136 THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
It has, however, given to the Rye House an historical interest, greatly-
increased by the arrangement of the grounds at the present time. For
although the old buildings, with the exception of the Gate-house, no longer
remain, new buildings have been erected, occupying, to a great extent, the
sites of the old ones ; so that the general appearance now is much the same
as is shown in the plan of 1685. The buildings were, at that time, described
as being very old, and as they were built at the end of the reign of Henry
VII., or beginning of that of Henry VIII., they had been standing more than
160 years, and no doubt had the appearance of being very old, when the
account of the plot was drawn up. It is stated by Sir Henry Chauncy, in
his History of Hertfordshire, that Henry VI. granted a licence to Andrew
Ogard and others, permitting them to impark the site of the Manor of Rye,
otherwise called the Isle of Rye, in Stanstead Abbots, and to erect a castle
there with lime and stone, and to make battlements and loopholes. The
time intervening between the grant to Andrew Ogard, and the reign of Henry
VII., comprised the period of the wars of the Houses of York and Lancaster,
in which landed proprietors were much involved. It is therefore not unlikely
that no opportunity arose for erecting a castle, such as the grant permitted,
and that, as the county at the end of the reign of Henry VII. had become
so much settled, there was no necessity for erecting a stronger building than
that shown in the plan (1685), The gateway, unlike so many other buildings
of the same period, is in a good state of repair.4 In one corner of the room
over it is a staircase, shown in the plan as leading to the inner court-yard,
but the lower portion has been altered within the last few years. It passes
by a vault, reported to have been the dungeon ; and bones are shown, said to
have been found in it. There arises a doubt whether the manor had any
jurisdiction for which a dungeon would be required. The age was, however,
very lawless, and for many generations after life was held to be of little value ;
so that there is a probability of some obnoxious persons having been secretly
murdered and buried in the vault. The informer Reeling's companions had
designed for him such a fate. The circumstances are mentioned in the
account of the 'horrid conspiracy' as follows :—
' John Keeling, one of the conspirators, who, with his brother
had given information to Mr. Secretary Jenkins, having let fall some
expressions, which, being rumoured about, came quickly to the know-
ledge of some of the conspirators. Upon this they immediately
assembled, and Rumbald declared his fears of Reeling's treachery,
and that were he sure of it, he would instantly knock him on the head.
Keeling, however, for a time, allayed their suspicion. But the distrust
continuing, it was mentioned to Keeling, and he was advised to with-
draw for a time out of town, Rumbald offering his house to retire to.'
" Keeling, however, declined the invitation, giving as a reason for doing
so, urgent business and family affairs, so that—it is stated
' For that time he got safe out of their hands, which they after-
wards extremely regretted; some of them owning, that it was their
purpose, if they could have got him abroad, to have killed and
privately buried him.'
4 Over the archway are figures, representing on one side two birds, and on the other a
dragon about to take hold of a man's hand ; on the same side are two supporters holding
something, which is much weathered, so that tho design cannot very well be made out.