Chapters English

C hapte rs En glish B the R e v y . H Ra n le D . w s . y Can on o fCarlisle ut r of Lite rar ss at n s of the En lish Lakes A ho y A oci io g , With Te n Ill ustratio n s Glasgow Jam e s M acL e h ose an d So n s Publishe rs to the U n ive rsity I 9 1 3 PREFATORY NOTE MY due McMe han r thanks are to Mr. c fo the of the t um block Wig on p p from which Mrs . d w s for Rawnsley has made her ra ing , and al o his kindness in giving me his reminiscences f ’ o Dickens s visit to Wigton to Mrs . Griffith Boscawen for the portrait of Q ueen Adelaide ; u for n to the late Rev . H gh Fleming the ma u ’ script description of Queen Adelaide s visit to Miss Taylor for the photograph of Ang us f r u Fletcher ; to Dr . An derson o his s rvey and ’ notes on the Druids Circle ; and to Miss Br oatch n for her help in readi g the proof. D R. H . A u ust 1 9 1 3 . g , CONTENTS THE LIFE AND DEATH OF JOHN WORDSWORTH C E II. OLERIDGE AT TH ENGLISH LAKES B III . CHARLES DICKENS IN CUM ERLAND ’ V S D C S S X T THE I . CHARLE I KEN CONNE ION WI H LAKE DISTRICT B — N V. KESWICK AND NEIGH OURHOOD A HI S TOR ICAL SKETCH V THE ST C C ON G ST CO I . ONE IR LE A RI FELL THE B TT OF PORTI NSCALE B D VII . A LE RI GE V AN OLD- S P I S P TY III. FA HIONED AR H AR B T E M T D — S T I X. E WE N OONLIGH AND AWN KA ING ON DERWENTWATER C Y TI ST X. WILD HERR ME IN WE MORELAND N T ST P SS SS S ON XI . THE A IONAL TRU O E ION WINDERMERE B RRANS I . O FIELD ’ HI II . QUEEN ADELAIDE S LL LIST OF ILLU STRATIONS PAGE OLD PORTINSCALE BRIDGE MEMORIAL STONE TO BROTHER JOHN THE OLD PUMP AND LAMP AT WIGTON As DICKEN S SAW THEM ANGUS FLETCHER STONE CIRCLE ON GASTRICO FELL ROMAN CAMP AND BORRANs FIELD FROM LOUGHRIGG QU EEN ADELAI DE WINDERMER E AND MILLER GROUND FROM ADELAID E HILL The Life an d D e ath of John W o rd sw o rth N JOH , the third son Of John and Anne Words C on D 4 worth , was born at ockermouth ecember , 1 2 7 7 . He was thus two years and eight months all but three days younger than his brother the poet , and nearly a year younger than his sister D orothy . Wordsworth in The Prelude tells us , E arly die d M n u e M e sh e w h o w as th e e a y ho o r d oth r, h rt ’ A n d hin ge of all ou r l e arn in gs an d our love s . and at the age of six John was motherless . In 1 778 the year , William and his elder brother Richard were already at Hawkshead School , the of Old foundation Archbishop Sandys , and some time between this date and the date Of the ’ 1 7 83 father s death , which took place in , John was sent to join them there . 2 THE LIFE AND DEATH OF of There it was , in that vale pastoral beauty , that John began to be hau nted by a love Of u Nature which never forsook him , and enco raged perhaps insensibly by the elder brother learned to practi se habits Of clo se Observation Of natural s him to m Object that , while it fitted beco e as he ’ fir st- ffi afterwards became , a rate ship s O cer , trained his min d to care with discrimination and warmest sympathy for the distinctive qualities Of ’ his brother s poems . We can imagine him under um D s the h ble roof Of ame Tyson , learning ome thing Oi the virtues and the sorrows Of the poor . We can follow him afoot upon the Furness fells with his brothers to set or reset the woodcock or s springes , watch him haring the adventures Of his school - mates in their desperate climbs after ’ s s the raven nest in Yewdale . We can track him by the beck with his rod and line , listen to him hooting to the owls . He goes to the u u a t mn copses with the lads for hazel nuts , he joins his school - mates at their favourite sport upon Esthw aite Water when all sh od w ith ste e l The y hisse d al