  WHETHER from its own nobleness of character, the innate beauty and loveliness of its situation, the magnificence and even sublimity of its surroundings, the grandeur and sumptuous richness of its appointments, the extent of its domains, the historical incidents with which it is connected, the interesting and stirring events which have been associated with its history, or the true nobility of character of its long line of illustrious owners, Lowther Castle may indeed be classed as one of the finest, most important, and most stately of the “Stately Homes” of this favoured land of ours. Situate in one of the most lovely of shires—Westmoreland—and surrounded on all sides by the most magnificent of scenery, Lowther is indeed a “favoured spot”—a spot where Nature has been profuse in her gifts, and where Art has found a fitting shrine. Here “hills on hills, on forests forests rise; Spurn the low earth, and mingle with the skies.” Mountain and dale, hill and valley, fell and lake, moor and meadow, wood and stream, are spread around in such lavish profusion that the eye wanders on from one to another in constant change of scene, and the mind vainly endeavours to grasp their varied beauties. Its situation is, indeed, a scene of loveliness not easily conceived, and which but few “earthly Edens” surpass. The castle itself, as it now stands, is modern; but it was erected on the site of an older mansion, belonging to the same family, which was taken down by Sir John Lowther in 1685, who enlarged and rebuilt it on a scale of much magnificence. The greater part of this second building, Lowther Hall as it was called, was destroyed by fire in 1720, the wings Lowther Castle stands in a grand old well-wooded park of some six or eight hundred acres. In front, at a little distance, runs the lovely river Lowther, with its rocky bed and its wildly romantic banks; at the back (the south front) are the Lawns and the Deer Park; to the west are the Terrace and Pleasure Gardens and wooded walks; and to the east the Stables, Kitchen Gardens, and village. The family of Lowther, of which the present Earl of Lonsdale is the noble head, is of considerable antiquity in the border counties of Westmoreland and Cumberland. The names of William and Thomas Lowther appear as witnesses to a grant as early as the reign of Henry II., and in the reign of Henry III. were Sir Thomas de Lowther, Knight, Sir Gervase de Lowther, Knight, and Gervase de Lowther, Archdeacon of Carlisle. Succeeding them was Sir Hugh de Lowther, Knight, who was Attorney-General in 1292, represented the county in 1300 and 1305, became Justice-Itinerant and Escheator in Eyre north of the Trent; and was in 1331 made one of the Justices of King’s Bench. Sir Hugh married a daughter of Sir Peter Tilliol, Knight, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Sir Hugh Lowther. This Sir Hugh was married twice: first, to a daughter of Lord Lucy, of Cockermouth; and, secondly, to Margaret, daughter of William de Quale. At his death, after serving in many important offices, he was succeeded by his son(?) Sir Robert Lowther, Knight, who died in 1490, leaving issue by his wife, Margaret Strickland, a son, Sir Hugh, who succeeded him, and three daughters, married respectively to Sir Thomas Curwen, Sir James Pickering, and William Lancaster. Lowther Castle, North Front. Sir Hugh de Lowther married Margaret, daughter of John de Derwentwater, by whom he left, with other issue, his son and successor, Sir Hugh de Lowther, Knight, who represented the county of Cumberland. He married Mabel, daughter of Sir William Lancaster, of Sockbridge, by whom he had a son and heir, Sir Hugh de Lowther, Knight of the Bath, who married Anne, daughter of Sir Launcelot Threlkeld, and died circa 1511. Sir John de Lowther, his eldest son, succeeded him, and having married Lucy, daughter of Sir Thomas Curwen, of Workington, had issue by her a son, Sir Hugh, who, having married Dorothy, daughter of Henry, Lord Clifford, had issue as follows:—Sir Richard Lowther, who succeeded to the estates (of whom presently); Gerard Lowther, a bencher of Lincoln’s Inn; Margaret Lowther, married to John Richmond, Esq., of Highead Castle; Anne, married to Thomas Wybergh, Esq., of