Nocton Hall - Revelations of an Imp - Chapter 8

Stanhope, Ellys and Dashwood

Lord Charles Stanhope moved to Nocton Hall from his own home at Harrington Hall, adjacent to the home of Lord Tennyson, near Horncastle, 1662.

The new owner was 68 and had come through the previous years as a voluntary exile whilst the civil war raged. He had been created a knight of the Bath in 1610 on the creation of Henry, Prince of Wales but, realising England was no place for a senior baron, retired overseas to allow the rebellion against Charles I to blow over. He was fortunate to be in Holland when the future King arrived to join a number of other senior sympathisers of the Crown. It was clear Charles II held the advice and wise counsel of this baron with the greatest respect.

Stanhope had married Dorothy Barrett, sister of Edward, Baron Newburgh, but had no issue. It is thought Stanhope died and was buried at Nocton 1675.

At his death, Stanhope's nearest relation may have been Sir William Ellys but it is necessary to retrace the family tree to Sir Michael Stanhope of Shelford in Nottinghamshire who was beheaded in 1552. His great grandson's daughter Ann had married Sir Thomas Ellys and it was their son who now inherited Nocton from Charles Stanhope.

Sir William, born in 1653, was only 22 when he had the good fortune to benefit from Charles Stanhope's will but, although young, he was already a wealthy bachelor. His family had close relatives on both sides in the civil war; the most famous, John Hampden of Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, killed at Edgehill, had three children - Richard married to the daughter of Lord Paget, Ruth his second child, married to Sir John Trevor and the youngest, Mary, married to Sir John Hobart a relation of Nathaniel who had by the narrow margin of one, carried the vote in the Commons to confiscate Lord Craven's estates.

The deep agony of divided families when they took up their positions either for or against the Crown, showed the strain on the loyalties of such individuals. A glance at the genealogical tree shows the divide clearly, on one side Stanhopes, the other Hampdens.

Mercifully when Charles returned and the Crown was restored, these antagonists were prepared to forget the past so that their broken relationships could once more be united in peace. Charles Stanhope's legacy illustrated his gentle and flexible nature. William Ellys had, under the influence of a family supporting Cromwell, favoured Parliament but Charles Stanhope was determined by his example, to unite rather than destroy. He recognised the qualities of his nephews and nieces, trusting their judgement in the selection of husbands and wives. He was a man who put family unity first and placed Nocton in safe hands from the time of his death.

Canon Footman records Sir William's great uncle's activity and involvement with Nocton through the latter part of Stanhope's life. Sir William's great nephew, in thankful recognition for his abundant inheritance, placed a monument to him in Nocton's Church. When you first set eyes on this colossus, remember it was moved three times to its final resting place under the bell tower of Lady Ripon's memorial Church to her husband. The two previous churches, on close to the Hall, could only be regarded as chapels. The Nocton Villagers viewed this as a mighty respectful monument to show gratitude to the man who had endowed the new squire with great wealth.

The story of Sir William, so well remembered by this memorial was born about 1609 and later baptised in Grantham Parish Church. After an education at Christ's College, Cambridge, he was admitted as a student at Gray's Inn and later called to the Bar in 1634. In 1639 he became Recorder of Boston and represented the borough in the Long Parliament.

On 6th December 1648, he was expelled from Parliament by Prides Purge, but after the King's execution in 1649, he was re-admitted. He became Member of Parliament for Grantham in September 1656 and was appointed Recorder of the Borough. In 1657 he was created a Baronet and in 1658/9 he again held the Grantham seat and under Richard Cromwell, Sir William became Solicitor General. Sensitive to public feeling, he adopted a discreet attitude to prepare for the restoration of Charles II, but these personal manipulations came too late to save his disgrace which culminated in the loss of legal offices and withdrawal of the baronetcy. Thomas Ellys of Wyham who had married Ann Stanhope (mentioned earlier) interceded to save his uncle sliding into greater humiliation. This nephew had served the Stuart cause and for his steadfast faith had been created a Baronet in 1660. Thereafter, his uncle quietly pursued his profession at the Bar but with the political change of wind and help from close relations, became a chosen Reader of his Inn about 1663, Sergeant in 1669 and by 1671, now in total favour with Charles, was created a Sergeant at Law to his Majesty, followed with the addition of a knighthood.

