Dearest Martha, how lovely to have such a charming reaction to one's
postings, which otherwise seem to disappear into cyberspace.
The lovely old Carden Hall which was burned in the fire in 1912 was built in
Elizabethan times by the Leche family which had acquired the manor of Carden
by marriage to an Eleanor Carden or Cawarden in about 1475. The old manor
house burned to the ground at about the time of the marriage and the Leche
family had built the new magnificent Carden Hall by 1561. Ormerod, writing
in the late 1700s I think, stated "... the rocks of Carden Cliff and the
woods mingle together in the most picturesque manner and below them lies the
venerable mansion house embossed in timber and presenting a very perfect
specimen of the ancient timber buildings of the county."
Carden Cliff is the escarpment to the east of, and above, the site of the
old house. Several of us climbed up to it at the time of the Carden
Gathering in 1998 and I first did so in the 1960s when some of the remains
of the old house were still visible. I hope, Martha, when you make your
long-awaited trip to England, you will try to do so yourself.
There are various conflicting accounts of the origin of the Carden/Cawarden
name, but the one I favour is that it comes from the old English "carr"
meaning a rock and "wordign" meaning an enclosed settlement.
As for the monstrosity being built on the site of the old house by the
millionaire Steve Morgan, you can see a picture of it by entering +Pochin
+Carden in google.
Incidentally, the old name Cawarden became Carden in Elizabethen times, and
may always have been pronounced as such. An analogy is a place in Cheshire
spelled Hawarden which is, to this day, locally spoken of as Harden.
Arthur
----- Original Message -----
From: "martha" <dixiepeanut(a)comcast.net>
To: <CARDEN-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 4:33 AM
Subject: [Carden] RE: Carden Hall in Cheshire
Arthur,
Thanks for the Carden Hall expose`...I can't believe the (now) owner will
be
disgracing the old tradition, as well as the charm of that lovely
country
place
that used to belong to our ancestors, by erecting such a monstrosity.
I just love the pictures I've seen online of Carden Hall, taken before the
original one burned. Having never been there, you certainly inspired me
with
your description of the beautiful valley view to Wales. Could you
elaborate
some more on the tradition of origin of the Carden name? I don't
think
I've
ever read or heard it accurately given.
Thanks, Martha