Clifton; Frances, married to Sir Henry Goodyer, Knight of Powlesworth; and Barbara, married to Thomas Carleton, of Carleton. Sir Hugh, dying during his father’s lifetime, the estates passed to his eldest son— Sir Richard Lowther, Knight, who succeeded his cousin, Henry Lord Scrope, as Lord Warden of the West Marches. Sir Richard “was three times commissioner in the great affairs between England and Scotland under Elizabeth.” He had also the unfortunate and ill-fated Mary Queen of Scots under his charge, and conveyed her to Carlisle. He died in 1607, leaving with other issue, by his wife, Frances, daughter of John Middleton, Esq., four sons—viz. Sir Christopher (of whom presently); Sir Gerard Lowther, Chief Justice of Common Pleas and Lord Chancellor of Ireland; Sir Launcelot Lowther, Knight, a Baron of the Exchequer in Ireland; and William Lowther, Esq., of Ingleton. Sir Christopher Lowther was knighted by King James at Newcastle-on-Tyne. He married Eleanor, daughter of Sir William Musgrave, of Hayton, by whom he had a family of eight sons and four daughters. He was succeeded by his son, Sir John Lowther, M.P. for Westmoreland (married to Eleanor, daughter of William Fleming, of Rydal), who, dying in 1637, was in turn succeeded by his son, Sir John Lowther, M.P. for the Richard, second Viscount Lonsdale, who died in 1713, when the titles and estates devolved on his brother Henry, third Viscount Lonsdale, at whose death the barony of Lowther and viscountcy of Lonsdale ceased, the estates and baronetcy devolving upon his great-nephew, Sir James Lowther, eldest son of Robert Lowther, Esq., Governor of Barbadoes. Sir James was M.P. for Cumberland and Westmoreland. In 1782 he offered to build and completely to furnish at his own expense a man-of-war of seventy guns, but the coming peace rendered this unnecessary. Sir James was, in 1784, created Baron Lowther of Lowther, Viscount Lowther, and Earl of Lonsdale. He married a daughter of the Earl of Bute, but, having no issue by her, his lordship, in 1797, obtained a new patent, creating him Baron and Viscount Lowther, with remainder to the heirs male of his cousin, the Rev. Sir William Lowther, Bart., of Swillington. Dying in 1802, the earldom and other titles of the first creation became extinct, those of the second patent descending to Sir William Lowther, who thus became Baron Lowther and Viscount Lowther, and was, in 1807, created Earl of Lonsdale. His lordship married the Lady Augusta Fane, daughter of John, ninth Earl of Westmoreland, by whom he had issue—William, Viscount Lowther, by whom he was succeeded; the Hon. Henry Cecil Lowther, M.P.; the Lady Elizabeth Lowther, who died unmarried; the Lady Mary Lowther, who married Major-general Lord Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck, third son of the third Duke of Portland, and was mother of Mr. G. A. F. Cavendish-Bentinck, M.P. for Whitehaven; the Lady Anne Lowther, married to the Right Hon. Sir John Beckett, Bart.; and the Lady Caroline Lowther, married to Lord William John Frederick Poulett, son of the Duke of Cleveland. Dying in 1844, the Earl was succeeded by his eldest son— William, second Earl of Lonsdale, Viscount and Baron Lowther, and a baronet, who had been summoned to the House of Peers during his father’s Henry Lowther, as third Earl of Lonsdale and Viscount and Baron Lowther of Whitehaven, of the second creation, who was the son of Colonel the Hon. Henry Cecil Lowther (second son of the first earl, by Lady Lucy, daughter of the fifth Earl of Harborough). He was born on the 27th of March, 1818, and succeeded his uncle at his death in 1872. His lordship was educated at Westminster and at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he took the degree of M.A. in 1838. He was appointed cornet and sub-lieutenant in the 1st Life Guards in 1841, became lieutenant in 1843, captain in 1849, and retired in 1854. For twenty-four years he retained the confidence of the electors of West Cumberland, sitting uninterruptedly for this division from 1847 to 1872, when he succeeded his uncle in the title and estates. The seat thus vacant by the late earl’s accession to the House of Lords was obtained without a contest by Lord Muncaster. His lordship