WE cannot say in what month these details will be read, but they are written on a morning of May, in one of the loveliest spots of the fairest of our English shires: a mild and genial day of mid-spring—

“The soote season that bud and blome forth brings;”

when the apple orchards—prides of Devon—are in full blossom; the hawthorns have donned their snow-white draperies; the gorse its garment of gold; and every hedgerow is rich in the hundred hues of flowers that herald summer: while all the hill-slopes and meadows, “in verdure clad,” seem rejoicing over the prospective abundance that Nature promises to healthy toil. We have passed through the fifty-three miles that separate Exeter from Plymouth. It would be hard to find in any part of the world, in equal space, a road so lavishly endowed with gifts of the fertile and the beautiful. Part of the way by the open sea, then by estuaries, then by the banks of broad rivers, then by narrow and rapid streams, then under the shadows of tree-clad hills, green from base to summit, with frequent views of prosperous towns and happy villages, with venerable churches continually showing their tall spires above the tree-tops—in thoroughly rural England, far from the tall chimneys and dense atmosphere that betoken manufactures and their results—the railway runs through many scenes of surpassing loveliness, any one of which might tempt the traveller who is in search of either health or pleasure, with assurance of an ample supply of both.

The Great Western conveys us from Paddington to Exeter. We leave Exeter by the South Devon Railway (proverbially well managed, in all respects): it may take us to Penzance; but its great station is midway, at Plymouth, where has been recently erected for the especial accommodation of railway travellers and tourists, an admirable hotel (the Duke of Cornwall—there is none more comfortable in the kingdom).[11] Here we arrest the tourist, in order to visit the promontory of Mount Edgcumbe, that occupies one side of the famous harbour.

First, however, let us glance at the several points of interest that claim our attention en route. Leaving Exeter and its many attractions other than its renowned Cathedral, we first reach the marine village of Starcross, opposite to which are old Topsham (full of memories of our own boyhood, when “a stranger yet to pain”), and young Exmouth; stately villas and pretty cottages occupy slopes of the hill range. Then, at Dawlish, a graceful village, we front the sea, and pass some singular rocks of red sandstone, that stand like sentinels along the shore—and here, it may be well to note, some extraordinary inroads upon the sea-wall of the railway have lately been made by the ocean—Teignmouth and Shaldon come next, towns on both sides of the river Teign, connected by a narrow wooden bridge more than a quarter of a mile in length. We next arrive at Newton Junction, where a railway branch conducts to Torquay and Dartmouth; soon afterwards Totnes is reached, an old town on the Dart, one of the most beautiful of all the rivers in Devonshire, whence a steamboat issues daily to visit Dartmouth. Here we have left the sea, and have only in view rich pasture land—ever green, the hills tree-clad to their topmost heights. Passing Brent and Kingsbridge Stations, Ivy Bridge next comes in sight, a deep dell, over which a viaduct passes: a dell of singular beauty, one of the finest in all Devonshire. Soon we pass Cornwood and Plympton,—the latter famous as the birthplace of Sir Joshua Reynolds,—and, skirting the Plym, enter Plymouth.

The eye is at once arrested by a sylvan spot, running out into the sea, beyond the docks, and their manifold adjuncts; a mass of greenery, unbroken except by trees of varied foliage, that rise continually in groups, from all parts of the promontory that, thus seen, seems an island.

The admiral of the “Invincible” Armada had taste, at least, in fixing upon Mount Edgcumbe as his dwelling-place, when settled in the country he was “about” to conquer. God’s providence gave the invader a different locality; and the beautiful domain continues to be, as it was then, the home of the family of the Edgcumbes, now earls of “that ilk.”

Mount Edgcumbe is in Cornwall; but until recently it was a part of Devonshire; the Act of Parliament that removed it from one county to the other dating no further back than 1854. But Acts of Parliament have done other wonders in this district, for it was only in 1824 that an act was passed giving to the town of “Plymouth Dock,”—or, as it was then generally called, “Dock,”—the new and more pretentious name which it now holds of Devonport. The “Mount” is about half a mile across the bay which divides it from the now “united” towns of Devonport, Stonehouse, and Plymouth, which, together, contain a population of 150,000 “souls.” From any of the adjacent heights, especially the Hoe at Plymouth, we obtain a glorious view of the road-stead—fortified everywhere. In mid-distance is seen the Breakwater, one of the marvels of engineering art; and far off, yet within view, the famous lighthouse—the Eddystone, some fourteen miles from the nearest shore. Between these objects and the port are, at all times, many ships of the navy: they rule the waves of ocean in the seas that encircle earth; and Plymouth will be especially glorified when the triumphs of British sailors, from the admiral to the able seaman, supply subjects of discourse.

