Memoir and Literary Remains of Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Edward Bunbury, Bart (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1868. Excerpt: ... MILDENHALL. The Mansion-house was probably built by the first Sir Henry North, who died in 1620. The exterior had throughout the character of the time of Elizabeth, and so had the panelling of the dining-hall. Sir Thomas Hanmer added (about 1704, when he and the first Duchess of Grafton, his wife, were obliged to quit Euston on the coming of age of the second duke) a small brick building of three storeys, utterly at variance with the character of the old house, which was built of the Mildenhall chalk. Down to my time there remained extensive courtyards, around which stood a steward's house, brewery, &c., all of timber and plaster; and beyond, a long range of stabling in brick, which had probably been added by Sir Thomas Hanmer. Of the latter there remained another relic, in a summer-house of high pretensions. It stood at the farther end of what is now the paddock, but which was then the pleasureground and flower-garden. This building (which was pulled down by Sir Charles Bunbury) consisted of one or two rooms on the ground floor, and of a handsome saloon on the first floor overlooking the pleasure-ground. Prior, who was a frequent visitor at Mildenhall, pays flattering compliments in one of his letters to Sir Thomas, on the beauty of his gardens. One or two things more may be mentioned with regard to the old house of the Norths. When I pulled down what had been the steward's house, we found accidentally the entrance to a vaulted passage, leading towards the church. We cleared it for a few yards, and then left it. Perhaps it might have been formed during the civil wars as a place of concealment. Another discovery was made when I had occasion to make an opening in the wall of the great dininghall. Four or five gold coins (of the times of James I. and Charle...