The Project Gutenberg eBook of Knole and the Sackvilles, by V. Sackville- West This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title: Knole and the Sackvilles Author: V. Sackville-West Release Date: April 19, 2021 [eBook #65107] Language: English Character set encoding: UTF-8 Produced by: Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KNOLE AND THE SACKVILLES *** KNOLE and the SACKVILLES John Frederick Sackville, 3rd. Duke of Dorset K.G. From the portrait at Knole by Gainsborough. KNOLE and THE SACKVILLES by V. SACKVILLE-WEST LONDON WILLIAM HEINEMANN 1922 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE 1456 KNOLE bought by Archbishop BOURCHIER 1486 Death of Bourchier. Succeeded by Cardinal MORTON 1500 Death of Morton. Succeeded by HENRY DEAN 1502 Death of Dean. Succeeded by WAREHAM 1532 Death of Wareham. Succeeded by CRANMER 1539 KNOLE given by Cranmer to HENRY VIII 1546 Death of Henry VIII. Succeeded by EDWARD VI 1550 KNOLE granted by Edward VI to JOHN DUDLEY, Earl of Warwick 1552 KNOLE resold by Warwick to EDWARD VI 1553 Death of Edward VI. Succeeded by QUEEN MARY KNOLE granted by the Queen to REGINALD POLE 1558 Death of Mary. Succeeded by QUEEN ELIZABETH 1586 KNOLE granted to THOMAS SACKVILLE by Elizabeth Thos. Sackville, Lord Buckhurst, 1st EARL of DORSET 1536–1608 1554 Married CECILIE BAKER 1557 1563 Member of Parliament 1563 Travelling abroad 1566 Death of his father, Sir RICHARD 1567 Created Lord BUCKHURST 1568 Ambassador to France 1569 Lord-Lieutenant of Sussex 1571 Ambassador to France 1586 Execution of MARY Queen of SCOTS 1586 Given KNOLE by QUEEN ELIZABETH 1587 Ambassador to the Low Countries 1589 Ambassador to the Low Countries 1589 Knight of the Garter 1591 Chancellor of Oxford 1598 Ambassador to the Low Countries 1599 Lord High Treasurer 1601 Lord High Steward 1603 Death of Queen Elizabeth. Succeeded by JAMES I 1603 Lord Treasurer for life 1604 Created Earl of DORSET 1608 Death at the Council Table Robert Sackville, 2nd EARL of DORSET, 1561–1609 1579 Married MARGARET HOWARD, dau. of Duke of NORFOLK 1585 1608 Member of Parliament 1592 Married ANNE SPENCER 1608 Succeeded his father, THOMAS 1609 Death Richard Sackville, 3rd EARL of DORSET, 1589–1624 1609 Married Lady ANNE CLIFFORD, daughter of GEORGE, Earl of CUMBERLAND 1609 Succeeded his father, ROBERT 1624 Death vii viii Edward Sackville, 4th EARL of DORSET, 1591–1652 1605 At Christ Church, Oxford 1612 Married MARY, daughter of Sir GEORGE CURZON 1614 His duel with Lord BRUCE 1614 Member of Parliament 1616 Knight of the Bath 1621 Ambassador to LOUIS XIII 1623 1624 Travels in Italy 1623 Again Ambassador to LOUIS XIII 1624 Succeeded his brother, RICHARD 1624 Lord-Lieutenant of Sussex and Middlesex 1625 Knight of the Garter 1625 Death of James I. Succeeded by CHARLES I 1628 Lord Chamberlain 1630 Lady DORSET appointed Governess to the King’s children 1631 1634 Commissioner for Planting Virginia 1638 Granted the East Coast of America 1642 Outbreak of civil war. Ld. DORSET joins the KING at York 1644 Lord Privy Seal 1649 Execution of CHARLES I 1652 Death Richard Sackville, 5th EARL of DORSET, 1622–1677 Before 1638 Married Lady FRANCES CRANFIELD, daughter of LIONEL Earl of MIDDLESEX 1662 Succeeded his father, EDWARD 1660 1670 Lord-Lieutenant of Middlesex and Sussex 1677 Death Charles Sackville, 6th EARL of DORSET and EARL of MIDDLESEX, 1638–1706 1660 Member of Parliament 1660 Restoration of CHARLES II 1665 Naval battle against the Dutch 1667 Living with NELL GWYNN 1668 Ambassador to France 1674 Death of his mother; he succeeds to the Cranfield estates 1675 Created Earl of MIDDLESEX 1677 Succeeded his father, RICHARD, as Earl of DORSET 1678 Married MARY, Countess of FALMOUTH 1685 Married Lady MARY COMPTON, daughter of JAMES Earl