THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
137
" Behind the gatehouse are large reception rooms, occupying the same
position as the old buildings, and probably erected for the most part on the
old foundations. The moat, formerly surrounding the manor house and
garden, now also surrounds the garden and buildings. It is, however,
narrowed to a ditch in front of the gatehouse ; and a little bridge spans it,
where once, no doubt, there was a drawbridge, for at the top of the gateway
on both sides are holes, as if for the chains by which the drawbridge could
be drawn up when safety required. The outer court-yard, separated from
the dwelling house and garden by the moat (in which the horsemen and
other armed men were to have assembled, and been concealed to await the
approach of the royal party), exists as a bowling green, and is bounded on
one side by a long low building, occupying the place of the malt house.
The granary, the loop-holed wall, and the towers at the corner of the moat
have been removed. The grant to Andrew Ogard comprised 50 acres of land
—eleven acres of meadow, eight acres of pasture, sixteen acres of wood ;
which are now no doubt the fields surrounding the premises. The boundaries
are not marked in the plan, but a toll gate is mentioned 250 paces from the
outer court-yard fence, and apparently occupying the same position as the
gate which now separates the premises from the meadows. In the account
of Rye House (1685), it is stated, in coming from Newmarket towards
London, 'when you are near the House,' you pass the meadows over a narrow
causeway, at the end of which is a toll gate, which having entered you go
through a yard, and a little field. A traveller from Newmarket by Stanstead
to Hoddesdon, passes now as he did in the time of Charles II., over the
narrow causeway through the meadow, and has to pay toll at the gate. Then
he passes through the yard, and through the little field, and enters the
narrow lane in which the cart was to have been overturned.
" Old halls of much more architectural importance, and of an earlier date
are known. Netherhall was an earlier and a nobler building than Rye
House. Most of them, however, are in ruins, consisting only of detached
portions of the walls and the plans of the buildings can only be made out by
tracing, where they exist, the foundations of the other portions. But Rye
House has the original arrangement of the buildings and premises so well
maintained, that there is no difficulty in following the plan of the premises in
1685, and also the plan of the conspirators. It has, therefore, much to render
it an object of great interest to all those who derive pleasure from an exam-
ination of places and localities which have been rendered important by their
historical associations."
Mr. Winstone exhibited copies of the Plan of 1685, which he had
re-printed. A vote of thanks was heartily given to him for the interesting
paper read.
Soon afterwards the "Salisbury" was safely moored at the Rye House,
and the party sat down to an excellent luncheon provided by Mr. Teal.
Then followed an Ordinary Meeting (the 188th), Mr. T, V. Holmes,
F.G.S., Vice-President, in the chair.
The following were elected members of the Club :— Dr. Alexander
Ambrose, B.A., M.D., L.L.D., Mrs. A. Boake, Col. Bryan, CE, Rev. T.