Hellens
Encyclopedia
Hellens Manor, also known as Hellens House or simply Hellens and located in the village of Much Marcle in Herefordshire
is one of the oldest dwellings in England
, currently primarily composed of Tudor style architecture
, but some elements may be far older.
was granted to the de Balun family in 1096. The de Baluns were later witness to the signing of the Magna Carta
. It later somehow passed to the Mortimer
s, the most famous of whom was Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, lover of Edward II
's wife Queen Isabella
, and who is reputed to have arranged for Edward II's murder at Berkeley Castle
.
By 1301, it was the property of the family of Hugh Audley who was created the 1st Earl of Gloucester
in 1337. Hugh Audley died in 1347, and the control of the manor
passed to his nephew, Sir James Audley
, a founding knight
of the Order of the Garter
and companion to Edward, the Black Prince
.
Sir James leased it to Walter Helyon, who the property is now named for. A rare wooden effigy
of Walter de Helyon http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/629150 lies in Much Marcle's parish church
of St. Bartholomew. Helyon's descendants have resided at the manor nearly continuously since first taking occupancy.
's history. It contains numerous antiques, including furniture, paintings and other decorations. There are items associated with Anne Boleyn
, Mary Tudor
, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
(Elizabeth I
's favourite), Charles I
, the Duke of Wharton
and of the house's inhabitants over the centuries. Among other items, a pardon for Richard Walwyn from Elizabeth I is displayed.
On one of the window panes of 'Hetty Walwyn's Room', named for Mehitabel, an 18th century occupant confined there by her mother until her death after a failed elopement with a stable hand
, an inscription attributed to her which reads "It is a part of virtue to abstain from what we love if it will prove our bain", apparently scratched into a windowpane with a diamond ring, may still be seen. Local legend states that Walwyn was imprisoned for over thirty years, starting in her 20s, until she eventually committed suicide
. Her ghost
reputedly still haunts the room.
Another ghost attributed to the house is that of a family priest supposedly killed by Roundhead
s who were searching the house for its Catholic
owner. His ghost is said to reside in a bedroom close to Hetty Walwyn's, a room that once hosted Mary Tudor
.
The gardens follow Tudor style architecture
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/471864 and Jacobean
patterns, and include a walled knot garden
, a yew
labyrinth
, and a 17th century octagonal dovecote
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/65705. There is also a woodland and pond walk and an old cider
mill, which contains family coaches, including a Derby coach. The cider mill is used for its original purpose each autumn.
There is also a restored 16th century barn, which is currently used to host events http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/65712 & http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/583341. It can be rented for use as a theater of 150 seats, as a recording venue, or for weddings or conferences with up to 100 participants.
The house passed through the Pennington-Mellor family, eventually coming into the possession of Malcolm Munthe
, the son of Hilda Pennington-Mellor and Axel Munthe
. Malcolm Munthe spent much of his later life restoring the house, and another family property, Southside House
in London
to historic showpiece condition. He wrote a history of the house: Hellen's, Much Marcle, Herefordshire.
Hellens still serves partly as a residence but primarily as a museum, administered by the Pennington-Mellor-Munthe Charity Trust, and hosting tour groups as well as cultural events such as lectures, concerts, school field-trips, and literary discussions, forming a key part of the cultural life of Much Marcle. In addition to occasional visits from Pennington-Mellor-Munthe family members, a curator/caretaker lives onsite with his family.
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
is one of the oldest dwellings in 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...
, currently primarily composed of Tudor style architecture
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
, but some elements may be far older.
History
The manorManorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
was granted to the de Balun family in 1096. The de Baluns were later witness to the signing of the Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
. It later somehow passed to the Mortimer
Mortimer
Mortimer is a popular English name, used both as a surname and a given name.- Norman origins :The origin of the name is almost certainly Norman, but the details are disputed....
s, the most famous of whom was Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, lover of Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
's wife Queen Isabella
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
, and who is reputed to have arranged for Edward II's murder at Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, UK . The castle's origins date back to the 11th century and it has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.The castle has remained within the Berkeley family since they reconstructed it in the...
.
By 1301, it was the property of the family of Hugh Audley who was created the 1st Earl of Gloucester
Earl of Gloucester
The title of Earl of Gloucester was created several times in the Peerage of England. A fictional earl is also a character in William Shakespeare's play King Lear. See also Duke of Gloucester.-Earls of Gloucester, 1st Creation :...
in 1337. Hugh Audley died in 1347, and the control of the manor
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...
passed to his nephew, Sir James Audley
James Audley
Sir James Audley KG was one of the original knights, or founders, of the Order of the Garter. He was the eldest son of Sir James Audley of Stratton Audley in Oxfordshire.-Biography:...