of NORTHAMPTON 1685 Death of Charles II. Succeeded by JAMES II 1688 Accession of WILLIAM of ORANGE 1689 1697 Lord Chamberlain 1691 Knight of the Garter 1701 His poems published with SEDLEY’S 1702 Death of William III. Succeeded by QUEEN ANNE 1704 Married ANNE ROCHE 1706 Death Lionel Sackville, 7th EARL and 1st DUKE of DORSET, 1688–1765 1706 Succeeded his father, CHARLES, as Earl of DORSET and MIDDLESEX 1709 Married ELIZABETH COLYEAR ix 1708 Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, intermittently till 1728 1714 Knight of the Garter 1714 Death of Queen Anne. Succeeded by GEORGE I 1720 Created Duke of DORSET 1725 Lord Steward 1727 Death of George I. Succeeded by GEORGE II 1730 Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland till 1737 1746 Lord-Lieutenant of Kent 1750 Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland till 1755 1760 Death of George II. Succeeded by GEORGE III 1765 Death Charles Sackville, 2nd DUKE of DORSET, 1711–1769 Before 1734 On the Grand Tour 1734 Member of Parliament intermittently till 1754. Lord of the Treasury and Master of the Horse 1744 Married GRACE BOYLE 1765 Succeeded his father, LIONEL, as Duke of DORSET 1769 Death John Frederick Sackville, 3rd DUKE of DORSET, 1745–1799 1769 Succeeded his uncle, CHARLES 1783 1789 Ambassador to LOUIS XVI 1788 Knight of the Garter 1769 1797 Lord-Lieutenant of Kent 1789 1799 Lord Steward 1790 Married ARABELLA DIANA, daughter of Sir JOHN COPE, of Bramshill 1799 Death George John Frederick Sackville, 4th DUKE of DORSET, 1794–1815 1799 Succeeded his father, JOHN FREDERICK 1815 Death x TABLE OF DESCENT xii TABLE OF DESCENT CONTENTS Chronological Table vii Table of Descent xii Ch. I The House p. 1 II The Garden and Park 20 III Knole in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth 28 IV Knole in the Reign of James I 48 V Knole in the Reign of Charles I 82 VI Knole in the Reign of Charles II 111 VII Knole in the Early Eighteenth Century 152 VIII Knole at the End of the Eighteenth Century 176 IX Knole in the Nineteenth Century 201 Appendix 221 Index 223 The dome of Knole, by fame enrolled, The Church of Canterbury, The hops, the beer, the cherries there, Would fill a noble story. xiii xiv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS JOHN FREDERICK SACKVILLE, 3RD DUKE OF DORSET. From the portrait at Knole by GAINSBOROUGH Frontispiece NORTH-EAST VIEW OF KNOLE. From the drawing by T. BRIDGEMAN To face page 2 THE GREEN COURT, BOURCHIER’S ORIEL 6 THE STONE COURT, BOURCHIER’S GATEHOUSE 10 THE STONE COURT 16 KNOLE FROM AN AEROPLANE 20 THE GARDEN SIDE 22 A GATEWAY INTO THE GARDEN 26 A CONFERENCE OF ENGLISH AND SPANISH PLENIPOTENTIARIES AT SOMERSET HOUSE IN 1604. From the painting by MARC GHEERHARDTS in the National Portrait Gallery 32 LEAD PIPE-HEADS. Put Up by THOMAS SACKVILLE in 1605 38 THE GREAT STAIRCASE (UPPER FLIGHT). Built by THOMAS SACKVILLE 1604–8 46 RICHARD SACKVILLE, 3RD EARL OF DORSET, K.G. From the miniature by ISAAC OLIVER in the Victoria and Albert Museum 52 LADY ANNE CLIFFORD, wife of RICHARD SACKVILLE, 3rd Earl of Dorset. From the portrait at Knole by MYTENS 56 LADY MARGARET SACKVILLE, daughter to RICHARD SACKVILLE, 3rd Earl of Dorset, and LADY ANNE CLIFFORD: “The Child.” From the portrait at Knole by MYTENS 68 THE VENETIAN AMBASSADOR’S BEDROOM 72 EDWARD SACKVILLE, 4TH EARL OF DORSET, K.G. From the portrait at Knole by VANDYCK 84 THE TWO SONS OF EDWARD, 4TH EARL OF DORSET: RICHARD, LORD BUCKHURST and THE HON. EDWARD SACKVILLE. From the portrait at Knole by CORNELIUS NUIE 106 CHARLES SACKVILLE, 6TH EARL OF DORSET, K.G. From the portrait by Sir GODFREY KNELLER in the Poets’ Parlour at Knole 116 xv THE BROWN GALLERY. Built by ARCHBISHOP BOURCHIER in 1460 148 LADY BETTY GERMAINE. From the portrait