He was in 1672 living at Welbourn when he was created a Judge of the Common Pleas. His death came in 1681 at his chamber in Sergeants Inn, Fleet Street on 2nd December. A bachelor to the end. He had appointed Richard Hampden, the brother of Mary who had married Sir John Hobart of Blickling in Norfolk as supervisor of his will and all his worldly goods passed to the grand nephew William at Nocton.

When visiting Nocton, Sir William Elly's monument is worth an inspection. You will find it a remarkable and still in perfect condition after 200 years. Walk through the rear of the Church and open the massive door of the bell tower. There before you on the east facing wall is this 'Gigantica'. Modern engineering skills would be tested in the erection of such a vast epitaph. It survived two moves from Nocton's earlier small churches before it was placed in its final position by the ingenuity of Nocton craftsmen. Those of you who are able to read Latin, will note the long inscription declaring the mutual affection of Sir William of the third generation to Sir William of the first generation. A suggestion that grand uncle William bought Nocton from Lord Stanhope and left the estate to his grand nephew, is without foundation. A connection did exist, for in his capacity as a lawyer, he had acted for the previous owners over financial arrangements which had to be cleared before Lord Stanhope's will, passing Nocton to Sir William of the third generation, could be effective.The volume of legal work in the aftermath of the Civil War delayed the completion of wills and there was a heavy backlog in the conveyance of estates which created a very profitable time for the legal profession. The wealth and style of life for many in this work showed in their large houses and estates.

Young Sir William, recognising his good fortune, may have over reacted, but he left for posterity, a unique example of how to say 'Thank you' in true style of a man now living in the late home of a Monarch.

In 1672, young William Ellys had married Isabella, the daughter of Letitia and Richard Hampden. It was undoubtedly a successful marriage for the loving couple had no less than twelve children. Sir William now decided that Nocton Hall must rank in status amongst the great houses of England. He called in the best professional architects and set about adjusting and enlarging his home. The basis of this development was to resemble the Hall as a letter 'E' after the initial of his surname. In order to give an air of importance, the two wings were capped with cupolas and in each was a solid stone winding stair which, when climbed to the top, enabled one to see through the window under the cap. In the centre section of the 'E' was the front door and the roof was again capped with an even greater octagonal cupola with large leaded windows which gave the effect of a lantern house at night "when the candles were lighted. The structure of the entire Hall was in brick with stone principles, except on the extreme north wing which maintained the original complete stone of the Hall dating back to the eleventh century and which, in part, still stands. At the time, it was referred to as a 'magnificent seat'. Today, we refer to the once great home as the 'Old Hall' for it burnt down in 1834.

Sir William went to untold lengths to achieve his idea of the perfect home. On the west garden wall, almost opposite Nocton village, one can see the face of a late Jacobean house built into the park wall. In the R.A.F. Mess, it was referred to as a 'folly' but Sir William, in an attempt to present the entire focal point of the Hall with an attractive balanced view, decided to try a full scale replica which, if suitable in appearance, would then be used for his entrance and middle section. The result was a calamity, but this did not deter Sir William who immediately extended the building through the park wall, using the experimental face as the east section of a small hall. On completion, it was known as the 'Pheasantry' and became a 'nosh house' for all comers. Twelve dishes were provided daily for travellers who cared to call. Ale was also provided in pewter tankards, marked 'Nocton Hall' to wash down the meal. A large pathway ran from the Hall to the wayfarers Pheasantry to allow the Hall staff a dry walk with the food and ale when it was delivered each day. The tradition introduced by Sir William was continued for the next 250 years and maintained by my family until we left the estate.

