Sheffield Place, Sussex;

THE SEAT OF THE

EARL OF SHEFFIELD.

THE Lordship or Manor of Sheffield is situated about mid-way between East Grinstead and Lewes, nearly in the centre of the Weald of Sussex; it is a very considerable estate, and, in Edward the Confessor's time, it belonged to Earl Godwin. In 1068, William the Conqueror granted it to his half-brother, Robert de Mortaigne, Earl of Cornwall: 25th Edward I. 1296, it belonged to Laurence de St. Maur: 32d Edward I. 1304, to John de Ratriden: 35th Edward I. 1306, to Thomas, Earl of Lancaster: 35th Edward III. 1360, to Henry, Duke of Lancaster: 48th Edward III. 1375, to Roger Dalyngryge: 2d Richard III. 1484, to John, first Duke of Norfolk: 13th Elizabeth, 1570, to Thomas, third Duke of Norfolk, who in 1571, the year before he was beheaded, sold it to Thomas, Lord Buckhurst, whose grandson, Richard, Earl of Dorset, sold it, 21st James I. 1623, to Sir Christopher Neville, son of Edward, Lord Abergavenny, and direct ancestor to the present Earl. Anne, Baroness Dowager of Abergavenny, marrying, to her second husband, John, Lord Delawarr, the manor passed into that family in 1744; and it was purchased in 1769 of John, Earl of Delawarr, together with other estates in this county, for £31,000, by the present Earl of Sheffield, then Mr. Holroyd. The precise period of the original foundation of the House is uncertain; it was large, and composed a double quadrangle, the usual form in the time of Elizabeth; and the erection may be referred to that era, or perhaps earlier; but such have been the alterations successively adopted, that few traces of the ancient structure now remain. A very considerable part has been rebuilt by the present noble proprietor, at a great expense, in the castellated style of architecture, surmounted with battlements and tall pinnacles. Over the entrance are the armorial insignia of his Lordship's family, and round the House are introduced shields bearing the arms of the former possessors of the Manor since the Conquest. The portion appropriated to the Chapel is adorned with a very large mullioned window of stained glass. The interior exhibits the same taste in its corresponding decorations; one room was painted by C. Catton, R. A., whose superiority in animal painting is generally acknowledged; and the Library also may be particularly mentioned as containing a very excellent collection formed by his Lordship, whose literary talents are known and appreciated. The public are indebted to him for the Memoirs of Edward Gibbon, the historian, an early and intimate friend of his Lordship. Among the pictures which adorn the principal apartments are portraits of Her Royal Highness Caroline, Princess of Wales, the present Earl of Chichester in regimentals, Lord Glenbervie, the Earl of Sheffield, and Edward Gibbon, Esq.-the last by Sir Joshua Reynolds.

The Park is the most extensive in this part of the country, comprising nearly 600 acres, and contains many fine old oaks, the soil being remarkably favourable to the growth of timber, the quality of which is considered very superior for ship-building.

The church of Fletching, in which parish Sheffield Place is situated, contains a very handsome Gothic Mausoleum, with this inscription, SUIS SIBIQUE J. B. HOLROYD, DOMINUS SHEFFIELD; over which is his Lordship's arms. It is entered by folding doors, and contains several inscriptions for the noble family of Sheffield: the father of the present Peer, and also his younger brother Daniel, who was killed at the assault on Moro Castle, Havannah, in 1762, are commemorated. Here are also deposited the remains of Edward Gibbon, with an inscription from the classic pen of Dr. Parr.

His Lordship is the eldest surviving son of Isaac Holroyd, Esq., by Dorothy, daughter of Daniel Baker, Esq. of Penn, Bucks; on succeeding to the maternal estates, he added the name of Baker to his own. He married, first, Abigail, only daughter of Lewis Way, Esq. of Richmond in Surrey; by this lady, who died in 1793, he had a son, who died young, and several daughters. Secondly, Lucy, daughter of Thomas, Earl of Chichester. She dying in 1797, his Lordship married, thirdly, Anne, daughter of Frederic, Earl of Guildford, by whom he has issue, George Augustus Frederic Charles Viscount Pevensey,

born in 1802.

THE SEAT OF

LORD SELSEY.

THIS Mansion stands in the centre of a beautiful Park, occupying the western declivity of a hill, watered by a small stream that winds at its base, and abounding with fine timber; about five miles north of the city of Chichester, and seven miles south of the town of Midhurst. The House is large and well proportioned; it was nearly rebuilt by the late Lord Selsey at a considerable expense, and is adorned within with many tasteful ornaments of furniture and embellishment. It is erected in the ancient style of architecture, with mullioned windows and embattled parapet; over the porch, to the principal entrance, rises a large pointed arch window, ornamented with delicate tracery, which gives light to the lofty hall. Its front commands the most picturesque views over the vale and opposite hills, in which the mixture of corn and wood are pleasingly blended. The material of which it is erected is flint, from the neighbourhood.