at Knole by C. PHILLIPS To face page 168 LADY BETTY GERMAINE’S BEDROOM AT KNOLE 172 HWANG-A-TUNG, A CHINESE BOY, page to the 3rd Duke of Dorset. From the portrait at Knole by Sir JOSHUA REYNOLDS 192 JOHN FREDERICK SACKVILLE, 3RD EARL OF DORSET; ARABELLA DIANA, 3RD DUCHESS OF DORSET; THE EARL OF MIDDLESEX; LADY ELIZABETH SACKVILLE, and LADY MARY SACKVILLE. From a silhouette by A. T. TERSTAN 1797. The property of LADY SACKVILLE 196 GEORGE JOHN FREDERICK SACKVILLE, 4TH EARL OF DORSET; LADY MARY SACKVILLE, and LADY ELIZABETH SACKVILLE. From the portrait at Knole by HOPPNER 204 ROCKING-HORSE, once the property of the 4th Duke of Dorset: A RECEIPT from GAINSBOROUGH 208 xvi T CHAPTER I The House § i here are two sides from which you may first profitably look at the house. One is from the park, the north side. From here the pile shows best the vastness of its size; it looks like a mediaeval village. It is heaped with no attempt at symmetry; it is sombre and frowning; the grey towers rise; the battlements cut out their square regularity against the sky; the buttresses of the old twelfth-century tithe-barn give a rough impression of fortifications. There is a line of trees in one of the inner courtyards, and their green heads show above the roofs of the old breweries; but although they are actually trees of a considerable size they are dwarfed and unnoticeable against the mass of the buildings blocked behind them. The whole pile soars to a peak which is the clocktower with its pointed roof: it might be the spire of the church on the summit of the hill crowning the mediaeval village. At sunset I have seen the silhouette of the great building stand dead black on a red sky; on moonlight nights it stands black and silent, with glinting windows, like an enchanted castle. On misty autumn nights I have seen it emerging partially from the trails of vapour, and heard the lonely roar of the red deer roaming under the walls. 1 § ii The other side is the garden side—the gay, princely side, with flowers in the foreground; the grey walls rising straight up from the green turf; the mullioned windows, and the Tudor gables with the heraldic leopards sitting stiffly at each corner. The park side is the side for winter; the garden side the side for summer. It has an indescribable gaiety and courtliness. The grey of the Kentish rag is almost pearly in the sun, the occasional coral festoon of a climbing rose dashed against it; the long brown-red roofs are broken by the chimney-stacks with their slim, peaceful threads of blue smoke mounting steadily upwards. One looks down upon the house from a certain corner in the garden. Here is a bench among a group of yews—dark, red-berried yews; and the house lies below one in the hollow, lovely in its colour and its serenity. It has all the quality of peace and permanence; of mellow age; of stateliness and tradition. It is gentle and venerable. Yet it is, as I have said, gay. It has the deep inward gaiety of some very old woman who has always been beautiful, who has had many lovers and seen many generations come and go, smiled wisely over their sorrows and their joys, and learnt an imperishable secret of tolerance and humour. It is, above all, an English house. It has the tone of England; it melts into the green of the garden turf, into the tawnier green of the park beyond, into the blue of the pale English sky; it settles down into its hollow amongst the cushioned tops of the trees; the brown-red of those roofs is the brown-red of the roofs of humble farms and pointed oast-houses, such as stain over a wide landscape of England the quilt-like pattern of the fields. I make bold to say that it stoops to nothing either pretentious or meretricious. There is here no flourish of architecture, no