Tuesday, July 08, 2014

Rufford Abbey.



Although frequently grouped along with Worksop, Welbeck, Clumber and Thoresby, Rufford was never actually a ducal seat. It gets classed as a Dukeries property because of its geographic location and family links.

Before the Norman Conquest, Rufford was the property of the Saxon Lord, Ulf. William the Conqueror gave the land over to Gilbert de Gand. His successor (also a Gilbert), founded a Cistercian abbey there in 1148. The English Pope, Adrian IV gave the blessing for the abbey in 1156, after which the villagers of surrounding Grimston, Cratley, Inkersall, and Rufford itself were evacuated to make way for the expanding abbey grounds.

In 1538 the abbey was dissolved after two agents for of the Crown, sent specifically for the purpose, brought dubious charges against Thomas Doncaster the seventh abbott. The only part of the abbey which remains today (2014) is the crypt, which later became the servants’ quarters, and the adjoining cellars.

After the dissolution the remains of the abbey, its grounds and three water mills, soon passed to George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury in an exchange with the Crown for castles and properties in Ireland. When George’s grandson the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury married Bess of Hardwick the link between Rufford and the emerging “Dukeries” was forever sealed.



Starting in 1560 the old monastic buildings were gradually converted into a house. In 1626 Mary Talbot, daughter of the 6th Earl, inherited the estate which then passed to her husband upon her marriage to George Saville in 1590. The Savile family and their descendants would make it their home. Notable additions to the building were to be a new north wing in 1679, with reception rooms and a long gallery, and a large stable block. The property continued to be a family home to the Savile’s until 1938 when the third Baron Savile inherited the estate as a 12 year old minor and his trustees divided the property into lots for auction.

During Word War 2, in November 1941, the 144th Regiment RAC was formed at Rufford Abbey with the intention of converting the 8th East Lancashires infantry unit into an armoured tank division. Lt-Col S.T. James was the commanding officer. I can also verify, due to the fact my father was one such soldier stationed there, that they received a visit from a not too healthy looking King George 6th, apparently reduced to wearing a degree of make-up in order to compensate for his sickly appearance.


You can read more about The Dukeries on these links: Welbeck, Thoresby, Worksop, and Clumber, and more about Bess of Hardwick and her role in the formation of the Dukeries on THIS LINK. And more about World War 2 and the Dukeries on THIS LINK.


Labels: , , , , ,

Friday, July 04, 2014

Cockglode, Ollerton, Thoresby Estate.



How Cockglode, Ollerton, became a part of Thoresby Estate, the Dukeries:

Cockglode Wood was an ancient woodland which became a part of the Royal Hunting Forest of Sherwood. The Ranger’s Lodge for the officer responsible for monitoring Birkland and Bilhaugh woods probably stood here. In 1818 Cockglode became the property of the 4th Duke of Portland in an exchange of properties with the Crown. The Duke gave the Crown a wealthy residential area to the west of London, including the responsibility of St. Mary-le-bone church, and was given Cockglode in return. However, not long after that the Duke exchanged Cockglode with the 2nd Earl Manvers for properties at Cuckney and Holbeck Woodhouse, closer to his own ducal seat at Welbeck. In that way Cockglode became part of Thoresby Estate.

Cockglode Hall / Cockglode House.

In 1776 The Duke of Portland granted lease of the premises at Cockglode to George Aldrich MD. As the Duke didn’t actually own the site at that point one assumes he was acting on behalf of the Crown and responsible for managing it. George Aldrich is credited as having the “elegant house” built in c.1774, and landscaping the surrounding woodland visible to the house which stood on a rise. Note: I am aware those dates do seem to conflict, albeit taken from two old, respected published sources. I offer them in good faith for the speculation of future researchers.




Above: Cockglode Hall and Cockglode House. The latter looks like a possible extension of the former.

 Dr George Aldrich lived here until 1797. It then became the residence of Sir Robert Shore Milnes, who died in 1837. The next tenant was the Hon. Savile Henry Lumley, a son of Richard, 4th Earl of Scarborough. Colonel Lumley died in 1846, and was buried at Edwinstowe. His widow remained tenant of Cockglode until her death in 1869.

The house then passed to Cecil George Savile Foljambe Esq., M.P. for North Nottinghamshire at the time. Foljambe pursued a successful political career, eventually becoming Earl of Liverpool, and lived at Cockglode for twenty eight years until 1897.


Above: Early 20th century postcard showing "Breakheart Hill" and "Entrance to Cockglode, Ollerton".

Lady Maude Hoare.

In 1878 Lord Beauchamp married Lady Emily Pierrepont, daughter of the 3rd Earl Manvers and Georgiana Jane E. Fanny de Franquetot, at Perlethorpe Church, Thoresby. They had four children. Amongst them, Lady Maud Lygon (1882 – 1962). This makes Maud the granddaughter of the 3rd Earl Manvers, and she later became Lady Maud Hoare through marriage. Residents of Cockglode House in the 1940s were always told Lady Maude had once lived there, she being something of a celebrity by that time. There is 1926 Pathe News footage of Lady Maude christening a flight of five bi-plane airliners, and 1937 footage of her launching the Arc Royal at Birkenhead. As the wife of Sir Samuel Hoare, British Air Minister, she made a 12,000-mile round trip flight inaugurating the London-Cairo-Delhi air service. The first woman ever to fly so many miles, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE).


 During the post-war years of 1946 / 1949, when a declining Cockglode House had been divided into eight flats, my father and mother rented rooms therein. They were told Lady Maude once lived at the property, which at that time would have been exciting news indeed. I have not been able to corroborate this information, but the proven Perlethorpe / Pierrepont / Manvers connection gives it credibility.

UPDATE: My thanks to David Howse for informing me of a 1932 newspaper article which supports the fact Lady Maude did indeed for a time at Cockglode House.

UPDATE: My thanks to Shirley Moore for the following information, with the help of Edwinstowe Historical Society:

Lady Eveline Maude was born July 1880, her father was Cornwallis Maude, and her mother was Eva Henrietta Hutton. She was a resident at Cockglode in 1939. From 1949 until 1968 she lived at The Kennels, Thoresby Park. She played an active part in Edwinstowe village life for many years as a member of the Women’s Institute. She died in 1968. 

Cockglode’s final days, and the planting of Rotary Wood.

During the 1940s, Cockglode House consisted of eight flats, two each side of a central front door, the other four accessed by the stone staircase. Each flat typically comprised two bedrooms, a sitting room, a kitchen, and pantry. The bathroom was shared. The rent was collected by Miss Freeman who came over from an office on Fourth Avenue, Edwinstowe. (That office was sited where currently stands P G Lock the Butchers, and incorporates the date 1933 in its brickwork). Cockglode resident Mavis Craig took over the rent collection chores in return for free rent. The pictures below show her eldest daughter in the garden at Cockglode c.1949.




 Above: The "garden" at Cockglode House c.1949, showing the road at the rear. The woman standing is Enid Rogers, holding Janice. The child on the floor is Christine Craig.

As the 1940s came to an end, and Thoresby Colliery drew ever closer, Cocklglode’s better days were far behind it. The above photographs reveal little, but it is said the rhododendrons which persist in the woods to this day originate from Cockglode's gardens. The spoils from Thoresby Colliery have long since covered the ruins of Cockglode House. However, in 1998, trees were planted across the restored tip of Thoresby Colliery in celebration of the Millennium. This was carried out by a group of local Rotary Clubs, hence the new name of Rotary Wood.




Above: Entrance to and view from "Cockglode and Rotary Woods", 2013.

Labels: , , , , , ,