Old Hampshire Mapped
Cobbett's Hampshire
Transcription (86)New Forest
New Park
woods
forestry
Commissioners of Woods and Forests
crown land
Romsey
Romsey Abbey
Palmerston, Lady
Petty, William, Sir
Lansdown, Marquis of
Charles I
Cromwell
Charles II
Having made all preparations for a day's ride, we set off, as our first point, for a station, in the Forest, called NEW PARK, there to see something about plantations and other matters connected with the affairs of our prime cocks, the Surveyors of Woods and Forests and Crown Lands and Estates. But, before I go forward any further, I must just step back again to RUMSEY, which we passed rather too hastily through on the 16th, as noticed in the RIDE that was published last week. This town was, in ancient times, a very grand place, though it is now nothing more than a decent market-town, without any thing to entitle it to particular notice, except its church, which was the church of an Abbey NUNNERY (founded more, I think, than a thousand years ago), and which church was the burial place of several of the SAXON KINGS, and of 'LADY PALMER-STONE,' who, a few years ago, 'died in child-birth'! What a mixture! But, there was another personage buried here, and who was, it would seem, a native of the place; namely, SIR WILLIAM PETTY, the ancestor of the present MARQUIS OF LANSDOWN. He was the son of a cloth-weaver, and was, doubtless, himself, a weaver when young. He became a surgeon, was first in the service of Charles I.; then went into that of Cromwell, whom he served as physician-general to his army in Ireland (alas! poor Ireland), and, in this capacity, he resided in Dublin till Charles II. came, when he came over to London (having become very rich), was knighted by that profligate and ungrateful King, and he died in 1687, leaving a fortune of 15,000l. a year! ...
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