Cornish Characters and Strange EventsBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
Cornish Characters and Strange Events
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Cornwall (England : County) -- Biography; Cornwall (England : County) -- History; Legends -- England -- Cornwall (County)
At the Restoration, Sir John Grenville was created Earl of Bath, and
was made governor of the garrison of Plymouth, and he then appointed
Payne halberdier of the guns. The King, who held Payne in great
favour, made him a yeoman of his guards, and Sir Godfrey Kneller, the
Court artist, was employed to paint his portrait.
Whilst in Plymouth garrison an incident occurred that has been
recorded by Hawker. At the mess-table of the regiment, during the
reign of William and Mary, on the anniversary of the day when Charles
I had been beheaded, a sub-officer of Payne's own rank had ordered a
calf's head to be served up. This was a coarse and common annual
mockery of the beheaded king indulged in by the remnants of the old
fanatical Puritan party. When Payne entered the room his comrades
pointed out the dish to him. Anthony flared up, and flung the plate
and its contents out of the window. A quarrel and a challenge ensued,
and at break of day Payne and his antagonist fought with swords on the
ramparts, and Anthony ran the offender through the swordarm and
disabled him, as he shouted, "There's sauce for thy calf's head."
Hawker, who tells the story, supposed that the incident occurred
during the reign of George I. But Anthony died at an age little short
of eighty, and was buried at Stratton July 13th, 1691, and William of
Orange did not die till 1702.
After his death at Stratton, which took place in the house where he
was born, neither door nor stairs would afford egress for the large
coffined corpse. The joists had to be sawn through, and the floor
lowered with rope and pulley, to enable the giant to pass out to his
last resting-place, under the south wall of Stratton Church.[12]
The history of the vicissitudes through which went the painting by
Kneller is peculiarly interesting.
When Stowe was dismantled, on the death of the Earl of Bath, the
picture was removed to Penheale, another Cornish residence of the
Grenville family.
But here the portrait of him who had done so much for the house was
not valued, and was soon forgotten. Gilbert, the Cornish historian, in
one of his rambles, whilst staying at an old inn in Launceston, was
informed that this painting was still extant, and he went to Penheale,
where the farmer's wife occupying the house said that she did indeed
possess "a carpet with the effigy of a large man on it," that had been
given to her husband by the steward on the estate. It was rolled up,
and in a bad and dirty condition. She gladly sold it to C. S. Gilbert
for £8. On Gilbert's death his effects were sold at Devonport, and a
stranger bought it for £42. In London it was recognized as the work of
Kneller, and was resold for the sum of £800. It next appeared amongst
the effects of the late Admiral Tucker, at Trematon Castle; and when
the sale took place this picture was bought by a gentleman in Devon.
Finally Mr. (now Sir) Robert Harvey purchased it, and most generously
presented it to the Royal Institution of Cornwall.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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