was Lord-Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of Cumberland and Westmoreland, a magistrate for Rutland, Hon. Colonel of the Royal Cumberland Militia and of the Cumberland Rifle Volunteers, Lieutenant-Colonel of the Westmoreland and Cumberland Yeomanry Cavalry, and a member of the Carlton, Boodle’s, Jockey, and Turf Clubs. Lord Lonsdale married, in 1852, Emily Susan, daughter of St. George Francis Caulfield, Esq., of Dunamon Castle, county Roscommon, by whom he left issue living four sons and two daughters. These are—St. George Henry Lowther, the present Earl of Lonsdale; the Hon. Hugh Cecil Lowther, born in 1857; the Hon. Charles Edwin Lowther, born in 1859; the Hon. Lancelot Edward Lowther, born in 1867; the Lady Sybil Emily Lowther; and the Lady Verena Maud Lowther. His lordship died somewhat suddenly on the 15th of August, 1876, and was buried the Saturday following in Lowther Church. The present noble head of the House of Lowther, St. George Henry, fourth Earl of Lonsdale and Viscount and Baron Lowther of Whitehaven, and a baronet, was born on the 4th of October, 1855, and therefore succeeded The arms of the Earl of Lonsdale are—or, six annulets, three, two, and one, sable. Crest, a dragon, argent. Supporters, two horses, argent, gorged with wreaths of laurel, vert. His seats are Lowther Castle, Westmoreland; Whitehaven Castle, Cumberland; Barleythorpe, near Oakham, Rutland; and Carlton House Terrace, London. Lowther Castle is entered by a massive porch in the centre of its north front, the door, which is garnished with magnificent bronze knockers, giving access to the grand Entrance Hall. This is a noble Gothic apartment, some sixty feet long by thirty feet in width, ceiled with panelled oak. The entrance doorway is in the centre of the north side, and immediately in front is the Grand Staircase, across the landing of which is a noble arcade of three lofty pointed archways rising from clustered columns. From the angled corners of the Hall doorways open to passages leading to the domestic offices. At each end of this fine apartment, and again in front of each pillar between and adjoining the flights of stairs, are suits of ancient armour standing on lofty pedestals, ranges of the old “Black Bess” guns of the old Cumberland Militia and other trophies of arms decorating the walls. The Grand Staircase, sixty feet square and ninety feet in height, leads up from the Entrance Hall to the various suites of apartments. It is entirely of stone, and has a richly groined ceiling rising from clustered columns. Facing the entrance, on the first landing, is a magnificent vase, and in canopied niches in the wall are exquisitely sculptured figures, the arms of Lowther and the alliances of the family also appropriately decorating the Lowther Castle. South Front. It will not be necessary to enter fully into a description of the various apartments of this noble residence; they are all sumptuous in their furnishing, admirable in their appointments, and replete with everything that can make a “home of taste” enjoyable. Some of the apartments, however, require special notice, and to each of these we proceed to devote a Passing to the second landing through an “ante-room to the sleeping apartments,” in which are preserved a valuable and extensive collection of Ceramics arranged in glass cases, and also a number of antiquities, are the State Bed-room and its suite of dressing-rooms. These are all hung with remarkably fine Gobelins tapestry. These noble apartments occupy the space in the centre of the south front, and from the windows are lovely views of the Grounds and Deer Park. The state bed, which is hung with white satin richly embroidered, is of black and gold, the massive cornice, solidly gilt, being surrounded by angels, five on each side and four at the foot, and reminding one of the charming nursery rhyme of our childish days:— “Four corners to my bed, The appointments of the room are of the most sumptuous character, the toilet service of silver gilt adding much to its magnificence. On the landing of the Grand Staircase, among other Art treasures are Lawrence’s full-length portrait of George IV., Greenhill’s Walpole, Kneller’s Duke of Marlborough, Addison, and