Historic Royal Palaces and Stately Homes with Royal Connections

[Durham]

A 'secret Catholic stash in the attic' the Times called it

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/secret-catholics-stash-in-the-attic-bsmwr80xk

It is an extraordinary find. English recusant history is fascinating. Remoteness helped of course.

 

[An Ard Ri]

It is an extraordinary find. English recusant history is fascinating. Remoteness helped of course.

Margaret Clitherow and Margaret Ward both spring to mind.

 

[Durham]

Margaret Clitherow and Margaret Ward both spring to mind.

I didn't know these two so thank you for that.

Both northerners. The north of England harboured huge numbers of Catholics of course. Indeed Lancashire in particular retained large Catholic communities centuries after the reformation. And it was the 1569 Rebellion of the North that attempted to place Mary Stuart on the throne. But I'm sure you know all this already.

The history of English Catholicism from reformation to the emancipation of 1829 is fascinating. A small minority doggedly clinging on to the ancient faith of their ancestors. A remarkable tale.

 

[An Ard Ri]

I didn't know these two so thank you for that.

Both northerners. The north of England harboured huge numbers of Catholics of course. Indeed Lancashire in particular retained large Catholic communities centuries after the reformation. And it was the 1569 Rebellion of the North that attempted to place Mary Stuart on the throne. But I'm sure you know all this already.

The history of English Catholicism from reformation to the emancipation of 1829 is fascinating. A small minority doggedly clinging on to the ancient faith of their ancestors. A remarkable tale.

So many famous figures like Sir Thomas More,Prior Houghton,Prior Lawrence and Sister Elizabeth Barton.

The residence of the Lady Margaret Douglas,Countess of Lennox at Temple Newsam in Yorkshire was a noted centre for English recusancy,probably the talk of Whitehall.

 

[Mbruno]

I didn't know these two so thank you for that.

Both northerners. The north of England harboured huge numbers of Catholics of course. Indeed Lancashire in particular retained large Catholic communities centuries after the reformation. And it was the 1569 Rebellion of the North that attempted to place Mary Stuart on the throne. But I'm sure you know all this already.

The history of English Catholicism from reformation to the emancipation of 1829 is fascinating. A small minority doggedly clinging on to the ancient faith of their ancestors. A remarkable tale.

Sorry if it is a basic question, but how did the aristocratic Catholic families such as the Norfolks manage to protect their estates from the legal disabilities that applied to Catholics, e.g. in relation to inheriting land and alike?

 

[Durham]

Sorry if it is a basic question, but how did the aristocratic Catholic families such as the Norfolks manage to protect their estates from the legal disabilities that applied to Catholics, e.g. in relation to inheriting land and alike?

A good question which I don't have an awful lot of knowledge about. In remote areas of England if the local gentry or nobility remained Catholic it meant locals further down the social ladder could as well. It was these very same gentry/noble families that were the local authority. England was largely rural & was run by this class. They were also the JP's etc so they administered the law.

The really great dynasties like the Norfolk Howards kept out of politics & busied themselves with their estates. The Howards had large estates in Yorkshire for instance, well away from London. And not all the Howards were Catholic as it happened.

Many prominent Catholic families removed themselves from Court for generations & married among their own kind.

If you managed to survive the C17th the C18th was fairly benign for Catholics. There were so few that they were tolerated apart from the odd instance like the Gordon Riots.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Malahide Castle in County Dublin was the ancestral seat of the Baron Talbots who came to Ireland with Henry II.The devoutly Catholic Talbots sided with Charles I which saw them despoiled and banished to Connacht by Cromwell following his siege and massacre at Drogheda.The family were restored to favour by Charles II and supported James II .14 members of the Talbot family fought for the Jacobites at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 but only one of them returned.

The last Lord Talbot died in 1973 and the castle passed to his sister Rose Talbot who sold it to the Irish State in 1976 and died in 2009 aged 93.

 

[Durham]

A lovely spot Malahide.

 

[An Ard Ri]

A lovely spot Malahide.

Sad that most of the remaining Irish stately homes and castles are no longer lived in .

 

[Durham]

Sad that most of the remaining Irish stately homes and castles are no longer lived in .

There is certainly a difference in atmosphere between a lived in & a non occupied house. Less museum like.

 

[An Ard Ri]

There is certainly a difference in atmosphere between a lived in & a non occupied house. Less museum like.

Exactly what I was thinking also.

 

[Durham]

Exactly what I was thinking also.

Childrens' toys in a corner, family photos, dogs - that sort of thing.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Childrens' toys in a corner, family photos, dogs - that sort of thing.

Or a nice warm cosey fire in one of the rooms to set the atmosphere of a country pile!

