"With wily art the Shannon plays; "Thus as they fought, they closer drew: "He spake, and with the lightening's speed Led on the boarding crew; In fifteen minutes, proud, aloft The British Union flew. "The glorious wound, that decks thy brow, Your foes affrighted view; Thy blood, that stain'd the well-earn'd prize, Proclaims their terrors true. "Hail, Suffolk's pride! such fame may I, A son of Suffolk, share; Or if I fall, like glorious Watt, To fall, what hour so fair? "Lead on, where'er your country calls, And glory points the way; Wherever Ocean rolls his tides, Your conquering flag display; "And prove tho' thrice superior force Might transient trophies gain, Britannia rules the wat'ry world, Sole Empress of the Main." EPIGRAM BY THE REV. LEWIS BLAKENEY, M. A. Curate of Thorndon and Bedingfield. "Gallant BROKE, (Men of Suffolk! your Hero exult in,) Has redeem'd Britain's falsely-defam'd naval glory: For he fought, beat, and captur'd a rival insulting, In less time than was needful to write the proud story!" IMPROMPTU. "The bold Chesapeake And swore she'd soon silence our cannon; While the Yankees, in port, Stood to laugh at the sport, "Quite sure of the game, As from harbour they came, From our staunch wooden walls, So the dinner Engagement was BROKE. Who has broken the charm that hung over the fleet, THE LILY OF NETTLESTEAD: BY MRS. J. COBBOLD, OF HOLY WELLS, IPSWICH. Henrietta Maria, the fair heroine of the following stanzas, and the celebrated and beloved mistress of the unfortunate Duke of Monmouth, was the only daughter and heir of Thomas, Lord Wentworth, of Nettlestead, the eldest son of Thomas, the Ist. Earl of Cleveland. On the death of the Earl, her grandfather, she succeeded to the Barony of Wentworth, the Earldom having become extinct by the demise of her father without issue male. She was a woman of an elegant person, most engaging manners, and the highest accomplishments. Lady Wentworth resided for many years at Toddington, in the county of Bedford, with the Duke, her lover, whose attachment to her continued to his death. The Duke acknowledged, just before his execution, to two prelates and other divines who attended him, that " he and Lady Wentworth had lived in "all points like man and wife; but they could not make him confess it was adultery. He acknowledged "that he and his Duchess were married by the law of "the land, and therefore his children might inherit, if the king pleased. But he did not consider what " he did when he married her. He said that since that "time he had an affection for Lady Henrietta, and prayed that if it were pleasing to God, it might con"tinue, otherwise that it might cease: and God heard "his prayer. The affection did continue, and there'fore he doubted not it was pleasing to God; and "that this was a marriage; their choice of one another "being guided not by lust, but by judgment upon due "consideration." When he addressed himself to the people from the scaffold, he spoke "in vindication of "the Lady Henrietta, saying she was a woman of great honour and virtue; a religious and godly lady." He was told by some of the divines of his living in adultery with her; he said " no. For these two years 66 66 "last past he had not lived in any sin that he knew of ; "and that he was sure when he died to go to God; "and therefore he did not fear death, which they "might see in his face." * Lady Wentworth is said to have died broken-hearted, in consequence of his untimely end. It is certain, however, that she survived his execution but a few months, and was buried at Toddington, under a costly monument, on which is the following inscription : Sacred to the memory of the Right Honourable the Lady Henrietta Maria, Baroness Wentworth, who died unmarried April the 23rd, 1686 She was sole daughter and heir of the Right Honourable Thomas, Lord Wentworth, buried here the 7th of March, 1664, by Philadelphia his wife, daughter of Sir Ferdinando Cary, Knt. who was interred near her husband the 9th of May, 1696. And grand-daughter and heir of the Right Honourable Thomas, Earl of Cleveland, Lord Wentworth, and Lord Wentworth of Nettlestead, &c. also buried here April the 4th, 1667. Several great grand-children of this unhappy connection are living, and inherit the characteristic features, and personal beauty of their ancestors. May they inherit happier