The palace is by no nneans the only
relic OF the past that Ethan can boast
Not far on is Well Hall. the home Of
Sir Thomas More's daughter. Margaret.
Roper. vandyck. the painter. was a res
fdenf OF Ethan. ana Thomas Doggett,
whose name Is held IN honor BY ali
Thames watermen. lies buried In the
churchyard. FbASEUR
tcoEsnsht. I'LL ~ Mcclure Ns~srnpa sndintal