on g th e polishe d ice in gam es ’ Co n e e r f d ate . He shares with them the delight Of mixing with J OHN WORDSWORTH 3 the shepherds at their Clippings and sheep - wash l ings , and doubtless knew right wel the running huntsmen Of the dale . What skill he had in learning we know n ot. His father used to encourage his boys to repeat passages by heart to him from Shakespeare , Milton , and Spenser , in the holidays . It may have been partly owing to this that John Words for worth early cared poetry , and made the poets il rh B companions Of his sa o ood. ut the holidays u so looked forward to , those holidays pon whose glad eve the brothers used to repair to the ’ C Out- G - High rag near ate and scout like , ’ out having gained the summit , to peer in the direction Of Penrith and the Kir k ston e Pass im p ati e n t for th e sight ’ O se le d a e s t at s u e a t e m m e f tho p lfr y h ho ld b r h ho , were suddenly clouded with a great sorrow . Wordsworth tells us e r e w e h ad b e e n te n days ’ Sojou rn e rs in m y fath e r s hou se h e die d A n d I an d m y thre e brothe rs or ph an s th e n ’ o w e h is r F llo d body to th e g ave . John Wordsworth was then eleven years Old , and he probably remained at Hawkshead till at 4 THE LIFE AND DEATH OF f the age of sixteen he entered the service o the D East India Company as midshipman . orothy Wordsworth , far from happy in her Penrith life , 1 7 8 7 f writing in says , The af ection Of my how brothers consoles me in all my griefs , but soon shall I be deprived of this consolation . William and Christopher are very clever . John , who is to be the sailor , has a most affectionate n ot or heart . He is so bright as either William C n hristopher , but he has very good commo ’ sense . a W . C . Many time have , J and myself shed of . tears together , tears the bitterest sorrow We all of us feel each day the loss we sustained when ’ we were deprived of our parents . It was this very orphan hood that drew the brothers and sisters together ; bonds stronger n of tha steel , the bonds household sympathy were then woven that n o wandering upon strange waters Should ever break . Wordsworth is his brother ’ s biographer at this 1 800 time , and we find in a poem written in , B ’ called The rothers , which was intended as a concluding poem to a series of pastorals in the — ’ Lake Country a picture of John Wordsworth s of mind , and a hint the great love between the JOHN WORDSWORTH 5 s u brothers . Wordsworth thu describes him nder the name Of Leonard A s he phe rd lad w h o e r e his si x te e n th ye ar H ad e t t at a l n te m e to e n t u st l f h c l i g , pt d r H is e x pe ctation s to the fickl e w i n d s A n d p e ri lo us w ate rs w ith the m ari n e rs — A fe llow -m ar i n e r an d so h ad fare d Through tw e n ty se ason s ; b u t he h ad b e e n re are d m n the m u n ta n s an d he i n his e a t A o g o i , h r W as h alf a she ph e rd on the storm y se Oft in th e pipi n g shro u d s h ad L e on ard h e ard Th e o n e s of w ate a s an d n an s u n s t rf ll , i l d o d O ca e s an d t e e s — an d w e n th e e u a w n f v r , h r g l r i d Be twe e n the tr o s fi e th e ste a s a pic ll d dy il , h e in t se ou s , ho h r O t e som e n e n e w u te n an f ir i dol c , o ld of h g ’ O e th e e sse s s e an d az e an d az e v r v l id , g g Be w him i n th e b s m Of th e e e lo , o o d p Saw m o u n tai n s ; saw th e for m s of sh e e p th at graz e d On e r an t s— w w e l n s am on t e e s v d hill ith d l i g g r , A n d she phe r ds cl ad in the s am e co u n tr y gre y ’ he m se Which hi lf h ad w orn .

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