other paintings; and in the east ante-room leading to the sleeping apartments in that part of the castle are various objects of note. On the first or ground floor landing of the Grand Staircase, to the right, between the private apartments, is a corridor leading to various rooms, and to the left a similar corridor, from which open the Library and other apartments, leads to the Gallery of Worthies, and gives access to the Sculpture Gallery; it has a groined ceiling, and contains a large and powerful organ, wall-cases of books, and some valuable paintings and busts. The Library is in the north front, and is a noble and well-appointed room, fitted in a style of quiet sumptuousness that is in full accord with the rich collection of rare literary treasures with which the walls are lined. The ceiling is of panelled oak of suitable Gothic character, heightened with gold, and the presses for books are also of oak richly adorned with cinquefoil cusps. Besides its literary treasures, the Library is hung with a fine collection of family portraits of surpassing interest. These are (beginning at the north-east corner of the apartment)—Sir John Lowther, of The Billiard-room, not on account of any architectural features or of the use to which it is assigned, but from the remarkably interesting character of the collection of pictures contained within its walls, is one of the most important features of the castle. Its walls are hung with portraits of “Westmoreland Worthies,” forming a gallery of celebrities of which not only the county, but the nation may indeed well be proud, and the founding of which is a lasting honour to the House of Lowther. Well indeed would it be if the example of forming local Galleries of Worthies, so nobly set by the second Earl of Lonsdale, were followed by the Lords-Lieutenant of other counties whose high functions and important positions point them out especially as the right parties to honour native worth, and their mansions as the right and proper and only place in which such a gallery should be enshrined. The collection of “Westmoreland Worthies” at Lowther Castle is a noble beginning in the right direction, and it is to be hoped the spirit and feeling that caused its foundation by one of the noble heads of the House of Lowther may still actuate his successors, and cause what is now a glorious nucleus to become a full and complete collection. The portraits at present contained in this gallery are—Queen Catherine Parr, wife of Henry VIII., born at Kendal Castle; Christopher Baynbrigg, Cardinal of St. Praxede, Legate to the Court of Rome, Archbishop of York, Master of the Rolls, &c.; George Clifford, Earl of Cumberland; Sir Gerard Lowther, Lord Chief Justice of the Court of It may be named en passant that in various parts of the castle are a number of paintings—supposed to be veritable Hogarths—which were brought from the old Vauxhall Gardens. The Drawing-room, opposite the Library, is a lovely apartment—the walls The Saloon, in the centre of the south front, has a Gothic panelled ceiling, and contains many fine paintings by Zuccarelli, Guido, Elisabetta Sirani, &c., and (as well as other parts of the house) some grand old china. The Dining-room has two fine paintings—Pitt, by Hoppner, and Wellington, by Jackson; and in the centre of the gorgeous display of gold plate on the buffet is a full-sized silver-gilt copy of Flaxman’s chef-d’oeuvre, the Shield of Achilles. The Countess’s or Breakfast Room contains some of the richest treasures of Art in the castle. Among them are the Wakes, the Feast, and the FÊte ChampÊtre of Teniers; a Holy Family of Rubens; and marvellously fine examples of Vandyke, Fyt, Wouvermans, Leonardo da Vinci, Gerard Douw, FrankHals, Ruysdael, Borgognone, Rembrandt, Jan Steen, Bischey, Sassoferrato, Titian, and others. The Picture Gallery, with its glass ceiling, is a noble room, filled with pictures of high merit, many being chefs-d’oeuvre of the various artists. It will be sufficient to say that it contains, among others, no less than ten Lowther Castle, the Sculpture Gallery. The other apartments, beautiful as they all undoubtedly are, and filled as they are with choice works of Art, are not necessary to be named. There are, however, two of the most important features of Lowther yet to be noticed. These are the two Sculpture Galleries and the passages and corridors leading to them. To these we proceed to direct brief attention. Roman Sculptured Stone from Kirkby Thore. In one part of the Gallery is a marvellously extensive and highly important assemblage of Roman inscribed stones—altars, monumental stones, inscriptions of cohorts, &c.