for a considerable time appeared to defy the persevering efforts of my numerous friends of all ranks and classes, who gave their prompt and zealous assistance on the occasion. By the blessing of Providence their manly exertions were at length crowned with success, and the south-west and south-east fronts were preserved perfect and entire. The principal part of the plate and more than half the collection of pictures were saved; and a mercy of still greater value and importance was bestowed on the Duchess and me (then absent at Cheveley Park) in the preservation of our five dear children. So true it is, that even in His just chastisements, an Almighty God is merciful, and that His severest dispensations possess sources of comfort to the mind of a Christian. It is with a due sense of the divine goodness, and with a proper gratitude for the mercy of God, that I recommence on this day, the rebuilding of the north-west and north-east fronts of Belvoir Castle (which were totally destroyed by the fire), having committed the superintendence of the building to the Rev. Sir John Thoroton, knight, assisted by Mr. Thomas Turner as clerk of the works-fully confiding in their ability to temper splendour with prudence, and comfort with economy, but more particularly conscious that

"Except the Lord build the house

Their labour is but lost that build it.

"RUTLAND."

This was put in a glass bottle and placed in one of the foundation stones of the centre tower in the north-east front.

From this account it will be gathered that "the aerial castle," as the present building was called by the late Sir Frederick Trench, is a modern building. Yet the foundations and one or two portions remaining are ancient. The wine-cellar, the scullery, and several flights of steps, are of great antiquity. A representation of Robert de Todenci's castle appears on a seal attached to an original charter of confirmation of property granted by him to Belvoir Priory. It is seen there as an

his horse beyond his speed he stumbled, his rider fell and broke his neck, near a small stone cross not far from Frithby. The bereaved father founded three monasteries, Kirkham, Rievaulx and Wardon. He finally became a monk.

We must pass over the careers of several distinguished members of the Ros family, till we arrive at the third William de Ros, who was at the battle of Cressy; afterwards with the Black Prince at the siege of Calais. Passing on to Thomas Lord Ros, we find that when he was only eighteen he was placed by the King, 1443, in full possession of his

father's estates, that father having died when he was four years old. Thomas was styled Baron Ros of Hamlake, Trusbut and Belvoir. He was with the King at York, when the Lancastrian party were defeated at Towton, and he accompanied the King to Berwick. For his loyalty to his sovereign he was attainted in Parliament 1461; some authorities say he was beheaded. When the House of York finally triumphed over the Lancastrians, Edward IV. rewarded his adherents with the property that had belonged to his enemies. Belvoir honour, castle, lordship, and park, its members, and the rent called Castleguard, were granted to William Lord. Hastings, commonly known as The Bastard. Lord Hastings, when he came to take possession, was attacked and driven away by a friend to Lord Ros, Mr. Harrington, described by Leland, as "a man of power thereabouts." It is recorded that Lord Hastings was SO much enraged by this opposition, that, gathering forces together, he attacked his own castle with such fury that it was ruined. Lord Hastings took the lead from the roof to Ashby-de-la-Zouch, where he built largely.

embattled castle of three tiers, the two upper of which have on the face a succession of Norman arches and buttresses in pilaster fashion. Two rude representations of men's heads facing each other are at opposite corners of the battlements, behind one of which rises a staff with a flag something in the shape of a knight's pennon. The whole is surrounded by a massive embattled outer wall. This seal belonged to Robert de Todenci's descendant, William de Albini the Fourth, who died about 1247. His daughter and heiress married Robert de Ros, Baron of Hamlake, fifth in descent from Peter de Ros and Adeline, heiress of Sir Walter Aspec. This knight is said, "to have made Christ his heir," for grief at the loss of his only son, whose delight was in riding swift horses. One day having urged

Edmund, Lord Ros, son of Thomas,

was obliged to seek refuge abroad, in consequence of his father's attainder, but in Henry VII.'s reign most of his property was restored to him. Edmund, Lord Ros, died in 1508; his eldest sister and co-heir, Eleanor, married Sir Robert de Manners, of Ethale, in Northumberland. Sir Robert de Manners came of a warlike race of sturdy knights, but space will not allow of their histories being recorded here.

Sir Robert through this marriage became possessed of Belvoir Castle, Hamlake and Orston. His eldest son, George, succeeded his father in his title, and in 1487, in right of his mother, as sumed that of Lord Ros. He married Anne, only daughter and heir of Sir Thomas Sellenger (St. Leger) by Anne, daughter of Richard, Duke of York, eldest sister to King Edward IV., and widow of Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter. Lord Ros was much employed by Henry VIII. He was with the King at the siege of Theroneme, then at Tournay, where he was seized with his last illness. He was buried in St. George's Chap el, Windsor.

His son Thomas found Belvoir in ruins, elders grow

ing on the root, and he almost or entirely rebuilt it. Henry VIII. bestowed on him large grants, among the most important being the Priory of Belvoir, originally founded by his ances tor, Robert de Todenci, Egle, in Lincolnshire, which was a commandery of the Knights Templars, the site of the Abbey of Rievaulx, and the interesting Abbey of Croxton, which is close to Belvoir, where ruins still exist.

