Tales from the Big House: Nostell Priory
To my daughter Lucy, with love
Other titles by Michael J. Rochford
Wakefield Then & Now: Extraordinary Tales from the Merrie City
Tales from the Big House: Nostell Priory
900 Years of its History and People
Michael J. Rochford
First published in Great Britain in 2018 by
Pen & Sword History
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS
Copyright Michael J. Rochford 2018
ISBN 978 1 52670 270 8
eISBN 978 1 52670 272 2
Mobi ISBN 978 1 52670 271 5
The right of Michael J. Rochford to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the
British Library
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Picture credits
Images 1, 32, 33, 37, 39, 63 are courtesy of the British Library www.bl.uk . No known copyright restrictions.
Images 3, 8, 9, 10, 26, 43, 46, 48, 52, 60 Caroline Rochford. By kind permission of Reverend John Hadjioannou.
Image 12 by kind permission of the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, Gough Maps 35, folio 31.
Image 13 Caroline Rochford. By kind permission of the Right Honourable The Lord St Oswald.
Image 14 by kind permission of Ordnance Survey and www.old-maps.co.uk
Image 15 and 18 from the Talbot Papers (MS3196, folio 233 & MS3198, folio 486). By kind permission of Lambeth Palace Library.
Images 16, 23, 30, 31 by kind permission of Wakefield Local Studies Library.
Image 17 National Portrait Gallery.
Image 19 Caroline Rochford. Sheffield City Council, Libraries Archives and Information: Sheffield Archives WWM/Str P/40/1 WWM (Wentworth Woodhouse) reproduced with permission from The Milton (Peterborough) Estates Company and the Director of Communities, Sheffield City Council (the Wentworth Woodhouse papers have been accepted in lieu of Inheritance Tax by HM Government and allocated to Sheffield City Council).
Image 21 Caroline Rochford. By kind permission of Reverend Robert W. Hart
Image 24 by kind permission of Archives cantonales vaudoises, Eb 132/5 page 111.
Images 28, 41 Caroline Rochford.
Images 34, 35, 36 from Wellcome Library, London. Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0.
Images 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 61, 62 by kind permission of the British Library and Tatler .
Image 59 by kind permission of the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society.
All other images drawn from the authors collection.
Nostell Priory, from A Series of picturesque views of castles and country houses in Yorkshire, principally in the northern division of the West Riding, from sketches made by Mr. E. Healey , published in 1885.
Preface
I n this book I chart some of the astounding stories about the people who called Nostell Priory and its environs their home. Comprising a grand house, built in the eighteenth century, complete with stunning parklands, Nostell has been run as a popular tourist attraction since the early 1950s.
But the tales youre about to read here cover almost 1,000 years of history. We begin at the time of the foundation of the Priory of St Oswald Nostells priory progressing to the turbulent time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s, when the priory, which by then had operated from the site for over four centuries, was closed down and sold to one of the greedy Crown officials whod dissolved it. From there our journey continues ever onwards. First to the tenure of the Gargraves, who were Nostells owners during the second half of the sixteenth century, and then to the Winns, who arrived in the 1650s and have never left. With episodes of poison, murder, elopement and financial ruin, these tales are full of mystery, intrigue, suspense, romance and excitement!
I have consulted many sources, including original documents principally held in The National Archives; the Borthwick Institute at the University of York; the West Yorkshire Archive Service in Wakefield; Lambeth Palace Library; the Special Collections at the University of Leeds; and Barnsley and Wakefield Local Studies libraries, along with countless antiquarian and modern books. A detailed description of these sources appears at the end of the book, allowing for easy identification of any of the documents cited, which will hopefully inspire further study.
Where I have transcribed detailed passages from these original documents, I have usually modernized the spellings for ease of reading, but when quoting shorter passages, the original spelling has been retained. I have also used dates in the Old Style, Julian calendar, where relevant, hence January 1585/6 and so on.
I must thank Dr Charles Kelham of Doncaster Archives for his help in translating a particularly tricky Latin indictment; assistance that has helped to disprove a long-held version of a particular story concerning one of the owners of Nostell during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, which I shant spoil here.
Thank you also to Sylvia Thomas of the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society who kindly gave permission for the use of passages from Reminiscences of Nostell , an unpublished manuscript in the YAHS collections written by the Nostell family doctor, T.G. Wright, in 1887.
My appreciation also goes out to the staff at all the local studies libraries and record offices, and any other copyright holders who have granted permission for the reproduction of images from their collections, especially Wendy Jewitt of Wakefield Library.
Special thanks must go to Linne Matthews, a dedicated and skilful editor who always goes above and beyond the call of duty, and has my sympathy for having to read through all my (not always brief) email correspondence!
Finally, heartfelt gratitude to my beloved wife, Caroline, who has shown unflinching support throughout this project, and who listened with apparent interest as I read out passages of the text (over and over again), suggesting crucial amendments and historical insight, all done while carrying and then giving birth to our beautiful daughter Lucy. Caroline, you truly are my soulmate.
