alone in his shirt chased a host of midnight robbers from his house.
Sir Edward Wynter's exploits have been already mentioned. The Mansion
House was considerably altered by Joseph Benwell, Esq., the occupier
who took down many of the old rooms. One of these called the painted
chamber had a dome ceiling and is said to have been the room in which
Wolsey entertained Henry VIII. with masquerades, and in which he saw
Anne Boleyne. When the floor was removed there was found under it a
chased gold ring on the side of which was inscribed "Thy virtue is thy
honour." This superbly painted room with a dome forms the back ground
of an ancient print representing the first interview of Henry VIII.
with Anne Boleyne.
There was also another large building in 1818 standing parallel with
York House but nearer the river divided into two houses, then in the
possession of F. Alver and H. Tritton, Esqrs., and noted for having a
very fine terrace in front next the Thames.
The art of transfer-printing produced from copper-plate impressions
is said to have been made at Liverpool; but Mr. Binns, F.S.A., in
his very interesting History of Worcester ware traces the claim of
transfer-printing to the Battersea Enamel Works at York House, (the
Archbishop's old palace) where Ravenet and other artists wrought in
engraving plates from which impressions were taken on enamel plaques,
etc., for snuff-boxes and other articles. The Liverpool claim to
the invention dates from 1756. Whereas Horace Walpole writes from
Strawberry Hill, six or seven miles from Battersea, to R. Bently,
September 18th, 1755; "I shall send you a trifling snuff-box only
as a sample of the new manufacture at Battersea which is done with
_Copper plates_." The Battersea Porcelain[1] Works failed and Alderman
Jansen's stock, furniture, etc., were sold by public auction, March 4,
1756. The Battersea and Chelsea wares being rarities are expensive,
particularly the former. A writer in the "Athenæum" thinks it probable
that some of the Battersea workmen found their way to Worcester and
Liverpool.
[Footnote 1: In 1518 the Portuguese obtained their settlement at
Macao, and through them Europe obtained its first specimen of china
ware. "And because the cowrie shells which represented Oriental
money, resembled as they thought, the backs of little pigs, they
called them porcellana; and because the transparent and beautiful
texture of china ware resembled that of the delicate cowrie shell, the
same name was applied to it; whence we get, it is said, our English
designation--porcelain."--_See Marratt's History of Pottery._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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