—from the Roman wall and from the old stations in the three counties; mediÆval sculptures from the neighbourhood; and a number of Celtic and Roman urns and other antiquities of more than passing interest: to these, however, we cannot find space to direct attention. PEDATVRA Vindomora being a station in the first Iter of Antonine; another with the words COH VII (cohors septima); and a stone bearing a female helmeted figure, holding a wreath in her right, and a distaff in her left, hand. From Kirkby Thore the upper part of an altar, inscribed IOVI SERAPI L ALFENVS PATE[RNVS] (Iovi Serapi Lucius Alfenus Pate[rnus]); a singular sculptured stone bearing a representation of a death-bed scene, the sufferer partaking of her last meal preparatory to her departure, the only inscription left being FILIA CRESC IMAG NIER (Filia Crescentis imag[i]nif[e]r[i]); a stone representing a mounted warrior with uplifted sword, trampling on a foe; a fragment of another, where the mounted warrior is in full career, spearing his prostrate foe; another stone, bearing much the same design as the last, but in a more complete state; a fir-cone; a female head; and a lion overpowering a ram. From Plumpton, or Old Penrith, a remarkably fine sepulchral inscribed stone, bearing a figure, probably intended to represent a deceased child. He is dressed in a tunic, and holds in his left hand a whip, and in his right a kind of toy. The inscription is— DIS MANIB M COCCEI (Diis Manibus Marci Cocceii Nonni annorum quinque his situs est); and another bearing the inscription— D M YLAE ALVM (Diis Manibus YlÆ alumni carissimi. Vixit annos tredecim. Claudius Severus....) Roman Altars from Old Penrith. Among the antique sculpture contained in the galleries is the Venus from the temple to that goddess at Cnidus. The exquisite torso, the remainder of the figure being restored, was from the Stowe collection; and it is undoubtedly an example of the purest Greek, of an age “when Art was a religion.” Roman Remains from Kirkby Thore. Roman Remains from Drumburgh and Kirkby Thore. Roman Remains from Kirkby Thore. It has with reason been attributed to Praxiteles; and it is believed to be the work alluded to by Lucian and Pliny as one of the triumphs of Greek Art—a belief which obtains force with all Art-lovers by whom it has been seen. There are also a statue of Diana, of exceeding grace and beauty; a Statue of Julius Caesar, half life-size, seated in a consular chair, and of fine conception; the upper half of a seated female figure, draped, brought to England by Lord Guildford, and the only specimen brought home by him—a great work, certainly a production of the best era of Greece, and a majestic, yet tender creation; a statue of Agrippina, of rare excellence, from the Stowe collection; a torso of a Venus, from the Marquis of Hertford’s collection—a work of refined delicacy, yet exhibiting intense power; a statue of Bacchus, a relic of great worth; a beautiful statue of Hygeia, from the Besborough collection—a work of pure Art, originally from the Capitol; a Roman sarcophagus, from the same collection, with Cupids hunting in relief; a monument from the Besborough collection, inscribed “Honos est prÆmium virtutis,” and several other sarcophagi and monuments; a rich example of moulding from the Palace of the CÆsars; a figure of Mars; some vases; statues of Marcus Aurelius, Bacchus, Agrippina, and Diana; busts of Livia, Trajan, Janus, Cato, Vitellius, Nero, Sylla, Seneca, Plato, Marcus Pompeius, Galba, Agrippina, Faustina, Matidia, Homer, Nerva, the CÆsars, and Æsculapius; and a bronze statue of Hercules. There are also some fine stone chairs, an Egyptian bath, statues of Pan, Augustus, a roman Senator, Hygeia, Euterpe, Flora, Cybele, Adonis, Paris, the Water-carrier, Sphinx, Cicero, Aristides, &c.; and “the Olympian Meta, brought from Greece by the Emperor Nero, and placed in the circus at Rome.” It was purchased by the Marquis of Hertford, and was formerly in his collection. It now forms one of the more interesting features of the Lowther Gallery. Among other interesting objects are roman sarcophagi (the form of one of which was copied for one of the Earls of Lonsdale to be interred in) bearing the inscriptions—
