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[Illustration: OSLER’S GLASS FOUNTAIN AND THE TRANSEPT.

THE GREAT EXHIBITION.

_Frontispiece._
]

HYDE PARK

FROM

_DOMESDAY-BOOK TO DATE_

BY

JOHN ASHTON

AUTHOR OF “SOCIAL LIFE IN THE REIGN OF QUEEN ANNE,” ETC., ETC.

_ONE MAP AND TWENTY-ONE ILLUSTRATIONS_

London

DOWNEY & CO.

YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON

1896

[_All rights reserved_]

LONDON:

GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, LIMITED,

ST. JOHN’S HOUSE, CLERKENWELL ROAD, E.C.




PREFACE.


The only History of Hyde Park, at all worthy of the name, is Vol. I. of
“The Story of the London Parks,” by Jacob Larwood. But, its author says,
definitely, “What happened in Hyde Park subsequently to 1825, approaches
too near to contemporary history to be told in these pages.” This (for
Hyde Park has a history since then), added to the inaccuracies and
imperfections of the book, has induced me to write a History of Hyde
Park from Domesday Book to Date.

JOHN ASHTON.




CONTENTS.


 CHAPTER I.

                                                                    PAGE

 The forests round London--The Manor of Eia in Domesday Book--Its
 subdivision--The Manor of Hyde--The Manor of Ebury--The Manor of
 Neate--The Neat houses--Henry VIII. and Hyde Park--Queen Elizabeth
 and Hyde Park--James I.--The deer in the Park--Last shooting
 therein--Foxes--The badger                                            1

 CHAPTER II.

 Hyde Park in the early Commonwealth--Its sale--Toll on horses and
 carriages--A hurling match--Cromwell’s accident--Attempts to shoot
 him in the Park--Notices against trespassers--The Park at the
 Restoration                                                          14

 CHAPTER III.

 The camp in Hyde Park during the Plague of 1665--Boscobel Oaks in the
 Park--When first opened to the public--What it was then like--The
 Cheesecake House--Its homely refections--Orange girls                24

 CHAPTER IV.

 Foot and horse racing in the Park--Prize fighting--Duelling--The duel
 between Lord Mohun and the Duke of Hamilton                          32

 CHAPTER V.

 Duelling in Hyde Park                                                39

 CHAPTER VI.

 Skating on the ponds and Serpentine--The Ring--Many notices
 thereof--Fireworks in the Park--Bad roads therein, and accidents
 caused thereby--Regulations in the time of Queen Anne--Making the
 drive--Riding in the Park                                            49

 CHAPTER VII.

 Rotten Row, the King’s Old Road--The New King’s Road made and
 lighted--The Allied Sovereigns in the Park--The Park after the
 Peninsular War--The Duke of Wellington in the Park--The Queen and
 Royal Family in the Park                                             61

 CHAPTER VIII.

 The springs in Hyde Park--Used as water supply for Westminster--Horses
 in the Park--The Westbourne--Making the Serpentine--The “Naumachia”
 thereon--Satires about it--The Jubilee Fair                          65

 CHAPTER IX.

 Coronation of George IV.--Boat-racing on the Serpentine--Illumination
 of the Park--Fireworks--Coronation of Queen Victoria--Fair in the
 Park--Fireworks in Hyde Park, at “Peace rejoicing,” May, 1856        75

 CHAPTER X.

 The Great Exhibition of 1851                                         94

 CHAPTER XI.

 Royal Humane Society’s Receiving House--Boats
 and bathing--The Dell--Chelsea Water Works
 reservoir--Walnut-trees--Flower-walk--Military executions--The
 Magazine, Whip, Four-in-hand and Coaching Clubs--Their dress--Satire
 on Coaching--The Park as a military centre--The first review--Fort
 at Hyde Park Corner--Guard-house--Camp in Hyde Park--Insubordinate
 troops                                                              120

 CHAPTER XII.

 Grand Reviews in 1660-1661-1668, 1682-1695-1699--Camps in
 1715-1716-1722--Poem on the latter--Reviews in 1755-1759-1760       132

 CHAPTER XIII.

 Reviews in 1763-1764--Shooting-butts in 1778--Camp in 1780--Severe
 sentence of a Court-martial--Volunteer Reviews, 1799-1800--The rain at
 the latter                                                          142

 CHAPTER XIV.

 Volunteer Reviews of 1803--Review in honour of the Allied Sovereigns,
 1814--Popularity of Blücher--Review by the Queen in 1838--Volunteer
 Review, 1860                                                        152

 CHAPTER XV.

