Going Back In Time

A Visit to Baddesley Clinton.

On the Thursday Peter and I took the number three bus from outside The Adagio to Saint Agnes Road, where we met up with Chris and Pat again. Pat has a minivan and there was plenty of room to get Peter's wheelchair into the back.

Pat then drove us out of Birmingham and into Warwickshire. We were on our way to visit an old manor house and estate owned by The National Trust. This estate is called Baddesley Clinton.

Baddesley Clinton entrance board.

The front of the house.

Peter on the bridge.

Baddesley Clinton Manor House.

Here's how it got its name. Way back in Saxon times a man called Badde drove his cattle to the Forest of Arden, then cut down trees to make a sheltered clearing called a 'ley' to graze them on. This clearing was called Badde's Ley, which was later contracted to Baddesley.

And as for the Clinton part of the name ...

Around 1100 control of the Baddesley estate passed to Walter de Bisege and remained in the Bisege family for the next four generations. Then around 1290 Walter’s great-granddaughter, Mazera, who was heir to the property, married Sir Thomas de Clinton, and the name of the estate was changed to Baddesley Clinton. Sir Thomas and Mazera’s son, James de Clinton, had a moat dug and the earliest version of the manor house built. The first buildings here were wooden and little remains of them today.

When we arrived at the current moated stone manor house that occupies the estate, we got tickets to enter the house at three fifteen.

Baddesley Clinton Manor House.

The side of the house.

The back of the house.

Reflections.

We were a bit early so we went for a walk around the moat first. Here we saw the loveliest baby ducklings. In fact a mother duck led them right next to us and they sat contentedly next to the bench we were sitting on.

Peter in the grounds.

Peter, Pat and Chris.

Peter, Pat, Chris and me.

Peter, me, Chris.

Ducks by the moat.

Mummy duck and her babies.

Ducklings.

Ducklings.

Pat and I walked right around the moat and visited the walled gardens of Baddesley. These were filled with colourful flowers.

Walking round the moat.

Baddesley Clinton Manor House.

Wild flowers don't grow where feet go.

Entrance to the walled gardens.

Flowers in the walled gardens.

Gardens.

Flowers in the walled gardens.

Pat in the walled garden.

Wooden shed and gardens.

Gardens.

Gardens.

The house viewed from the walled gardens.

Of course there were lots more beautiful flowers everywhere.

Flowers in the grounds.

Flower and bee.

Yellow flowers.

Roses.

Roses.

Cafe.

When we came back, we found a family of even tinier ducklings.

Tiny ducklings.

Tiny ducklings.

Then we headed to the bridge that leads to a gatehouse.

Peter by the moat.

Peter.

Once through the gatehouse we found ourselves in a beautiful garden decorated with flowers growing in red and yellow diamond shapes reflecting the coat of arms of the Ferrers family who used to live in this manor house.

Diamond shapes in the courtyard.

In the courtyard.

In the courtyard.

Windows.

Peter by the entrance.

Chris and Pat.

Downstairs in the manor house we saw a pantry and a kitchen which is famous for having a once concealed priest hole.

Pantry.

Kitchen.

Kitchen.

Priest hole.

We also saw the great hall which is probably the most ornate room in the house.

The Great Hall.

The Great Hall.

The Great Hall.

The Great Hall.

The Great Hall.

On the ground floor there was also a dining room and a drawing room.

Dining room.

Drawing room.

Peter in the manor house.

Stairway.

We learned the stories of some of the occupants of the house such as John and Nicholas Brome.

In 1438 Baddesley Clinton was acquired by an influential lawyer, called John Brome, who later became Under-Treasurer of the Exchequer. John Brome improved the house greatly. He also had a lot of the land cleared in order to grow cereals and breed cattle.

Brome began his career very successfully, however, his fortunes changed abruptly when he supported the losing side in The War of the Roses. This resulted in him losing all his positions in court. In 1468 Brome got into an argument with John Herthill, steward to the Earl of Warwick, and was subsequently killed by him in the porch of Whitefriars Church in London.

John Brome's second son, Nicholas, was furious about his father's murder and challenged Herthill to a duel in which Herthill was killed. Because he was wealthy and from an important family, Nicholas received a very lenient penalty for killing Herthill, which was to pay for a priest to say daily prayers for the souls of both his father and John Herthill, and to pay Herthill's widow 33 shillings and fourpence.