ornament but the leopards, rigid and vigilant. The stranger may even think, upon arrival, that the front of the house is disappointing. It is, indeed, extremely modest. There is a gate-house flanked by two square grey towers, placed between two wings which provide only a monotony of windows and gables. It is true that two or three fine sycamores, symmetrical and circular as open umbrellas, redeem the severity of the front, and that a herd of fallow deer, browsing in the dappled shade of the trees, maintains the tradition of an English park. But, for the rest, the front of the house is so severe as to be positively uninteresting; it is quiet and monkish; “a beautiful decent simplicity,” said Horace Walpole, “which charms one.” There is here to be found none of the splendour of Elizabethan building. A different impression, however, is in store when once the wicket-gate has been opened. You are in a courtyard of a size the frontage had never led you to expect, and the vista through a second gateway shows you the columns of a second court; your eye is caught by an oriel window opposite, and by other windows with heraldic bearings in their panes, promise of rooms and galleries; by gables and the heraldic leopards; by the clock tower which gives an oddly Chinese effect immediately above the Tudor oriel. Up till a few years ago Virginia creeper blazed scarlet in autumn on the walls of the Green Court, but it has now been torn away, and what may be lost in colour is compensated by the gain in seeing the grey stone and the slight moulding which runs, following the shape of the towers, across the house. 2 NORTH-EAST VIEW OF KNOLE From the drawing by T. Bridgeman On the whole, the quadrangle is reminiscent of Oxford, though more palatial and less studious. The house is built round a system of these courtyards: first this one, the Green Court, which is the largest and most magnificent; then the second one, or Stone Court, which is not turfed, like the Green Court, but wholly paved, and which has along one side of it a Jacobean colonnade; the third court is the Water Court, and has none of the display of the first two: it is smaller, and quite demure, indeed rather like some old house in Nuremberg, with the latticed window of one of the galleries running the whole length of it, and the friendly unconcern of an immense bay-tree growing against one of its walls. There are four other courts, making seven in all. This number is supposed to correspond to the days in the week; and in pursuance of this conceit there are in the house fifty-two staircases, corresponding to the weeks in the year, and three hundred and sixty-five rooms, corresponding to the days. I cannot truthfully pretend that I have ever verified these counts, and it may be that their accuracy is accepted solely on the strength of the legend; but, if this is so, then it has been a very persistent legend, and I prefer to sympathise with the amusement of the ultimate architect on making the discovery that by a judicious juggling with his additions he could bring courts, stairs, and rooms up to that satisfactory total. A stone lobby under the oriel window divides the Green Court from the Stone Court. In summer the great oak doors of this second gate-house are left open, and it has sometimes happened that I have found a stag in the banqueting hall, puzzled but still dignified, strayed in from the park since no barrier checked him. It becomes impossible, after passing through the formality of the two first quadrangles, to follow the ramblings of the house geographically. They are so involved that, after a lifetime of familiarity, I still catch myself pausing to think out the shortest route from one room to another. Four acres of building is no mean matter. 3 4 5