Billing Hall
Encyclopedia
Billing Hall is a manor
house in Billing
, Northamptonshire
, England
. Records of the manor, the predecessor to Great Billing Hall, date back to the 12th century. It was originally owned by the Barry family and Baron Dundalk built it in 1629. It became the county seat of the Earls of Thomond, descendants of Brian Boru
, King of Ireland
in 1002. With the arrival of the Elwes family in 1779 the history of Great Billing became inextricably linked to them. Perhaps the Hall's most famous resident was Gervase Elwes, the English tenor, who died in a rail accident in Boston
in 1921.
. The local Priory was dissolved and the churches became Anglican. The Cromwellian Revolution was strongly backed in this area and even following the restoration of the Monarchy a very strong Nonconformist element continued on. Slowly, any of traces Catholicism vanished and by 1800 they were confined to a few recusant families, itinerant workmen mostly from Ireland
, served by a small number of discreet priests. This changed, however, with the arrival of the Elwes family. In 1779, Robert Cary Elwes, of Roxby, Lincolnshire
bought Billing Hall, which by then had been rebuilt in the Palladian style by John Carr for the property's previous owner, Lord John Cavendish
, in 1776. Close by the Hall, at Billing Lings, Elwes bred horses including two Derby
winners, Mameluke in 1827 and Cossack in 1847. The estate was eventually taken over by his grandson Valentine Cary-Elwes who was received into the Church in France
in 1874. Immediately he erected a chapel at the Hall and encouraged his estate employees to attend mass there. His son, Dudley Cary-Elwes, subsequently 5th Bishop of Northampton 1921-1932, described how his father persuaded the Bishop to post a priest to the village. Luckily the former parish priest of Wolverton
, Father (later Canon) Blackman, had just become available and was deemed ideal. He arrived in the village and stayed until 1907. The Elwes family at one time owned the whole of the village of Great Billing with the exception of one house and five cottages.
.
, singing this demanding role 118 times. He held many musical soirees at the Hall and famous musicians came from far and wide to attend. He and many members of his family, including his parents, his brother Bishop Dudley, and his son, Monsignor Valentine Elwes, who was parish priest of the village in the 1960s, are buried in the Catholic cemetery in the village. His second youngest daughter, Margaret, was buried there in 1997, aged 91 years. The Hall was sold in 1930 by Geoffrey Elwes and, a project for converting it into a home for indigent musicians in memory of Gervase Elwes having failed, it was sold again in 1935 to Mr. Hancock, a shoe-manufacturer of Northampton, and by him to Mr. J. P. B. Miller, who pulled down part of the Hall. In the village of Great Billing is a bronze memorial tablet to Gervase Elwes (d. 1921), the 'beloved squire' and famous singer.
Although Billing Hall was not converted into a home for musicians, Elwes' contribution to music, his interest in amateur music-making, professional musicians who had fallen on hard times, and innovation created by composers, singers and instrumentalists working together, led to the foundation, in 1921, of the Gervase Elwes Memorial Fund for Musicians which was incorporated in 1930 as the Musicians Benevolent Fund. www.helpmusicians.org.uk
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
house in Billing
Billing, Northamptonshire
Billing is a civil parish in eastern Northampton in England, covering the Great Billing, Little Billing, Ecton Brook and Bellinge areas. It is geographically the largest area of Northampton. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 8,642, but is now over 10,000...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Records of the manor, the predecessor to Great Billing Hall, date back to the 12th century. It was originally owned by the Barry family and Baron Dundalk built it in 1629. It became the county seat of the Earls of Thomond, descendants of Brian Boru
Brian Boru
Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, , , was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill. Building on the achievements of his father, Cennétig mac Lorcain, and especially his elder brother, Mathgamain, Brian first made himself King of Munster, then subjugated...
, King of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in 1002. With the arrival of the Elwes family in 1779 the history of Great Billing became inextricably linked to them. Perhaps the Hall's most famous resident was Gervase Elwes, the English tenor, who died in a rail accident in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in 1921.
The Arrival of the Elwes family
In the mid 1500's the religious ethos of Billing was changed for the next 300 years by the ReformationReformation
- Movements :* Protestant Reformation, an attempt by Martin Luther to reform the Roman Catholic Church that resulted in a schism, and grew into a wider movement...
