Burley, Rutland
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Burley, or Burley-on-the-Hill, is a village and
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the county of
Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...
in the
East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire (except for North Lincolnshire and North East ...
of England. It is two miles (3 km) north-east of
Oakham Oakham is a market town and civil parish in Rutland (of which it is the county town) in the East Midlands of England. The town is located east of Leicester, southeast of Nottingham and northwest of Peterborough. It had a population of 12,14 ...
. The population of the civil parish was 577 at the 2001 census, including Egleton, but reducing to 325 at the 2011 census. The village's name means "wood/clearing with a fortification". In the parish, north of the village, is Alstoe, the site of a possible small
motte-and-bailey castle A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...
, and part of the
deserted medieval village In the United Kingdom, a deserted medieval village (DMV) is a former settlement which was abandoned during the Middle Ages, typically leaving no trace apart from earthworks or cropmarks. If there are fewer than three inhabited houses the conve ...
of Alsthorpe. Alstoe was the name of a
hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...
. In 1379 Sir Thomas le Despenser granted the Burley manor to trustees, two of whom were his brother Henry, Bishop of Norwich and his nephew Hugh le Despenser. Thomas died without issue in 1381, when at the outbreak of the
Peasants' Revolt The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black ...
, Henry was at Burley and travelled to Norwich to confront the rebels. The Old Smithy on the
village green A village green is a commons, common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common pasture, grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for ...
was used in advertisements for ''Cherry Blossom'' shoe polish in the 1920s. HM Prison Ashwell was located about one mile (2 km) west of the centre of the village on what was previously the site of a Second World War US Army base, home to part of the
82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...
. Ashwell Prison closed in March 2011 and has been redeveloped as Oakham Enterprise Park, a
business park A business park or office park is a designated area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. These types of developments are often located in suburban areas where land and building costs are more affordable, and are typically ...
for office and light industrial use.


Burley House

Burley House in the village now overlooks
Rutland Water Rutland Water is a reservoir in Rutland, England, east of Rutland's county town, Oakham. It is filled by pumping from the River Nene and River Welland, and provides water to the East Midlands. By surface area it is the largest reservoir in E ...
. The first house was owned by Sir John Harington of Exton. On New Year's Day 1596 he produced a performance of ''
Titus Andronicus ''The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus'', often shortened to ''Titus Andronicus'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first t ...
'' and a
masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A mas ...
written by his brother-in-law Sir Edward Wingfield at Burley. Harington's daughter
Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford ( Harington; 1581–1627) was a major aristocratic patron of the arts and literature in the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras, the primary non-royal performer in contemporary court masques, a letter-writer, and a ...
sold Burley to
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham ( ; 20 August 1592 – 23 August 1628), was an English courtier, statesman, and patron of the arts. He was a favourite and self-described "lover" of King James VI and I. Buckingham remained at the heigh ...
in 1620 for £28,000. Buckingham produced
Ben Jonson Benjamin Jonson ( 11 June 1572 – ) was an English playwright, poet and actor. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence on English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for the satire, satirical ...
's masque '' The Gypsies Metamorphosed'' at Burley in August 1621 to celebrate his marriage to
Katherine Manners Katherine Manners is an English actress, screenwriter, and playwright. She is best known for her lead role as Vera Brittain in the 2008 BBC One television documentary '' A Woman in Love and War: Vera Brittain'' and for portraying Jane Corby Whig ...
. Nicholas Lanier supervised the music. King James and
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
were present. Later in the year, Buckingham requested Scottish fir tree seeds and saplings for the park from the
Earl of Mar There are currently two earldoms of Mar in the Peerage of Scotland, and the title has been created seven times. The first creation of the earldom is currently held by Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar, who is also clan chief of Clan Mar. Th ...
, and 1624 the
Earl of Northumberland The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the Peerage of England and of Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders are the House of Percy (''alias'' Perci), who were the most po ...
sent 1,000 walnut trees. A new house, designed in the manner associated with Sir
Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was ac ...
, was built in the 1690s by Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham, 7th Earl of Winchilsea, who was to a large extent his own architect and involved himself in the minutiae of construction, but employed Henry Dormer (died 1727) to supervise its building. Nottingham replaced Dormer with John Lumley in 1697. Before embarking on the project, Lord Nottingham consulted Wren and had measurements taken at Berkeley House and Montagu House in London. The house, in an H-plan, has a
pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
ed central block and lightly projecting end
pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings; * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...
s, the central house is 200 feet long with fifteen windows. With its symmetrical wings and outbuildings forming a
cour d'honneur A court of honor ( ; ) is the principal and formal approach and forecourt of a large building. It is usually defined by two secondary wings projecting forward from the main central block ('' corps de logis''), sometimes with a fourth side, co ...
, and segmental walling linking matching blocks in a larger outer grassed court, it forms one of the most ambitious aristocratic ensembles of the late 17th century. A dining room was designed for
Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea and 3rd Earl of Nottingham (24 May 16892 August 1769), , of Burley House near Oakham in Rutland and of Eastwell Park near Ashford in Kent, was a British peer and politician. Origins Styled by the courtesy ...
, and installed in 1778. In 1908 a fire broke out during a party attended by
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
, destroying the west part of the house. The mansion was converted into six dwellings by Kit Martin in 1993–98, with a further 22 dwellings on the estate. Previously the estate had been purchased by
Asil Nadir Asilkan Nadir (1 May 1941 – 9 February 2025) was a British Turkish Cypriot businessman. He was the chief executive of Polly Peck, which he took over as a small textile company. During the 1980s, he expanded it into one of the United Kingdom's ...
in 1991.