 Volunteer Reviews, 1864, 1876--Mobs in the Park--Funeral of Queen
 Caroline                                                            163

 CHAPTER XVI.

 Commencement of the reign of King Mob--Sunday Trading Bill,
 1855--Riots--Withdrawal of the Bill--Meetings about high price of
 food, 1855--Rough play and window smashing                          177

 CHAPTER XVII.

 Sympathy with Italy, 1859--Garibaldi riots, 1862--Reform League
 Meeting, 23rd July, 1866--Police proclamation against it--Attempt to
 hold it--Hyde Park railings destroyed                               187

 CHAPTER XVIII.

 Reform League Meeting of 25th July, 1866--Burning a
 tree--Stone-throwing--Temporizing policy of the Government--Special
 constables sworn in--Meeting abandoned--Return of police
 injured--Meeting of “Working Men’s Rights Association,”
 1867--Reform League Meeting of 6th May, 1867--Police warning--Legal
 opinions--Meeting held--Meeting on 5th August, 1867                 200

 CHAPTER XIX.

 Demonstrations against the Irish Church, 1868--In favour of
 Fenians, 1869--Regulations made by Commissioners of Works--Fenian
 Demonstration, 1872--A speaker sentenced--Meeting about the
 Eastern Question, 1878--Fight--Preaching in the Park--Modern
 instances--May-Day and May 6, 1894--Against the House of Lords, Aug.
 26, 1894                                                            212

 CHAPTER XX.

 The Children’s Fête in Hyde Park, 1887                              224

 CHAPTER XXI.

 List of Rangers--A horse jumping the wall--Highwaymen--Horace Walpole
 robbed--Other robberies--Assaults, offences, etc., in the present
 reign--A very recent case                                           235

 CHAPTER XXII.

 The Gates--That into Kensington Gardens--Improvements in the
 Park--Encroachments--The case of Ann Hicks and the other
 fruit-sellers--Seats in the Park--New house in ditto                253

 CHAPTER XXIII.

 Works of art in the Park--Drinking fountain--Marble Arch--Hyde
 Park Corner--Achilles statue--Walk round the park--Cemetery of St.
 George’s, Hanover Square--Sterne’s tomb and burial--Tyburn tree--The
 Tybourne--People executed--Henrietta Maria’s penance--Locality
 of the gallows--Princess Charlotte--Gloucester House--Dorchester
 House--Londonderry House--Apsley House--Allen’s apple stall--The
 Wellington Arch--Statues of the Duke--St. George’s Hospital,
 Knightsbridge--A fight on the bridge--Albert Gate and George
 Hudson--Knightsbridge Barracks                                      265





LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.


                                                                    PAGE

Exhibition of 1851: Osier’s Glass Fountain and the Transept _Frontispiece_

Boscobel Oaks, 1804                                                   27

Cheesecake House, 1826                                                30

Duel between Lord Mohun and the Duke of Hamilton                      37

Duel between George Garrick and Mr. Baddeley, 1770                    42

Winter Amusement, 1787                                                50

The Row, 1793                                                         62

  “  “   1814. The Allied Sovereigns                                  62

  “  “   1834                                                         62

The Duke of Wellington                                                64

A Spring in the Park, 1794                                            65

Houses in the Park, 1794                                              66

A Man of War, 1814                                                    73

“Albert, spare those trees!”                                         103

Tailpiece: Col. Sibthorpe and Exhibition of 1851                     119

Map of Hyde Park from “Roque’s Survey,” 1741-1745                    120

Volunteer Review by George III., 1799                                143

The Soldiers’ Toilet, 1780                                           145

Returning from the Review, 1800                                      150

Popularity of Blücher, 1814                                          157

The Broken Windows at Apsley House, 1831                             280

[Illustration: decorative bar]




HYDE PARK.




CHAPTER I.

     The forests round London--The manor of Eia in Domesday Book--Its
     subdivision--The Manor of Hyde--The Manor of Ebury--The Manor of
     Neate--The Neat houses--Henry VIII. and Hyde Park--Queen Elizabeth
     and Hyde Park--James I.--The deer in the park--Last shooting
     therein--Foxes--The badger.


In old times London was surrounded by forests, of which the only traces
now remaining are at Bishop’s Wood, between Hampstead and Highgate, and
the Chase at Enfield. FitzStephen, who lived in the reign of Henry II.,
tells us, in his Description of London, that beyond the fields to the
north of London was an immense forest, beautified with woods and
groves--or in other words, park land--full of the lairs and