 

[AC21091968]

Gournay Court

Gournay Court is a country house built around 1600, previously owned by the Duchy of Cornwall between late 17th century and early 20th century. It was leased as a farm house during this time. When George V was the Duke of Cornwall, the house underwent renovation and extension intended for a home for his youngest son, Prince John. Prince John died from a severe epileptic seizure before moving in.

Gournay Court was used as a hospital in WWI. Initially, there were 15 beds, but by the end of the war there were 57.

In 1928, The Prince of Wales (future Edward VIII) sold Gournay Court to Sir Edward Geoffrey Hippisley-Cox, who was a tenant (of the Duchy of Cornwall) since 1913.

Link to the Gournay Court's wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gournay_Court

Gournay Court is now the family residence for Rt Hon. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the local Member of Parliament for North East Somerset, who is also currently the Leader of the House of Commons. His great-aunt served as a nurse at the house during the First World War, in which he spoke about it in a BBC documentary series, War World One at Home.

Link to a short video of the BBC documentary: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01xtjjw

 

[An Ard Ri]

Glin Castle in County Limerick was the seat of the Fitzgerald Knights of Glin. The Castle saw action during the Earl of Desmond Rebellions in the 16th Century,the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland and the Jacobite Wars.The Catholic Fitzgeralds backed James II in 1689 and only preserved their lands and titles by converting to the Church of Ireland in the years that followed.The last Knight of Glin died in September 2011 and had no sons and could not pass on the title ,his daughter Catherine Fitzgerald who is married to actor Dominic West runs the castle and estate.

 

[Durham]

That's a beautiful Adamesque interior. Ireland is fortunate to have so much fine C18th architecture despite all the sad losses.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Here are a few more photos of the last knights daughter Catherine Fitzgerald and her husband Dominic West at the Castle.

https://www.architecturaldigest.com...ountry-castle-is-straight-out-of-a-fairy-tale


Catherine was previously married to Edward Lambton, Viscount Lambton (Future Earl of Durham).

 

[Durham]

Here are a few more photos of the last knights daughter Catherine Fitzgerald and her husband Dominic West at the Castle.

https://www.architecturaldigest.com...ountry-castle-is-straight-out-of-a-fairy-tale


Catherine was previously married to Edward Lambton, Viscount Lambton (Future Earl of Durham).

Lovely film about the castle. Dominic West has a mischievous sense of humour - "this is Elizabeth, she's been her 700 years".

He makes a good point about the corporate feel of many country house hotels.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Another tour of the Castle and interview with the last Knight of Glin ,Desmond Fitzgerald and Senator David Norris.

 

[Sun Lion]

"Tarrystone Manor" in South Africa is back on the market.

Here's a link from when it was up for sale previously -

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/...onged-earl-spencer-goes-sale-4-8-million.html

The suite Diana used in 1997 hasn't been changed since she was there.

Her brother Earl Spencer first addressed the press upon news of her passing from in front of this property.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Fife House in Brighton was visted by King Edward VII of Great Britain.
http://www.gettyimages.com/license/834928978

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Hartwell House is near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England. It was the residence of King Louis XVIII of France in exile.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Marie Josephine of Savoy also died in exile there in 1810.

It was almost demolished in the late 30's and is now leased to the National Trust.

 

[An Ard Ri]

A charming tour and history of Hatfield House from October 2020 orated by Lord Salisbury.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

There is a tradition that Prince Arthur, The Prince of Wales, the oldest son of King Henry VII of England, frequently lived with Sir Henry Vernon at his house Haddon Hall.

 

[King of the Jungle]

Such beautiful countryside.

 

[Durham]

A charming tour and history of Hatfield House from October 2020 orated by Lord Salisbury.

Hatfield is lovely. For some reason when I visited I never went into the old palace. Can't remember why now. I think it was closed for some reason. The fireplace in the King James room is an extraordinary confection.

 

[Durham]

Such beautiful countryside.

It's the Peak District. Beautiful & dramatic scenery. Wilder the further north you go. Remarkably close to the big cities of Manchester & Sheffield although a world away in atmosphere.

On the other side of the hill from Haddon is Chatsworth.

 

[Durham]

There is a tradition that Prince Arthur, The Prince of Wales, the oldest son of King Henry VII of England, frequently lived with Sir Henry Vernon at his house Haddon Hall.

I was unaware of that. Thank you!

Haddon is an amazing survivor. Possibly the finest unspoilt medieval manor house in England. Gorgeous gardens.

This is John Julius Norwich talking about Haddon.

 

[An Ard Ri]

The Duke of Devonshire talks us through the Sotheby’s Chatsworth Exhibition which ran from June to September 2019.