Sir William made further alterations and successful developments to the parkland and estate. Large areas were planted with oak, ash, lime and good quality hardwood. This was done with an ever watchful eye to make sure good land was preserved for farming whereas the poor ground, when planted, enhanced the beauty of the countryside. Wind breaks were an essential part of the improvements and in the years to come, this wood development on the estate provided Nocton with a landscape of incredible beauty. Snowdrops, bluebells and lillies of the valley grew in abundance, spreading as each season passed. In May, the scent of the flowers, wafted by a gentle breeze from the woods, gave a satisfaction that made one feel good to be alive.

During the Nocton Hall 'facelift' the estate was to lose Charles Brandon's Manor House, built on the site of the Priory. Regretfully, the stone of both the Priory and the Manor was used in the reconstruction work at the Hall to such an extent that little remained to mark the passing of these two historical places. In the tradition of the past owners, Sir William played an active part in public life. He was elected Member of Parliament for Boston in 1678 and later sat continuously for Grantham from 1678-81 and from 1688-1710, a period of 25 years in Parliament.

His beautiful wife, Isabella, died in 1686 and he outlived her by a further 41 years, passing Nocton to his eldest son, Richard, when he was 44. Richard's first wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Hussey of Doddington, died in 1724 at the age of 36. Elizabeth's home at Doddington is architecturally similar to the old Nocton Hall, with the same brick and stone blend associated withthe late Elizabethan period. His second wife, Sarah, came from Iver in Buckinghamshire and she was to outlive Richard who died in 1742 at the age 61.

Richard followed the family tradition in politics. He was a Member of Parliament for Boston 1714, 1722 and 1727. His other interests centred on his strong academic qualities covering books and theology. An accomplished scholar, he published a book in Latin called 'A Critical Examination of Doubtful Passages in the Greek Testament', a work of great dedication and practical use for future ecclesiastical scholars.

It was not surprising that the library at Nocton was acquiring a remarkable collection of specialised books with an owner who indulged in such research over a wide field and required information on so many subjects.

Richard in his will prepared in 1740, two years before his death, was to surprise many hopeful relations and friends, including Horace Walpole, the son of the first Prime Minister, Robert Walpole, later created the first Lord Orford. By the greatest good fortune, the library at Nocton, which now housed over 10,000 books, was left to Lord Hobart at Blickling Hall, Norfolk.

In due time, the widow, Sarah Ellys, sent off these antiquarian and theological volumes to Blickling, otherwise this vast collection would not have escaped the destruction of the Hall when it was burnt down nearly 100 years later.

Sarah inherited the estate for life. It then passed to Richard's second cousin, Lord Hobart, the first Earl's son by his second wife. Sarah was, in due time, to surprise her friends and society. She remained a widow for four years before marrying none other than Francis Dashwood Esquire. What a contrast. Her first husband, a quiet and studious scholar, fathered no children during their marriage. The record of her second husband is without parallel. The male sex symbol of the 18th century.

Before we look into the private life of Sarah and Francis, we must go to Blickling, from where the future owners of Nocton would come, and in order to sort out the family merry-go-round of who went where, the Nocton genealogical tree helps to discover the 'beginnings' of the changeover.

Mary Hampden's marriage to Sir John Hobart took her to Blickling Hall, once the home of Harold, Earl of East Anglia, King of England. William the Conqueror gave the Norfolk property to his Chaplain, Herfast, and created him Bishop of Thetford and later Norwich. This historic home, in the 16th century, became the property of the Clere family, related to Anne Boleyn, but Sir Robert Clere's high living, forced the scale of the estate which was brought by Sir Henry Hobart about 1616. Sir Henry's family had amassed a fortune for their legal services at the top end of the profession when James I founded the Order of Baronets in 1611. Hobart, then Lord Chief Justice, was duly enrolled. Sir Henry, like Sir William Ellys, gave Blickling Hall a complete rebuild to notify friends and neighbours that he was accustomed to a society with the best of living standards.

