NETHERBY,-CUMBERLAND.

Netherby, the magnificent seat of the Right Hon. Sir James Graham, Baronet, First Lord of the Admiralty, and M. P. for Cumberland, is seated on an eminence in a beautiful and spacious park, within the township of the same name. The site of this edifice was anciently occupied by a Roman city, and the sea is supposed to have approached very near to its walls. Leland remarks, that "men alyve have sene rynges and staples yn the walles, as yt had bene stayes or holdes for shyppes." Dr. Graham, who erected this mansion, discovered many curious and interesting remains of antiquity, while forming the pleasure-grounds in the vicinage of the house. These consist of a fine hypocaust or bath, several altars, inscriptions, coins, and domestic utensils. From an inscription on one of the altars, it appears that the Romans were located here in the reign of Adrian. The Esk river, and its adjacent fertile plains, give variety to the scenery of Netherby; and the gardens and pleasure-ground attached to the mansion, are disposed with great taste. The interior of the edifice is magnificently furnished, and includes an excellent library.

The Netherby estate became, in the reign of King John, the property of the Stutevilles, whose male issue failed in the time of Henry III. The possession then passed by marriage to Hugh de Wake, and by a descendant of this house it was at length annexed to the crown. Shortly after his accession, James 1. granted the manor to George Clifford, Earl of Cumberland, of whose successor it was purchased by Sir Richard Graham, ancestor of the present distinguished proprietor.

This demesne is said to owe its importance to Dr. Graham. When it came into his possession, the lands were entirely uncultivated, and the people had scarcely emerged from feudal ignorance and barbarity. To the latter he taught industry by his own example; and the wild tract of ground soon assumed, under his management, the form of verdant meadows and fruitful corn fields. As one means of improving his estate, he erected houses for his tenants; and, attaching to each a few acres of ground, suffered the occupants to live free of rent, till the productiveness of the soil enabled them to pay it. He also established schools for the children of his tenantry; "and, in a few years, had the satisfaction of seeing upwards of five hundred young persons constantly instructed at them."

Considerable additions are now being made to the manorial house; and our artist has been furnished with the means of introducing the most important one into the present view. This is the elevated building in the centre of the edifice, ornamented with lantern turrets. The picturesque structure on the right forms an interesting object in the approach to the park.

At the distance of two miles from Netherby, are the remains of a strong entrenchment, called Liddal's Strength, situated on a lofty cliff, and commanding an extensive view of the surrounding country.

NAWORTH CASTLE, CUMBERLAND.

Naworth Castle has already formed a subject for our Illustrations; and the description by which the former view was accompanied, comprises in brief all that can be said respecting the structure. The quadrangular court is here shewn, and the peculiar architecture of this unique feudal residence effectively developed.

The Bridal of Naworth.

The manor of Gilsland, which had descended in the ancient family of Beuth from a period antecedent to the Conquest, was wrested from the rightful heirs in the time of Henry I., and by that monarch confirmed to Hubert de Vallibus and his posterity, "to hold by the service of two knight's fees." To Hubert succeeded Robert de Vallibus, his son, whose claims to the barony were disputed by Gilles Bueth. Robert, adopting the ruthless and barbarous policy of a feudal age, removed his rival by assassination, and thus established an undisputed right to the manorial possessions.

Mirth and revelry ushered in the day appointed for the nuptials of Robert, lord of Gilsland. He had chosen for his bride Ada, a lady of gentle birth, and heiress of right noble possessions: the contracts had been formally sealed and delivered, and due preparation made for the solemnization of the marriage. The bridal morn beheld a goodly company assembled in the great hall of the castle: knights and dames of high degree; pages, and men at arms; together with all the vassals of the barony. In this numerous assembly, the lady Ada was received with acclamations, as the elect bride of Robert de Vallibus. The retainers, who stood at respectful distance, at the lower end of the hall, pledged the wine-cup freely, and acknowledged the munificent largess of the baron, with shouts that echoed through the castle. The sun-beams gilded the frowning battlements of Naworth, as the bridal procession passed through the court-yard to the chapel. Then, at the altar, the lady Ada plighted her troth to the lord of Gilsland. While yet the holy brotherhood were chanting their service, and ere the benediction had hallowed the marriage rite, De Vallibus, whose countenance had assumed a ghastly paleness, uttered a loud cry of terror, and rushed forth from the chapel. Surprise and consternation seized the whole assembly the choral services were suspended, and the venerable prior stood with uplifted hands, hesitating to pronounce a blessing on a union so strangely interrupted. The bride of De Vallibus was removed insensible in the arms of her attendants, and the rest of the company retreated from the altar with confused and hasty steps.

The baron's confessor had been summoned to the oratory. When the holy father entered, he discovered his lord lying prostrate and insensible at the foot of the crucifix. He raised him from the ground, and endeavoured to recall his wandering faculties; but De Vallibus gave no sign of recognition, and his eyes threw a wild and vacant glance on objects long familiar to his sight. Cordials and restoratives at length succeeded in removing the death-like stupor which bound his senses; but the approaches of consciousness were more terrible than the pale and ghastly expression of benumbed reason. He seized

the father's hand with a convulsive grasp, while his whole frame trembled beneath the influence of some dreadful excitement.

"Benedicite, my son," at length exclaimed the monk.

"What, Ranulph, is it you?" began the baron. "A dream, a fearful terrible dream, Ranulph."

"My son, 'tis time that I recall you to yourself. It is no dream has troubled you. Within these two hours past, you fled the altar, leaving your nuptial rites unfinished; since when, your frame has been convulsed and agonized, your tongue has uttered words of guilty meaning. Confess, confess, my son, and let my counsel comfort and assure you."

"It is no dream then?" wildly exclaimed the baron," and I have seen him." "Him? whom?"

"Tell me, father-can the sepulchre cast forth its dead, to mock us with a semblance of the life, to stand before us in our very path, and blanch our cheeks to whiteness like their own?"

"Why this inquiry?"

"Gilles Beuth! he stood this day between me and the altar!"

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Whether remorse and penitence prevailed for the blood-guiltiness of the baron, is not for us to say: certain it is, that, after he had founded the priory of Lanercost, as an atonement, the church absolved him from his crime; and when he approached the altar a second time with the lady Ada, either the spirit of Gilles Beuth had been appeased, or the phantasies of a guilty mind had been dispelled by the influence of religion.

WYNYARD,-DURHAM.

Wynyard, the elegant seat of the Marquis of Londonderry, is distant about four miles and a half north by west from Stockton. Within the last few years, the park has been considerably enlarged, and the present house erected on the site of the old mansion, from a beautiful Grecian design by P. W. Wyatt, Esq. It is difficult to say which is most worthy of admiration—the dignified simplicity exhibited in the exterior of the building, or the judicious arrangements in the interior, which combine the majesty of a palace with the comforts and conveniences of a domestic dwelling. The walks and pleasure-grounds in the vicinage of the edifice harmonize well with the chaste design of the architect; artificial decoration, and superb ornament, give place to the softer features of nature. A small rivulet, forming a beautiful canal, margined with wood and shady walks, meanders with easy curvatures through the park, and gives a delightful finish to the scene.

The property of Wynyard has been held by a long succession of distinguished families. The inheritance was conveyed in marriage with Lady Frances, daughter of Sir Henry Vane Tempest, to the Marquis of Londonderry in Ireland, who, in 1823, was created Earl Vane, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain.