When was the practice of planting groves, or avenues of trees, as
approaches to family mansions, commenced, and when and why abandoned?
Nothing can speak more of grandeur or of ancestral dignity than these
solemn avenues of trees--for instance, those of Spetchley, Cotheridge,
&c. In Rome, no great house was formerly built without an avenue of
trees, and Plato taught his scholars to love the groves of Academus
almost as well as his philosophy.
CROMWELL PILLORIED.
On the key-stone of the arch of the Guildhall entrance-door is the
figure of a man's head, having the expression of pain, and with his
ears nailed back. Is there any ground for supposing that this was
intended to represent Oliver Cromwell in the pillory, while the two
Charleses stand in regal state on each side? I have heard the fag-end
of an old song, of which the following is the burden:
"The Worcester people being hurt full sore, sir,
Nail'd Cromwell's head by the ears above the Town-hall door, sir.
_Chorus_. Heigho, what will they do?
They're always finding something new."
It is, however, probable that the sculpture in question is intended,
with the other heads and figures adorning the Hall, merely to represent
some abstract idea, such as Justice, Punishment, Pain, &c.
THE PILLORY, &c.
When were the last known instances of bull-baiting and cock-fighting
in Worcester, and when was the pillory last used? About forty years
ago the present Lord Dundonald (then Lord Cochrane) was sentenced by
Lord Ellenborough "to stand in and upon the pillory for the space
of one hour." The public and the press were justly indignant at a
distinguished and enterprising naval officer being sentenced to
such an infamous punishment, and it was not carried into effect;
the Legislature took up the matter, and in their zeal abolished the
punishment of the pillory altogether.
THE MILWARD EVIDENCES.
Can you, sir, or any of your correspondents, inform me of the
whereabout of the "_Milward Evidences_," which were used by Shaw and
Nash in their histories of the counties of Worcester and Stafford.
The heiress of the Milwards, of Wollescott, married Hungerford
Oliver, Esq., whose descendants, till about fifteen or twenty years
ago, resided at the family seat of Wollescott (which had been in the
possession of the Milwards before the reign of Elizabeth), and since
then they have gone down in the world, and probably these valuable
Manuscripts are destroyed.--C. J. D.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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