Snitterton Hall
Encyclopedia
Snitterton Hall is a privately owned late medieval manor house at South Darley, near Matlock, Derbyshire
. It is a Grade I listed building.
Anciently an independent manor within the large parish of Darley near Matlock, Snitterton held was held by a family of the same name whose emblem was a snipe (snite). It came to John Sacheverel of Morley upon his marriage to the de Snitterton heiress in the 14th century and a descendant was slain at the Battle of Bosworth Field
in 1485. The estate was sold in 1596 by Henry Sacheverel, passing through the Shore and Smith families in the next 30 years before the house and half the original lands were acquired in 1631 by John Milward ( then younger son of John Milward of Broadlowash) who became High Sheriff of Derbyshire
in 1635 and who served as a Colonel in the army of Charles I
during the English Civil War
.
The present house represents a refronting and extension c 1632/3 of the earlier manor house. The recessed centre with a castellated parapet
is flanked by single bayed gabled cross wings. The windows are mullion
ed and transom
ed and the off centre entrance porch has Ionic
columns beneath a unique frieze of four plants copied from woodcut illustrations in The Great Herball'. Within the walled garden stands a single two-storey pyramid-roofed garden pavilion originally taller with castellation and one of a pair which flanked the surviving fine arched and castellated entrance gate into the enclosed front or public garden. To the north and east the more private gardens and orchards descend in terraces and a large alcove for seating within the north-west corner of the walls is aligned with a raised viewing platform further east.
In 1681 the house and its land passed to Felicia Milward and her husband, a Warwickshire gentleman Charles Adderley, who sold it in the succeeding decade to tax collector Henry Fearne of neighbouring Bonsall, from whom it passed to his daughter and her husband Edmund Turnor of Stoke Rochford Hall, Lincolnshire. During the 19th century the Hall was let out as a farm by the Turnor family before selling the estate to the Thornhills of nearby Stanton Hall in 1910. They began alterations to the Hall's north elevation which were left unfinished, and then sold on in 1936 to FE Bagshawe of Ford, Chapel en le Frith who let it for 21 years and, on failing to sell once again in 1957, finally took up occupation of the house.
On Bagshawe's death in 1985 the Hall and its immediate demesne was bought by writer Adrian Woodhouse
who began restoration of the house and its gardens after extensive documentary research. In 1996 the house was bought by a Sheffield property developer, Paul Caplan, who undertook extensive work on the house and gardens until selling the property in 2008.
Located to the north of the Hall are the remains of an angled fishing pond and fishing house which may be linked to Isaak Walton who was a Milward cousin and fellow Royalist. This along with a moated enclosure towards the northeast, either site of an even earlier manor house or another landscape feature created by John Milward, has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
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 I listed building.
Anciently an independent manor within the large parish of Darley near Matlock, Snitterton held was held by a family of the same name whose emblem was a snipe (snite). It came to John Sacheverel of Morley upon his marriage to the de Snitterton heiress in the 14th century and a descendant was slain at the Battle of Bosworth Field
Battle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians...
in 1485. The estate was sold in 1596 by Henry Sacheverel, passing through the Shore and Smith families in the next 30 years before the house and half the original lands were acquired in 1631 by John Milward ( then younger son of John Milward of Broadlowash) who became 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 1635 and who served as a Colonel in the army of 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...
during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
The present house represents a refronting and extension c 1632/3 of the earlier manor house. The recessed centre with a castellated parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
is flanked by single bayed gabled cross wings. The windows are mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
ed and transom
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
ed and the off centre entrance porch has 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...
columns beneath a unique frieze of four plants copied from woodcut illustrations in The Great Herball'. Within the walled garden stands a single two-storey pyramid-roofed garden pavilion originally taller with castellation and one of a pair which flanked the surviving fine arched and castellated entrance gate into the enclosed front or public garden. To the north and east the more private gardens and orchards descend in terraces and a large alcove for seating within the north-west corner of the walls is aligned with a raised viewing platform further east.
In 1681 the house and its land passed to Felicia Milward and her husband, a Warwickshire gentleman Charles Adderley, who sold it in the succeeding decade to tax collector Henry Fearne of neighbouring Bonsall, from whom it passed to his daughter and her husband Edmund Turnor of Stoke Rochford Hall, Lincolnshire. During the 19th century the Hall was let out as a farm by the Turnor family before selling the estate to the Thornhills of nearby Stanton Hall in 1910. They began alterations to the Hall's north elevation which were left unfinished, and then sold on in 1936 to FE Bagshawe of Ford, Chapel en le Frith who let it for 21 years and, on failing to sell once again in 1957, finally took up occupation of the house.
On Bagshawe's death in 1985 the Hall and its immediate demesne was bought by writer Adrian Woodhouse
Adrian Woodhouse
Adrian Woodhouse is a British writer, journalist and collector. Born in Calcutta, India he moved with his family back to their native England in the mid-1960s. After reading history at King's College, Cambridge he started work as a financial journalist before moving into gossip which better suited...
who began restoration of the house and its gardens after extensive documentary research. In 1996 the house was bought by a Sheffield property developer, Paul Caplan, who undertook extensive work on the house and gardens until selling the property in 2008.
Located to the north of the Hall are the remains of an angled fishing pond and fishing house which may be linked to Isaak Walton who was a Milward cousin and fellow Royalist. This along with a moated enclosure towards the northeast, either site of an even earlier manor house or another landscape feature created by John Milward, has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.