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Woodhey Hall |
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HISTORY OF WOODHEY HALL |
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History of Woodhey Hall Once owned by some of the most powerful and prosperous of landowners in
all of The original hall has long since been demolished, but in its place is a remodelled, sandstone building that was fashioned to keep the spirit of the former fabric and structure very much alive. One of the last remaining remnants of the original estate is a private chapel (now Grade I listed) that was commissioned by one Elizabeth Wilbraham in the 17th century. Filled with resplendent examples of fine craftsmanship, such as an impressive tableau of the 10 Commandments and an enchanting church organ, visitors can take a tour of this historic masterpiece that has remained largely unchanged since its initial development and inception. Held by the Wilbrahams since the mid-13th century, Woodhey was one among many
properties held by this family in this part of the In keeping with the general philosophy of the time, the family deemed it
necessary to make powerful alliances with other aristocratic families of
great standing. And to bring this about, many of the brood were married to
similarly wealthy families such as the Dysarts in Fifeshire, the Myttons in
Shropshire and the Tollemaches in Always keen to be heavily involved in local and national government, a great number of the Wilbraham dynasty also sought to acquire such esteemed positions as the Sheriff of Cheshire or the local representative for parliament. One Richard Wilbraham, whose country seat was Woodhey, was appointed MP
for And other notable members of the clan, who were mostly stationed in Nantwich itself, carried on this tradition right up until the Civil War. One Roger Wilbraham, who was sheriff for Paying for their Delinquency Largely Royalist in their leanings, many other branches of the Wilbraham dynasty had to pay draconian fines or forfeit property in a bid to placate Oliver Cromwell, as Nantwich became a Parliamentarian stronghold. Roger Wilbraham's close relations, Thomas Wilbraham and his heiress wife, Elizabeth Mytton of Weston Park, Shropshire, were forced to play amiable hosts at Woodhey to Cromwell and his entourage. The recently refurbished, and aptly named outbuilding, Cromwell's Manor was reputed to be somewhere the Roundhead leader commandeered as his own, and from where, one might surmise, many of his strategic decisions were made. Sir Thomas, however, was a reluctant host and made no secret of his Royalist leanings. Records show that he and his family abandoned Woodhey and sought sanctuary in the homes of other sympathetic friends and allies. However, it would seem they were tracked down and discovered, and then persuaded, under duress, to tend to Lord Cromwell and his minions at their Faddiley home. And in a remarkable show of leniency, Sir Thomas was among a number of nobles who were not either imprisoned or sentenced to death, but punished by way of heavy fines instead. This record of Parliament from the time shows how he was dealt with: The House of Commons Journal Volume 4, 2 May 1646: Resolved, &c. That this House doth accept of the Sum of Two
thousand Five hundred Pounds (£2,500) of Sir Thomas Wilbraham of Woodhey and
the County of Chester, Baronet, for discharge of his Delinquency; his Offence
being, forsakeing his Dwelling, and residing in the Enemies Quarters; and his
Estate, Twelve hundred and Fifty Pounds One Shilling and Eleven pence (1250
1s 11d) per Annum, in Lands in Tail; in old Rents, Seventy-five pounds Twelve
Shillings and Fourpence (75 12s 4d): in Tythes, Sixty Pounds (£60) per Annum:
Whereof he is Tenant for Life; Remainder to his Lady for Life; the Remainder
to his First Son in Tail, and the Heirs Males of his Body; with divers
Remainders over in Tail; the Remainder to the right Heirs of the said Sir
Thomas Wilbraham: Out of which One hundred Fifty-three Pounds Twelve
Shillings and Eight pence (153 12s 8d) is payable for ever, and Two hundred
and Seventy Pounds Thirteen Shillings and Fourpence (270 13s 4d) for Life:
And that an Ordinance be passed for the granting a pardon to him for his
Offence, and for Discharge of his Estate accordingly. An Ordinance for granting a Pardon unto Sir Thomas Wilbraham of Woodhey
in the County of Chester, Baronet, for his Delinquency, and for Discharge of
the Sequestration of his Estate, was this Day read; and, upon the Question,
passed; and ordered to be sent unto the Lords for their Concurrence. The Nantwich Campaign It would seem that Woodhey Hall and Faddiley,
were at the epicentre of much of the bids for supremacy by parliament in the
early part of the Civil War. When the conflict officially began on 22 August
1642, all of For many a long month, this small town in the heart of It would seem during this stand-off, however, that Oliver Cromwell himself was stationed at Woodhey for a time, until his forces were ultimately victorious at the Battle of Nantwich on 25 January in 1644. In the beginning It's perhaps hard to understand how such a state of affairs could come about, but it seems dogged intransigency from both Cavaliers and Roundheads brought about Charles I' execution, which at the time shocked the world, on 30 January 1649. Charles' first parliament in June 1625 was perhaps a symbolic portent of
the misfortune and tragedy that was to overshadow the whole of his turbulent
reign. A rampant outbreak of plague in And it is perhaps significant that Charles set up his rival court at the outbreak of civil war, in this very same city.