The Breakwater, one of the most gigantic works in the kingdom, lies in Plymouth Sound, where it forms a line between Bovisand Bay on the east, and Cawsand Bay on the west. It is about three miles from Plymouth, and is a mile in length. In form it is a straight line, with a kant or arm at each end, branching off towards the shore. At its eastern end a clear passage between it and the Bovisand shore of about a mile in width is left for ships, while at the western end the passage is about a mile and a half in width. The idea of the Breakwater originated with Earl St. Vincent in 1806, and Mr. Rennie and Mr. Whidbey surveyed the Sound for the purpose. In 1811 the plan was decided upon. The first stone was deposited on the birthday of the Prince Regent (afterwards George IV.), 1812. In 1817, and again in 1824, much damage was done to the progressing work. The quantity of stone used in its formation is estimated at about four millions of tons, exclusive of about two millions and a half of tons of granite and other stones used for paving, facings, &c. At the east end is a beacon, and at the west end a lighthouse 60 feet high. The spirited engraving of this gigantic undertaking, which we here give, is taken from Mr. Jewitt’s recently published “History of Plymouth,” where it forms one of many illustrations. The view, as will be seen, is a kind of bird’s-eye, and shows the form of the Breakwater, with its new central fort and its lighthouse and beacon.

The Eddystone Lighthouse, in the English Channel, is fourteen miles from Plymouth, from which town its light is distinctly visible under favourable atmospheric circumstances. It is erected on one of the Eddystone rocks, probably so called from the eddies, or whirls, which surround them. The rocks themselves are completely covered at high tide. The first attempt to erect a lighthouse on these rocks was made by Mr. Winstanley in 1696. This was completed in about four years, but was washed away in a hurricane. In 1706 a new lighthouse, for which an Act of Parliament had been passed, was begun to be erected by Mr. John Rudyerd, silk mercer, of London, who was of the famous family of Rudyerd, of Rudyerd, in the county of Stafford, and a man of considerable engineering and architectural skill. He, wishing to profit by experience, determined that as the former lighthouse had been angular, his should be round, and that as it was mainly of stone his should be of wood. In 1709 Rudyerd’s lighthouse was completed, and gave promise of being a great success. Years passed on, storms rose, the waves dashed over and around it wildly, but it remained firm and unshaken even through the dreadful tempest of 1744. What wind and water could not do, was, however, soon after fearfully accomplished by fire—the lighthouse being burned down in 1755. Immediately after this Mr. Smeaton undertook the task of erecting a new lighthouse of stone. This, the present Eddystone Lighthouse, was commenced in 1756 and completed in 1759. In construction it is the most complete example of architectural and engineering skill. The lower part is solid throughout, being literally as firm as the rock itself, on which it is immovably and permanently fixed. The stones are all dovetailed together, so that, in reality, it becomes but one stone throughout. In the upper portion, which is equally strong, the rooms and staircase take up the hollow centre. The lantern is octagonal. This building, which has given to the name of Smeaton an imperishable fame, bears on its granite cornice the truly appropriate inscription:—“Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Psalm cxxvii. 1;” and over the lantern, “24th August, 1759. Laus Deo.” Of this we give an engraving on our initial letter on page 54.

But we have a theme that demands all the space we can give—Mount Edgcumbe, and that other seat of the ancient family, Cothele.

For Mount Edgcumbe art has done little; but it was here unnecessary for art to do much: like some women, whose charms of expression and perfect “loveliness” do not seem to require beauty, this delicious peninsula has been so richly gifted by Nature, that, perhaps, efforts to enhance its attractions might have lessened instead of augmenting them. Hill and dell, heights and hollows, pasture slopes and rugged hillocks, succeed each other with a delicious harmony we have rarely seen elsewhere. On one side of the bay are the three busy towns, active with energetic life; on another are the cultivated hill-sides of productive Devon; on another is the open sea, with the two objects we have noted—the Breakwater and the marvellous Eddystone. Everywhere Nature has had its own sweet will; even the laurel hedges have risen thirty feet in height; the lime trees grow as if they had never been trimmed; while the slopes, from the hill-heights to the sea-rocks, appear as sheen as if the scythe had been perpetually smoothing them. Here and there, pretty and pleasant shelters have been provided for visitors who throng hither for health and relaxation;[12] “look out” seats are provided on many of the hill-tops; and the deer and the rabbits have free pasturage in the noble Park that occupies a space of many hundred acres between the harbour and the sea. Nor may we forget the “defences” of the peninsula: the battery that would here, as elsewhere, “keep the foreigner from fooling us,” and that battery called “the Salute,” in which the huge “Armstrongs” are hidden, but where may be seen, by all on-lookers, twenty-one mounted cannon—“prizes” from ships of “the enemy” taken during the war with France.

