Oxford Gardens
.AWNS of the richest green and soft velvet, grass shadowed by ancient trees that have lived a quiet life here for centuries."
Oxford gardens to-day are world-famous, but how delightful could we but see them as they were in the days when humble wooden dwellings, roofed with thatch, constituted " Oxford," and in still earlier times when monks first set up cloisters for pilgrimage and prayer. Of the gardens of the oldest colleges—Balliol, Merton, and University—in the fourteenth and fifteenth. centuries, when the students went about in togas and tabards, no records have come down to us, but it is reasonable to suppose that when the Lady Devorguilla, "desiring with a mother's affection to provide for the well-being of our sons, Scholars dwelling in Oxford," founded Balliol, the garden attached to her foundation would have been a typical mediaeval plot, and apparently each student had a share, for in the early sixteenth century the Master of Balliol allotted not only the rooms but also these separate gardens. Whether this was the custom in other early foundations we do not know.
The famous Fellows' garden at Merton dates back to the fifteenth century, and in those days, as now, one of the minor offices was that of " Garden Master." The present Warden's garden was in the early fifteenth century a nunnery garden, and was leased to Merton in 1444 by Alice Waleleyn, the Prioress. Ever since then it has been the Warden's garden.
During her residence at Oxford in the Civil Wars Queen Henrietta Maria lodged with her court at Merton, and to this day the gardens seem haunted by royalist ghosts. Though the King lodged at Christ Church (whence a private way led through the grove and gardens of Corpus to Merton) it was at Merton that he held his court. Loggan's view of Merton in 1675 shows the charming little summer-house with sixteen steps leading to it, which Clayton, who had been appointed Warden by Juxon, built at a cost of nearly a hundred pounds for his wife's pleasure. Both the warden and his wife were notoriously unpopular, and in the summer-house, aecord;.. ing to Anthony Wood, " her ladyship and her gossips may take their pleasure and any eavesdropper of the family may hearken what any of the fellows should accidentally talk." " The Lady Clayton's Summer-house," as it was commonly known, was still in existence at the end of the eighteenth century and is shown in Skelton's amnia.
In the early eighteenth century Merton Gardens, then open day and night to the puhlic, were the chief resort of the youth and fashion of Oxford, but in 1720 the gardens were closed and the youths with their com- panions had to betake themselves to the " fair " in Magdalen Walk. " I am not the only one," wrote one severe critic, " that has taken notice of the almost universal corruption of our youth, which is to be imputed to nothing so much as to that multitude of Female Resi- dentiaries who have of late infested our learned retire- ments and drawn off Numbers of unwary young* persons from their studies."
For centuries Merton has been a garden of limes, yews, and sycamores. There were sycamores there in 1680, and some of the trees may date from that time: Lincoln College has been famous for its vine ever since the fifteenth century. In 1474 the second Founder, Thomas Bishop of Lincoln, paid a visit to the college which had been founded by his predecessor Richard Fleming. The college was in a very poor state and the then Rector of Lincoln preached before him from the text : " Behold and visit this Vine and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted " (Ps. lxxx. 14, 15). The Bishop took the hint and endowed the college generously, and in commemoration of the sermon a vine was planted in the still unfinished quadrangle. The vine, apparently in a very flourishing condition, can be seen in Loggan's illustration. Lincoln College Garden formerly occupied the site of Oxford market, and in the seventeenth century it comprised a tennis court and butts for archery.
The garden of All Souls dates from Elizabeth's reign and was made by the great Robert Hovenden, who was Warden for forty-two years. The ground had been given by Sir William Petre, who was successively Secretary of State to Henry VIII., Treasurer to Edward VI., Secretary to Queen Mary, and Privy Councillor under Elizabeth. " The Warden's garden was some time the Rose Inn and being purchased by Sir W. Petre and given ye college it lay waste till 1573, when Master R. Hovenden desired the Compy to grant it him and he would enclose it and remove the well, which was called the Rose well, standing in it (whereof it was said merrily the fellows wash'd every day in Rose water) upon his own charges. The week before Easter 1574 lie began to level ye ground and the whole charge came to £14 2s. 10d. and ye well with ye pump 40s." In Hovenden's Typus Collegii this garden is shown laid out in the elaborate knots of the period..
Of another Oxford garden enthusiast of Elizabethan days a delightful description has come down to us in the Shanne Family Book. Elizabethan and Early Stuart biographers had, as we all know, a gift for depicting those they elected to portray with a childlike simplicity and gravity, a sense of humour and a genuine kindliness after which the modern biographer labours but in vain. Who, having read it once, could forget this artless word. picture ?
" Richard Shanne was borne the tenth of August being Thursdaie 1561. This Richard was of reasonable tallness, stright of bodie, he was somewhat paile of complexion, his heire of his head mouse coloured, he was verie light and nimble of foote, his chicfest delite was in plantings and grafting all manor of herbes and trees, and had irowhige in his gardinge a great number of rare and straunge plants, there was not allmost anie herbe growinge but he did know the severall names thereof, and the nature and opperation of the same, he did practise both in Chirurgerie and did cure verie manie daungerous wounds and ulcers. He made three bookes of the Nature and operations of herbes and Trees and drew with his pen the trew picktures of everie plante, set downe in what ground everie herbe and tree was to be found and the tymes of their springinge, florishinge and sedinge. He planted three Orchards of his owne. . . . He maid two large bookes diologge wyse of Phisicke & Chirurgerie. He delited much in reding Granados Meditations, and was verie seldome seene in anie rude companie, but avoyded companie as much as he could and took much pleasure to walke in woods and to be solitarie. He lyved in the dates of Quene Elizabeth, Kynge James & Kinge Charles."
ELEANOUR SINCLAIR ROHDE.
(To be continued.)
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