Swynnerton Hall is an 18th-century country mansion house, the home of

Lord Stafford Baron Stafford, referring to the town of Stafford, is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of England. In the 14th century, the barons of the first creation were made earls. Those of the fifth creation, in the 17th century ...

, situated at

Swynnerton Swynnerton is a village and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. It lies in the Borough of Stafford, and at the 2001 census had a population of 4,233, increasing to 4,453 at the 2011 Census. Swynnerton is listed in the Domesday Book identifyi ...

near

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

. It is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

The manor of Swynnerton was owned by the eponymous family for several centuries before it came to the Fitzherberts when William Fitzherbert, third son of Sir Anthony Fitzherbert of Norbury Hall, married Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of

Humphrey Swynnerton Humphrey Swynnerton (c. 15161562) was a Staffordshire landowner, a Member of the English Parliament and an Elizabethan recusant. Background and early life Swynnerton's father was Thomas Swynnerton of Swynnerton Hall and Hilton Hall, Staffor ...

, in 1562. The Fitzherberts, a staunchly

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

family, were

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

sympathisers during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

and the house was irreparably damaged by the Parliamentarian forces. The Norbury and Swynnerton estates were united when, in 1649, John Fitzherbert of Norbury bequeathed his estate to his cousin William Fitzherbert of Swynnerton. The manor was rebuilt in about 1729 to an impressive

Georgian style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs of the House of Hano ...

design by architect

Francis Smith of Warwick Francis Smith of Warwick (1672–1738) was an English master-builder and architect, much involved in the construction of country houses in the Midland counties of England. Smith of Warwick may refer also to his brothers, or his son. Architectura ...

, consisting of three storeys and a nine-bayed frontage. Following

Catholic emancipation Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the combined United Kingdom in the late 18th century and early 19th century, that involved reducing and removing many of the restricti ...

, a private family chapel was built adjacent to the Hall by

Gilbert Blount Gilbert Robert Blount (1819–1876) was born at Mapledurham Mapledurham is a small village, civil parish and country estate beside the River Thames in southern Oxfordshire. The large parish borders Caversham, the most affluent major district ...

around 1868. The chapel has

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

status and today serves as the parish church for the local Catholic community. Given the historical influence of the Fitzherbert family, the chapel is larger than is usually found in rural English locations). Francis Fitzherbert inherited the title

Baron Stafford Baron Stafford, referring to the town of Stafford, is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of England. In the 14th century, the barons of the first creation were made earls. Those of the fifth creation, in the 17th century ...

on the death of his maternal uncle, Fitzherbert Stafford Jerningham of Costessey Hall, Norfolk in 1913. The estate has since been the seat of the barony. In January 2013 the government announced plans to build the

High Speed 2 High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages. The new line will run from its m ...

railway and part of it would pass through the historic estate, with the railhead located at Stone.

Francis Fitzherbert, 15th Baron Stafford Francis Melfort William Fitzherbert, 15th Baron Stafford DL (born 13 March 1954) is an English politician, educator and landowner, who had a seat in the House of Lords from 1986 until the reform of the House of Lords which took effect in 2000. ...

, was among the first who opposed the plans, stating that the railway's path would irreparably damage the countryside and that the estate constitutes part of a designated conservation area. A former

High Sheriff of Staffordshire This is a list of the sheriffs and high sheriffs of Staffordshire. The sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. The sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities ass ...

, Lord Stafford still resides at the Hall and farms the estate.

Estate and land

The park surrounding the hall was laid out by

Capability Brown Lancelot Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783), more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English gardener and landscape architect, who remains the most famous figure in the history of the English la ...

. The estate, known as Swynnerton Park, almost entirely encompasses the village of Swynnerton. The open landscape is used for agriculture, although parts of it were left untouched and open to the public as part of the promoted Hanchurch Hills Walks scenic trail.

Notable residents

Thomas Fitzherbert Thomas Fitzherbert (155217 August 1640) was an English Jesuit. Early life Fitzherbert was born at Swynnerton, Staffordshire. He was the eldest son and heir of William Fitzherbert and grandson of Sir Anthony Fitzherbert, a Justice of the Common ...

of Swynnerton was a leading

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

of his day.

Mrs Fitzherbert Maria Anne Fitzherbert (''née'' Smythe, previously Weld; 26 July 1756 – 27 March 1837) was a longtime companion of George, Prince of Wales (later King George IV of the United Kingdom). In 1785, they secretly contracted a marriage that was i ...

, the mistress/wife of the future George IV, was the widow of a later Thomas Fitzherbert of Swynnerton.

References

* ''A History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Volume 1'' (1835) John Burke pp 78-82 ()
Staffordshire Past Track
* {{cite book, title=Swynnerton Conservation Area — Character Appraisal, url=https://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/cme/DocMan1/Planning%20Policy/Conservation/Conservation%20Areas/Conservation%20Areas%20List/Swynnerton-CAA-2014.pdf, publisher=Stafford Borough Council, date=January 2014 Grade I listed buildings in Staffordshire Country houses in Staffordshire

History

Estate and land

Notable residents

See also

References