Part 4 (1/2)

KING-HUNTING: BOSCOBEL, MOSELEY, TRENT, AND HEALE

When the Civil War was raging, many a defeated cavalier owed his preservation to the ”priests' holes” and secret chambers of the old Roman Catholic houses all over the country. Did not Charles II. himself owe his life to the conveniences offered at Boscobel, Moseley, Trent, and Heale? We have elsewhere[1]

gone minutely into the young king's hair-breadth adventures; but the story is so closely connected with the present subject that we must record something of his sojourn at these four old houses, as from an historical point of view they are of exceptional interest, if one but considers how the order of things would have been changed had either of these hiding-places been discovered at the time ”his Sacred Majesty” occupied them. It is vain to speculate upon the probabilities; still, there is no ignoring the fact that had Charles been captured he would have shared the fate of his father.

[Footnote 1: See _The Flight of the King_.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: HIDING-PLACE BENEATH ”THE CHAPEL,” BOSCOBEL, SALOP]

[Ill.u.s.tration: ENTRANCE TO HIDING-PLACE IN ”THE GARRET” OR ”CHAPEL,”

BOSCOBEL]

[Ill.u.s.tration: HIDING-PLACE IN ”THE SQUIRE'S BEDROOM,” BOSCOBEL]

[Ill.u.s.tration: SECRET PANEL, TRENT HOUSE, SOMERSETs.h.i.+RE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOSCOBEL, SALOP]

[Ill.u.s.tration: HIDING-PLACE, TRENT HOUSE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: ENTRANCE TO HIDING-PLACE, TRENT HOUSE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: TRENT HOUSE IN 1864]

[Ill.u.s.tration: HEALE HOUSE, WILTs.h.i.+RE]

After the defeat of Wigan, the gallant Earl of Derby sought refuge at the isolated, wood-surrounded hunting-lodge of Boscobel, and after remaining there concealed for two days, proceeded to Gatacre Park, now rebuilt, but then and for long after famous for its secret chambers. Here he remained hidden prior to the disastrous battle of Worcester.

Upon the close of that eventful third of September, 1651, the Earl, at the time that the King and his advisers knew not which way to turn for safety, recounted his recent experiences, and called attention to the loyalty of the brothers Penderel. It was speedily resolved, therefore, to hasten northwards towards Brewood Forest, upon the borders of Staffords.h.i.+re and Salop.

”As soon as I was disguised,” says Charles, ”I took with me a country fellow whose name was Richard Penderell.... He was a Roman Catholic, and I chose to trust them [the Penderells] because I knew they had hiding-holes for priests that I thought I might make use of in case of need.” Before taking up his quarters in the house, however, the idea of escaping into Wales occured to Charles, so, when night set in, he quitted Boscobel Wood, where he had been hidden all the day, and started on foot with his rustic guide in a westerly direction with the object of getting over the river Severn, but various hards.h.i.+ps and obstacles induced Penderel to suggest a halt at a house at Madeley, near the river, where they might rest during the day and continue the journey under cover of darkness on the following night; the house further had the attraction of ”priests' holes.” ”We continued our way on to the village upon the Severn,” resumes the King, ”where the fellow told me there was an honest gentleman, one Mr. Woolfe, that lived in that town, where I might be with great safety, for he had hiding-holes for priests.... So I came into the house a back way, where I found Mr. Woolfe, an old gentleman, who told me he was very sorry to see me there, because there was two companies of the militia foot at that time in arms in the town, and kept a guard at the ferry, to examine everybody that came that way in expectation of catching some that might be making their escape that way; and that he durst not put me into any of the hiding-holes of his house, because they had been discovered, and consequently, if any search should be made, they would certainly repair to these holes, and that therefore I had no other way of security but to go into his barn and there lie behind his corn and hay.”

[Ill.u.s.tration: MADELEY COURT, SHROPs.h.i.+RE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE COURTYARD, MADELEY COURT]

[Ill.u.s.tration: MADELEY COURT]

[Ill.u.s.tration: ENTRANCE TO ”PRIEST'S HOLE,” THE UPPER HOUSE, MADELEY]

The Madeley ”priest's hole” which was considered unsafe is still extant. It is in one of the attics of ”the Upper House,” but the entrance is now very palpable. Those who are curious enough to climb up into this black hole will discover a rude wooden bench within it--a luxury compared with some hiding-places!

The river Severn being strictly guarded everywhere, Charles and his companions retraced their steps the next night towards Boscobel.

After a day spent up in the branches of the famous _Royal Oak_, the fugitive monarch made his resting-place the secret chamber behind the wainscoting of what is called ”the Squire's Bedroom.”

There is another hiding-place, however, hard by in a garret which may have been the one selected. The latter lies beneath the floor of this garret, or ”Popish chapel,” as it was once termed. At the top of a flight of steps leading to it is a small trap-door, and when this is removed a step-ladder may be seen leading down into the recess.[1] The other place behind the wainscot is situated in a chimney stack and is more roomy in its proportions. Here again is an inner hiding-place, entered through a trap-door in the floor, with a narrow staircase leading to an exit in the bas.e.m.e.nt. So much for Boscobel.

[Footnote 1: The hiding-place in the garret measures about 5 feet 2 inches in depth by 3-1/2 or 4-1/2 feet in width.]

Moseley Hall is thus referred to by the King: ”I... sent Penderell's brother to Mr. Pitchcroft's [Whitgreaves] to know whether my Lord Wilmot was there or no, and had word brought me by him at night that my lord was there, that there was a _very secure hiding-hole_ in Mr. Pitchcroft's house, and that he desired me to come thither to him.”