All, therefore, is not left to Nature. Nor must we forget the gardens: prettily laid out; enriched by rare trees, with vases and statues judiciously intermixed; and, especially, a grove of orange trees, with several summer-houses in pleasant nooks, where cedars, magnolias, cork trees, and other trees, supply shade and shelter from rain and sun. Art has here been aiding Nature, but its influence is felt rather than seen; those to whom the “grounds” owe much seem to have been ever mindful that their profuse and natural luxuriance needed few checks of the pruner and trainer. The name of one of these benefactors is recorded—a votive urn contains a tablet to the memory of that countess “whose taste embellished these retreats, herself their brightest ornament”—Countess Sophia, who could not have found on earth a home more lovely than that which, in 1806, she was called to leave for one still more perfect and more beautiful.

The great charm of Mount Edgcumbe, however, consists in the five-mile drive through the Park, along a road that everywhere skirts the harbour or the sea. It is perpetual hill and dell; a mimic ruin, intended as a view tower, and answering its purpose well, is the only object remarkable on the higher grounds, if we except the church—Maker Church—neither venerable nor picturesque, but containing many interesting memorials of the Edgcumbe family;[13] but down in the dales (in nearly all of them) are the pretty “lodges,” where the keepers and gardeners reside, and where simple “refreshments” of milk and hot water are provided for the crowds who are weekly visitors to the domain. One of these we have pictured on page 64.

Lady Emma’s cottage—Lady Emma being the first Countess of Mount Edgcumbe, wife of George, first Baron and Earl of that title—is charmingly situated in one of the most lovely of the dells of this domain, surrounded by soft grassy turf, and overhung by lofty trees; the cottage itself is completely embosomed in creeping plants, and has a rustic verandah exquisitely decorated with fir-cones and other natural productions, so disposed as to give considerable richness to the effect of the building. The little valley in which it stands, hollowed out with great regularity by Nature, and sloping gently down towards the sea, is one of the sweetest spots on the whole estate. The footway winds round the upper part of the valley, and at the head of the dell is a spacious alcove composed of Gothic fragments, called the “Ruined Chapel,” from which a glorious view is obtained.

In the grounds the most famous points for the attraction of visitors are “Thomson’s Seat;” the “Temple of Milton;” a recess called the “Amphitheatre;” a charming alcove, the “White Seat,” which commands a splendid prospect; “the Arch,” which overlooks the Sound; and the “zig-zag walks,” which lead down along the cliffs and through the woods, and are the favourite resorts of visitors.

The gardens are three in number, and called respectively the “Italian,” the “French,” and the “English” gardens, in each of which the special characteristics of planting and arrangement of those countries are carried out—the conservatories, fountains, orangeries, terraces, etc., being, in each instance, built in accordance with the tastes of the three kingdoms.

Indeed, it is difficult to convey an idea of the grandeur, beauty, and interest of the views from every portion of the Park; they are perpetually varied as the eye turns from sea to shore, and from shore to sea; each one of them enhanced by ships at anchor or in full sail; while boats of all forms and sizes are continually passing to and fro. One of the most prominent objects from the park is Drake’s Island; an island in mid-channel between Plymouth and Mount Edgcumbe; it appears on the map, however, as St. Nicholas Island, its original name, but it has, in later times, been occasionally called Drake’s Island, after the great admiral, Sir Francis Drake—one of the many sea-heroes of whom Plymouth is justly proud. This island is connected with the shore at Mount Edgcumbe by a submarine ridge of rocks, called the “Bridge,” which renders the passage, on that side, dangerous to ships of even moderate burthen. On the island was formerly an ancient chapel, dedicated to St. Michael, which was converted in the fifteenth century into a bulwark. The island contains about three acres of land, and is strongly fortified.

We turn our backs on the Breakwater and distant Eddystone, to mark the steamer passing under the most remarkable effort of engineering skill in England—one of the legacies of Brunel—the “Albert Bridge” that crosses the Tamar from Devonshire into Cornwall; and long to visit (which we may easily do, for steam-boats run daily up it in summer) the beautiful river Tamar and its grand tributary, the Tavy. A drive of a mile, and before us is a continuation of the promontory, still charming; and a little farther on, but across the river Lynher—and adjacent to the ancient borough of St. Germans, with its venerable church, once the cathedral of the See of Cornwall—is Port Eliot, the residence of the noble family of Eliot, Earls of St. Germans. In a word, a hundred points of deep and exciting interest, picturesquely beautiful and historically interesting, may be seen and “taken note of,” from the several points to which a drive through the Park conducts.

We give an engraving of the mansion. Parts of it are as old as the reign of Henry VIII., but its outward signs of remote age are few; it seems built for comfort; it is thoroughly a domestic house; the rooms are neither large, lofty, nor stately; but all of them are made to live in—so many parts of a home. We may except the Great Hall, however; that is “grand.” There is a minstrels’ gallery, and it is often used for music. The house is square in general form, and originally had a circular tower at each angle; these, however, have been rebuilt of an octagonal form, and additions have been carried in different directions. The front faces down a grassy slope to the sea at Cremill, and thus a charming prospect is always before its windows; the rooms are full of family and historic portraits: some of them by the great old masters, many by Sir Joshua Reynolds, “dear Knight of Plympton,” while ten or twelve Vanderveldes grace the several apartments. Of these some are stated to have been painted by the artist, Vandervelde himself, at Mount Edgcumbe. Of one, which formed the subject of correspondence between Sir Richard Edgcumbe and the artist, the original and amended sketches hang beside the picture. The portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds are of individuals of three generations, and those by Lely are in his best style. Among the national pictures are full-length and other portraits of Charles I., Charles II., James II., Prince Rupert, William III., the Duke of Monmouth, and others.

