Hindlip Hall
Encyclopedia
Hindlip Hall is in Worcestershire
. The first major hall was built before 1575. It played a significant role in both the Babington
and the Gunpowder plot
s (where it hid four people in priest hole
s, who were eventually executed). It was Humphrey Littleton
who told the authorities that Edward Oldcorne
was hiding here after he had been heard saying Mass
at Hindlip Hall. Four people were executed and the owner at that time barely escaped execution himself due to the intercession of Lord Monteagle
. Afterwards it was owned by a poet and was for a while a girl's school before being rebuilt by Lord Southwell in 1820. The Hall was designated as a potential home for the war cabinet in 1940. It is now home to the West Mercia Police
headquarters.
. John, his wife Catherine, and his three children Edward, Thomas and Dorothy were all Catholic
Recusants. After their father's death in 1582, Sir Edward and Sir Thomas
were involved in the Babington plot
which hoped to put a Catholic queen on the throne. Edward was beheaded but Thomas was shown mercy due to his youth.
s constructed for Catholic priests including some built by Nicholas Owen
. Mary was the sister-in-law of Lord Monteagle.
When the Gunpowder plot was discovered, as a result of Lord Monteagle
's letter, the Jesuit priest Edward Oldcorne
was at Hindlip. Oldcome recounted, under interrogation, that on the 8 November 1605 there arrived Oswald Tesimond
from Robert Wintour's who told Mr (H)Abington and himself that "he brought them the worst news that they had ever heard, and they were all undone." Tesimond said that certain people had intended to blow up the parliament house but they had been discovered a few days before.
In December, Oldcorne was joined by Nicholas Owen
, Henry Garnet
and Ralph Ashley
who were hiding because they were also under suspicion of involvement. The hall was searched on 20 January 1606 but no one was discovered and Abington denied that there was anyone hiding. The four were not discovered even though Garnet and Oldcorne were in one hiding place whilst the two lay brothers were in another. However the house continued to be searched for the next twelve days. A document written at the time records they "found two cunning and very artificial conveyances in the main brick-wall, so ingeniously framed, and with such art, as it cost much labour ere they could be found. Three other secret places, contrived with no less skill and industry, were found in and about the chimneys, in one whereof two of the traitors were close concealed. These chimney-conveyances being so strangely formed, having the entrances into them so curiously covered over with brick, mortared and made fast to planks of wood, and coloured black, like the other parts of the chimney, that very diligent inquisition might well have passed by, without throwing the least suspicion upon such unsuspicious places."
There were in fact eleven hiding places discovered. Two of the Jesuits came out after a few days but Oldcorne and Garnet survived for eight days before they surrendered.
Oldcorne and Garnet were arrested by Sir Henry Bromley and held briefly at the castle at Holt
before being taken to the Tower of London
en route to execution in Worcester.
Thomas was again arrested, and sentenced, but spared. He spent the rest of his life writing. It is said in several sources that he was not allowed outside the county, but there is evidence that this is unlikely.
, was a minor poet and his son, Thomas, died without a natural heir and left the hall to Sir William Compton.
The new hall was built by Viscount Southwell
in a Greek Revival style. In the 19th century after his death in 1860 the hall was bought by the Burton-on-Trent brewer, Henry Allsopp
, who became the first Baron Hindlip
in 1886. The house and gardens continued to be improved. In 1887 Lord Hindlip had a new 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) lake created and the old one was filled in and 4,000 fish were taken out.
The Allsopp family moved to Wiltshire early in the 20th century. The Hall went through a number of uses including about twenty five years as a girls' school.
. The church of St. James is no longer supported by the Church of England
(since 1997), but is now the church for the constabulary.
In 1985 the Hall was designated a Grade II* listed building.