. The local Priory was dissolved and the churches became Anglican. The Cromwellian Revolution was strongly backed in this area and even following the restoration of the Monarchy a very strong Nonconformist element continued on. Slowly, any of traces Catholicism vanished and by 1800 they were confined to a few recusant families, itinerant workmen mostly from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, served by a small number of discreet priests. This changed, however, with the arrival of the Elwes family. In 1779, Robert Cary Elwes, of Roxby, Lincolnshire
Roxby, Lincolnshire
Roxby is a village in North Lincolnshire, England, about north of Scunthorpe and south-east from Winterton on the A1077. Roxby stands on a prominent part of the Lincoln Cliff and overlooks the Humber Estuary....
bought Billing Hall, which by then had been rebuilt in the Palladian style by John Carr for the property's previous owner, Lord John Cavendish
Lord John Cavendish
Lord John Cavendish PC was a British politician.-Background:Cavendish was the youngest son of William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire, and his wife Catherine, daughter of John Hoskins. Prime Minister William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, Lord George Cavendish and Field Marshal Lord...
, in 1776. Close by the Hall, at Billing Lings, Elwes bred horses including two Derby
Derby (horse race)
A derby is a type of horse race, named after the Derby Stakes, still run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in England. That was in turn named for Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby, who inaugurated the race in 1780...
winners, Mameluke in 1827 and Cossack in 1847. The estate was eventually taken over by his grandson Valentine Cary-Elwes who was received into the Church in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1874. Immediately he erected a chapel at the Hall and encouraged his estate employees to attend mass there. His son, Dudley Cary-Elwes, subsequently 5th Bishop of Northampton 1921-1932, described how his father persuaded the Bishop to post a priest to the village. Luckily the former parish priest of Wolverton
Wolverton
Wolverton is part of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England.Wolverton may also refer to:Places in England:*Wolverton, Dorset*Wolverton, Kent*Wolverton, Hampshire*Wolverton, Shropshire*Wolverton, WarwickshirePlaces in the United States:...
, Father (later Canon) Blackman, had just become available and was deemed ideal. He arrived in the village and stayed until 1907. The Elwes family at one time owned the whole of the village of Great Billing with the exception of one house and five cottages.
A Return to Catholicism
With Cary-Elwes' assistance Blackman introduced many villagers to the faith. Initially mass was said in the Hall chapel, but this soon became too small, so a small church was built in a simple classical style. A Catholic primary school was also started in what is now the village hall, but this did not last beyond World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Music at the hall
On Mr. Cary-Elwes' passing, his son, Gervase Elwes, the famous tenor, took over the estate. Married to the Earl of Denbigh's daughter, Lady Winifred Feilding, and blessed with an unusually pleasing and gregarious nature, he made the Hall and village both the center of Catholic life and the musical focus for the area. Elwes was friends with all the eminent musicians of the day including Elgar. He was Elgar's favourite GerontiusThe Dream of Gerontius
The Dream of Gerontius, popularly called just Gerontius, is a work for voices and orchestra in two parts composed by Edward Elgar in 1900, to text from the poem by John Henry Newman. It relates the journey of a pious man's soul from his deathbed to his judgment before God and settling into Purgatory...
, singing this demanding role 118 times. He held many musical soirees at the Hall and famous musicians came from far and wide to attend. He and many members of his family, including his parents, his brother Bishop Dudley, and his son, Monsignor Valentine Elwes, who was parish priest of the village in the 1960s, are buried in the Catholic cemetery in the village. His second youngest daughter, Margaret, was buried there in 1997, aged 91 years. The Hall was sold in 1930 by Geoffrey Elwes and, a project for converting it into a home for indigent musicians in memory of Gervase Elwes having failed, it was sold again in 1935 to Mr. Hancock, a shoe-manufacturer of Northampton, and by him to Mr. J. P. B. Miller, who pulled down part of the Hall. In the village of Great Billing is a bronze memorial tablet to Gervase Elwes (d. 1921), the 'beloved squire' and famous singer.
Although Billing Hall was not converted into a home for musicians, Elwes' contribution to music, his interest in amateur music-making, professional musicians who had fallen on hard times, and innovation created by composers, singers and instrumentalists working together, led to the foundation, in 1921, of the Gervase Elwes Memorial Fund for Musicians which was incorporated in 1930 as the Musicians Benevolent Fund. www.helpmusicians.org.uk