Milford Hall - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Milford Hall is a privately owned 18th-century country mansion house at Milford

Milford, Staffordshire

Milford is a village in the county of Staffordshire, England. It lies at the edge of Cannock Chase, on the A513 road between Stafford and Rugeley. Just to the north of the village is the River Sow.-History:...

, near Stafford

Stafford

Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...

. It is the home of the Levett

Levett

Levett is an Anglo-Norman territorial surname deriving from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, now Jonquerets-de-Livet, in Eure, Normandy. Ancestors of the earliest Levett family in England, the de Livets were lords of the village of Livet, and undertenants of the de Ferrers, among the most powerful of...

Haszard family and is a Grade II listed building.

The estate passed to the Levett

Levett

family in 1749 when Reverend Richard Levett

Levett

, son of the Rector of Blithfield

Blithfield

Blithfield is a civil parish in the East Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It includes the settlements of Admaston, Newton, along with Blithfield Hall, home of the Bagot family since 1360. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 225. Blithfield Reservoir takes up much of...

, Staffordshire, married Lucy Byrd, heiress of Milford and a descendant of the Byrd family of Cheshire

Cheshire

Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...

. (The Levett family came from Sussex, and the Staffordshire Levetts retain ownership of the papers of family relation William Levett

William Levett

William Levett, Esq., was a longserving courtier to King Charles I of England. Levett accompanied the King during his flight from Parliamentary forces, including his escape from Hampton Court palace, and eventually to his imprisonment in Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight, and finally to the...

, Esq., who was groom of the bedchamber to King 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...

, accompanying the King to his imprisonment in Carisbrooke Castle

Carisbrooke Castle

Carisbrooke Castle is a historic motte-and-bailey castle located in the village of Carisbrooke, near Newport, Isle of Wight, England. Charles I was imprisoned at the castle in the months prior to his trial.-Early history:...

on the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

and ultimately to his execution.)

Also at Milford Hall is a replica of an ancient bronze seal found in the 19th century near Eastbourne

Eastbourne

Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...

(now in the collection of the Lewes Castle

Lewes Castle

Lewes Castle stands at the highest point of Lewes, East Sussex, England on an artificial mound constructed with chalk blocks. It was originally called Bray Castle.-History:...

Museum) bearing the coat-of-arms of John Livet. The signet is believed to have belonged to one of the first family members who was lord of the manor

Lord of the Manor

The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...

of Firle

Firle

For the suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, see Firle, South Australia.Firle is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. Firle refers to an old-English/Anglo-Saxon word fierol meaning overgrown with oak...

, East Sussex, in 1316.

Milford Hall also contains an ancient illuminated

Illuminated

Illuminated may refer to:* Illuminated dance floor, a floor with panels which light up with different colours* Illuminated Film Company, a British animation house...

pedigree

Pedigree chart

A pedigree chart is a diagram that shows the occurrence and appearance or phenotypes of a particular gene or organism and its ancestors from one generation to the next, most commonly humans, show dogs, and race horses....

with heraldic arms of the family traced from its roots in Sussex and Normandy

Normandy

Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

in the 11th century.

This Sussex family produced Sir Richard Levett

Richard Levett

Sir Richard Levett , Sheriff, Alderman and Lord Mayor of London, was one of the first directors of the Bank of England, an adventurer with the London East India Company and the proprietor of the trading firm Sir Richard Levett & Company. He had homes at Kew and in London's Cripplegate, close by...

, a powerful merchant and Lord Mayor of London

Lord Mayor of London

The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...

and owner of Kew Palace

Kew Palace

Kew Palace is a British Royal Palace in Kew Gardens on the banks of the Thames up river from London. There have been at least four Palaces at Kew, and three have been known as Kew Palace; the first building may not have been known as Kew as no records survive other than the words of another...

, who was the son of Reverend Richard Levett

Levett

(brother of William, courtier

Courtier

A courtier is a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...

to King Charles) of Ashwell, Rutland

Ashwell, Rutland

Ashwell is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located about three miles north of Oakham....

, and Dr. William Levett

William Levett (dean)

The Very Rev. Dr. William Levett was the Oxford-educated personal chaplain to Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, whom he accompanied into exile in France, then became the rector of two parishes, and subsequently Principal of Magdalen Hall, Oxford and the Dean of Bristol.Levett was born in...

, Principal

Dean (education)

In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...

, of Magdalen Hall, Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

, and Dean

Dean (education)

In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...

of Bristol

University of Bristol

The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...

. The family is of Anglo-Norman

Anglo-Norman

The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...

descent and derives its name from the village of Livet (now Jonquerets-de-Livet

Jonquerets-de-Livet

Les Jonquerets-de-Livet is a commune in the Eure department in Haute-Normandie, France. It incorporates the village of Livet-en-Ouche, once known simply as Livet.- Etymology :Mentioned as Lived in 11th Century....