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located 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 Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
. The first major hall was built before 1575. It played a significant role in both the Babington
Babington Plot
The Babington Plot was a Catholic plot in 1586 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth, a Protestant, and put Mary, Queen of Scots, a Catholic, on the English throne. It led to the execution of Mary. The long-term goal was an invasion by the Spanish forces of King Philip II and the Catholic league in...
and the Gunpowder plot
Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...
s (where it hid four people in priest hole
Priest hole
"Priest hole" is the term given to hiding places for priests built into many of the principal Catholic houses of England during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law in England, from the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in 1558....
s, who were eventually executed). It was Humphrey Littleton
Humphrey Littleton (plotter)
Humphrey Littleton died on 7 April 1606 at Red Hill outside Worcester. He was executed for his involvement in the Gunpowder plot. Robert Wintour and Stephen Littleton who had escaped from the fight at Holbeche House were captured at Hagley Park on the 9 January 1606 despite Littleton's protests...
who told the authorities that Edward Oldcorne
Edward Oldcorne
Blessed Edward Oldcorne or Oldcorn alias Hall was an English Jesuit priest. He was known to people who knew of the Gunpowder Plot to destroy the Parliament of England and kill King James I, and, although his involvement is unclear, he was caught up in the subsequent investigation...
was hiding here after he had been heard saying Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
at Hindlip Hall. Four people were executed and the owner at that time barely escaped execution himself due to the intercession of Lord Monteagle
William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle
William Parker, 13th Baron Morley, 4th Baron Monteagle was an English peer, Lord of Morley, Hingham, Hockering, &c., in Norfolk, the eldest son of Edward Parker, 12th Baron Morley , and of Elizabeth Stanley, daughter and heiress of William Stanley, 3rd Baron Monteagle .When quite a youth he...
. Afterwards it was owned by a poet and was for a while a girl's school before being rebuilt by Lord Southwell in 1820. The Hall was designated as a potential home for the war cabinet in 1940. It is now home to the West Mercia Police
West Mercia Constabulary
West Mercia Police, formerly known as West Mercia Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Shropshire , Herefordshire and Worcestershire in England. The force area covers making it the fourth largest police area in England and Wales...
headquarters.
Early history
The house was originally built before 1575 to replace an earlier timber framed manor house in a brick construction with towers and large windows, by John Abington, an official in the court of Elizabeth IElizabeth 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...
. John, his wife Catherine, and his three children Edward, Thomas and Dorothy were all Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Recusants. After their father's death in 1582, Sir Edward and Sir Thomas
Thomas Abington
Sir Thomas Habington was an English antiquarian, son of John Habington and Catherine Wykes, and the brother of Edward Habington...
were involved in the Babington plot
Babington Plot
The Babington Plot was a Catholic plot in 1586 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth, a Protestant, and put Mary, Queen of Scots, a Catholic, on the English throne. It led to the execution of Mary. The long-term goal was an invasion by the Spanish forces of King Philip II and the Catholic league in...
which hoped to put a Catholic queen on the throne. Edward was beheaded but Thomas was shown mercy due to his youth.
Priest holes
After imprisonment, Thomas and his wife, Mary, retired to Hindlip Hall, which they had adapted as a refuge with priest holePriest hole
"Priest hole" is the term given to hiding places for priests built into many of the principal Catholic houses of England during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law in England, from the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in 1558....
s constructed for Catholic priests including some built by Nicholas Owen
Nicholas Owen
Nicholas David Arundel Owen is a British journalist and television presenter. He now works for the BBC, presenting on the BBC News channel and BBC One.-Biography:...
. Mary was the sister-in-law of Lord Monteagle.
When the Gunpowder plot was discovered, as a result of Lord Monteagle
William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle
William Parker, 13th Baron Morley, 4th Baron Monteagle was an English peer, Lord of Morley, Hingham, Hockering, &c., in Norfolk, the eldest son of Edward Parker, 12th Baron Morley , and of Elizabeth Stanley, daughter and heiress of William Stanley, 3rd Baron Monteagle .When quite a youth he...
's letter, the Jesuit priest Edward Oldcorne
Edward Oldcorne
Blessed Edward Oldcorne or Oldcorn alias Hall was an English Jesuit priest. He was known to people who knew of the Gunpowder Plot to destroy the Parliament of England and kill King James I, and, although his involvement is unclear, he was caught up in the subsequent investigation...
was at Hindlip. Oldcome recounted, under interrogation, that on the 8 November 1605 there arrived Oswald Tesimond
Oswald Tesimond
Oswald Tesimond was a Jesuit born in either Northumberland or York who, while not a direct conspirator, had some involvement in the Gunpowder Plot....
from Robert Wintour's who told Mr (H)Abington and himself that "he brought them the worst news that they had ever heard, and they were all undone." Tesimond said that certain people had intended to blow up the parliament house but they had been discovered a few days before.
