The Wide World Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 130, January, 1909Various
History
The Wide World Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 130, January, 1909
Various
Adventure stories -- Periodicals; English periodicals; History, Modern -- 20th century -- Periodicals; Voyages and travels -- Periodicals
_From a Photo. by J. R. Bauer._]
Church bells and church plate, as related in a recent WIDE WORLD
article, are not the only kinds of buried treasure of which there are
traditions in Worcestershire. Mr. J.W. Willis Bund, in his “Civil War
in Worcestershire,” says: “There is hardly a family who possessed a
landed estate at the time of the Civil War that has not some legend
of concealed treasure. For instance, the Berkeleys, of Spetchley,
say their butler, to save the family plate, hid it under one of the
elms in the avenue. The butler was wounded, and tried with his last
breath to confide his secret to a member of the family, but could get
no further than ’plate,’ ‘elm,’ ‘avenue,’ and died; so that the plate
remains hidden to this day.” The occasion upon which the Berkeley
plate was hidden was the sack and burning of their family mansion
at Spetchley, upon the eve of the Battle of Worcester, by the Scots
troops who accompanied Charles II. from the North. Sir Robert Berkeley
was a devoted Royalist and had suffered much for the King, and members
of his family were serving in the Royal army; but the Scots, who had
fought upon both sides, were not careful to distinguish between friend
and foe. The only portion of Spetchley which escaped the flames was
the stabling. Here Cromwell made his head-quarters, and after the war
Judge Berkeley converted the building into a house and lived there
for many years. The elm avenue in Spetchley Park, where the plate was
buried, still exists, and is one of the finest in Worcestershire. For
the photograph given above we are indebted to the courtesy of Mr. T.
Duckworth, of the Worcester Victoria Institute.
[Illustration: THE ELM AVENUE IN SPETCHLEY PARK, WORCESTERSHIRE--A
FAITHFUL BUTLER, AT THE TIME OF THE CIVIL WAR, BURIED THE FAMILY PLATE
UNDER ONE OF THE TREES TO SAVE IT FROM THE ENEMY, BUT DIED BEFORE HE
COULD REVEAL THE SECRET OF THE HIDING-PLACE.
_From a Photograph._]
The curious little building seen in the next photograph stands at the
end of a private walk on the shores of the River Orwell, in Suffolk.
It is known as the “Cat House,” for the reason that, in the “good old
times,” a white cat used to be exhibited at a window visible from the
river as a signal to smugglers, who flourished in the locality. When
the animal was shown, the “Free-Traders,” as the contrabandists were
euphemistically called, knew that the coast was clear, and promptly
sailed up and landed their cargo, secure from the attentions of the
“preventives.” Near “Cat House” is Downham Reach, which was the scene
of some of Margaret Catchpole’s most exciting adventures.
[Illustration: THE “CAT HOUSE,” NEAR IPSWICH, SO CALLED BECAUSE A WHITE
CAT WAS EXHIBITED AT THE WINDOW AS A SIGNAL TO SMUGGLERS.
_From a Photo. by Frith & Co._]
[Illustration: THIS TERRIFIC OIL FIRE, STARTED BY A LIGHTNING FLASH,
DID A HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS’ WORTH OF DAMAGE.
_From a Photograph._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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