) in Normandy.

Levett

Levett

replaced the existing house with a new mansion in the Georgian style. The main east fronting block had three storeys and four bays flanked by two double storey two bayed wings and with a five bay Orangery attached to the south.The central doorway carried pediment

Pediment

A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...

and Ionic

Ionic order

The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...

pilaster

Pilaster

A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....

s.

The house was much extended and altered in 1817 by his son, also Richard Levett

Levett

, when the pilasters and pediment were removed and the main entrance was moved to the west front.

The English 1881 census records show the Levett family and fourteen servants in residence. On the death of Captain William Swynnerton Byrd Levett

Levett

in 1929 the estate passed to his daughter Dyonese Haszard, the wife of Colonel Gerald Haszard, OBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

, Royal Marines

Royal Marines

The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...

.

The Levett

Levett

Haszard family retains ownership of Milford Hall. (Dyonese Haszard's only brother, Lieut. Richard Byrd Levett

Levett

of the 60th Rifles, King's Royal Rifle Corps

King's Royal Rifle Corps

The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...

, was killed in France in the First World War in 1917.) A graduate of Eton

Eton College

Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....

, Lieut. Levett died in an assault on the town of Irles in France on the morning of March 14, 1917. Subsequently his parents erected a marble effigy in his honor at St Thomas Church in nearby Walton-on-the-Hill, Staffordshire

Walton-on-the-Hill, Staffordshire

Walton-on-the-Hill is a substantial settlement in the English county of Staffordshire lying to the south-east of, and almost contiguous with, the county town of Stafford....

. Lt. Levett's tomb displays the arms of Levett of Milford Hall for his father William Swynnerton Byrd Levett, and the arms of Levett of Wychnor Park for those of his mother, Maud (Levett) Levett.

The mother of Lieut. Levett and Dyonese Levett Haszard was Maud Sophia (Levett) Levett, wife of Capt. William Swynnerton Byrd Levett, JP

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

, and herself a Levett -- daughter of Major. Edward Levett (10th Royal Hussars) of Rowsley

Rowsley

Rowsley is a village on the A6 road in the English county of Derbyshire.It is at the point where the River Wye flows into the River Derwent and prospered from mills on both.-Overview:...

, Derbyshire, a descendant of the Levetts of Wychnor Hall

Wychnor Hall

Wychnor Hall is an early 18th century country house near Burton on Trent, Staffordshire. Formerly owned by the Levett family, descendants of Theophilus Levett, Steward of the city of Lichfield in the early eighteenth century, the hall has been converted to a Country Club. It is a Grade II listed...

(or Wychnor Park), Staffordshire, and his wife Caroline Georgiana, daughter of Rev. Charles Thomas Longley

Charles Thomas Longley

Charles Thomas Longley was a bishop in the Church of England. He served as Bishop of Ripon, Bishop of Durham, Archbishop of York and Archbishop of Canterbury from 1862 until his death.-Life:...

, Archbishop of Canterbury

Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...

. (Major Levett's second wife was Susan Alice Arkwright, a descendant of Sir Richard Arkwright

Richard Arkwright

Sir Richard Arkwright , was an Englishman who, although the patents were eventually overturned, is often credited for inventing the spinning frame — later renamed the water frame following the transition to water power. He also patented a carding engine that could convert raw cotton into yarn...

.)

Descended from Levetts on both sides, Maud Levett was a writer on religious and spiritual topics, publishing several books as well as a memoir about her son Lieut. Levett, an Eton

Eton College

graduate, who was wounded twice before being killed in France in World War I. (An earlier Levett living at Milford Hall, the unmarried Frances M. Levett, also wrote several books, including "Gentle Influence: or the Cousin's Visit," which were published in London under her first initials.)

Col. Gerald Fenwick Haszard served as High Sheriff of Staffordshire

High Sheriff of Staffordshire

This is a list of the High Sheriffs of Staffordshire.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 transferred...

in 1952, and Richard Byrd Levett

Levett

Haszard currently serves as the county's High Sheriff for 2009. (The Levett

Levett

family represented Staffordshire in Parliament in the 18th and 19th centuries.)

The Levetts of Milford Hall have long worshipped at nearby St.Thomas' Church, Walton-on-the-Hill, built in 1842 as a chapel of ease

Chapel of ease

A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....

to the parish church. There are several monuments in the church to the Levett family. St. Thomas's also contains unusual blue Minton Ltd

Minton

Minton's Ltd, was a major ceramics manufacturing company, originated with Thomas Minton the founder of "Thomas Minton and Sons", who established his pottery factory in Stoke-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England, in 1793, producing earthenware and from 1798 bone china.-History:Minton's early products...

tiles with the Levett initials in buff lettering.