The estate came into possession of the present noble family by the marriage of Bulstrode Peachey, Esq. with the relict of William Woodward Knight, Esq., of this place, who left no issue; upon which he took the surname of Knight, but, dying in 1736 without children, he left his estates to his brother, Sir John Peachey, the second Baronet of the family, from whom it has descended to the present noble possessor.

The late Lord Selsey was the only son of Sir James Peachey, the fourth Baronet, who was elevated to the Peerage, August 13th, 1794; on his death, in 1808, he succeeded to the titles and estates, and died at this seat, which he had so considerably embellished and improved, at the age of 68, on June 27, 1816.

The present Nobleman is the second son of the late Peer; he is a Captain in the Royal Navy; and was married, in 1817, to the Hon. Anne Maria Louisa, daughter of Lord Beston.

Guy's Cliff, Warwickshire;

THE SEAT OF BERTIE GREATHEED, Esq.

THIS romantic retreat is in the Hundred of Knightlow, and about one mile and a half from the town of Warwick, on the banks of the Avon, which here winds through most attractive meads; and on its western bank, a combination of rock and wood, singularly picturesque, invited, at an early period, the reveries of seclusion and poetical fancy; and here the famous Guy Earl of Warwick, from whom the Cliff takes its name, is said to have sheltered himself from his enemies; and, as Dugdale expresses it, "receiving ghostly comfort from" the "heremite, he abode there till his death."

The Cliff continued the residence of a religious recluse as late as the time of Henry IV., when John Burry was hermit, and received 100 shillings per annum, to pray for the good estate of Richard Beauchamp, then Earl of Warwick, as also for the souls of his father and mother. In the first year of Henry VI., this Earl rebuilt the Chapel, and endowed a chantry here for two priests, who were to sing Mass daily for the good estate of him and

his wife.

In this delectable retirement, John Rous, the antiquary, resided as a chantry priest, and here composed several works, the chief of which related to the antiquities of his native country; he died here in 1491, and was buried in St. Mary's Church, Warwick; his writings he bequeathed to that collegiate church, having caused to be erected for their reception a library over the south porch; but they were dispersed before the time of Dugdale, and the only works by Rous, the Monk of Guy's Cliff, to which that indefatigable antiquary could gain access, were "a Roll of the Earls of Warwick," now in the Herald's College, wherein, besides a brief history relating to each Earl, their portraits and arms are curiously drawn or tricked with a pen; and a "Chronicle of the Kings of England," reaching down to his own time.

The Chapel, founded by Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, is a plain edifice, in good repair; the founder caused to be carved from the solid rock on which this chapel abuts, a rude statue of the famous Earl Guy, about eight feet in height, which, though now in a very dilapidated state, is still to be seen.

About the middle of the eighteenth century, this estate passed to the late Mr. Greatheed, who married a daughter of the Duke of Ancaster, and erected the present Mansion; large additions to which have been made by his son, the present possessor; and such great alterations were made in 1818 in the western front towards the avenue, as to alter the character of that side entirely, and make it harmonize with the rest, it is now eligible in size and character, as well as eminent for charms of situation. The local beauties of this retreat would seem calculated to inspire a love of the arts, and Leland, an early topographer, has pronounced it "a place meet for the muses."

Genius had illumined the breast of the youthful heir to these domains with one of her brightest rays; who early evinced an ardent taste for the pictorial art, and the walls of the principal apartments are covered with the efforts of his pencil. The pieces most highly finished, are portraits of his father and mother, of Mr. Kemble, Mrs. Siddons, and of himself; the style is rich and glowing, the handling free, and the character strongly marked. There are also many historical pieces of great merit; and some very early historical studies, which are replete with indications of strong genius, and an unusual precocity of judgment. This highly-gifted young artist is, alas! no more!-descended from a distinguished family, and heir to great affluence, his passion for the arts induced him to decline the luxurious indolence too frequent with his rank; and he visited France during the short peace, which tempted many to enter that country, for the purpose of improving his judgment in his favourite pursuit. Napoleon treated his talents with liberal attention; and, when others were detained as prisoners, permitted him to retire to Italy, where he was seized with a fever, under the pressure of which he expired in his 23d year. Much of the above interesting particulars we have extracted from the Beauties of England and Wales; and join in our regret with the editor of that work, in his loss to society and the arts.

The Grounds attached to this beautiful residence are not extensive; but they abound in natural beauties, and are disposed with much taste. The rock on which the House and Chapel are built, presents towards the Avon a rugged and varied face, truly picturesque; and perhaps this portion of the Cliff acquires a transient and mysterious charm, from its connexion with ancient poesy.

The capacious Stables, Cellars, and out-offices of the Mansion, are all formed by excavations in the solid rock. A beautiful and correct description of Guy's Cliff, in verse, which was addressed some years since to the proprietor, is printed in the Antiquarian and Topographical Cabinet, in which Shakspeare is supposed to have made it his favourite retirement; the idea is justified by its being within a few miles of Stratford on Avon, the place of his nativity.

X