Historic Houses of Northamptonshire Part Two
Northamptonshire is home to some of the most famous and best preserved stately homes in England. In fact, there are so many we had to split this blog into two parts! This blogpost will delve into the history of the historic houses nestled in the north of the county. All of the houses listed below are open for the public to visit - check their individual websites for more details.
Boughton House
Boughton House as it stands today is largely the work of Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu, who inherited what was then a less grandiose Tudor building in 1683. Montagu had been an English ambassador to France and was keen to bring the French architectural style to the English landscape. He expanded his home using the French influence he had gained and the resulting masterpiece is now often referred to as ‘The English Versailles’.
His son, John, 2nd Duke of Montagu, was passionate about the landscape and made grand changes to the gardens. His new landscape covered 100 acres, with water features, splendid vistas and tree-lined avenues. What was once a simple Tudor manor was now a palatial residence on the scale of the most splendid in the country!
After the death of the 2nd Duke, the House passed through the female line to multiple noble families whose main residences were elsewhere. The Dukedom of Montagu became extinct and for two centuries, the House ‘slept’. However in the 20th century it once again became a beloved family home - the residence of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry, a descendant of the original Montagu family.
Today, the House continues to be a great place for visitors looking for history, elegance and cultural excellence.
Deene Park
Having housed the Brudenell family since the reign of Henry VIII, Deene Park is a wonderful eclectic mix of architectural styles.
In about 1215 it was let for the first time to Sir Ivo de Deene for the annual rent of £18 (£30,700 in today’s money!), with an obligation to provide hospitality once a year for the Abbot of Westminster and his household - an agreement which continued for almost 750 years. Various families, including the Colets and the Lyttons, leased the property until it was acquired in 1514 by Sir Robert Brudenell. It has descended through the male line to the Brudenells of today who continued to pay the rent of £18 until 1970, when the property was bought for eleven years’ worth of rent – just £198!
The house was built over six centuries and grew from a substantial quadrangular-plan mediaeval manor into a Georgian mansion, whose main front now faces south across the park and lake. Successive generations have altered the house to suit their needs throughout the centuries, and have helped bolster the collections within which contains Tudor manuscripts, old masters and family portraits, porcelain and much military memorabilia from the Crimean War.
Edmund Brudenell opened the house to the public just after the Second World War in order to fundraise the money to begin the much needed restoration work of re-plumbing, rewiring and re-decorating. This restoration can be seen today on visits to Deene Park - a stunning interior and incredible architecture available to visit.
Lyveden
Different to most other historic houses due to it never having been completed, the history of Lyveden dates back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, with the influence of the Tresham family remaining evident in the landscape even today. From the late 15th century to the death of Sir Thomas Tresham in 1605, the land was bought and developed as a sheep pasture and in the centre of the estate a garden, competing with the finest in the county, was being planned.
Thomas Tresham was born into a wealthy and respected Northamptonshire family. The family acquired large estates in Northamptonshire including Lyveden. Sir Thomas inherited said estate from his grandfather in 1559, aged only 15. He was a fervent Catholic during the time when Elizabeth I was anxious about the Catholic threat posed by Spain and Mary Queen of Scots.
In the 1580s, Tresham made the decision to assert his faith and religious identity publicly and as a result, found himself subject to imprisonment and heavy fines. Between 1581 and 1605, Tresham was required to pay penalties totalling just under £8,000 (a staggering £2 million in today’s money!) because of his faith. He was left with considerable debts, from which his finances never fully recovered.
During his time under house arrest, Tresham came up with the designs for Lyveden. Lyveden represents Tresham’s creative impulse born of social and political upheaval, religious persecution, and personal faith. Every element of the house is designed to symbolically convey his own spiritual journey as he struggled to reconcile his faith with the changing Elizabethan world.
