The Blackmore country . g idea is prevalent that before their leavinghome they had been men of distinction, and notcommon peasants. The site of a house may stillbe seen on a part of the forest called the Warren,which is said to have belonged to a person calledthe Squire, who was robbed and murdered bythe Doones. A farmhouse called Yenworthy, lying justabove Glenthorne, on the left of the Lynton andPorlock road, was beset by them one night; but awoman firino- on them from one of the windowswith a long duck-gun, they retreated, and blood wastracked the next morning for several miles in th
The Blackmore country . g idea is prevalent that before their leavinghome they had been men of distinction, and notcommon peasants. The site of a house may stillbe seen on a part of the forest called the Warren,which is said to have belonged to a person calledthe Squire, who was robbed and murdered bythe Doones. A farmhouse called Yenworthy, lying justabove Glenthorne, on the left of the Lynton andPorlock road, was beset by them one night; but awoman firino- on them from one of the windowswith a long duck-gun, they retreated, and blood wastracked the next morning for several miles in thedirection of Bagworthy. The gun was found atYenworthy, and was purchased by the Rev. W. They entered and robbed a house atExford in the evening before dark, and found thereonly a child, whom they murdered. A womanservant who was concealed in an oven, is saidto have heard them say to the unfortunate infantthe following barbarous couplet : 1 If any one asks who killed thee,Tell m twas the Doones of BAGWORTHY AND BRENDON 145 It was for this murder that the whole country-rose in arms against them, and going to theirabode in great haste and force, succeeded intaking into custody the whole gang, who soonafter met with the punishment due to theircrimes. This excerpt represents the legend of theDoones which Blackmore inherited, and which itis absurd to designate as his invention. What hedid was to add colour and definition to an alreadyexisting, though faded, tradition. How much ofthe substructure of Lorna Doone is due to hisimaginative genius, is a fascinating problem,which, it is to be feared, it is beyond the wit ofman to solve satisfactorily. In the above quota-tion, for instance, no mention occurs of theheroine, but it does not follow that she found noplace in the local tales, and Blackmore, quite asgood an authority as the writer of the guide, andon this particular subject even better, expresslyaffirms the contrary. As to the time of the Doones, Mr Cooper
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