Hyde Park, Its History and Romance. Mrs. Alec-Tweedie
the table, or feed the cat, or encourage animals to jump on the table. This may offend your host, or lead to the soiling of his carpet,” and, above all, “do not lick your plate; it is an act that ill becomes a cat, let alone a gentleman!”
Some writers aver that until Elizabeth’s reign stews and hashes were the chief dishes. She it was who adopted the use of large joints, and the advent of the fork followed. Stews were eaten with spoons, but lumps of meat required other handling. Still, this theory scarcely stands against the records of feasts in earlier days, when the Saxons and Normans each had his knife and hacked from the roast itself.
Hyde Park, the cradle of manners, shared the favour of Henry in conjunction with similar pleasure-lands. Around London lay the parks of Richmond, Windsor, Hanworth, Hampton Court (after the death of Wolsey), and, farther afield, Oatlands, besides other Royal demesnes, while Greenwich had been a Royal Palace from the time of Edward I.—and Greenwich, his birthplace, he loved best of all.
The expenses of Henry VIII.’s Court were prodigious, including the salaries and expenses of such people as the officers of State, prelates, esquires, physicians, astrologers, astronomers, secretaries, ushers, cupbearers, carvers, servers, madrigal singers, and choir boys, virginal players, Italian singers, and a complete orchestra of musicians who played upon the rebeck, the lute, the sackbut, and all manners of musical instruments. There were three battalions of pages, all dressed in the most gorgeous costumes; in fact, it is said that Henry’s retinue numbered over a thousand persons, for which the State paid £56,000 per annum, a sum equivalent to a much larger amount in these days.
All this sounds rather appalling, but still the beauty of the costumes and gorgeous pageantry must have added to the beautification of London.
HENRY VIII.
Henry stopped at nothing. His Yeomen of the Guard were even more magnificent than the rest. They rode immediately behind the King, and their horse-cloths, made of cloth-of-gold, cost £5 a yard.
One of the prettiest sights in London to-day is that of the Guards riding through Hyde Park to Buckingham Palace for a Court, or some other grand festival. The sunlight on their clothes looks almost as if their uniforms were made of gold as they glint in the rays; and I well remember as a child being puzzled as to how the golden men carrying the big drums ever managed to guide their horses with the reins attached to their feet.
The wild freedom of the Park continued under Henry’s youthful son, Edward VI., who there entertained foreigners of distinction with hunts and banquets. A special banqueting house was erected for the French Ambassador, Marshal St. André, who was received with Royal distinction. Through the kindness of the Marquis of Salisbury, I am able to give the description of this building, preserved in the MSS. at Hatfield:
“The Charges and the proporcyon as well of the banketing howse newlye erected in hyde parcke agaynste the commyng of marchiall Sainte Androwes wᵗʰ all thinges longynge to the same as also for the makyng of dyvers Stondynges in the said hide parcke and also in Marybone parke as it shall appere here after begynnyng the vjth Daye of Julie and endyng the xxviiith of the same in Anᵒ vᵗᵒ RRs Edward vjᵗⁱ as yt Apperith by the bookes of particulers for the same.”
| Hide Parke | Imprimis the banketing howse in hid parke conteynyng in length lxij foote in wydeth xxj foote/ the Stayers cont one waye lx foote and thother waye xxxᵗⁱ wᵗʰ a greate towrett over the halpase. Item made there three Ranges if bryke for Rosting and Furneces for boylyng. Item All kynde of Tabulles formes Trestelles dressers Russhis Floʳˢ wᵗʰ suche lyke for the Furnyshing of the banketyng howse and bankett. Item in the said parke were made three small standynges of a foote thone waye and viij foote thother waye of every of them. | cccxxxvˡⁱ xijˢ ixᵈ. | ||
| Maribon Parke | Item made in Marybone parke one standing conteynyng in Length xl foote and in bredth xviij foote/ The flowre is jestide and boorded and the Reste is Skaffold poles. Item in the said park three small standinges of x foote long and viij foote wyde every of them. | |||
| Charges | The hole charges of the sad banketing house and standynged in bothe the said parkes wᵗʰ all thinges to them belongyng Amontith to cccclˡⁱ ixˢ viiᵈ wherof Recevyd the vijth of Julie ij dayes before the procly macyon uppon preste after the Rate then cxxxiijˡⁱ vj viijᵈ, which wase sence payd at sondrye tymes for cxiiijˡⁱ xvjˢ xᵈ And so Remaynith to be Recevid. | |||
Sir Thomas Camerden to Sir William Cecil.
“After most hertie Comendacons It may like yoᵘ to understande/ that the same tyme the Marshall of Saint Andrewes was here, I was willed by the Counsaill to se a Banketting howse and sondry standinges wᵗʰ all the furniture requisite therunto prepared at hyde and Maryboon parkes/ wᶜʰ were doon accordingly/ And the Surveioʳ wᵗʰ the Comptrolleʳ of the Kinges Maᵗᵉˢ workes to furnishe me wᵗʰ men and all other necessaryes for the same/ at wᶜʰ time the Surveior Laurence brodshawe (noiated [nominated] by the Lord Winchester) was then appointed to se the Solucons of the premisses/ wherunto he Receyved (as I understande) by a warrant from the said Lordes) the Summe of twoo hundreth Markes/ in the bestowing wherof I was not pryvey/ nor yet to the making of their bookes/ but by a Docket of a grosse Summe/ wᶜʰ doth not agree wᵗʰ the particulars taken to the Clercke of the Tentes and Revelles (as by him I understande) by the summe of nyne poundes and more by what meanes I knowe not/ for that I have not seen/ nor can gett their booke of particulars to peruse/ wherby having perfytt notice of all thinges doon to Hyde Parke I might conferre the bookes together/ and subscrybe the same/ that the poore artificers were discharged wᶜʰ verely I thought had been fully paide or thir tyme/ for that the Surveioʳ was fully appointed thereunto/ and I but only to se the same doon and furnished accordinglye. And whereas they looke (as I conjecture) I shuld put my handes to their doinges (wherunto I can not be made pryyve) I thinke it for diverse respectes not convenyent/ of one thinge I assure yoᵘ/ I never receyved one peny for the same hytherto/ and yet was it chargeable besydes my paynes unto me/ Sʳ if any things be in these partes/ wherein I may do yoᵘ pleasʳ I shall want of my good will, then yoᵘ therfor. Thus most hertely fare yoᵘ wel. Scrybelyd in hast From Bleachingly the xxvjᵗʰ of October 1551.
“Yoʳ assueryd to hys power
“Th. Cawerden.”
But of Edward VI.’s short reign there is really little to be said.
CHAPTER III
VAGARIES OF MONARCHS
Queen Mary has not come down to us in a social light. The very idea of her as a Society personage seems grotesque.
“Bloody Mary” she was in her own time, and as such she will probably always be known. She rarely went far afield, and her only association with Hyde Park seems to have been the unusual number of people she hanged at Tyburn.
The park was still far remote from the town. Streets did not creep up to its precincts until quite a century and a half later. When Sir Thomas Wyatt marched with his rebels upon London, his ordnance was planted at Hyde Park Corner, and his men occupied the fields where now stand Grosvenor Square and the neighbourhood to the south.
It must be recollected that Sir Thomas Wyatt had raised his standard in Kent to protest against the Spanish marriage of Queen Mary. He had travelled slowly towards London