Evening star., 1925-08-23


into, effect the increased land taxes
in England it was feared by those
interested in archaeological antiquities
that the ancient estates of England
would be broken up and that the
great castles which adorn the land
would fall into profane hands and be
demolished to make room for the
operations of real estate spectators.
1t is true that many estates We're sold
off by owners who found themselves
unable to meet the high taxes. For
instance, the Duke of Sutherland
alone disposed of 145 900 acres of his
English land. outlying portions of
certain estates. and, in addition, sew
eral towns which he owned. Others
followed his example.
With the war and the increased
income and other taxes, other sales
were made and many ancient struc-
lures passed out of the hands of
their owners.
To counteract this tendency a new
movement has set in which gives fair
promise of preserving to the posterity
Of England as well as to the rest
Of the world some of the finest of
the old places.
The latest instance arises in con-
nection with the filing of the will of
who, from 1898 to 1908. was viceroy
of India, in that capacity acting as
the ruler, under the crown, OF 300,-
600, 900 people, nearly three times as
many as there are in the UNITED
States. Lord CurZon died several
months ago and his Will, which has
just been filed for probate, reveals
the fact that he has left to the Brit
ish nation two splendid examples of
medieval castles.
Great Britain has a government
office known as the National Trust
for Places of Historic Interest or
Natural Beauty and Lord Curzon' s
will places Tattersall Tower and
Bodiam Castle in the hands of this
trust to preserve as national monu-
ments for all time.
A Moated Stronghold.
The buildings are of the utmost in
terest. Bodiam Castle. which is in
Sussex, is just the sort of moated
hold which every schoolboy dreams
of when he reads the romances of
Sir Walter Scott. Its bleak and
rugged stone walls rise from the slug
gish waters of a wide moat on which
float thousands of lily pads. The
castle is rectangular in shape and
at each corner stands a tall round
tower. On each side, in the center
of the walls, rises a square tower.
All are battlemented and machiolated,
while both walls and towers are
pierced with long. narrow loopholes
to permit the discharge Of arrows by
wielders of the ancient long bow and
the cloth-yard arrow. The entrance Is
guarded by drawbridge and portcullis
This castle, which is regarded as
perhaps the finest example OF a moat-
ed hold in England, was built in. the
reign of King Richard II by Sir Ed
ward Dalyngruge. The date. is 1886.
Lord Curzon bought the castle in
1916 to preserve it, and he had spent
large sums in restoring it to its origi.
nal state.
In some respects the story of Tat.
terSall Tower is Of even greater inter-
est. This is a great towering struc-
tQre, the surviving remnant of once
larger edifice. In reality it is but the
keep or citadel. 1t stands in Lincoln
shire, u county which has relatively
little stone but much clay, and is
built of brick. Quadrangular in shape,
1t has at each corner great octagonal
tower rising to greater height than
the main keep. The windows are
larger than the narrow Sits of Bodiam
and are of Gothic design. Within is
a great courtyard and a tremendous
stairway climbs upward around the
inner walls, reaching the upper
stories.
Tattersall was built by Ralph, third
Baron Cromwell, lord high treasurer
to King Henry VI, and 1t is apparent
that no effort was spared in making
it strong. In some places the brick
walls are 16 feet in thickness.
The story of Lord Curzon's acquisi.
ton Of the tower Is romantic. In 1911
word reached London newspapers that
the tower was to be pulled down and
moved to the United States, there to
be re-erected by a wealthy American
Already four of the famous fireplaces
had been removed and were in Lon.
don awaiting shipment overseas. The
final deal for the sale to the American
had not been completed, but was to
have been in "a hours when the mat.
ter was brought to Curzon's attention
He Immediately went to Tattersall to
inspect the relic, and on a cursory In
spection made his decision. He tele.
graphed the agents in the matter
making an offer for the property
which resulted in its purchase. His
sole motive was to- preserve the
famous structure for England.
BY 1912 he had the f1replaces re.
stored to their original position, and
such other restoration work done as
was necessary to keep the place in
repair
The will provides that these castles
shall remain open to the public for al
time, admission to be charged at a
small figure merely TO provide suffi
cient funds to keep the buildings in
repair. The will suggests a fee equiva.
lent to about 20 cents In the United
States. If profits are made by these
charges, they are to be used by the
National Trust in acquiring other old
structures or in keeping them in re
'patn