a curious mosaic picture of fish, bearing the following inscription:—“This In the Grounds of Lowther Castle. The Grounds and Gardens of Lowther Castle are among its most glorious and charming attractions. Nature has done much for it in the beauty of its situation and the majestic character of its surroundings; and the purest Of the Terrace it is impossible to convey an idea. It is simply a tract of high land, thickly wooded with the finest of forest trees and the most majestic of conifers, around the outer edge of which runs a broad grassy walk or drive, commanding almost a panorama of the finest of views that even this district of marvellous scenery can produce. From here, in one direction, is Knipe Scar, rising above the village of Bampton; and behind it, again, are Swindale, Walla Crag, beneath which is the lovely lake of Haweswater, and above these, again, rise Harter Fell and High Street (over which runs the old Roman road). Then the hamlet of Helton, and further to the right Helvellyn and other mountains above Ulleswater. Again, there is Askham, with the heights of Blencathra or Saddleback, and the mountains in the Keswick district; while through the Park, far down below, runs the river Lowther, whose murmurs over its rocky bed are distinctly audible. In the wood which skirts the Terrace are some gigantic conifers and other trees which are “great among the greatest.” The Kitchen Gardens, at some distance from the mansion, are well arranged, very extensive (about seven acres), and extremely productive; and their pleasing effect is much heightened by the judicious introduction of richly arranged flower borders: the glass houses of all kinds are of great extent. At a little distance across the park is Lowther Church, with the family Mausoleum in its churchyard. The Mausoleum, upon which the gifted poet, the Rev. James Dixon, wrote the following stanza— “A grander, fairer spot of English ground To rest in till the trump of doom shall blow In all this ancient realm could not be found. Breaking in white waves ‘gainst the stony shores, The loud voice of its waters, through the wood And verdant slopes of Lowther’s wide domain, Of Nature’s voice omnipotent. What heart but thrills To these wild charms, lit by the vernal beams, is a plain Gothic building, containing in its upper room a finely sculptured figure, by Stephens, of “William, Earl of Lonsdale,” 1863. The Church possesses some good Norman features which are worthy of careful examination, and many interesting monuments to the Lowther family. Among these may be named the following:— In the north transept a large altar tomb to William, first Earl of Lonsdale of the second creation, who died March 19th, 1844; and Augusta, his countess (daughter of John, ninth Earl of Westmoreland), who died March 6th, 1838. Here, too, was buried the late third Earl, who died in August, 1876. There are also tablets to the memory of James, first Earl of Lonsdale, 1802, and his countess, Mary, daughter of John, Earl of Bute, 1824; and to Richard, Lord Lonsdale; and brasses to Colonel the Hon. Henry Cecil Lowther (father of the late earl), 1867; and to Lucy Eleanor, his wife, daughter of Philip, fifth Earl of Harborough, 1848; and to the Hon. Arthur Lowther, their son, 1855. In the south transept are a remarkably finely sculptured monument with a reclining figure to the memory of John, Viscount Lonsdale and Baron Lowther, 1700, and Catherine, his countess; and other noble monuments to Sir John Lowther, 1637; Sir John, 1675; and Lord William Frederick “Sr Rich: Lowther Knig: succeded Hen: Lod: Scroope in ye office of Lo Warden of ye West Marches, & was thrice a Commissionor in ye grete affayres betweene England & Scotland, all in ye time of Qveene Elizabeth & after he had seene his children to ye 4th degree geven them vertuous