When Nicholas's mother died in 1483, Nicholas inherited Baddesley and thus had the job of appointing a parish priest for the Church of Saint Michael which is located on the estate. He appointed a priest called William Foster. However, in 1485 Nicholas returned home unexpectedly and found William Foster, stroking his wife under the chin. Nicholas lost his temper and ran the priest through with a sword.

As recompense for his crimes, Nicholas built two towers which are known as the towers of atonement. Nicholas was pardoned by King Henry VII in 1496. He died in 1517 and requested in his will that he be buried ‘Within the Church door as the people may tread upon mee as they come into the church.’ He was buried standing up under the entrance to the church, where his body remains to the present day.

Upstairs in the house we saw several bedrooms, another priest hole, a chapel and a library. There's a large blood stain on the fireplace in the library. At one time it was believed that Nicholas Brome murdered the priest here, but analysis of the blood stain showed it was actually animal blood.

Chapel.

Priest hole.

Library.

Library.

Bedroom.

Bedroom.

Bedroom.

Bedroom.

Bedroom.

There were lots of beautiful paintings all over the house and several lovely stained glass windows.

Painting.

Henry Ferrers Ferrers.

"A Lady of the Petre Family Playing the Guitar".

The inside of a Dutch church.

Stained glass windows.

Stained glass windows.

Armour and a buff coat.

Another very interesting period in the history of this house took place during the English Reformation when practicing Catholicism was banned and Baddesley Clinton became a secret safe house for Catholic priests.

In 1497 Sir Edward Ferrers, Sheriff of Warwickshire, married Constance, Nicholas Brome’s daughter and eventually inherited Baddesley Clinton. The Ferrers family continued to live here for the next twelve generations, around five hundred years.

The Ferrers secretly remained Catholics after the English reformation. The then owner of Baddesley Clinton, Henry Ferrers, rented out his home to two sisters Anne and Eleanor Vaux in 1588. These women employed a lay-brother of the Jesuit faith called Nicholas Owen to create hiding places for up to twelve priests inside Baddesley Clinton Manor.

On one occasion in 1591 there was a secret Jesuit meeting in Baddesley and a group of priest hunters were tipped off and surrounded the building. The Jesuits had to climb down a rope inside one of the priest holes and hide at the bottom of a latrine for several hours while Anne Vaux bravely tried first to delay the priest hunters to allow the Jesuits to hide, then butter them up with free food and drink to convince them of her innocence.

Nicholas Owen, who built the priest holes here and in several other estate houses, was eventually captured by the Protestant authorities and tortured to death. He was later canonised.

Much later in the 1860's Baddesley Clinton was inhabited by the novelists Georgiana Chatterton and her second husband Edward Heneage Dering, who both converted to Roman Catholicism and rebuilt the beautiful Roman Catholic chapel inside the house.

After looking around the house, we had ice-cream and coffees in the cafe next to the old manor house.

Crossing back over the bridge.

There were several second hand book shops and plant nurseries near the cafe.

In the cafe.

Nursery.

Nursery.

Nursery.

Plant nurseries.

Chris and I had a look at the old Saint Michael's Church where Nicholas Brome is buried. It was beautiful but unfortunately it was closed.

St Michael's Church sign.

St Michael's Church.

St Michael's Church.

St Michael's Church.

The grounds at Baddesley Clinton are extensive and there are lots of sheep grazing here. Apparently there are also several lakes and walking trails. It really is a beautiful place.

Sheep.

When we were finished looking around the estate, we headed to a pub called The Orange Tree where we had a quick drink while sitting outside.

The Orange Tree.

The Orange Tree.

The Orange Tree

We then went to another pub called The Black Boy for dinner. The Black Boy is scenically located next to a canal. It's called The Black Boy after Charles II. This was the nickname his mum used for him. We ate inside the pub then sat outside for coffee and dessert. I had a Chinese chicken curry for dinner, Peter had lamb kofte, Chris had steak and ale pie and Pat had grilled salmon.

The Black Boy.

The Black Boy.

Peter in The Black Boy.

Peter, me and Chris.

Peter's kofte.

Pat's salmon.

Chris's pie.

Peter, Pat and Chris by the canal.

Canal.

Canal.

Canal.

Canal.

Canal.

It was a really lovely day and I think we all enjoyed it very much.