fortunes! There is a fine whole length portrait of this Lady engraved by R. Williams from a Painting of Sir G. Kneller. On the death of Lady Wentworth, the Barony descended to her aunt, Anne, the daughter of Thomas, Earl of Cleveland, and the wife of John, Lord Lovelace. THROUGH the echoing covert the bugle resounds, The shouts of the chase, and the cry of the hounds; And, gallantly riding, the hunters are seen In bonnets, and feathers, aud surcoats of green: Bp. Lloyd's Letter to Bp. Fell, relating to the Duke of Monmouth, written the day after the execution of that unfortunate nobleman. "Letters from the Bodleian Library," vol. 1. p. 26. The merry lord Lovelace* is leading them all * He was the only son of John, the 2nd Lord Lovelace, by the Lady Anne, daughter of Thomas, the 1st Earl of Cleveland. He was an early friend to the Revolution; but as he was going to join the Prince of Orange with a considerable force, was made priso ner. On the accession, however, of William to the throne, this nobleman was made captain of the band of pensioners. He lived in a most prodigal and splendid stile, which involved him in such difficulties, that a great part of his estates, were sold, under a decree of chancery, to pay his debts. He married Margery one of the daughters and coheirs of Sir Edmund Pye, of Bradenham, in the county of Bucks, Bart. by whom he had a son John, who died an infant; and three daughters, Anne, Martha, and Catherine; whereof the first and last died before their father S. P. and his Lordship dying without issue male in 1693, the Barony of Went worth descended to his only surviving daughter Martha, in 1697, on the demise of her grandmother the Lady Anne Lovelace. The Lordship of Nettlestead belonged to the Earls of Richmond and Brittany from the time of the Norman conquest to the 17. of Hen. II. when Conan the last Earl died. Sir Peter Mauclere, who married Alice, the daughter of Constance, the only daughter and heiress of Conan, by Guy de Thouars, had livery of this Lordship and Manor in the 15. of Hen. III. By a special Charter, dated May 1. 1241, these, with other estates, were given by Henry the III. to Peter de Savoy, the queen's uncle, who, dying without issue, left them to that Princess. This Lordship was soon afterwards granted to Robert de Tibetot, in consideration of his adherence to the king against his rebellious barons, and who died here in the 25. of Edw. 1. From him it was transmitted to his descendants; when in the 46. of Edw. III. Robert de Tibetot, dying without issue male, left three daughters his coheirs; viz. Margaret, Milicent, and Elizabeth, who were then in minority, and given in ward to Rich. ard le scrope of Bolton, who disposed of Margaret to Roger le Scrope, his eldest son, Milicent to Stephen, his third son, and Elizabeth to Philip le Despencer, the younger. Which daughters, in the 9. of Rd. III. making proof of their respective ages, had livery of their lands; in the partition whereof, the Lordship and manor of Nettlestead became vested in Philip le Despencer. From his only daughter and heir Margery, married first to John Lord Roos, and afterwards in 1450 to Sir Roger Wentworth, the same was brought into that family; the representative of which, in the 21. of Hen VIII. was summonded to Parliament by writ, as Lord Wentworth. of Nettlesteud; to which honor Charles I. added the Earldom of Cleveland. In this family the Lordship of Nettlestead continued till about the year 1643, when Thomas, the 1st Earl of Cleveland sold it to William Lodge, a Citizen of London, It afterwards belonged to Mr. John Fuller, of Ipswich, whose only daughter and heiress carried it by marriage into the family of Bradley; from that family it came to the late General Phillipson, and is now the property of Mr. Lionel Henry Moore, by whom it was purchased in 1813. Till within these few years past, a very considerable portion of the Old Hall was remaining in its pristine state. It is situated near the Church, and was formerly surrounded by a wall, a great part of which is still existing. The gateway still remains; and on the spandrils of the arch are two shields, sculptured with the Wentworth arms and other numerous quarterings. The mansion has been lately modernized and new fronted by the present proprietor. Several of the Lodge Family are buried in the Church. |