It's hard to know whether any king could have survived at the hands of Cromwell and his cronies. However, what was certain was that parliament wanted power to be concentrated in its hands, and neither it nor its members were willing to act as submissive advisers to any king. Charles I by contrast was a firm believer in the Divine Right of Kings - 'to rule as God's own anointed heir'. Parliament to him was essentially unnecessary, and above all an obstacle and an affront to a monarch's authority. Twice he dissolved it when it did not do his bidding. He ruled for 11 long years without being accountable or answerable to any Commons or Lords (from 1629 onwards). Charles did not just have a fervent desire to be monarch in his own right, but also to have at his own personal disposal the wealth of the nation to do with as he pleased. This in large part brought about his eventual downfall and undoing. With a penchant for expensive works of art from Flemish painters such as Van Dyke and Reubens, he was oblivious to the hardships he expected his long-suffering subjects to patiently and obediently endure. He also made much use of the Star Chamber which was a court where people could be tried and imprisoned indefinitely at the king's discretion without any regard for the due process of the law or indeed any real evidence of supposed wrong-doing. Charles was also acutely unaware of the religious sensibilities within Religion It's perhaps hard to understand today, but in times past and particularly in the 17th century, religion was a very serious business. And people were prepared to stake their lives, families and reputations on upholding their unwavering beliefs. After the Reformation, there was an ever-growing hatred of the Catholic Church and all that it stood for. Protestantism and particularly Puritanism were seen as the new 'Holy Grail' or path to enlightenment. In essence they promoted total rejection of all the ceremony and religious
symbolism of the Church in Simplicity in all things was paramount and the most important thing was considered to be God's written word. Religion became a hugely divisive issue during Charles' reign. The
majority of his parliament were either protestant or
puritan, and a great number feared he wanted closer ties with His marriage to openly Catholic Princess Henrietta Maria of Hackles and suspicions were raised further by the policies of Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, who favoured what many saw as Catholic-style rites and theology. He was Anglican, but adopted the so-called Arminian doctrines, which were to all intents and purposes akin to the Catholic Church. Laud also mercilessly crushed any puritan dissenters who frowned on crucifixes, idolatry, altars, saints and almost any last vestige of what most people would call religion - such as state-regulated services in local parish churches. Parliament was also at loggerheads with Charles over his foreign policy on
Charles was only too happy to agree, but used his deeply unpopular favourite the Duke of Buckingham, the Lord High Admiral, to lead a series of disastrous military campaigns. This government believed was proof positive that the manoeuvres had been orchestrated to actually shore up the Catholic powerbase. When there were rumours Buckingham was about to authorise warships to
assist Cardinal Richelieu of A major source of the monarch's income, the custom's levy of tonnage and poundage was granted for one year alone, and not for life as was the tradition. MPs also called for the express power to sanction the king's ministers and to have the right to impeach those they believed to be unworthy. When parliament tried to have Buckingham removed, Charles merely ignored its strident demands and dissolved it not just once, but a second time. But he recalled it again (on 17 March 1628), in a bid to raise more funds
for wars with At the assembly of the Third Parliament, MPs felt this was their chance to make Charles more accountable to the House. After much heated debate, Charles grudgingly acceded to the Petition of Right, whose central tenets had actually been laid down in the Magna Carta. In the petition, the following basic rights were called for: - there should be no taxation without the consent of parliament. - there should be no imprisonment without cause shown. - there should be no billeting of soldiers or sailors upon householders against their will. - there should be no martial law to punish ordinary offences by sailors or soldiers. Despite his promises to abide by the petition, Charles carried on raising taxes and imprisoned those who would not pay up. After Buckingham was assassinated in August 1628, the king did not seem to mourn his loss too greatly, but instead hoped parliament would now be less critical and suspicious of his own motives and policies. However, they merely pressed him even more vigorously to consult them over
taxation issues and decreed those who paid taxes to the crown, without
parliamentary approval, to be 'the enemies of the kingdom and betrayers of