It is needless to add that delicious views are obtained from the windows of all the leading chambers, not only on the upper but on the ground floors, as well as from the several terraces by which the dwelling is, on all sides, environed—occupying as it does an elevation on the side of one of the hill slopes.

Before we visit Cothele—the other mansion of the Mount-Edgcumbes—we give some account of the ancient and long-honoured family, who have been their lords for many hundred years.

The family of Edgcumbe, or Edgcomb, is one of the most ancient and venerable in the county of Devon, the name being derived from their original possession of Eggescomb, Egecomb, or Edgcombe (now called Lower Edgcumbe), in the parish of Milton Abbots, in that county. From this family and this place, the noble family of the Earls of Mount Edgcumbe is descended as a younger branch.

In 1292 Richard Edgcumbe was Lord of Edgcumbe, in Milton Abbots, and he was direct ancestor, both of the present representative of the main line, who is twentieth in direct lineal descent, and of the present ennobled family, as well as of the branches settled in Kent and elsewhere.

In the reign of Edward III., William de Eggescombe, or Edgcombe, second son of the House of Edgcumbe, having married Hilaria, sole daughter and heiress of William de Cothele, of Cothele, or Coteel, in the parish of Calstock, in Cornwall, a fine old Cornish family, became possessed of Cothele and the other estates, and removed into Cornwall. Here, at Cothele, he and his descendants resided for several generations.

Richard Edgcumbe, great grandson of William de Edgcumbe and Hilaria de Cothele, is said to have built the greater part of the grand old residence of Cothele as it remains at the present day: of this singular mansion we shall furnish some details. At Bosworth Richard Edgcumbe received the honour of knighthood from his victorious leader, Henry VII., was made comptroller of his household, and one of his Privy Council, and had the castle and lordship of Totnes, in Devonshire—forfeited to the crown on the attainder of John Lord Zouch for high treason—conferred upon him by that monarch, with many other honours and dignities, and large extents of land, including those of Sir Henry Bodrugan, who had likewise been attainted for high treason. He also held, as he had previously done, the offices of Recorder, and Constable of the castle of Launceston, and Constable of Hertford, &c. In 1488 Sir Richard was sent into Ireland, as Lord Deputy, by his royal master, to take the oaths of allegiance of the Irish people, embarking at Mounts Bay in the Anne of Fowey, and attended by other ships, and a retinue of five hundred men. He died in 1489, at Morlaix, while holding the appointment of ambassador to France. He married Joan, daughter of Thomas Tremaine of Collacombe, by whom he had issue.

Of Sir Richard Edgcumbe, Fuller tells a romantic story. He says he was “memorable in his generation for being zealous in the cause of Henry, Earl of Richmond, afterwards King Henry VII. He was, in the time of Richard III., so hotly pursued, and narrowly searched for, that he was forced to hide himself in his wood, at his house, in Cuttail, in Cornwall. Here extremity taught him a suddain policy, to put a stone in his capp and tumble the same into the water, whilst these rangers were fast at his heels, who, looking down after the noise, and seeing the cap swimming therein, supposed that hee had desperately drowned himself, and deluded by this honest fraud, gave over their further pursuit, leaving him at liberty to shift over into Brittany. Nor was his gratitude less than his ingenuity, who, in remembranse of his delivery, after his return built a chappel (which still remains) in the plase where he lurked, and lived in great repute with prince and people.” After thus cleverly misleading his pursuers, Richard Edgcumbe crossed the Channel in a small ship, to the Earl of Richmond, in Brittany, with whom he afterwards returned to England, and was engaged in the battle of Bosworth Field, in Leicestershire, where King Richard was killed.

His son, Piers Edgcumbe, was Sheriff of the county of Devon, 9th, 10th, and 13th Henry VII. and 2nd Henry VIII. “At the creation of Prince Arthur he was one of the twenty individuals who were made Knights of the Cross of St. Andrew.” He, with others, was “appointed to review and array all men at arms, archers, and others, who were to accompany Sir Thomas D’Arcy in his expedition against the Moors and infidels.” He was one of the expedition into France, 5th Henry VIII., and for his distinguished gallantry at the sieges of Tournay and Thurovenne, and at the battle of Spurs, he was created a knight-banneret. Sir Piers Edgcumbe was married twice: first to the daughter and heiress of Stephen Durnford, by his wife the heiress of Rame; and, second, to Katherine, daughter of Sir John St. John, and widow of Sir Griffith Ap Rys, by whom he had no issue. By the first of these marriages, Sir Piers Edgcumbe acquired the manors and estates of the Durnfords, including that of West Stonehouse (now Mount Edgcumbe). He had issue by her, three sons, Richard, John, and James, and three daughters, Elizabeth, Jane, and Agnes (or Anne). Sir Piers Edgcumbe died in 1539, and was succeeded as heir by his eldest son, Richard Edgcumbe, who was knighted in 1536.

