Tea at Trianon: A House Where King Charles II Hid

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, March 3, 2024

A House Where King Charles II Hid

Of course, the Cotswolds are full of such houses where the young Charles II hid during his flight after the battle of Worcester. From House and Garden:

The pull of the Cotswolds is normally explained by the sweeping West-country landscapes, the ever growing number of cultural and gastronomic destinations and the idyllic, limestone architecture which characterises its many cottages and grand houses. In some cases, like this manor house which has just hit the market with Savills, there is the additional appeal of history.

When King Charles II lost the Battle of Worcester on September 11, 1651, it is to The Old Manor House, which belonged to his friend and politician John George (who was MP for Cirencester at the time, but had pledged allegiance to the crown) that he sought refuge. It is understandable that he would have found comfort in this house – it's certainly grand enough for a king, but with all of the cosiness typical of the area.

The house was built in the 16th century, towards the end of the Tudor period and in the classic Cotswolds vernacular: light-coloured cotswolds stone bricks make up the building. It's approached via a long driveway, through a dry stone wall border. Sitting on 2.08 acres of land, the property is also home to paddocks, a double field shelter, hay store and a coach house above the garage. (Read more.)