the liberties of The build up to Civil War Charles actually signed peace treaties with However, Charles decided to embark on a series of disastrous revenue-raising policies that ingrained a deep mistrust and hatred of him among the nobility and masses in equal measure. Charles seemed to take delight in reviving long forgotten, draconian and archaic laws. For example, freeholders with land worth more than £40 per annum, were fined for failing to present themselves at the king's coronation for knighthood. The coronation had taken place in 1626. The law was reenacted in 1630. After paying a fine, people then were forced to buy a knighthood and pay any extra dues that came with their increased social standing. The boundaries of the Royal Forests that were in force during the reign of Edward 1 were also reintroduced. Anyone encroaching on to this land was liable to pay a heavy fine also. The king also decided to become guardian to orphaned children, who were due to inherit large estates or fortunes. He rather cruelly however siphoned off all the proceeds in to his own personal coffers. Among the most hated of the new laws was the introduction of the Ship Money tax. This decreed that people living in coastal towns should now pay for the upkeep of naval defences in times of emergency (as had been common in Medieval times). Land-lubbers, and those living inland were also later compelled to follow suit. There was an immediate outcry against theses taxes - especially because parliament had not given its collective assent. The final countdown to civil war came about after an explosion of
opposition to new attempts by Archbishop Laud to bring the Churches in However, the staunchly protestant Scots Presbyterian Church was aghast at the almost Catholic rituals that were being mooted. They were strongly attached to the Book of Discipline ,compiled by John Knox. There were apparently riots in A group of Scots lords, the Covenanters, led by Lords Loudon, Rothes, Balmerino and Lindsay, called for a mass rejection of 'innovations' in religion and an adherence to doctrines already enshrined in Scottish law. The clash between these Covenanters brought about the Bishops Wars of 1639-40. The Covenanter Lords began planning for war in the January of 1639 when it was clear Charles would not modify his demands for the reform of the Scots' Church. With a lack of funds or sympathy from the Commons, Charles was only able to raise an army of raw conscripts of some 18,000 men. He rode to A treaty was eventually signed on 19 June 1639, where the king grudgingly
accepted that a general assembly would in future settle all ecclesiastical
matters in But Charles was not so easily defeated. He again attempted to subdue and remove the power of the Covenanters once and for all through Sir Thomas Wentworth, who he made the Earl of Strafford. And as before, he met with great resistance from an intransigent and hostile lower house who would not sanction any funds for such a move. This time, conscripts from the south were rounded up in a bid to do battle, but proved no match for the well-trained Scots. To sweep the Royalists aside, the Scots aggressively went on the offensive
and raised sympathetic In the face of such tactics, Charles had no option but to admit defeat and
arrange the terms of his surrender, which he did at the Treaty of London in
August 1641. Compensation of £300,000 was to be paid to the Scottish side, who had already exacted payments of £850 per day during
their occupation of Northumberland and The increasing political instability gave opportunists in the Commons the
chance to push for a more democratic With a rebellion threatened in He along with his supporters drafted a highly critical document called the Grand Remonstrance. In it, they detailed in great depth all the grievances they and the Commons held against the king's ministers. Direct attack on the monarch was avoided, but was often covertly implied. Ultimately, the manuscript recommended an 'Assembly of Divines' to be established, chosen by parliament's members, to supervise any church reform. The king's ministers, it also insisted, should from now on first be subjected to the scrutiny and approval of the lower house. A stormy debate ensued on 22 November 1641 that lasted long in to the
night, but victory was ultimately snatched by Cromwell and his acolytes. By a
narrow margin of 159 to 148 votes, the Remonstrance was passed. Afterwards
Cromwell was said to have declared if the motion had failed, he would have
set sail for the Charles now in a chronically weakened position, with one war just over, and another threatened, did not however wish to accept the document or parliament's terms. Cromwell and his agitators grew restless for an answer and forcibly presented their petition to the king just before the Christmas of 1641. After much prevarication and in a bid to play for time, Charles tried to
arrest his leading opponents, but with disastrous effect. He was forced to
flee With parliament mounting a counter-coup, it was inevitable that an armed conflict would ensue. On 22 August 1642, Charles raised his standard at What followed were seven more years of unrest, until Charles' eventual
execution near The Nantwich was among many of the towns that were fiercely fought over during
the first of the Civil Wars. As said previously, the whole of In a bid to put all of At the end of November in 1643, 1500 infantry men landed at Mostyn in With further fighting forces supplied by Lord Byron, the Royalist side
grew to 5000 men, which was then stationed at the all important military
