Pooley Hall
Encyclopedia
Pooley Hall is a Manor house
built in 1509 on the outskirts of Polesworth
, Warwickshire
, England
. It is a Grade II* listed building and a private residence.
. It was built on the site of an earlier Hall and was one of the first examples in the country of a castellated brick-built manor house. The house was considerably larger than what it is today and has been repeatedly altered.
The Cockayne Family
split their time between Pooley hall and their estate at Ashbourne Hall
in Derbyshire
.
Sir Aston Cockayne
, 1st Baronet Cockayne, lived quietly at Pooley Hall for most of the English Interregnum
. Sir Aston was a famous Cavalier
and Catholic; during the English Civil War he took the Royalist side and in 1642 Charles I
elevated him to Baronet. Sir Aston joined the future Charles II
in exile for a time and chose to return to Pooley Hall to "lie low".
The family finances suffered heavily due to Sir Aston Cockayne
. He was famous for his gambling and amassed large debts. Ashbourne Hall was sold within the first Baronet's lifetime, and after his death the family we're subsequently forced to sell Pooley Hall.
The family moved back to Derbyshire
with several subsequent family-members famously becoming Mayors of Derby
.
, Pooley Hall fell into the hands of Charles Jennens
of nearby Gopsall Hall
and was subsequently inherited by Jennens' god-son The Hon. Charles Finch MP
, son of the 3rd Earl of Aylesford
.
In 1789 the Coventry Canal
was opened. The canal runs through the Pooley Hall estate and passes within 20 meters of the Hall, which can be viewed from the tow-path on the opposite side of the canal.
In 1847 a coal mine was sunk on the Pooley Hall Estate, not far from the main House. It was completed in 1849 and coal began to be extracted in 1850.
In 1897 the Pooley Hall Colliery was formed. A wharf was constructed on the Canal for the Colliery and a branch line was built to connect it to the Trent Valley Line
(Now part of the West Coast Mainline), that ran through nearby Polesworth
.
In 1951 Pooley Hall Colliery joined with nearby Tamworth
and Amington
Collieries to form the North Warwick Colliery.
The Colliery eventually closed in 1965 and parts of the house, outbuildings and the colliery buildings had to be demolished due to mining subsidence.
Pooley Hall is once again a private residence and was, until recently, the home of the late Edwin Starr
, an American Soul and Motown Singer.
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...
built in 1509 on the outskirts of Polesworth
Polesworth
Polesworth is a large village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 8,439, inclusive of the continuous sub-villages of St Helena, Dordon and Hall End directly to the south...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, 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...
. It is a Grade II* listed building and a private residence.
The Cockayne Family
The present Hall was built in 1509 by Sir Thomas Cockayne "The Magnificent", Who was knighted at the Battle of Tournai by King Henry VIIHenry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
. It was built on the site of an earlier Hall and was one of the first examples in the country of a castellated brick-built manor house. The house was considerably larger than what it is today and has been repeatedly altered.
- For Example: The original hammer-beam roof of the great hall no longer survives and much of the original house has been demolished.
The Cockayne Family
Cokayne Baronets
The Baronetcy of Cockayne of Ashbourne was created in the Baronetage of England on 10 January 1642 for Aston Cockayne, Lord of Ashbourne Hall, Derbyshire and Pooley hall, Polesworth, Warwickshire.Sir Aston Cockayne was a cavalier and author...
split their time between Pooley hall and their estate at Ashbourne Hall
Ashbourne Hall
Ashbourne Hall is a Manor house originally built by the Cockayne Family in the 13th century in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. The present Hall is part of a largely demolished, Georgian styled Hall build during the 18th century.-The Cockayne Family:...
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...
.
Sir Aston Cockayne
Aston Cockayne
Sir Aston Cockayne, Baronet of Ashbourne was, in his day, a well-known Cavalier and a minor literary figure, now best remembered as a friend of Philip Massinger, John Fletcher, Michael Drayton, Richard Brome, Thomas Randolph, and other writers of his generation.-Biography:Aston Cockayne was the...
, 1st Baronet Cockayne, lived quietly at Pooley Hall for most of the English Interregnum
English Interregnum
The English Interregnum was the period of parliamentary and military rule by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the Commonwealth of England after the English Civil War...
. Sir Aston was a famous Cavalier
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
and Catholic; during the English Civil War he took the Royalist side and in 1642 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...
elevated him to Baronet. Sir Aston joined the future Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
in exile for a time and chose to return to Pooley Hall to "lie low".
The family finances suffered heavily due to Sir Aston Cockayne
Aston Cockayne
Sir Aston Cockayne, Baronet of Ashbourne was, in his day, a well-known Cavalier and a minor literary figure, now best remembered as a friend of Philip Massinger, John Fletcher, Michael Drayton, Richard Brome, Thomas Randolph, and other writers of his generation.-Biography:Aston Cockayne was the...