This Sir Richard Edgcumbe built the present family mansion, on a part of the estate which his father had acquired by marriage with the heiress of the Durnfords (who had inherited it from the ancient family of Stonehouse or Stenhouse), and gave to it the name of “Mount Edgcumbe.” He was Sheriff of Devon 35th Henry VIII. and 1st Queen Mary. He married first a daughter of Sir John Arundel, by whom he had no issue; and, second, Winifred Essex, and by her had, besides other issue, a son, Piers, or Peter, who succeeded him. Sir Richard Edgcumbe, who kept up a fine establishment, and at one time entertained at Mount Edgcumbe the English, Spanish, and Netherlands admirals, died in 1561. Piers (or Peter) Edgcumbe, who was member of Parliament, and was also Sheriff of Devon 9th Elizabeth, married Margaret, daughter of Sir Andrew Lutterell, by whom he had five sons and four daughters, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Richard.

Piers Edgcumbe died in 1607, and on his tomb his honours are thus set forth:—

“Lief Tenant to my Queen long Time
And often for my Shire and Knighte;
My merit did to Creddit clime,
Still bidinge in my Callinge righte;
By Loyalty my faith was tryede,
Peacefull I liv’d, hopeful I diede.”

His son, Sir Richard Edgcumbe, knighted by James I., was member of Parliament for Totnes, for Grampound, and for Bossiney; he married Mary, daughter and heiress of Sir Richard Coteele, or Cottle, of London, and by her, who died eighteen years before him, had issue, two sons, Piers and Richard, by the eldest of whom, Piers Edgcumbe, he was succeeded. This gentleman distinguished himself by his devotion to the royal cause; he “was a master of languages and sciences, a lover of the king and church, which he endeavoured to support in the time of the civil wars to the utmost of his power and fortune.” Sir Alexander Carew and Major Scawen, for holding connection with Piers Edgcumbe, who held a colonel’s commission in the king’s army, were beheaded. He married Mary, daughter of Sir John Glanvil, and died in 1660, being succeeded by his eldest son, Sir Richard Edgcumbe, who had been knighted during his father’s lifetime. He was also a member of Parliament. He married Anne Montague, daughter of Edward, Earl of Sandwich, by whom he had issue two sons, Piers, who died young and unmarried, and Richard; and six daughters. He died in 1688.

To this time, for several generations, it will have been noticed, the inheritors of the estate alternated, in name, between Piers (or Peter) and Richard. This succession of name was now broken by the death of Piers, the eldest son.

Richard Edgcumbe, soon after coming of age, was chosen M.P. for Cornwall, and continued to sit for various places until 1742. In 1716 and 1720 he was one of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, and in 1724 was Vice-Treasurer, and Paymaster of the Taxes, &c. In 1742 he was created Baron Edgcumbe of Mount Edgcumbe, and was afterwards made Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, one of the Privy Council, and Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall. His lordship, by his wife Matilda, daughter of Sir Henry Furnese, had issue, three sons, Richard, Henry (who died an infant), and George; he died in 1758, and was succeeded in his title and estates by his eldest son, Richard, second Baron Edgcumbe, member of Parliament for various places, one of the Lords of the Admiralty, and afterwards appointed Comptroller of his Majesty’s Household. He was a man of great talent, and is thus spoken of by Horace Walpole in his “Royal and Noble Authors:”—“His lordship’s skill as a draughtsman is said to have been such as might entitle him to a place in the ‘Anecdotes of English Painting,’ ‘while the ease and harmony of his poetic compositions give him an authorised introduction here.’ ... ‘a man of fine parts, great knowledge, and original wit, who possessed a light and easy vein of poetry; who was calculated by nature to serve the public, and to charm society; but who unhappily was a man of pleasure, and left his gay associates a most affecting example how health, fame, ambition, and everything that may be laudable in principle or practice, are drawn into and absorbed by that most destructive of all whirlpools—gaming.’”

His lordship, dying unmarried in 1761, was succeeded by his brother George as third baron. This nobleman, who had sat in several parliaments, and held various public offices (among them the Lord-Lieutenancy of Cornwall), and was Vice-Admiral of the Blue, married Emma, only daughter and heiress of John Gilbert, Archbishop of York, by whom he had issue an only son, who succeeded him. His lordship was, on the 17th February, 1781, created in addition to his title of Baron Edgcumbe, Viscount Mount Edgcumbe and Valletort; and in 1789 he was further advanced to the dignity of an earl, by the title of Earl of Mount Edgcumbe. Dying in 1795, he was succeeded by his only son, Richard, as second earl.

