North-east View of the Castle from the Brocas at Windsor Castle, based on a sketch made by Sandhurst Military Academy drawing-master W. Alfred Delamotte for the eleventh instalment of W. Harrison Ainsworth's Windsor Castle. An Historical Romance, Headpiece for Book V, Chapter I,"Of Henry's Attachment to Jane Seymour," in Ainsworth's Magazine (June 1843), eleventh instalment, p. 283: 8.9 high by 9.3 cm wide, vignetted. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]
Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Passage Introduced
Other changes had likewise taken place, which may be here recorded. The Earl of Surrey had made the tour of France, Italy, and the Empire, and had fully kept his word, by proclaiming the supremacy of the Fair Geraldine's beauty at all tilts and tournaments, at which he constantly bore away the prize. But the greatest reward, and that which he hoped would crown his fidelity — the hand of his mistress — was not reserved for him.
At the expiration of three years, he returned home, polished by travel,and accounted one of the bravest and most accomplished cavaliers of theday. His reputation had preceded him, and he was received with marks of the highest distinction and favour by Henry, as well as by Anne Boleyn.But the king was still averse to the match, and forbade the FairGeraldine to return to court.[Book the Sixth, "Jane Seymour," Chapter I, "Of Henry's Attachment to Jane Seymour," p. 284]
Commentary
Since the wood-engraving appears in the last instalment of the novel, after the non-fiction antiquarian section on the history of Windsor Castle, Delamotte in all likelihood made the sketch for it in the summer of 1842, but probably had no inkling as to how Ainsworth would use it nine months later. Thus, it is not technically an "illustration" since it is unlikely that Delamotte had read what would turn out to be the accompanying text regarding the Earl of Surrey's wanderings when he visited the castle, and sketched the site from across the river. The Curfew Tower, depicted a number of times already, and St. George's Chapel are the now-familiar features which the artist emphasizes. Both this wood-engraving and the next suggest what a traveller would have seen as he or she was approaching the town and the castle in 1842.
We now move to yet another St. George's Day — 23 April 1536. There have been six years of changes, although Henry VIII remains on he throne: Wolsey and Catherine of Arragon are both dead, and Anne, with three years as Queen of England, is about to be supplanted by Lady Jane Seymour. The reader is prepared for this final change through the incident at Greenwich Palace in which Anne discovers Jane wearing a miniature bearing Henry VIII's likeness in Book VI, Chapter I, and through Jane's rebuttal regarding Anne's presenting a similar miniature to Sir Henry Norris.
Other Views of the Curfew Tower
- Curfew Tower, from Thames Street
- Eastern View of the Curfew Tower
- Interior of the Curfew Tower
- Vault in the Curfew Tower
- Curfew Tower and other buildings, as proposed to be altered by Wyatville
- Port-hole in the Curfew Tower
- The Castle, from the Brocas
- The Disappearance of Herne in the Curfew Tower
Other Views of St. George's Chapel
- Cardinal Wolsey's Tomb-House
- Cloisters near Saint George's Chapel
- South side of Saint George's Chapel
- Interior of Saint George's Chapel, looking towards the Choir
- West End of Saint George's Chapel
Other Views and Related Material on Windsor Castle
- Windsor Castle from the Long Walk, Victorian additions and alterations by Sir Jeffry Wyattville
- Early twentieth-century view of the castle from the river
- The Frogmore Mausoleum, adjacent to the Long Walk
- Statue of Queen Victoria at the foot of Castle Hill, Windsor
References
Ainsworth, William Harrison. Windsor Castle. An Historical Romance. Illustrated by George Cruikshank and Tony Johannot. With designs on wood by W. Alfred Delamotte. London: Routledge, 1880. Based on the Henry Colburn edition of 1844.
"Image of the Month: The Curfew Tower." College of St. George, Windsor Castle. https://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/image_of_the_month/the-curfew-tower/
Patten, Robert L. Chapter 30, "The 'Hoc' Goes Down." George Cruikshank's Life, Times, and Art, vol. 2: 1835-1878. Rutgers, NJ: Rutgers U. P., 1991; London: The Lutterworth Press, 1996. Pp. 153-186.
Plowman-Craven. "Curfew Tower, Windsor Castle." https://www.plowmancraven.co.uk/projects/curfew-tower-windsor-castle/
Worth, George J. William Harrison Ainsworth. New York: Twayne, 1972.
Last modified 2 January 2017