At
Racton to the north-east is the well-known seamark tower used by
mariners in the navigation of the channels of Chichester Harbour. The
church has a monument to an ancestor of that Colonel Gunter who took
part in the escape of Charles II. Near by is Lordington House, erected
by the father of Cardinal Pole and said to be haunted by the ghost of
that Countess of Salisbury who, when an old woman upwards of seventy,
was beheaded by the order of Henry VIII, and caused the headman much
trouble by refusing to place her head upon the block; an illustration
by Cruickshank depicts the executioner chasing the Countess round the
platform.
[Illustration: THE WESTERN DOWNS.]
Several roads lead north through beautiful country, covered by lonely
and unfrequented woodlands, to the Mardens. West Marden is about five
miles from Emsworth and close to the Hampshire border; all the four
villages which bear this name are among the most primitive in southern
England. At North Marden is a plain unrestored Norman church, the only
one in the immediate vicinity which is worth a visit for its own sake.
Compton, a mile beyond West Marden, has a Transitional Norman church
partly rebuilt; this is close to Lady Holt Park, a favourite retreat of
Pope; and Up Park, a fine expanse of woodland, where the Carylls once
lived; their estates were forfeited for their championship of the
Stuarts.
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