Devonshire Characters and Strange EventsBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
Devonshire Characters and Strange Events
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Devon (England) -- Biography; Devon (England) -- History
At length he reached Kingston-on-Thames, and put up for the night
there. But he could not sleep, noises disturbed him, and rising from
his bed he insisted on the servant getting ready his nag, and away he
rode over Kingston Bridge, alone, having peremptorily forbidden his man
to accompany him, entertaining some suspicion that the man had been
bought by his enemies and would lead him into a trap. He drew up at
the “Anchor,” a small tavern at Twickenham, kept by one Daniel Alley;
it was now 2 a.m., and all Twickenham was asleep. He hammered at the
door and shouted; presently the casement opened, and the publican put
out his head and inquired what the gentleman wanted. Sir John demanded
a bed and shelter for the rest of the night. Daniel Alley begged to be
excused, he had no spare room, his house was small and not fitted for
the reception of persons of quality. However, on Sir John’s further
insistence he put on his clothes, struck a light, descended, and did
his utmost to make the nocturnal visitor comfortable, even surrendering
to him his own bed, and sending his wife to sleep with the children.
Sir John cast himself on the bed. He tossed; and host and hostess
heard him cry out, and speak of enemies who pursued him and sought his
blood. There was no sleeping for Daniel or his wife, and the host rose
at dawn to join a neighbour in mowing a meadow. But when he was about
to go forth, his wife begged not to be left in the house alone with
the strange gentleman. The neighbour came up, and he and Alley spoke
together at the door. Their voices reached Sir John, who had fallen
into a disordered sleep. Persuaded that the enemies were arrived and
were surrounding the house, he rushed out in his nightgown, with his
sword drawn, fell on his host, and killed him. Then he ran his sword
against the wife, wounding her. But now, with the gathering light, he
discovered what he had done, and in a fit of despair stabbed himself in
two places. He was secured now by neighbours who had come up, and taken
to the bed he had just quitted. A surgeon was sent for, and his wounds
were bound up. But Sir John angrily refused the assistance of the
leech, and tore away the bandages, and bled to death.
[Illustration: FRONTISPIECE TO “THE BLOUDIE BOOKE; OR THE TRAGICAL END
OF SIR JOHN FITZ”]
Daniel Alley was buried on the 8th day of August, 1605, and Sir
John Fitz on the 10th, and “because he was a Gentleman borne and of
good kindred, hee was buried in the Chancell at Twickenham.” The
representative of the Fitz family was now his little daughter Mary,
whose story is also sufficiently curious to deserve a place here.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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