The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-07

Monitor.
 |uAMPsrEAD HEATH boasts two famous inns asseciated with -A Charles Dickens and his books: Jack Straw's Castle" and 'The Span iard's" There are no allusions to the former in any of the works, so far as we know, and its claim to be Dick ems inn arises merely from the fact that he frequented it in his early writ ing years when he was very fond or riding and walking, and indulged in those forms of recreation to his profit
 during that hard worked period of his literary career.
 In those brilliant days of Pickwick,
 he would wander in all directions out of the London streets and invite Fores- ter to accompany him in these jaunts by sending him brief commands to join l him. One of these ran: You don't feel disposed, do you, to muffle yourself up
 and start off with me for good brisk walk over Hampstead Heath? I know hh good house where we can have red hot chop for dinner" And off they
 went, leading, as Forester, says, to their 1 first experience of Jack Straw's Cas- tie, memorable for many happy meet ings in coming years"
 On another occasion, whilst writing "The Old Curiosity Shop Maclise ac- companied them, but this time they drove to the Heath and then walked to the Castle" Here Dickens read to his friends a number of the new story. Again in 1S44 he wrote: "Stamfield and Mac have come in and we are going to Hampstead to dinner. I leave Betsey Prig, as you know, so don't you make a scruple about leaving Mrs. Harris. We shall stroll leisurely up, to> give you time to join us, and dinner will be on the table at Jack Straw's at A." few months later, it is recorded, they dined there again, and it is evident that the old inn was a favorite- haunt of the novelist on such occasions and the Dickens traditions have so clung to it that during the flight of time they have become-as such traditions do- somewhat exaggerated. Today visitors are shown not only the chair he sat on, but have pointed out to them the bed room he used to sleep in. There is no record. however, that he ever stayed the night there, nor any reason for be- lieving that he did, seeing how easy it was for him and his friends to get there and back from town. But Jack Straw's Castle has good reasons for be- ing proud of it's literary associations. For in addition to those of Dickens and his famous friends, such names as Washington Irving, Thackeray, Du Maurier, Lord Leighton and host of others may be mentioned as frequent ing 1t, to say nothing of the fact that | The Castle is mentioned in Richard sons "Clarissa Harlowe."
 Apart however from it's literary as- sociations Jack Straw's Castle has a romantic history. It is generally agreed that it's name is derived from that or the notorious peasant leader of the ris- ing in the reign of Richard II. And this may be so in spite of the fact that it's present designation is not older tnan
 the middle of the eighteenth century The peasants revolt took place in loSl, anu we arc eoiu ~~,e-~ than likely that the Hampsted viiieins l, took part in the famous march to Lon don. One authority says that the St Albans men, in their advance to Join Jack Straw at his headquarters at : Highbury, might or might not nave passed through Hampstead. If con tinrent of adherents was ready to join them at Hampstead, they pro bably took inc village into their route. especially as if would give them particular pleas ure to make an offensive demonstra- tion against the Knights Hospitallers, who had a temple there, and were the object of bitter hatred. The attack of inc mob upon the house of the Knights Hospitallers at Highbury is. a we'll known incident of the rising. The mere fact of there being Hampstead sympathizers with Jack Straw, who held their meetings at a certain house. would be sufficient excuse to gain that house the title of Jack Straw's Castle. Sir Walter Besant thought that. al- | though there is no direct evidence of. Jack Straw being connected with the
 hostelry named after him. Tit is quite
 possible that the heath formed rem