KENILWORTH CASTLE AND PRIORY. those waters, since the days of king Arthur: but that hearing her majesty was passing that way, she came in humble wise to offer up the same, and all her power, into her majesty's hands. This pageant was closed with a delectable harmony of hautboys, shalms, cornets, and such other loud music, which held on, while her majesty pleasantly so passed into the castle-gate. Here she was presented with a new scene. Several of the heathen gods had brought their gifts before her, which were piled up, or hung, in elegant order, on both sides of the entrance: wild-fowl, and dead game, from Silvanus god of the woods: baskets of fruit from Pomona : sheaves of various kinds of corn from Ceres: a pyramid adorned with clusters of grapes, gracified with their vineleaves, from Bacchus; and ornamented at the bottom with elegant vases and goblets: fish of all sorts, disposed in baskets, were presented by Neptune; arms by Mars; and musical instruments by Apollo. An inscription over the gate explained the whole. Her majesty, having graciously accepted these gifts, was received into the gates with a concert of flutes, and other soft music; and alighting from her palfrey (which she always rode single), she was conveyed into her chamber. Here the queen was entertained nineteen days; and it is recorded, that the entertainment cost the earl a thousand pounds a day; each of which was diversified with masks, interludes, hunting, music, and a variety of other amusements. KENILWORTH CASTLE AND PRIORY. Among other compliments paid to the queen in this gallant festival, the great clock, which was fixed in Cæsar's tower, was stopped, during her majesty's continuance in the Castle, that, while the country enjoyed that great blessing, time might stand still. Oliver Cromwell gave the finishing blow to this place. It was sold by the parliament; and the lead, with other materials, being removed, caused it rapidly to decay. The earl of Clarendon, however, to whom it now belongs, has taken measures to secure the remains of the buildings from farther depredations. The same Geoffrey de Clinton, who, as we have said, built the Castle, founded also at a little distance from it, in 1122, a Monastery of black canons, or canons regular of St. Augustine, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. For the redemption of his sins, Dugdale tells us, and for the good estate of king Henry I. (whose consent he had to it), his own wife and children, Clinton endowed it with all the lands and woods that he had in the parish of Kenilworth, except what he had reserved for the building of a Castle and making a park, with many other lands and liberties; all which he enjoined his heirs to observe, on pain of his curse, and God's wrath. Geoffrey his son, and Henry his grandson, not only confirmed his gifts, but made considerable additions to the revenues of it, out of their own estates, the former granting them the tithes of all manner of provisions whatsoever, that were carried into the Castle. KENILWORTH CASTLE AND PRIORY. There were many other benefactors to this Priory, whose lands and rents king Henry I. briefly reciting in his charter, confirmed, and granted the canons great liberties and immunities at the same time; as did king Henry II. insomuch that they had the privileges of court-leet; assize of bread and beer; authority to try and punish malefactors; freedom from county and hundred courts; free warren within certain manors, &c. paying to the king, his heirs and successors, 1167. 2s. 8d. per annum. At the time of the dissolution, it was valued at 5337. 15s. 4d. per annum, above all reprizes; which being included, the true value was 6437. 14s. old. The house was surrendered by Simon Jekys, its abbot, and sixteen monks: these had all pensions assigned them in the 29th of Henry VIII. who granted the site of it to sir Andrew Flamock, a courtier of the time; whose grand-daughter and heiress brought it with her in marriage to John Colborn, esq. of Morton Morell; but he having purchased some horses that had been stolen out of the stables of the earl of Leicester, near the Castle, was frightened into a conveyance of his right to that nobleman, to whom queen Elizabeth had before given the manor and Castle. It is now almost entirely demolished, there being only the gate and some small parts of the walls remaining; but their distances from each other, and their curious architecture, show that it has been a spacious and beautiful structure. |