. He was famous for his gambling and amassed large debts. Ashbourne Hall was sold within the first Baronet's lifetime, and after his death the family we're subsequently forced to sell Pooley Hall.
The family moved back to 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...
with several subsequent family-members famously becoming Mayors of Derby
Mayor of Derby
Names of the Mayors for the Borough of Derby from the first that was chosen on the 3 July 1638 by the king's charter then granted to the town the two last bailiffs were the two first mayors Mr Mellor being proclaimed the 3rd day of July to be the mayor until Michaelmas and twelve months after but...
.
After The Cockaynes
Following the departure of the Cockayne FamilyCokayne Baronets
The Baronetcy of Cockayne of Ashbourne was created in the Baronetage of England on 10 January 1642 for Aston Cockayne, Lord of Ashbourne Hall, Derbyshire and Pooley hall, Polesworth, Warwickshire.Sir Aston Cockayne was a cavalier and author...
, Pooley Hall fell into the hands of Charles Jennens
Charles Jennens
Charles Jennens was an English landowner and patron of the arts, who assembled the text for five of Handel's oratorios: Saul, Israel in Egypt, L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, Messiah, and Belshazzar...
of nearby Gopsall Hall
Gopsall
Gopsall is an area of Crown Estate land in North West Leicestershire, England. It is located between the villages of Appleby Magna, Shackerstone, Twycross and Snarestone....
and was subsequently inherited by Jennens' god-son The Hon. Charles Finch MP
Charles Finch
Charles Finch is an American author of mystery novels set in Victorian era England.Finch was born in New York City. He graduated from Phillips Academy and Yale University where he majored in English and History. He also holds a master's degree in Renaissance English Literature from the...
, son of the 3rd Earl of Aylesford
Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Aylesford
Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Aylesford , styled Lord Guernsey between 1719 and 1757, was a British peer and politician.-Background and education:...
.
In 1789 the Coventry Canal
Coventry Canal
The Coventry Canal is a navigable narrow canal in the Midlands of England.It starts in Coventry and ends 38 miles north at Fradley Junction, just north of Lichfield, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal...
was opened. The canal runs through the Pooley Hall estate and passes within 20 meters of the Hall, which can be viewed from the tow-path on the opposite side of the canal.
In 1847 a coal mine was sunk on the Pooley Hall Estate, not far from the main House. It was completed in 1849 and coal began to be extracted in 1850.
In 1897 the Pooley Hall Colliery was formed. A wharf was constructed on the Canal for the Colliery and a branch line was built to connect it to the Trent Valley Line
Trent Valley line
The Trent Valley Line is a railway line between Rugby and Stafford in England, forming part of the West Coast Main Line.The line was electrified on 25 kV AC system during the 1960s, in the wake of the 1955 British Rail modernisation plan....
(Now part of the West Coast Mainline), that ran through nearby Polesworth
Polesworth
Polesworth is a large village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 8,439, inclusive of the continuous sub-villages of St Helena, Dordon and Hall End directly to the south...
.
In 1951 Pooley Hall Colliery joined with nearby Tamworth
Tamworth
Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
and Amington
Amington
Amington is a ward, a parish and a suburb of Tamworth in Staffordshire, England, and was formerly a distinct village. Amington is to the far east of the town centre...
Collieries to form the North Warwick Colliery.
The Colliery eventually closed in 1965 and parts of the house, outbuildings and the colliery buildings had to be demolished due to mining subsidence.
Today
Today 62.5 hectares of the Pooley Hall Estate and Colliery site has been transformed into the "Pooley Country Park" operated by Warwickshire County Council. The Park has a visitors centre and is a popular site for dog walking.Pooley Hall is once again a private residence and was, until recently, the home of the late Edwin Starr
Edwin Starr
Edwin Starr was an American soul music singer. Starr is most famous for his Norman Whitfield produced singles of the 1970s, most notably the number one hit "War".-Biography:...
, an American Soul and Motown Singer.
See also
- Cockayne BaronetsCokayne BaronetsThe Baronetcy of Cockayne of Ashbourne was created in the Baronetage of England on 10 January 1642 for Aston Cockayne, Lord of Ashbourne Hall, Derbyshire and Pooley hall, Polesworth, Warwickshire.Sir Aston Cockayne was a cavalier and author...
- Sir Aston Cockayne, 1st BaronetAston CockayneSir Aston Cockayne, Baronet of Ashbourne was, in his day, a well-known Cavalier and a minor literary figure, now best remembered as a friend of Philip Massinger, John Fletcher, Michael Drayton, Richard Brome, Thomas Randolph, and other writers of his generation.-Biography:Aston Cockayne was the...
- PolesworthPolesworthPolesworth is a large village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 8,439, inclusive of the continuous sub-villages of St Helena, Dordon and Hall End directly to the south...
External links
- http://www2.mihalis.net/canal/cgi-bin/gazette.cgi?where=$vo49*Country Park