Thornhill Hall
Encyclopedia
Thornhill Hall is the ruins of a medieval Manor house
on a moated island located in Rectory Park, Thornhill
, West Yorkshire. It is a grade II listed building. and the moat and surrounding grounds is a scheduled monument.
Excavations on the moated island were carried out between 1964 and 1972 which indicated that there had been two structures on the island. The earlier one was a large thirteenth century building with clay bonded foundation walls which was replaced in approximately 1450 by a stone 'H plan' building and the addition of the moat. This building also showed signs of reconstruction in the sixteenth century when it received a paved floor, plaster walls and a chimney. The hall was further fortified during the English Civil wars.
The last residents of the hall were the family of Sir William Savile
and Lady Anne Savile. Sir William died in January 1644 at York against Parliamentarian forces, earlier Lady Anne moved with her family and household staff to the Savile Estate at Rufford Abbey
. By July 1648 Thornhill Hall was a Royalist garrison under the command of Captain Thomas Paulden. Parliamentarian infantry & cavalry under the command of Colonel Charles Fairfax
prepared to siege the hall, after a skirmish, surrender terms were being negotiated but prior to the surrender at around 7pm on July 18, 1648 the garrison's gunpowder was accidentally ignited causing an explosion and with the subsequent fire, the entire hall was destroyed.
awarded a grant to the architectural study of the ruins in the Summer of 2011.
Nuttall, Barbara the Saviles of Thornhill- Life at Thornhill Hall in the reign of of Charles I. Published by the Author 1986.
Cathcart King, David James (1983), Castellarium Anglicanum: An Index and Bibliography of the Castles in England, Wales and the Islands. Volume II: Norfolk–Yorkshire and the Islands, London: Kraus International Publications, ISBN 0 52750110 7 (page 532)
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...
on a moated island located in Rectory Park, Thornhill
Thornhill, West Yorkshire
Thornhill, is a village in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Thornhill was absorbed into Dewsbury County Borough in 1910. It is located on a hill on the south side of the River Calder, and has extensive views of Dewsbury, Ossett and Wakefield...
, West Yorkshire. It is a grade II listed building. and the moat and surrounding grounds is a scheduled monument.
History
In the twelfth century, Jordan de Thornhill was Constable of Wakefield and held the manor of Thornhill. By 1370 the Savile family had married into the de Thornhills and it was Sir Thomas Savile who made Thornhill the seat of the Savile estates residing at Thornhill Hall in 1415.Excavations on the moated island were carried out between 1964 and 1972 which indicated that there had been two structures on the island. The earlier one was a large thirteenth century building with clay bonded foundation walls which was replaced in approximately 1450 by a stone 'H plan' building and the addition of the moat. This building also showed signs of reconstruction in the sixteenth century when it received a paved floor, plaster walls and a chimney. The hall was further fortified during the English Civil wars.
The last residents of the hall were the family of Sir William Savile
Sir William Savile, 3rd Baronet
Sir William Savile, 3rd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1642. He fought on the Royalist side in the English Civil War and was killed in action....
and Lady Anne Savile. Sir William died in January 1644 at York against Parliamentarian forces, earlier Lady Anne moved with her family and household staff to the Savile Estate at Rufford Abbey
Rufford Abbey
Rufford Abbey is an estate in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, England. It was originally a Cistercian abbey. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century it became a country house...
. By July 1648 Thornhill Hall was a Royalist garrison under the command of Captain Thomas Paulden. Parliamentarian infantry & cavalry under the command of Colonel Charles Fairfax
Charles Fairfax (antiquary)
-Early life:Fairfax was born at Denton, Yorkshire on 5 March 1597, and was the seventh and third surviving son of Sir Thomas Fairfax. His two surviving brothers were Ferdinando and Henry. He entered Trinity College, Cambridge on 5 October 1611, and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn on 9...
prepared to siege the hall, after a skirmish, surrender terms were being negotiated but prior to the surrender at around 7pm on July 18, 1648 the garrison's gunpowder was accidentally ignited causing an explosion and with the subsequent fire, the entire hall was destroyed.
Recent Events
The Heritage Lottery FundHeritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
awarded a grant to the architectural study of the ruins in the Summer of 2011.
Sources
Nuttall, Barbara, History of Thornhill and A Guide to the Church of St. Michael and All Angels Published by Kirklees Cultural Services and Thornhill Parish Church . ISBN 0 900746 61 0 3rd edition 1995.Nuttall, Barbara the Saviles of Thornhill- Life at Thornhill Hall in the reign of of Charles I. Published by the Author 1986.
Cathcart King, David James (1983), Castellarium Anglicanum: An Index and Bibliography of the Castles in England, Wales and the Islands. Volume II: Norfolk–Yorkshire and the Islands, London: Kraus International Publications, ISBN 0 52750110 7 (page 532)
External links
- http://www.rectory-park.co.uk/page.php?id=4 Friends of Rectory Park Website
- http://www.archaeology.wyjs.org.uk/TudorWeb/Thornhill.html West Yorkshire Archaeology Service Website, Thornhill page
- http://www.pastscape.org/hob.aspx?hob_id=51113 English Heritge Pastscape page