stronghold of En route, he won a ruthlessly executed victory at It seemed Byron was almost unstoppable and that the Royalists would bring about a crushing defeat on Cromwell and his allies. After taking Middlewich just after Christmas and killing 500, Byron then moved to Nantwich and demanded the unconditional surrender of all its garrisons and forces. At the eleventh hour however, word had been sent by Roundhead commander,
Sir William Brereton to Parliament quickly responded and called on Sir Thomas Fairfax to march
from Meanwhile, Nantwich came under heavy artillery fire from the Royalists, but somehow managed to maintain its nerve and also inflict serious causalities in return. It seemed a few weeks earlier, victory had almost been within the king's grasp, but now in early January, far from being the dominant force, Byron's troops had dropped sharply to a total of 3500. Desertion, illness and death in battle had all contributed to this worrying state of affairs. Not only this Sir Thomas Fairfax and his troops had now swollen the Roundhead side to over 5000. Forces majeures finally put paid to any hopes of victory for King Charles and his court. The weather had been exceptionally cold at this Winter time, when most of the fighting took place. However, on the arrival of In the melee, the local River Weaver had seen This in itself, it might not seem such a tragedy, but the timing for Lord Byron could not have been worse. His troops had been stationed on either side of the bridge and were now divided in two and more vulnerable to attack. Byron knew he had to reunite them as quickly as possible and marched to the next bridge at Minshull to bring this about. While Byron led the cavalry along the myriad of local country lanes to
join the foot soldiers on the opposing river bank, After a series of sustained charges, the Royalists eventually gave ground before Byron could arrive to launch any serious or effective counter action. The Royalists were forced to fall back to Charles I eventually saw his forces defeated near The decisive victory for the Roundheads and Scots was actually at Although Charles was a prisoner at And two years later, Scottish lords tried to restore Charles supremacy throughout the land in the short-lived Second Civil War. The Scots Duke of Hamilton set about invading the north of Roger Wilbraham became heavily involved in capturing some of the Scots near Nantwich in the aftermath of the battle. He writes to William Lenthall, the Speaker of the House of Commons thus: Honourable Sir, The beaten Enemy flying out of Lancash'r into these Parts; we, having
put the County into a Posture, fell upon them with what Strength we could
possibly raise, having taken about Fifteen Hundred, some of which
(considerable Persons) tendered themselves Prisoners to me the Night before;
to wit, the Earl of Tr'quire, Lord Carnagey, Lord Lunton, Lord Ramsey, Sir
James Lesley, Sir Michaell Mismish, Lieutenant Colonel Graham, and many of
their Servants, besides many Gentlemen now at Namptwich, whose Persons and
Habit declare them of Quality; the meaner Sort (both Men and Women) very
ragged and poor, the Burden of which lies so heavily upon the poor Country
(wanting Bread) that we cannot provide them of Necessaries for Life. Duke
Hamilton, Sir Marmaduk Langdale, and Middleton, passed through this County
with about Five Thousand, few of them Foot, and the Horse tired with an
incessant March; upon whose Rear we gleaned many. We have taken a Packet of
Papers, which we have sent up to your View. Their march was into No more at present, but that I am Sir, Namptwich, 22 Aug 1648 Your Honour's humble Servant, Ro. Wilbraham, Vic. And to General Cromwell on the same subject, he wrote: Honourable Sir, The Pursuance of those you so happily dispersed, my Lord Traquaire and
some of the Quality rendered themselves Prisoners of their own Accord: Others
we took Yesternight, Twelve a Clock, Duke Hamilton sent a Trumpet (but
without Writing), to render himself and the whole Army, upon Conditions. This
inclosed we returned him by two Gentlemen, who are not yet returned. We shall
pray for your Directions; which in this and other Things shall be observed
by. 21 Aug 1648 Your most Humble Servants, Roger Wilbraham, James Lothian. Sir, We shall desire to hear where you are, and how you are, and
wherein we may serve you, and in what Condition We have One Thousand of the meanest Condition of Prisoners, who have
nothing to maintain them; nor our Country, by reason of the scarcity of
Bread. We shall desire to know how to dispose of them. To Lieutenant General Cromwell Sometime after Cromwell's ultimate victory in the Civil War, towards the end of the 17th century, Woodhey itself, passed out of the Wilbraham's hands in to the Dysart family dynasty, until it was eventually put up for sale. It's only been since the beginning of the 21st century that the general public has been given the opportunity to have much wider access to Woodhey and its grounds. When new owners Paul and Much has been done, they believe, to ensure the renovations pay homage to the estate's richly diverse and vibrant setting. The said buildings: the Old Carthouse and Cromwell's Manor may have many modern fixtures and fittings, but a great deal of replica period features have been included, in a bid to give guests a strong sense of the estate's diverse and glorious past. And those eager to tread in the footsteps of former Ladies and Lords, can
find out more by contacting either Paul or |