In December, Oldcorne was joined by Nicholas Owen
Nicholas Owen
Nicholas David Arundel Owen is a British journalist and television presenter. He now works for the BBC, presenting on the BBC News channel and BBC One.-Biography:...
, Henry Garnet
Henry Garnet
Henry Garnet , sometimes Henry Garnett, was a Jesuit priest executed for his complicity in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Born in Derbyshire, he was educated in Nottingham and later at Winchester College, before moving to London in 1571 to work for a publisher...
and Ralph Ashley
Ralph Ashley
Blessed Ralph Ashley was an English Jesuit lay-brother who became involved with the aftermath of the Gunpowder Plot. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929.-Life:...
who were hiding because they were also under suspicion of involvement. The hall was searched on 20 January 1606 but no one was discovered and Abington denied that there was anyone hiding. The four were not discovered even though Garnet and Oldcorne were in one hiding place whilst the two lay brothers were in another. However the house continued to be searched for the next twelve days. A document written at the time records they "found two cunning and very artificial conveyances in the main brick-wall, so ingeniously framed, and with such art, as it cost much labour ere they could be found. Three other secret places, contrived with no less skill and industry, were found in and about the chimneys, in one whereof two of the traitors were close concealed. These chimney-conveyances being so strangely formed, having the entrances into them so curiously covered over with brick, mortared and made fast to planks of wood, and coloured black, like the other parts of the chimney, that very diligent inquisition might well have passed by, without throwing the least suspicion upon such unsuspicious places."
There were in fact eleven hiding places discovered. Two of the Jesuits came out after a few days but Oldcorne and Garnet survived for eight days before they surrendered.
Oldcorne and Garnet were arrested by Sir Henry Bromley and held briefly at the castle at Holt
Holt, Worcestershire
Holt Fleet is a village in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England. The church is dedicated to St. Martin, and dates from about the 12th century. Holt Bridge, over the River Severn, was designed by Thomas Telford, and opened in 1830.-Early history:Holt saw archaeological...
before being taken to the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
en route to execution in Worcester.
Thomas was again arrested, and sentenced, but spared. He spent the rest of his life writing. It is said in several sources that he was not allowed outside the county, but there is evidence that this is unlikely.
After the plot
Thomas's son, William HabingtonWilliam Habington
William Habington was an English poet.He was born at Hindlip Hall, Worcestershire, and belonged to a well-known Catholic family...
, was a minor poet and his son, Thomas, died without a natural heir and left the hall to Sir William Compton.
Later history
The old hall was destroyed by fire and was demolished in 1820.The new hall was built by Viscount Southwell
Viscount Southwell
Viscount Southwell, of Castle Mattress in the County of Limerick, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1776 for Thomas Southwell, 3rd Baron Southwell. The Southwell family descends from Thomas Southwell. In 1662 he was created a Baronet, of Castle Mattress in the County of...
in a Greek Revival style. In the 19th century after his death in 1860 the hall was bought by the Burton-on-Trent brewer, Henry Allsopp
Henry Allsopp, 1st Baron Hindlip
Henry Allsopp, 1st Baron Hindlip , was a British businessman and Conservative Member of Parliament ....
, who became the first Baron Hindlip
Baron Hindlip
Baron Hindlip, of Hindlip in the County of Worcester and of Alsop-en-le-Dale in the County of Derby, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1886 for the businessman and Conservative politician Sir Henry Allsopp, 1st Baronet. He was head of the brewing firm of Samuel...
in 1886. The house and gardens continued to be improved. In 1887 Lord Hindlip had a new 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) lake created and the old one was filled in and 4,000 fish were taken out.
The Allsopp family moved to Wiltshire early in the 20th century. The Hall went through a number of uses including about twenty five years as a girls' school.
1940
During the Second World War it was taken over by the Ministry of Works. There were emergency plans drawn up to move Cabinet level Ministers of the Crown to Hindlip Hall if required, with the Prime Minister's office also based nearby at Spetchley Court. In 1947 after the war it came into the ownership of Worcestershire County Council and the land was set aside for future use as a college, with the main house turned into the headquarters of the County Police.Today
Since 1967 the Hall has been the West Mercia Police police headquarters. It is close to junction six of the M5 motorwayM5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
. The church of St. James is no longer supported by the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
(since 1997), but is now the church for the constabulary.
In 1985 the Hall was designated a Grade II* listed building.