Thomas, thirteenth Lord Ros, was created Earl of Rutland, June 10th, 1526, a title which had been borne by Edmund, younger brother to Edward IV.

and had never been conferred on any but those of royal blood. The first earl was mindful of the honour due to the dead, and he caused many monuments of the Albini and Ros family to be removed from the Priory and from Croxton Abbey to Bottesford, the spire of which may be seen from the Belvoir hill. His son Henry succeeded him, and in 1555 he completed the rebuilding the castle, making it according to Nicholls and Leland, "A nobler mansion than it was before." Though papers and plans, deeds and charters of great antiquity entering into

THE WINE-CELLAR.

details of nterest are preserved at Belvoir, there is no picture or drawing whatever of this castle. Henry, Earl of Rutland, was appointed in the reign of Philip and Mary, Captain-general of all the forces to be sent to France, and he had also chief command of the fleet. Queen Elizabeth made him a Knight of the Garter, and among other posts he was President of Her Majesty's Council in the north. His son Edward, third Earl, was "a profound lawyer, and a man accomplished with all polite learning." He died in 1587 at his house, Puddle Wharf, London. He settled his estate in such a

manner that the Barony of Ros, which descended to his daughter Elizabeth, should be properly supported, and the rest of his property went to his brother John, who inherited the Earldom of Rutland.

As much that is interesting within the castle, to the best of my belief, has journeyed to and from Haddon Hall, I must here mention that John Manners, second son of the first Earl of Rutland, married Dorothy, daughter and co-heiress of Sir George Vernon, of Nether Haddon in Derbyshire. Sir George was known as King of the Peak. John Manners thus by his marriage brought the ancient Haddon Hall into the Manners family, and his grandson, John Manners, on the death of his cousin George, Earl of Rutland, in 1641, became the eighth Earl, thus uniting the families of Vernon and Man

ners.

Roger Manners, fifth Earl of Rutland, was Constable of Nottingham Castle in Queen Elizabeth's reign. He was sent as ambassador to Denmark by James I.

married Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Sir Philip Sidney. We have a glimpse of their entertaining James I. at

Belvoir in 1603. The King rode from Newark to Belvoir "hunting" all the way. It is related that "he was received with such exceeding joy of the good Earl and his honourable Lady that he took therein exceeding pleasure, and he approved his contentment in the morning; for before he went to break his fast, he made fortysix knights." Ben Jonson's masque, The Metamorphosed Gypsies, was performed before him at Belvoir. Roger died in 1612 aged thirty-six; his wife followed him to the grave in a few months.

His brother Francis succeeded him. He was made a Knight of the Bath and of the Garter in 1618. A writ of inquiry was issued commanding him to show why his castle of Belvoir should not be seized into the King's hands; but no result followed.

Omitting the histories of several of the earls which have no particular bearing on the fate of the castle, we must now mention the events which took place in the time of George, the eighth Earl.

The loyal ancestors from whom he sprang must have turned in their graves when, on King Charles I. summoning the peers to attend him at Oxford, the Earl

enrolled his name among those of the twenty-two peers who declined to obey; he remained at Westminster. Sir Gervase Lucas, Master of the Horse to the earl, raised a regiment of horse; Baptist Noel, Viscount Campden, and Mr. Marsh, Rector of Ashwell, also raised troops, and bearing a standard of blue and gold, with the motto "Ut Rex, sit Rex," seized Belvoir Castle and held it for the King. The castle was taken by Colonel Gervase Lucas in January 1642-43. Constant warfare went on in the neighbourhood during this time. Colonel Gervase Lucas was made Governor of Belvoir by King Charles in November, 1642. He surprised the rebels in Melton Mowbray. He seized the committee appointed by the Parliamentarians, one of whom, Colonel Hacker, threatened to pistol his own brother, because he was loyal and refused to turn rebel. In March, 1644, the Belvoir and Newark forces attacked Grantham, but without success.

Prince Rupert, in May, 1644, took Leicester, and part of the spoil was carried to Belvoir, where a hundred men had just been sent by the king.

King Charles slept in the castle on the

night of August 5th. He had marched a long distance, and it is melancholy to think of his toiling up that steep hill, snatching only a few hours' rest, and starting off again on his weary way. In October, Prince Rupert, Prince Maurice, and three or four hundred troops sustained a defeat at Walton and retreated into the castle.

Later in the year, in consequence of a disagreement between King Charles and his two nephews, Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice, they retired to Belvoir Castle, whence they dispatched a messenger to Parliament to "desire leave and passes to go beyond the seas." The King was deeply grieved at his nephews' disaffection. He sent a trusty messenger on November 3rd to inform Sir Gervase Lucas that he should march to Belvoir

that night, but Sir Gervase was charged not to acquaint the princes, or any of their company with it.

The King, in the centre of his troops, began to march at eleven o'clock; by three in the morning they were at Belvoir. There Sir Gervase Lucas and his men with good guides were ready, and attended His Majesty till break of day, till he was past those quarters he most apprehended. The siege of Belvoir began November 6th. On the 20th the outworks and stables, which had been fortified, were stormed, and it is said, let us hope without foundation, that Belvoir village was demolished by the Earl of Rutland's consent.

At length after standing a long siege,

THE CHAPEL.

the gallant Sir Gervase Lucas and his men found the water supply was failing, and on February 3rd, 1645, the garrison capitulated.

A Parliamentarian writer records that, "they were allowed to march away to Lichfield, upon more honourable terms indeed than they deserved." Captain Markham was then appointed Governor of Belvoir Castle.

The republican party were much elated at their success, and the fortress is thus described :-"The stronghold of Belvoir, which deriveth denomination from the situation of the place which overlooked all the country, there being threescore and six degrees or steps of stone to the ascent."

In 1649, after King Charles' martyrdom, the council of state reported their