After Thomas Tresham died in 1605, his elder son Francis inherited both the estate and debt, and then became embroiled in the Gunpowder Plot later that year along with his cousins Catesby and Wintour. Imprisoned for his actions, he met an early death in December 1605. Lady Tresham, Francis’ wife, shouldered the debt after this. She managed it admirably, leaving only an outstanding £1,000 (£215,000 in today’s money) upon her death in 1615.
Lyveden then passed out of the Tresham family’s hands. Thomas Tresham’s dream was never to be fulfilled and the lodge remains incomplete, although the public are encouraged to wander the site and see the unfinished masterpiece.
Prebendal Manor
The oldest manor house in Northamptonshire, Prebendal Manor’s history dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period, with England’s only Danish king Cnut making it one of his royal residences, visiting it himself just after 1017.
The hall remained in royal possession until 1107, when King Henry III bequeathed the hall to the bishop of Lincoln for the endowment of a prebend - hence the name Prebendal Manor. The Anglo-Saxon wooden hall stood until around 1200, when it was replaced with a stone hall and chamber. The earliest features of the stone building are in the west wall of the hall, with the rear doorway and rear hall windows seen today being from this period.
The Prebend of the bishop of Lincoln gave the site significant power during the mediaeval period. It was permitted to hold a manorial court where they could also enact spiritual and ecclesiastical jurisdiction. They were also entitled to hold visitations in the absence of the bishop of Lincoln. In practice, the prebendaries were often non-resident. Many of those appointed to the prebend at the manor were the king's clerks engaged in public affairs, and sometimes even foreigners who had been approved by the Pope, who may have never set foot in England before.
The manor enjoyed the benefits of the prebend right up until 1846, Parliament enacted an act disbanding all prebends in the country. After this, the manor, along with land in Nassington, Woodnewton, Yarwell and Fotheringhay, as well as three other cottages, was valued at £24,873 and sold into private ownership, with its ties to the church now severed.
In 1968 the manor was sold under the pretence of a Georgian farmhouse in need of modernisation. Once this hidden history was uncovered, a long period of restoration was instigated by the present owner. The Prebendal Manor is now open to members of the public by appointment.
Apethorpe Palace
One of Northamptonshire’s hidden treasures, Apethorpe Palace lay dilapidated for centuries until 2004, when Historic England began a programme of urgent repairs.
As work progressed, many exciting discoveries were made underneath floorboards, behind modern wall surfaces, inside ancient roofs, or hiding in plain sight. Every finding deepened the understanding of the property’s history, alongside its illustrious owners.
Apethorpe was built around 1470 for an aspiring courtier, Sir Guy Wolston, and remains one of the most complete high-status mediaeval houses surviving from the 15th century. It had many important owners throughout the Early Modern period, with it being purchased by King Henry VIII himself in 1515, and passing down to Elizabeth I in his will. Elizabeth herself was recorded as dining there multiple times, and there were at least thirteen extended royal visits between 1566 and 1636 - more than any other historic house in Northamptonshire. It was at Apethorpe, in August 1614, that King James met his favourite and speculated lover, George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. A series of court masques written by Ben Jonson for James I were performed while the King was in residence at Apethorpe. The house was also lived in regularly by Charles I, and the Fane family enjoyed their lavish house until they sold it in 1906.
In the first half of the 20th century, it served as an approved school before declining to the point of ruin. Now weather-proof, it has reverted to private hands. The palace is now open to members of the public by appointment only, although renovations are still taking place.
Elton Hall
Elton Hall has been home to the Proby family since 1660. It is an enchanting house that has evolved throughout the centuries, culminating in a fascinating amalgamation of styles.
In the 18th century John Proby married an Irish heiress, Elizabeth Allen and was created Lord Carysfort. His son became the Earl of Carysfort. The latter was an inveterate builder and Gothicised the house, giving it dramatic appeal. Some of his work can still be seen on the South side. Sympathetic additions and alterations to the house took place between 1855 and 1860, masterminded by Henry Ashton, a pupil of Wyatville, who also worked for the Dutch Royal Family.
