Earl died at Marlborough, in May, 1612, in his fiftieth year, and was buried at Hatfield, agreeably to the directions of his will. On the south side of the chancel, is the Chapel of the Lords of the Manor of Ponsburne, and in this are several monuments of the Brockets and Reads, of Brocket Hall. One of them is in memory of SIR JOHN BROCKET, Knt. who died in 1598; and near it is another, in commemoration of his two ladies, Helen and Elizabeth; both of whose effigies are lying on the tomb, one above the other. In the chancel lies buried SIR FRANCIS BOTELER, Knt. of Watton Wood-Hail, with others of his family. Various charitable benefactions have been made for the poor of this town: and here are several small Alms-Houses. The population of Hatfield, as returned under the late Act, amounted to 2442; the number of houses to 482. HATFIELD HOUSE, the principal residence of James Cecil, Marquis of Salisbury, and Viscount Cranbourn, occupies a beautiful situation in a finely diversified park, watered on the north side by the river Lea, and including an area of several miles in circumference. This mansion is of brick, and of vast extent: it was erected by Robert Cecil, first Earl of Salisbury, between the years 1605, when the manor came into his possession by exchange with King James, and 1611; the latter date appearing in front of a lofty tower, which rises near the centre of the building. Its form is that of an half H: many improvements have been made here of late years, particularly by the last Earl, who restored the ancient magnificence of this venerable edifice, which had been suffered to fall into decay, and again rendered it an habitation worthy of the Cecils. Many of the apartments are very large; and most of them are decorated with pictures of considerable merit and curiosity. The following are among the most valuable. The LORD TREASURER BURLEIGH, and his son, ROBERT CECIL, the first Earl; both of whom are depicted in their robes, with white wands, WILLIAM, second Earl of Salisbury; represented in black, with long hair; wearing the George, a star on his cloak, and near him a dog; Sir Peter Lely. LORD VISCOUNT CRANBOURN, son of the above; Sir Peter Lely. JAMES, the third Earl of Salisbury; a full length, in his robes; Sir Peter Lely. JAMES, fourth Earl; Sir Godfrey Kneller. LADY LATIMER; Sir Peter Lely, ALGERNON, Earl of Northumberland; and the LADY ANNE, his wife, daughter of William, second Earl of Salisbury; half lengths; Vandyck. QUEEN ELIZABETH; a very curious picture, in which that Princess is depicted in a close-bodied gown, with a long distended gauze veil. On her head is a coronet and aigret; her neck is adorned with a necklace of pearl, and her arms with bracelets. Her hair is yellow, depending in two long tresses; and her face young, and tolerably handsome. The lining of her robe is wrought with eyes and ears; and on her left sleeve is embroidered a serpent: in the other hand is a rainbow, with the adulating motto non sine sole Iris. MARY, Queen of Scots, a whole length on board; with the inscription MARIA D. G. Scotia piissima regina, Franciæ dotaria Anno aetatis regnique 36. Anglica captivitatis 10. S. H. 1573. The dress consists of a long black mantle, bordered with white lace; at her girdle is a cross and rosary. ROBERT DUDLEY, Earl of Leicester. MARGARET, Countess of Richmond, on board, veiled as a nun; to which her having taken a vow of celibacy, at the age of sixty-four, is considered to have given her a title. This Lady was the noble foundress of the Colleges of Christ and St. John, Cambridge. LAURA, the far-famed object of the sonnets of Petrarch, with the inscription: Lauri fui. Viridem Raphael fecit. atque Petrarcha. She died at Avignon in April, 1348. HENRY THE SIXTH, a head, on board. CATHERINE DE CORNARA, Queen of Cyprus. Among the other pictures is a very singular representation, on board, of HENRY THE EIGHTH, and his Queen ANN BOLEYN, at at a country wake, or fair, at some place in Surrey, within sight of the Tower of London. In this piece is a great number and variety of figures, the dress and occupations of which are particularly curious. The Park and grounds, belonging to this mansion, contain some of the finest timber in the county, oak, elm, ash, &c. and the scenery is very beautiful, the great diversity of the surface, combined with the accompaniments of wood and water, giving birth to many fine picturesque views. Robert, the first Earl, originally laid out two parks here, for red and fallow deer; and in one of them he planted a vineyard, which was in existence at the time that Charles the First was a prisoner at Hatfield: the deer are still numerous. The Marchioness of Salisbury has particularly exerted herself in the promotion of agriculture; and has a very interesting Experiment Ground, including about seventeen acres, well fenced, and crossed by walks, for the convenience of inspecting the crops. This ground was first prepared in the year 1795, and has been chiefly confined to the production of vegetables, lucerne, and coleseed. The air of neatness and liberality which pervades this little establishment excites considerable interest. The greatness of the Cecils was derived from the consummate talents in state affairs, of William, Lord Burleigh, who, according to the Fragmenta Regalia of Sir Robert Naunton, was the son of a "younger brother of the Cecills of Hertfordshire, a family of my own knowledge, though now private, yet of no mean antiquity; who, being exposed and sent to the city, as poor gentlemen used to do their sons, became to be a rich man on London Bridge, and purchased (estates) in Lincolnshire, where this man was born." He first became Secretary to the Protector, Somerset; and, on the accession of Elizabeth, was appointed Secretary of State. His application to public business, and devotion to his country's interests, rendered him a deserved favorite with his Royal mistress; and, in January, 1561, he was made President of the Court of Wards. Two years afterwards, on the twenty-fifth of February, 4570, 1, he was created Lord Burleigh; and he continued to maintain. S 4. tain his supremacy in state affairs till the termination of his life, in August, 1598. Robert, the youngest son of Lord Burleigh, was the inheritor of a great portion of his father's wisdom, blended, perhaps, with a more subtle policy, and a superior capacity for state intrigue. During the life of Elizabeth, he maintained a secret correspondence with King James, by whom, in May, 1603, he was advanced to the peerage. In the ensuing year, he was created Viscount Cranbourn; and in the next, made Earl of Salisbury. These honors were not bestowed on an undeserving object: on the accession of James, he had been appointed sole Secretary of State, and the duties of this office he filled with the utmost ability; as he afterwards did those of the Lord Treasurer, to which he was appointed on the death of the Earl of Dorset, in April, 1608. Shrewd, subtle, and penetrating, he neglected not his own interests, while attending to those of his country; and, by various methods, increased his inheritance to a very ample extent. At length, worn out with the cares of business, he lingered a few months, and expired in 1612, greatly to the loss of the nation, in which scarcely a man of equal talents as a statesman could then be found. William, his only son and successor, was more remarkable for his passion for hawking and hunting, and for a versatility of disposition, which rendered him a willing agent to all the varying measures of his time, than for any superior abilities, He died in December, 1668, at the age of seventy-eight; and was succeeded by James, the third Earl, who was a strenuous supporter of the bill for excluding the Duke of York from the Throne, James, the fourth Earl, was suspected of engaging in a project for restoring James the Second: he died in 1694. James, his great-grandson, the Seventh Earl, who succeeded his father in September, 1780, was created Marquis of Salisbury by his present Majesty, in August, 1789, and is now in possession of the family estates and honours. CAMFIELD PLACE, or Wild Hall, in Essenden Parish, was sold by the Priestley family, its former owners,to Thomas Brown, Esq, |