interregnum and annals
An interregnum is the time in between reigns. Mention of an interregnum recalls book 1 of Livy’s History of Rome, when Livy describes a vacant throne after Romulus disappears. Trollope writes of the interregnum in the garden when the squire and Hopkins have their argument about Hopkins’ taking manure without permission. Trollope is being humorous here by comparing the king of Rome to the king of the garden. Later in the sentence, Trollope refers to the event as terrible in the annals of Allington. Annals, we know, are the records of events (see the commentary for Chapter 34 and Chapter 35). Trollope’s use of “annals,” a common name for historical writing in Rome, gives the sentence a sense of Romanness. [KD 2006]
Sources: Livy, History of Rome 1.17.