This nobleman, who also held the office of Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall, married Lady Sophia Hobart, daughter of John, second Earl of Buckinghamshire, and by her had issue, two sons, Ernest Augustus, and George, and two daughters. His lordship died in 1839, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Ernest Augustus, as third earl, who (born in 1797) was Aide-de-Camp to the Queen and Colonel of the Cornwall militia. He married, in 1831, Caroline Augusta, daughter of Rear-Admiral Charles Feilding, who still survives him, and is an extra Lady of the Bed-chamber to the Queen. By her his lordship had issue two sons: viz., William Henry and Charles Ernest, and two daughters, of whom Ernestine Emma Horatia is still living. The earl died in 1861, and was succeeded by his eldest son as fourth earl.

The present nobleman, William Henry Edgcumbe, fourth Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, Viscount Mount Edgcumbe and Valletort, and Baron Edgcumbe of Mount Edgcumbe, the noble owner of Mount Edgcumbe and of the large estates concentrated in the family, was born in 1832. He was educated at Harrow, and at Christ Church, Oxford, where he became B.A. in 1856, and sat as M.P. for the borough of Plymouth from 1859 to 1861, when, by the death of his father, he entered the Upper House. His lordship is an extra Lord of the Bed-chamber to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales; is Lieutenant-Colonel of the 2nd battalion and Captain Commandant of the 16th corps of Devon Rifle Volunteers; is a Special Deputy Warden of the Stannaries, &c., &c. He married in 1858 the Lady Katherine Elizabeth Hamilton, fourth daughter of the first Duke of Abercorn, and has by her issue one son, Piers Alexander Hamilton Edgcumbe Viscount Valletort (born 1865), and three daughters, Victoria Frederica Caroline, born 1859, Albertha Louisa Florence, born 1861, and Edith Hilaria, born 1862. His lordship is patron of five livings; viz., Dittisham and Beer Ferrers, in Devonshire; and Landrake, Rame, and Millbrook, in Cornwall. The arms of the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe are—gules, on a bend ermines, cottised, or, three boars’ heads, argent. Crest—a boar, statant, argent, gorged with a leaf of oak, vert, fructed, or. Supporters—two greyhounds, argent, guttÉ de poix, and gorged with a collar, dovetailed, gules.

From the ancient mansion at Mount Edgcumbe we proceed to that which is still older and more venerable—

Cothele.—It is difficult to imagine a house continuing—and but little changed—to be inhabited by the same family, or, indeed, inhabited at all, during a period approaching three centuries; yet that is the case with Cothele, pride of the beautiful river Tamar, and one of the “gems” of Cornwall;[14] its gigantic oaks, and chestnuts are obviously so old; but it is requisite to examine the exterior, and especially the interior, to obtain conviction that the mansion dates from the reign of the seventh Henry; while its present lord is the lineal representative of the knight who built it—Sir Richard Edgcumbe—whose house it is we see, nearly as he left it:[15] but, also, we may examine the armour he wore, for it still hangs in this hall; the table at which he feasted (the worm of time only has touched it); the chairs on which he and his dame sat, the very bed on which they slept, while the tapestry, woven by fair hands that have been dust for three centuries, still cover the old walls. Charles I. certainly slept in one of these rooms, and it demands no great stretch of imagination to believe that the illustrious Sir Walter Raleigh was often its honoured guest. We may have been seated in the very chair in which the great knight recounted his adventurous exploits against the hated Spaniards under his cousin’s roof-tree. Memories haunt every room; every hole and corner, so to speak, has a tale to tell of the long past.

The house is one of the finest remaining examples of the period to which it belongs, and, with Haddon Hall, in Derbyshire, which it closely resembles in general plan and in some of its details, is one of the best existing specimens of mediÆval domestic architecture in England. Although, doubtless, the greater part of the building was erected by Sir Richard Edgcumbe, it is evident that the whole was not built by him, but that he added to, and enlarged the then family residence of the Cotheles, many portions of which exist at the present time.[16] The buildings surround two court-yards, or quadrangles, the entrance being surmounted by an embattled tower; the main buildings and large tower are also embattled.

The banqueting-hall is a noble apartment, 42 feet long by 22 feet wide. It has a remarkably fine timber roof, with intersecting arches in its compartments. At the upper end, to the left, the lord’s table stood beneath the bayed window, and opposite to it a doorway leads to the principal staircase. At the bottom of the hall are three doorways, one of which led to the great kitchen, and the other two to the buttery and the cellar. On the walls are suits of armour, helmets, breastplates, warders’ horns, gauntlets, matchlocks, cross-bows, shields, battle-axes, halberts, pikes, swords, pistols, gisarmes, petronels, and two-handed swords and spears that may have been

“Bathed in gore

On the plains of Azincourt.”

