Burleigh Fields in Loughborough, England was the home of the Johnson family from the 18th century until 1867. There are differing views as to exactly when the house was built, with some saying 1718 and others 1768.

The Johnson family

In 1718, Thomas Johnson (1660–1720), the elder son of John Johnson (1634–1709) of The Manor House,

Barkby Barkby is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated north-east of Leicester, and only a short way from Leicester's urban sprawl in Thurmaston and Syston. Nearby villages are Beeby and ...

, moved to Loughborough. His eldest son, John Johnson (1687–1753), married Elizabeth Palmer of

Hathern Hathern is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. The village itself is located in the north of the district, and is just north of Loughborough. It is served by the A6. The parish has a population o ...

in 1716 at Loughborough. Their son Nathaniel Palmer Johnson (1727–1800) married Sarah Gold of Birmingham and had eight children of whom six were daughters. The youngest son, John, born in 1774 died at the age of 21 and the second son, Nathaniel Palmer Johnson (1765–1850), became the Rector of Aston in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

and never married. After Nathaniel Palmer Johnson's death in 1800, his wife and six daughters, three of whom never married, continued to live in the house until they moved to

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

Extensions

One of the daughters Elizabeth Johnson (1768–1832) built various extensions including the music room, the dining room and the enlargement of the drawing room. The family was very musical and both Nathaniel Plamer Johnson father and son are mentioned by William Gardiner in his "Music and Friends". The description of the younger saying "I speak of his elegant and amiable sisters in the first volume of this work, as the most accomplished ladies in

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

." When the family moved to Bath, the house was let for a while to a Mr Gisborne.

The Clanchy family

The house eventually passed to the youngest daughter Rebecca (1785–1857) who had married Major General Cassius Matthew Clanchy. He was living there from as early as 1832 until his death in 1857. In order to inherit the family wealth, Colonel Clanchy changed his name to Johnson on 26 March 1851.

Other residents

After the death of Cassius Clanchy, the house was lived in by various families, the Harrolds in 1861, the Musters in 1871 and from about 1876 by Dr John Henry Eddowes who lived there with his two sisters Helen and Frances until sometime after 1891.

Demolition

The house was demolished in about 1980.

Sources

* A letter from Thomas Fielding Johnson (1828–1921) * The genealogy of the Family of Johnson of Barkby published in 1898 * A note written by one of the sisters of John Henry Eddowes written in 1876 * Information from the national censuses of 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891

References

{{coord, 52.7715, -1.2174, region:GB, display=title Historic houses 18th century in England 19th century in England Houses in Leicestershire