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Longford Hall (Derbyshire)
Encyclopedia
Longford Hall is a 16th century country house at Longford
in Derbyshire
. It is a Grade II* listed building
The Manor was built in the 16th century for the de Longford family. On the demise of the last of the de Longfords about 1620 the manor passed to Sarah Reddish who married Clement Coke, younger son of Sir Edward Coke
, Lord Chief Justice of Holkham Hall
, Norfolk
. Their son Edward was created a Baronet
in 1641 ( see Coke Baronets
) and was High Sheriff of Derbyshire
in 1646.
In 1727, with the extinction of the line descended from Clement Coke, the estate passed to the senior Coke line, the Cokes of Holkham Hall
, and was inherited by Robert Coke, son of Sir Edward Coke and Cary Newton. When Robert Coke died in 1750, his nephew Wenman Roberts, son of Philip Roberts and Anne Coke (Robert's older sister), inherited Longford Hall. Under the will of Sir Edward Coke, third and last Baronet, Roberts assumed the surname and arms of Coke in order to inherit Longford Hall. In 1775, Wenman Coke also inherited Holkham Hall
.
The house was much altered in about 1762 by architect Joseph Pickford
to a H-plan; two substantial three storeyed, fifteen bayed ballustraded wings linked by a single storey central block.
In 1776, at the death of Wenman Coke, his eldest son Thomas William Coke
(created Earl of Leicester
in 1837) inherited Holkham Hall and Longford Hall passed to his younger son, Edward Coke. At the death of Edward Coke in 1837, Longford Hall passed to Thomas William Coke
, who visited it the same year and found it in a shocking state of disrepair. Coke wrote orders to the bailiff to do all that was necessary to make it habitable. The bailiff, mistakenly believing that the stonework was unsafe, pulled down the tower and the old banqueting hall which contained the carved gallery and stained glass windows bearing the arms of the Longford family from the time of the Conquest
. During the last five years of his life, Coke visited Longford annually and returned the estate to its former splendor. In June 1842, Coke, sensing that he was in his last days, decided to pay his boyhood home one last visit. Shortly after his arrival, after dedicating two new bridges he had built over a mill stream that ran through the village, he took seriously ill and died on 30 June 1842, aged 88 years.
A fire destroyed the central cross block and much of the upper storeys. It was restored in 1960 but the upper storey is now only a facade.
Longford, Derbyshire
Longford is a village in Derbyshire, England. It is six miles from Ashbourne and eleven miles west of Derby.-History:In 1872 the parish of Longford was described as having just over 1150 people and 220 dwellings. This parish took in the settlements of Alkmonton, Rodsley, Hollington and the...
in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. It is a Grade II* listed building
The Manor was built in the 16th century for the de Longford family. On the demise of the last of the de Longfords about 1620 the manor passed to Sarah Reddish who married Clement Coke, younger son of Sir Edward Coke
Edward Coke
Sir Edward Coke SL PC was an English barrister, judge and politician considered to be the greatest jurist of the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. Born into a middle class family, Coke was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge before leaving to study at the Inner Temple, where he was called to the...
, Lord Chief Justice of Holkham Hall
Holkham Hall
Holkham Hall is an eighteenth-century country house located adjacent to the village of Holkham, on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. Their son Edward was created a Baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in 1641 ( see Coke Baronets
Coke Baronets
The Baronetcy of Coke of Longford, Derbyshire was created in the Baronetage of England on 30 December 1641 for Edward Coke.He was the grandson of Sir Edward Coke, Lord Chief Justice. His father Clement, youngest son of Sir Edward, acquired by marriage the Longford Hall estate in Derbyshire. Coke...
) and was High Sheriff of Derbyshire
High Sheriff of Derbyshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Derbyshire from 1568.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been...
in 1646.
In 1727, with the extinction of the line descended from Clement Coke, the estate passed to the senior Coke line, the Cokes of Holkham Hall
Holkham Hall
Holkham Hall is an eighteenth-century country house located adjacent to the village of Holkham, on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk...
, and was inherited by Robert Coke, son of Sir Edward Coke and Cary Newton. When Robert Coke died in 1750, his nephew Wenman Roberts, son of Philip Roberts and Anne Coke (Robert's older sister), inherited Longford Hall. Under the will of Sir Edward Coke, third and last Baronet, Roberts assumed the surname and arms of Coke in order to inherit Longford Hall. In 1775, Wenman Coke also inherited Holkham Hall
Holkham Hall
Holkham Hall is an eighteenth-century country house located adjacent to the village of Holkham, on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk...
.
The house was much altered in about 1762 by architect Joseph Pickford
Joseph Pickford
Joseph Pickford was an English architect, one of the leading provincial architects in the reign of George III.-Biography:Pickford was born in Warwickshire in 1734 but he moved as child to London when his father died. Pickford's initial training was undertaken under the stonemason and sculptor...
to a H-plan; two substantial three storeyed, fifteen bayed ballustraded wings linked by a single storey central block.
In 1776, at the death of Wenman Coke, his eldest son Thomas William Coke
Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (seventh creation)
Thomas William Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester , known as Coke of Norfolk, was a British politician and agricultural reformer. Born to Wenman Coke, Member of Parliament for Derby and his wife Elizabeth, Coke was educated at several schools, including Eton College, before undertaking a Grand Tour of...
(created Earl of Leicester
Earl of Leicester
The title Earl of Leicester was created in the 12th century in the Peerage of England , and is currently a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1837.-Early creations:...
in 1837) inherited Holkham Hall and Longford Hall passed to his younger son, Edward Coke. At the death of Edward Coke in 1837, Longford Hall passed to Thomas William Coke
Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (seventh creation)
Thomas William Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester , known as Coke of Norfolk, was a British politician and agricultural reformer. Born to Wenman Coke, Member of Parliament for Derby and his wife Elizabeth, Coke was educated at several schools, including Eton College, before undertaking a Grand Tour of...
, who visited it the same year and found it in a shocking state of disrepair. Coke wrote orders to the bailiff to do all that was necessary to make it habitable. The bailiff, mistakenly believing that the stonework was unsafe, pulled down the tower and the old banqueting hall which contained the carved gallery and stained glass windows bearing the arms of the Longford family from the time of the Conquest
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
. During the last five years of his life, Coke visited Longford annually and returned the estate to its former splendor. In June 1842, Coke, sensing that he was in his last days, decided to pay his boyhood home one last visit. Shortly after his arrival, after dedicating two new bridges he had built over a mill stream that ran through the village, he took seriously ill and died on 30 June 1842, aged 88 years.
A fire destroyed the central cross block and much of the upper storeys. It was restored in 1960 but the upper storey is now only a facade.