In the windows are the royal arms, the arms and impalements of Edgcumbe, Cothele, Holland, Tremaine, Trenchard, Durnford, Rame, Cotterell, Raleigh (for Sir Walter Raleigh’s grandmother was Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Richard Edgcumbe of Cothele), Trevanion (Sir William Trevanion married another daughter of Sir Richard Edgcumbe, and fought by his side at Bosworth Field, and accompanied him in his pursuit of the mutual enemy, Sir Henry Bodrugan), Carew, of Anthony (of the family of Carew the historian), St. Maur, Courtenay, Bigbury, Fitzwalter, &c.

The dining-room is a charming tapestried apartment, with mullioned windows and a fine old fire-place. The tapestry is highly interesting, one of the subjects being the story of Eurydice, another Diana and Apollo, and the others rural scenes, equestrian figures, &c.

Adjoining the dining-room is an ante-room of surpassing interest. “The tapestry in this room represents the Sciences, and might be called the school of Athens, from the similarity of the subject to the celebrated picture of Raphael.” In this room, as in others, has been collected together a fine assemblage of old earthenware and other interesting matters relating to the life of the inmates in times of old.

The chapel, which is in the corner of the court-yard, contains a pretty open-work oak screen, and an arched roof at the intersections of which are carved bosses. The bowl of the original font is preserved. In the east window, in stained glass, are considerable portions of full-length figures, probably of saints, but the names do not appear, while in the upper light is represented the Annunciation. The angel is red with green wings, and on a label, in black letter, the words “Ave Maria gracia plena, Dns tecum.” The Virgin is on the other side, near a building resembling a church, with a label also, on which once was “Ecce ancilla Dni; fiat mi scdm verbu-tuu.” In the lower compartment of the window will be noticed three shields of arms: the first being Edgcumbe, quartering Tremaine (or Trenchard); the second, first, and fourth Edgcumbe, second Holland, third Tremaine, impaling first and fourth Durnford, second Fitzwalter, and third, now blank but probably originally containing Bigbury; and the third which contained Edgcumbe and several quarterings, much injured. In the south window are two female saints, St. Ann and St. Katherine. “An ancient altar-piece has the date 1589, and in the centre the adoration of the Magi; while on one door is the portrait of a man with ‘Æt suÆ 38,’ and on the other of a female, with ‘Æt suÆ 28,’ and on each door a shield with or, an arrow, sable.” The chapel is entered from the dining-room as well as from the court-yard and domestic offices. It has a small bell turret.

The bed-rooms—“the white room,” the “red room,” the “best room,” “King Charles’s room,” and “Queen Anne’s room”—are all hung with fine tapestry, and furnished in a style strictly in keeping with the place itself. The ceiling of the first of these is of geometric design. The carved furniture in these rooms is of the most interesting character, and among the decorations are many shields of arms of the Edgcumbes and their alliances. The tapestry is of the finest character, the furniture grand as old furniture well can be, the hangings rich in material and hoary with age, and the ornaments of the most veritable vertu character—each room in this grand old mansion offers subject-matter enough for a separate volume.

The drawing-room is also a fine tapestried apartment, furnished with massive ebony chairs, ebony sofa, and ebony carved cabinet, and all the appliances en suite. The kitchen and the other domestic offices are each and all of the most interesting character, and convey to the mind a vivid picture of the life of the inmates in days gone by. It is impossible, indeed, to conceive anything better than Cothele as an illustration of the home-life of our mediÆval ancestors; for the building, the furniture, and the appliances, as they are to-day, so were they three hundred years ago. As it was in the days of Henry VII., so it is in those of Queen Victoria; and so, thanks to the preserving spirit of the Edgcumbes, it is likely to remain for centuries to come.

On some of the previous pages mention is made of Sir Richard Edgcumbe’s escape from his pursuers, and of his founding a chapel on the spot of his deliverance. This little chapel still stands to mark the spot, and to bring back to the mind the circumstances of his escape, and of the discomfiture of his pursuers. The chapel is built on the edge of the rock overlooking the water, and from the east window the view is wonderfully grand. In this east window is a figure of St. George in the centre, with the Annunciation and the Crucifixion on either side. It also bears the arms of Edgcumbe and Tremaine. In the other windows are also figures in stained glass, and on the altar is a triptych. Among other interesting features in this chapel—and they are many—is a fac-simile of the ancient tomb of Sir Richard Edgcumbe, at Morlaix.