There are also memorials to the family in St. Augustine Church in nearby Rugeley

Rugeley

Rugeley is a historic market town in the county of Staffordshire, England. It lies on the northern edge of Cannock Chase, and is situated roughly midway between the towns of Stafford, Cannock, Lichfield and Uttoxeter...

, and at the church at Holy Trinity Church in Berkswich, Staffordshire, where the Levett and Chetwynd

Chetwynd Baronets

The Chetwynd Baronetcy, of Brocton Hall in the County of Stafford, is a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 1 May 1795 for George Chetwynd, of Brocton Hall, Staffordshire, for many years Clerk to the Privy Council. The second Baronet was Member of Parliament for Stafford and...

families had private pews.

Nearby is Shugborough Hall

Shugborough Hall

Shugborough is a country estate in Great Haywood, Staffordshire, England, 4 miles from Stafford on the edge of Cannock Chase. It comprises a country house, kitchen garden, and model farm...

, the ancestral estate of the Anson family, the Earls of Lichfield

Earl of Lichfield

Earl of Lichfield is a title that has been created three times in British history. Lord Bernard Stewart, youngest son of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, was to be created Earl of Lichfield by Charles I for his actions at the battles of Newbury and Naseby but died before the creation could...

. The Levett

Levett

family of Milford is related to the Ansons, and the Levett

Levett

Haszard family sit on the board of Shugborough Hall

Shugborough Hall

Shugborough is a country estate in Great Haywood, Staffordshire, England, 4 miles from Stafford on the edge of Cannock Chase. It comprises a country house, kitchen garden, and model farm...

, which is a couple of miles from Milford Hall.

The Levetts also intermarried with the Bagot

Bagot

Bagot as a personal name can refer to:*Baron Bagot, title in the Peerage of Great Britain*Charles Bagot , English diplomat and colonial administrator*The Bagehot column in The Economist*Richard Bagot , several persons...

family from nearby Pype Hayes Hall

Pype Hayes Hall

Pype Hayes Hall is a former mansion house in the Pype Hayes area of Erdington, Birmingham, West Midlands. The hall is in Pype Hayes Park by by the gardens. It was formerly in the historic county of Warwickshire before being transferred into the new county of the West Midlands along with the rest...

, a branch of the Bagots of Bagot's Bromley, Staffordshire, and Blithfield Hall

Blithfield Hall

Blithfield Hall , is a privately owned Grade I listed country house in Staffordshire, England, situated some east of Stafford, southwest of Uttoxeter and north of Rugeley....

.

Also in Staffordshire, another distant branch of the Sussex Levett

Levett

family owned Packington Hall

Packington Hall (Staffordshire)

Packington Hall in Staffordshire, England was a country mansion designed by architect James Wyatt in the 18th century that was the home of the Levett family for many generations...

and Wychnor Hall

Wychnor Hall

, two country mansion houses. Ultimately, these two branches of the Levett

Levett

family were reunited in marriage, so that the current owners of Milford Hall are descended from both branches of the family.

The Levetts of Milford Hall have also intermarried into other landowning families. The Levett-Scrivener family, for instance, live near Yoxford, Suffolk, where they have owned for centuries the ruins of Sibton Abbey

Sibton Abbey

Sibton Abbey, an early Cistercian abbey located near Yoxford, Suffolk, was founded about 1150 by William de Chesney, High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk...

, the only Cistercian abbey in East Anglia

East Anglia

East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...

.

Not all Levetts retained the family name. Lieut-Col Richard W. B. Mirehouse (1849–1914), High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire

High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire

This is a list of High Sheriffs of Pembrokeshire. Under the Local Government Act 1888, an elected county council was set up to take over the functions of the Pembrokeshire Quarter Sessions...

, Wales, 1886, and Lieutenant Colonel of 4th Batt. North Staffs Regiment

North Staffordshire Regiment

The North Staffordshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, which was in existence between 1881 and 1959. It can date its lineage back to 1756 with the formation of a second battalion by the 11th Regiment of Foot, which shortly after became the 64th Regiment of Foot...

was born Richard W. B. Levett of Milford Hall, but changed his name to that of his mother's family, Mirehouse.

Milford Hall is private and the mansion and grounds are not open to the public.

External links

Levett of Milford Hall, A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain, Bernard Burke, 1863

Kew Palace official site

The Origins of Some Anglo-Norman Families, Lewis Christopher Loyd, 1951

Rev. Richard Levett of Milford Hall

External links

Further reading