Henry Beauclerk; neither he nor the other French Yves, Patron Saint of Attorneys, have anything to do with this locality; but miraculous ‘Ivo the Persian Bishop’ and that anonymous stone-coffin alone.—
Oliver, as we observed, has left hardly any memorial of himself at St. Ives. The ground he farmed is still partly capable of being specified, certain records or leases being still in existence. It lies at the lower or Southeast end of the Town; a stagnant flat tract of land, extending between the houses or rather kitchen-gardens of St. Ives in that quarter, and the banks of the River, which, very tortuous always, has made a new bend here. If well drained, this land looks as if it would produce abundant grass, but naturally it must be little other than a bog. Tall bushy ranges of willow-trees and the like, at present, divide it into fields; the River, not visible till you are close on it, bounding them all to the South. At the top of the fields next to the Town is an ancient massive Barn, still used as such; the people call it ‘Cromwell’s Barn’:—and nobody can prove that it was not his! It was evidently some ancient man’s or series of ancient men’s.
Quitting St. Ives Fen-ward or Eastward, the last house of all, which stands on your right hand among gardens, seemingly the best house in the place, and called Slepe Hall, is confidently pointed out as ‘Oliver’s House.’ It is indisputably Slepe-Hall House, and Oliver’s Farm was rented from the estate of Slepe Hall. It is at present used for a Boarding-school: the worthy inhabitants believe it to be Oliver’s; and even point out his ‘Chapel’ or secret Puritan Sermon-room in the lower story of the house: no Sermon-room, as you may well discern, but to appearance some sort of scullery or wash-house or bake-house. ‘It was here he used to preach,’ say they. Courtesy forbids you to answer, ‘Never!’ But in fact there is no likelihood that this was Oliver’s House at all: in its present state it does not seem to be a century old,[1] and
- ↑ Noble, i. 102, 106
