WINDSOR. HOME OF BRITISH MONARCHY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 31, 30 October 1937, Page 15

WINDSOR. HOME OF BRITISH MONARCHY

An Historic Building Which Has Weaved its Place in the Pattern of England's Story and is Symbolical of the Orderly Britori

'J'HEBE AEE IN ENGLAND two -historic buildings that are emblematic of the British race and its achievements. Of these Westminster Abbey may be said to be the spiritual centre of the Empire, while Windsor Castle is the home of its Monatchy. Tliere is no other building in the world that has been so long or so intimatCly associated with a Boyal line as Windsor Castle. Eor near.y 900 yeaie, with the exception of a brief break after the execution oi' Charles I% Windsor has been a home for England's Sovereigns. Dur* ing that period the Court has had numeroas official residences in London, but the Castle only has remained unchainged as the Eoyal country seat. In ^The Story of Windsor Castle " Mr. Bruce Graeme covers its entire history from its foundation by William the Conquemr. Among the more remarkable features of the story, that which will surprise the reader most is its Jack of violent episode. It is no tale of battle and murder and sudden death. Kemembering the grim drama associated with so many European Eoyal homes this aepect of Windsor Castle seem& to make it syxnbQlical of the orderly Briton. When one considers the lawless medieval' times through which the Castle- has stood, and the turmoil and tumult through which the country has passed, the immunity of Windsor from serious bloodshed is extraordinary. Only twice • was it called upon to stand siege. Once, while Eichard I. was in Palestine, John seized the Castle, declariug he had news of the King's death. The Chief Justiciar, the Archbishop of Eouen, laid a lialf-hearted siege to Windsor for a few days, and gave it hp qs a bad job. The most serious waxlike event in the story of Windsor came a few years later, when th© barons rose against John. In 1216 the governor of the Castle, Engelard de Cygony, held it for John against the barons. It was a desperate two znonths' investment with all the most modera siege machinery. Angelard had with him 60 knights. The Castle, however, proved too hard • a nut for the Count of Nevers, who led the at tackers, Some of the walls were destroyed, but

when John raised the siege the military history of Windsor closed. For a time in its early history Windsor was used as a prison — or partly a prison. Despite this, however, it has no record of wholesale executions, such as attaches to many medieval piles. There is only one very evil deed in its history, and that, like its only siege, can be placed to the discredit of King John. The King had quarrelled with William de Braose, whose ancestor had come from Normandy with the Conqueror. De Braose V wife, Maude, had infuriated John by a barbed jest at his expense. Maude and her son William fell into John's hands. They were taken to Windsor at Christmastide 1213, and here John added one of the darkest blots- to his name by etarving mother and son to death. It is said that he went daily to gibe at them as they became weaker. As nine century ol.d castles go, therefore, the character of Windsor stands high. After the Conquest^ when William saw that to keep the English in order strategie fortresses were necessary, he decided upon Windsor as a site for one of them. Its elevated situation, from which 12 counties are visible on a clear day, was probably the determining factor. Aecording to Domesday Book, William had reserved the surrounding country as his pereonal property. In its early days the name of the site Was spelled in divers peculiar ways. Ancient doeuments give it as Wyndleshora, Windelosoriis, Windlesoveres, Windesor, and Windlesoren, By the time of Elizabeth we find the name in State doeuments spelled as Winsor. Its present spelling was not established until the 18th century. It is aupposed to have meant originally " winding shore," in reference to the eourse of the Thames. But His Majesty King George V. could not possible have chosea a more. essentially English name for the Eoyal Family than that of Windsor, nor one more intimately associated with the Eoyal line. The growth of the Castle from its foundation was slow. There is evidence that the fortreas built by William the Conqueror was mainly of timber and earth. It waa rebuilt by

Henry L, and this time the first stone was introduced into its construction, The conspicuoua feature which has persisted all through its history, and which stands out in the earliest known drawings, is the round tower. Each Sov- ' ereign in turn added a little to the building. It was under Henfy IU., however, that the Castle began to afisume its present fonn. Henry III. used the Castle largely as a residence, and spent fav more than he could afford. One portionof Windsor, known as Henry IIL's Tower, stands to-day unaltered since it was completed for the King's pereonal use in 1223-5. Maintenance of Windsor Castle ha® always been costly. Despite the work of Henry HE., f by the time Edward IH. reached the Throne% a century later, the Castle, from contemporary^ doeuments, had fallen into eerious disrepair. It stands to the honour of Edward III.. however, for making the Castle what it is to-day. He was determined to make his home the finesfc castle in the world. There was no dearth of either money or labour. With Edward m. begins one of the mo3t splendid features of the Castle 's history in the establishment of the Order of the Garter in 1348. Four years earlier he had conceived the idea of re-eetablishing Arthur's Knights of the Bound Table, Hia plan was an order of 300 knights with their headquarters at Windsor. He actually began the building of a house for the knights of 600|ft. "It was never completed, and the site chosen is somewhat in donbt. • In its later days George HT. was one of the Sovereigns who. made most use of the Castle aa a Eoyal residence. Hp to the death of the Prince Consort Queen Victoria passed much of her time at Windsor. Oue Qf the most remarkable acen.es that took place at Windsor during the last century waa when William IV. etood np at a; state dinner one night and poured forth a tirade of abnse against the Duchess of Kent (mother of Queen Victoria), who was sitting beside him. The young Princese Victoria, who was also present, burst into tears. The scene is xecorded in all its aatounding detail by Graeme.