The present baronet, and owner of the immense estates and wealth of Sir Francis, is his son, Sir Savile Brinton Crossley, who was born in 1857, and succeeded to the title in 1872.
The arms of Crossley are—gules, a chevron indented, ermine, between two cross-crosslets in chief, and a saltire couped in base, or. Crest—a demi-hind erased, proper, charged with two bars, or, and holding between the feet a cross-crosslet, or. Motto—“Omne bonum ab alto.” The family seats are Somerleyton, near Lowestoft, in Suffolk, and Belle Vue, Halifax, Yorkshire.
The old hall of Somerleyton was one of the finest of the old brick mansions remaining, and possessed many interesting features. Fuller, the quaint old writer whose words are so often quoted, ranked it among the best of the many fine houses of the county of Suffolk, and says that it well deserved the name of Somerleyton, for here summer is to be seen in the depth of winter—the grounds being planted with evergreens, and the pleasant walks beset on both sides with fir-trees, green all the year round, besides other curiosities.
The Park, about two hundred acres in extent, is rich in beauty, and includes a deer park. Two miles from the house, in the direction of Yarmouth, there is a drive through ornamental grounds, and a “decoy” on a splendid sheet of water three miles long, and a quarter of a mile in breadth, called Fritton Lake. It abounds with a variety of fish, and is the resort of widgeons, ducks, teal, grebes, and other wild fowl during the season, which begins in October and ends in April. Vast quantities are taken yearly. The banks of this fine sheet of water are fringed with wood, and two or three gentlemen’s houses and pleasure-grounds add interest to the scenery. The lake separates the parishes of Fritton, Herringfleet, Belton, Lound, and Ashby; and in the Herringfleet woods, belonging to Major Leathes, there is a heronry. The owner of Somerleyton, to whom belongs a large portion of the lake, has a beautiful drive on one side of it, extending for nearly two miles, winding through plantations comprising choice specimens of pines, &c., with occasional peeps of the lake on one side, and heath and woods on the other. The lake—such is its natural and yet cultivated beauty—might be a bit of the lovely shire of Devon planted among the bare plains of Suffolk. It is zig-zag in form; tiny peninsulas jut into it, clothed with graceful firs and thick underwood, among which tall ferns luxuriate; the steeps have gradual ascents from the banks; closely planted trees of many varieties completely cover them; and it is only now and then that glimpses are caught of the water.
In the Winter Garden. Spanish Dancers, Hautmann.
The lake is close and compact, and on no side does there seem any opening, only footpaths lead to it from the adjacent roads. Its solitary character—out of the way of passing intruders—and its thickness of composition, render it a favourite shelter of wild fowl. They do not, however, enjoy solitude in security. Man is always astir in search of prey: three “decoys” are active at all seasons to entrap the unsuspicious and unwary. One of them was in operation during our visit. Domestic ducks were sailing in and out of a narrow passage, quacking and playing and feeding, to show their wild cousins outside that no danger was near. Two or three bolder than the rest summoned courage to enter, and very soon were in the net-trap that furnished the bag of the gamekeeper.
This charming scene of mingled wood and water adds materially to the attractions of the locality; and here Art has been brought to the aid of Nature.