Successive generations of the family served either as MP’s or in the Navy. The 1st Earl of Carysfort was an Envoy to the Court of Berlin and served as a Minister under Lord Grenville in 1806. His son, the 3rd Earl, began his career as a Midshipman under Nelson at the Battle of the Nile and later became an Admiral. The collection is an amalgam of two houses, as the contents of Glenart Castle, the Irish seat of the Carysforts, were brought over in the early 1920s.
The house contains incredible treasures, including fine French furniture, one of the best libraries in private hands and a magnificent collection of paintings. Art enthusiasts can gaze upon works by Renaissance artists dating from the early 15th century, to marvellous 19th century works by J.F. Lewis, Landseer and Millais. The collection also has works by renowned British artists, Gainsborough, Constable and Reynolds.
Elton Hall is a fantastic day out for the whole family, with a garden centre, cafe, and gift shop attached.
Kirby Hall
The ruin of a once majestic mansion, the history of Kirby Hall dates back to the late 16th century when Sir Humphrey Stafford began construction on the house. However, Sir Humphrey died before the house was completed, and it was left unfinished for several years. In 1575, the house was purchased by Sir Christopher Hatton, who served under Queen Elizabeth I as Lord Chancellor of England. Hatton completed the construction of the house and added many of the features that make it so impressive today.
Throughout its history, Kirby Hall has been the site of many important events and milestones. In the 17th century, the house was owned by Sir Christopher Hatton’s descendants, and it was frequently visited by members of the royal family, including King James I and King Charles I. During the English Civil War, Kirby Hall was occupied by Parliamentarian troops, and it was badly damaged during the conflict. However, the house was later restored and continued to be used as a residence until the early 20th century.
Queen Anne of Denmark stayed at Kirby Hall on 9 August 1605 while her husband King James I of England stayed at Rockingham Castle. James I himself stayed nine times at Kirby Hall between 1608–1624.
During the 1780s, George Finch-Hatton had begun renovating the hall's interior drastically into 18th century style. Whilst he did preserve the exterior in general, he removed and sold the Tudor wood panelling in exchange for wallpaper and pediment. The Hall then began its slow decline when George’s newly built palatial mansion Eastwell Park was finished and his family moved there.
By the late 1880s, the hall had been completely abandoned and in ruins. However, whilst English Heritage manage the site for the general public, the building and gardens are still owned by the Earl of Winchilsea. The site was designated a scheduled monument in 1927.
Southwick Hall
Spanning seven centuries of generations across three families, Southwick Hall has an incredible history.
Unusually perhaps, standing in the shadows of other historic houses that are classic examples of Tudor or Georgian architecture, Southwick Hall embodies the whole spectrum of styles, from late mediaeval to Edwardian.
Before the hall that stands today, there was a medieval manor on the site known as Knyvett’s Place, owned by the Knyvett family between 1300 and 1441. When the site was taken over by the Lynns family, the hall was rebuilt, and this second building now forms the main south front of the site today. The Lynns occupied the hall from 1441 to 1840, when George Lynn died during a duel and left no successors. During this time period, Southwick Hall was involved in various events - it is even believed that the original warrant for Mary Queen of Scots’ execution is hidden at the hall! George Lynn, who was MP for Stamford at the time, was one of the eight bannerole bearers at the funeral and attended the execution at Fotheringhay Castle. If the rumour is true, then it may have been entrusted for safekeeping to the resident priests before being walled in somewhere within the house. Alluding to this is the figurehead on the fireplace, who shows an arm holding a head, which is believed to be a reference to this.
After the last Lynn died without an heir, the Capron family inherited the hall, and have lived here until the present day. In 1870 they rebuilt the east wing, making it into two storeys. They also built the stables block. In 1909, a more impressive entrance to the house was made through the undercroft or crypt.
Whilst Southwick Hall is still the family residence of the Capron family, the hall is still open to the public by appointment only.
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