Church

The church of the Holy Cross, adjacent to the mansion, is in the care of the
Churches Conservation Trust The Churches Conservation Trust is a registered charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk in England. The charity cares for over 350 churches of architectural, cultural and historic significance, which have been transferred in ...
. It contains a moving memorial by Sir
Francis Chantrey Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey (7 April 1781 – 25 November 1841) was an English sculptor. He became the leading portrait sculptor in Regency era Britain, producing busts and statues of many notable figures of the time. Chantrey's most notable w ...
to Lady Charlotte Finch (1820).


1968 Vulcan crash

Avro Vulcan The Avro Vulcan (later Hawker Siddeley Vulcan from July 1963) was a jet-powered, tailless, delta-wing, high-altitude, strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A.V. Roe ...
''XM604'' of 9 Squadron crashed at 13:24 on Tuesday 30 January 1968, 20 yards from the house of Geoffrey Eayrs. The Vulcan was inverted when it crashed and totally disintegrated. It was witnessed by resident Colonel Sir Roland Findlay. It killed four aircrew * Flying Officer Barry Donald Goodman of
Rickmansworth Rickmansworth () is a town in south-west Hertfordshire, England, located approximately north-west of central London, south-west of Watford and inside the perimeter of the M25 motorway. The town is mainly to the north of the Grand Union Canal ( ...
, a radar operator * Flight Lieutenant Stephen Roderick Sumpter, of
Whetstone, London Whetstone is a suburb of north London, in the London Borough of Barnet, bearing the postcode London N20, N20. It is served by an Underground station called Totteridge and Whetstone (Totteridge being to the west of Whetstone). Whetstone is aroun ...
, navigator * Flight Lieutenant Michael Joseph Whelan, of
Enniscorthy Enniscorthy () is the second-largest town in County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is located on the picturesque River Slaney and in close proximity to the Blackstairs Mountains and Ireland's longest beach, Curracloe. The Plac ...
(Republic of Ireland), electronics officer * Flight Lieutenant Alistir William Bennett, of
Muswell Hill Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross. Neighbouring areas include Highgate, London, Highgate, Hampstead Garden ...
, radar instructor Only Michael Whelan was not married. The wife of Stephen Sumpter had a baby two days before. Pilot Peter Charles Tait, aged 25, of
Farlington, Hampshire Farlington is a primarily residential district of the city of Portsmouth in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, England. It is located in the extreme north east of the city on the mainland and is not on Portsea Island unlike most of the other ...
near Portsmouth, and co-pilot Michael John Gillett, of the
Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
, ejected to safety, because only the two pilots had any ejection seats. The pilot landed near the house, and the co-pilot landed in a ploughed field around half a mile away. The pilot called in at the house, having narrowly missed the house with his four-engined aircraft, and asked the house owner if he could make a telephone call. The funeral of Michael Whelan took place in Ireland on 5 February, and the funeral of the other three aircrew was on 6 February at St Nicholas' Church, Cottesmore.


Cricket venue

George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea (4 November 1752 – 2 August 1826), was an English peer, army officer and cricketer who was an important figure in the history of cricket. His main contributions to the game were patronage and organisatio ...
, lived at the mansion in the late 18th century and used its grounds to stage a number of
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
matches, six of them first-class, between 1790 and 1793.List of matches
/ref> As late as 1814, the venue was used for a Rutland v
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
game.


References


Bibliography

*
Howard Colvin Sir Howard Montagu Colvin (15 October 1919 – 27 December 2007) was a British architectural historian who produced two of the most outstanding works of scholarship in his field: ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–18 ...
, ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840'', 3rd ed. (Yale University Press) 1995


External links


Burley on the Hill mansion photo
{{authority control Villages in Rutland History of Rutland Civil parishes in Rutland