, a founding knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
of the Order of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
and companion to Edward, the Black Prince
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England....
.
Sir James leased it to Walter Helyon, who the property is now named for. A rare wooden effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
of Walter de Helyon http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/629150 lies in Much Marcle's parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of St. Bartholomew. Helyon's descendants have resided at the manor nearly continuously since first taking occupancy.
Features
Hellens is a living monument to much of EnglandEngland
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...
's history. It contains numerous antiques, including furniture, paintings and other decorations. There are items associated with Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
, Mary Tudor
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG was an English nobleman and a favourite of Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599...
(Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
's favourite), Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, the Duke of Wharton
Philip Wharton, 1st Duke of Wharton
Philip Wharton, 1st Duke of Wharton , powerful Jacobite politician, notorious libertine and rake, profligate, and alcoholic, was one of the few people in English history, and the first since the 15th century, to have been raised to a Dukedom whilst still a minor and not closely related to the...
and of the house's inhabitants over the centuries. Among other items, a pardon for Richard Walwyn from Elizabeth I is displayed.
On one of the window panes of 'Hetty Walwyn's Room', named for Mehitabel, an 18th century occupant confined there by her mother until her death after a failed elopement with a stable hand
Groom (horses)
A groom is a person who is responsible for some or all aspects of the management of horses and/or the care of the stables themselves. The term most often refers to a person who is the employee of a stable owner, but even an owner of a horse may perform the duties of a groom, particularly if the...
, an inscription attributed to her which reads "It is a part of virtue to abstain from what we love if it will prove our bain", apparently scratched into a windowpane with a diamond ring, may still be seen. Local legend states that Walwyn was imprisoned for over thirty years, starting in her 20s, until she eventually committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. Her ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
reputedly still haunts the room.
Another ghost attributed to the house is that of a family priest supposedly killed by Roundhead
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
s who were searching the house for its Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
owner. His ghost is said to reside in a bedroom close to Hetty Walwyn's, a room that once hosted Mary Tudor
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
.
The gardens follow Tudor style architecture
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/471864 and Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
patterns, and include a walled knot garden
Knot garden
A knot garden is a garden of very formal design in a square frame, consisting of a variety of aromatic plants and culinary herbs including germander, marjoram, thyme, southernwood, lemon balm, hyssop, costmary, acanthus, mallow, chamomile, rosemary, Calendulas, Violas and Santolina...
, a yew
Taxus
Taxus is a genus of yews, small coniferous trees or shrubs in the yew family Taxaceae. They are relatively slow-growing and can be very long-lived, and reach heights of 1-40 m, with trunk diameters of up to 4 m...
labyrinth
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...
, and a 17th century octagonal dovecote
Dovecote
A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/65705. There is also a woodland and pond walk and an old cider
Cider
Cider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...
mill, which contains family coaches, including a Derby coach. The cider mill is used for its original purpose each autumn.
The house passed through the Pennington-Mellor family, eventually coming into the possession of Malcolm Munthe
Malcolm Munthe
Major Malcolm Munthe MC was a British soldier, writer, and curator, and son of the famous Swedish doctor and writer Axel Munthe and his second wife Hilda Pennington-Mellor.-Early life and Second World War:...
, the son of Hilda Pennington-Mellor and Axel Munthe
Axel Munthe
Axel Martin Fredrik Munthe was a Swedish psychiatrist, best known as the author of The Story of San Michele, an autobiographical account of his life and work....
. Malcolm Munthe spent much of his later life restoring the house, and another family property, Southside House
Southside House
Southside House is a 17th century house located on the south side of Wimbledon Common. The house was built for Robert Pennington, who had shared Charles II's exile in Holland. In 1687 after losing his son to the Bubonic Plague, Pennington left London for Holme Farm, Wimbledon, which at that time...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to historic showpiece condition. He wrote a history of the house: Hellen's, Much Marcle, Herefordshire.
Hellens still serves partly as a residence but primarily as a museum, administered by the Pennington-Mellor-Munthe Charity Trust, and hosting tour groups as well as cultural events such as lectures, concerts, school field-trips, and literary discussions, forming a key part of the cultural life of Much Marcle. In addition to occasional visits from Pennington-Mellor-Munthe family members, a curator/caretaker lives onsite with his family.