edvcation & meanes to live advanced his brothers & sisters ovt of his owne patrimonye governed his family & kept plentifvll hospitalitye for 57 yeares together, he ended his life ye 27th of Ian: Ao Dni. 1607. Ætas. svÆ 77 vttring at his last breth these verses followinge” Beneath this inscription is a plain black tablet let into the stone, which has, there can be no doubt, at one time borne, or been intended to bear, the verses. It is now quite black and plain, so that the “verses” Sir Richard was “vttring at his last breth” are literally “blank verse.” In the south aisle are tablets to Colonel Lowther (grandfather of the present Earl of Londale), 1867, and Lucy Eleanor Shorard, his wife, 1848; to Elizabeth, second daughter of William, Earl of Lonsdale, 1869; to Mary, third daughter of the same earl, and widow of Lord Frederick Bentinck, 1863; and to Anne, fourth daughter of the same, and widow of Sir John Beekett of Sowerby, 1871. From Lowther Church a delightful path leads by the side of the river Lowther to Askham Bridge, near which are the village Church, the charming Rectory-house, and Askham Hall, a noble old Border stronghold, now the residence of the Rev. Dr. Jackson, the respected and venerable Provost of Queen’s College and Rector of Lowther. Few spots in the whole district can compare in loveliness with Askham Bridge. The Of the district around Lowther we cannot say more than a few brief words. It is, as we have already observed, a district rich in natural beauties of mountain and lake, of hill and valley, of wood and river; but it is also equally rich in places of historic interest and in objects of antiquarian importance. The whole of the Lake district, including the two counties of Westmoreland and Cumberland, is, indeed, one grand storehouse of places of note, and objects to which attention is worthy to be drawn. It is only of a few that we can speak. Penrith, one of the oldest towns of the district, with its ruined castle, its beacon, its “giant’s grave” and other Danish or Saxon remains, its famous old grammar school, its interesting church, its plague record,[A] and its altar-piece, the exquisite work of Jacob Thompson; Clifton, memorable as the scene of the battle of Clifton Moor, and where the old border stronghold, the house where the Duke of Cumberland slept, and the oak-tree under which the slain were buried, are still pointed out; Eamont Bridge, where “A welcome into Cumberland” is held out as the sign of the inn on crossing the river into that county, and close by which are the curious earth-works of “King Arthur’s Round Table” and “Mayborough;” Brougham Castle, a grand old ruined fortress, on the site of the Roman station Broconiacum, and the place from which Lord Brougham derives his title; Brougham Hall, “the Windsor of the North,” the seat of Lord Brougham and Vaux, a fine castellated mansion, with a glorious chapel, full to repletion with Art-work of costly and elaborate character; the famous stone circle “Long Meg and her daughters,” three hundred and fifty yards in circumference; Dacre Castle, a grand old fortress, whose owners fought at the siege of Acre under Coeur de Lion, and thus named their own stronghold now in ruins; Eden Hall, famous as the hall where is preserved the goblet called the “Luck of Eden Hall,” about which hangs so much traditional mystery, and the prophetic import of the couplet— “If that glass should break or fall, is implicitly believed in; Askham, of which we have already spoken; Greystoke Castle, where “Belted Will” Howard and his wife, “Bessie with the braid apron,” lived; Shap, with its ruined abbey; Ulleswater, the grandest of lakes—wild, lovely, and beautiful, with its banks at its more sylvan end here and there studded with charming villas; Sharrow Bay, a “home of taste,” the seat of Anthony Parkin, Esq., where Art is more happily wedded to Nature than is usually the case, and where the views of the lake are more charming than from any other point; Lyulph’s Tower; Haweswater, another exquisite lake; Hackthorpe, rich in antiquarian interest, but rendered for all time famous as the residence of one of the most gifted sons of Art, Jacob Thompson, |
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