nebbeworth. It is, however, ancient, and was valued in _Domesday Book_.

Sir Thomas Bouchier, K.G., who fought for the Earl of Richmond at
Bosworth Field, sold the manor of Knebbeworth to Robert Lytton, Esq.,
Keeper of the Wardrobe to Henry VII., whose son William was buried in
this parish. This Sir Robert began to erect a huge Tudor mansion on the
site of a fortress which had stood since the days of the Conquest; it
took several generations to complete it. The present house is the result
of the work of demolition and reconstruction in the days of the
novelist's mother, and of the enlarging of 1883, when the S. wing and
entrance were added; it is pseudo-Gothic. The castellated parapet,
cupola-topped turrets, griffins upon pinnacles and many mullioned
windows are noticeable features from the grounds. Within, the finest
sight is the grand old banqueting hall, with its gallery for minstrels,
its Elizabethan oak-screen, and wainscots by Inigo Jones. Around, on all
sides, are suits of armour, some dating from the days of Henry VII. The
room is associated with memories of Elizabeth, who was sometimes
entertained at Knebworth by Sir Rowland Lytton, whom she knighted; he
was buried in the chancel of the little church in the park (see below)
in 1582. The room in which Elizabeth slept on these occasions is still
shown as "Queen Elizabeth's Chamber," and contains a finely carved
over-mantel (oak) and an oaken bedstead of colossal proportions. Among
the distinguished guests so often entertained here by Bulwer Lytton were
Dickens, Forster and Jerrold.

The grounds are nearly perfect, art and nature seaming to strive to
out-do one another. Well-kept lawns are figured by flower-beds of all
shapes and sizes; the rosery is very large; the great variety of
evergreens imparts every hue and shade to the extensive walks stretching
W. from the house. The lawns are divided here and there by stone
balustrades and overlooked by statues of classical and modern figures.
There are many nooks, pleasure houses and alcoves. A long avenue of
limes leads to the lake.

The church, a little N. from the house, is approached through lodge
gates. It is for the most part E.E. The oaken pulpit is octagonal; the
finely carved panels represent scenes in the life of Christ, one of them
bears the date 1567. At the N. side of the chancel, which has a piscina,
is the Lytton Chapel, "a little Chapel or Burying Place, built by the
Family of the Lyttons". Among the