The grounds are charmingly wild, yet graceful. Nature is in a great degree left to have her own way; the trees are of magnificent size (one of them indeed measures 28 feet in girth), ferns and wild flowers grow in rich luxuriance: every now and then glimpses are obtained of the beautiful river, and, on the opposite side, of the hill-steeps and thick woods of Devonshire. A pretty landing-place for boats is among the most picturesque points in the landscape; a lesser river here flows into the Tamar; a waterfall adds to the interest of the scene; and a neat little inn, close to the bank, gives refreshment to the wayfarer; above all its attractions is to be counted this—it is distant a dozen miles from a railway, and the shrill whistle never breaks the harmony of the song-birds, who “cannot help but sing” in every bush, brake, and tree of the demesne. The scenery on the river in the neighbourhood of Cothele is extremely beautiful, and in many places thickly overhung by skirting woods. Danescombe, a deep hollow in the woods, is a charming spot, as are the Morwell rocks, and many other places.

We have directed attention to but one of a hundred attractions in Devonshire and Cornwall: Devonshire is rich in the picturesque at all seasons; and the wild grandeur of the Cornish coast has for centuries been a theme of special laudation. Here and there, no doubt, other countries may supply us with finer examples of the sublime and beautiful in scenery; but they are to be reached only by sacrifices, such as the Home Tourist is not called upon to make: our own Islands have been gifted by God with so much that is refreshing as well as exciting to the eye and mind, that he or she must be fastidious indeed who fails to be content with the beauties that Nature presents so “near at hand”—accessible at comparatively easy cost of time, toil, and money.

Between Exeter and Plymouth there may be a tour for every day of a month.

Among the more delightful trips, where all is so beautiful, and where it is impossible to turn in any direction without finding some delightful place or some interesting object, may be named as especially within the reach of visitors, those to Ivy Bridge, with its abundant charms of hill, dell, wood, and river; to Saltram, the seat of the Earl of Morley, on the banks of the Laira; to the Beacon and moors of Brent; to the picturesque and pleasant dingles and combs of Cornwood; to Plympton, with its historic sites and its pleasant associations; to Bickleigh and its poetical vale; to Dartmoor, with its gloomy waste, its wild and romantic “breaks” of scenery, and its endless antiquities; and to scores of other delicious spots. The trip up the river Tamar to the Weir-head is one which ought to be taken by every visitor, embracing, as it does, besides hundreds of other points of interest, the dockyards, gun-wharf, Keyham steam-yard, Mount Edgcumbe, Torpoint, Thanckes, Gravesend House, the mouth of the sweet river Lynher, by which St. Germans is reached; Saltash, whose women are proverbial for their dexterity and strength in aquatic exercises, and who often carry off regatta prizes; St. Budeaux, with its conspicuous church; the junction of the Tavy with the Tamar; Warleigh, Beer Ferris, and Maristow; Cargreen and Landulph, in whose churchyard Theodore PalÆologus, the last male descendant of the Christian emperors of Greece, rests in peace; Pentillie Castle, with its romantic love stories and tales of change of fortune; Cothele, of which we have spoken; Calstock, with its fine old church situated on a promontory; Harewood House, the seat of the Trelawneys, and the scene, in Mason’s Elfrida, of the love of Ethelwold and of the misfortunes consequent on his marriage with the daughter of Ordgar; and the sublime and beautiful Morwell Rock.

Staddon Heights, Mount Batten, Penlee Point, Hooe, and many other places, are within short distances of the Hoe, at Plymouth, and can be easily reached. Trematon Castle and St. John’s are also near at hand, and pleasure trips are frequently made in steam-boats round the Eddystone.

For those who make a longer stay in South Devon, visits may well be made to Tavistock, to Totnes, to Berry Pomeroy Castle, to Torquay, with a long et cetera.[17] Besides the trip up the Tamar, there are other rivers in South Devon whose charms are of a totally different, but perhaps even more exquisitely beautiful character. Thus the Dart, the Lynher, the Plym, the Yealm, the Erme, and the Tavy, all present attractions to the tourist.

It cannot fail to augment the enjoyment of those who visit this beautiful county—the fairest, the brightest, and the “greenest” of all our English shires—to recall the many “worthies” to whom Devonshire and Cornwall have given birth; men renowned in art, in science, and in letters: and the gallant men, the “adventurers,” who carried the flag of England into every country of the world, braving the battle and the breeze in all the seas that surround earth in the four quarters of the globe. It is a long list—the names of Drake, of Raleigh, and of Davy; of Reynolds, Northcote, Haydon, and Eastlake; of Carew, of Hawkins, and of Gilbert; of Kitto, of Bryant, and of Hawker, being not a tithe of the eminent men to which this district has given birth—of whom the western shires are rightly and justly proud.

Shame be to those who seek in other lands the enjoyment they may find so abundantly at home—who talk freely of the graces and grandeurs of far-off countries, and do not blush to acknowledge entire ignorance of those that bless and beautify their own.

England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, are, each and all, rich in “the picturesque;” to the artist and art-lover they present attractions second to none they will find in any country of the Continent: that is the truest “patriotism,” which inculcates, as a first duty, a full appreciation of

“Our own, our native land!”