In the years to come, the squires of Blickling quickly climbed the ladder of success. A mixture of politics and law provided rich returns to support the family fortune and provide all the goodies necessary for Sir John Hobart when he became a Peer in 1728, followed 18 years later by his creation to the Earldom of Buckinghamshire.

His sister, Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk, played a successful role in promoting her brother to such an exalted position. Her friendship and association with George II with her persuasive charm, speeded the family advance up the aristocratic climb. Horace Walpole found the Countess equally entertaining. She was a woman of high intellect and he found her stories of her association with the King, fascinating. Whether she was the Royal mistress, we know not, but whatever her relationship with the King, it proved successful for her brother. She was dark, tall and beautiful, and with these female qualities added to her high intelligence, formed close friendships with Pope, Swift and members of the Court, including the Earl of Pembroke. This brought her the achievements and influence she sought. Her Husband, the Earl of Suffolk, was asadistic character who subjected her to a miserable existence, but eventually they were separated. She remained a staunch and loyal family friend and her nephew John wrote continually to her during his time in St. Petersburgh.John Hobart, the second Earl of Buckinghamshire, a handsome and distinguished character, took his Earldom in 1756 after the death of his Father and became Lord of the Bedchamber - an appropriate appointment for such a progressive blood. In 1762, he was appointed our Ambassador to St. Petersburgh by George III who felt his manly qualities and good looks could influence the powerful Catherine the Great to support policies in favour of Great Britain.

From the moment of his arrival in Russia, the noble Earl certainly conquered many a lady's heart. When he had completed his three year term of office, Catherine requested George III that his service at the Hermitage be extended for another year. The King acceded to this request from the Great Queen, but after four years, John had to return home. In his position of Ambassador, he cemented a close affection for our country with the Russian aristocracy who presented the Earl with a solid silver medal in token of the great happiness he had bestowed on 105 ladies of the Court. The Palace in St. Petersburgh was reputed to have forty miles of passages. The second Earl must have been a very fit man. An Ambassador of today could not be expected to emulate the Earl. The Kremlin, with its stark appearance, does not create an atmosphere for romance and it would be beyond the call of duty, at the present time, to follow the good will created by John Hobart. In 1777 he became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland for a further three year period. He was remembered with affection across the Irish Sea by his wholesale creation of peerages, but like so many Englishmen, he found little happiness in his high office in Ireland, except for one momentous pleasure. Having lost his first wife when she was 29, he found love again with Caroline Conolly and they were married when she was only 17. Her portrait by Gainsborough leaves the viewer gasping. The Earl was truly blessed with a most beautiful bride. She gave him all the compensations any man could have wished for and in their love for each other, he forgot the frustrations of his Irish appointment. The Earl's death in 1793 brought about an exchange of titles for Blickling and Nocton. John's estates in Norfolk passed through a daughter's family to the Earl of Ancrum, and later the Marquess of Lothian (the fourth Marquis married Caroline D'Arcy only daughter of Robert, third Earl of Holderness). John had no male heir and Nocton then became the seat of third Earl of Buckinghamshire, George Hobart 1732-1804.

We now return to Lincolnshire, Sarah and Francis Dashwood remained at Nocton for four years after their marriage. It is no disrespect that this exceptional character is referred to as Francis Dashwood Esquire for he had not inherited his title at the time of the marriage to Sarah. His time at Nocton was not to be wasted. The magnificent appearance of the Hall fascinated his fertile imagination during his courtship. The octagonal lantern tower, high above the central portion of the Hall was to both lovers a place to which they could retreat and to be alone to themselves. Here they both looked out across Sarah's great estate. To the north west, the tips of Lincoln Cathedral broke the skyline. The other views were across the Hall gardens and woods into the distant countryside. Potterhanworth village, only a mile away to the north stood out clearly. The Nocton Fen and the Priory site on Abbey Hill to the east, to the south Dunston and Metheringham and to the west the notorious heath. As the sun dipped in the west, Sarah and Francis stood transfixed by the sheer beauty of the closing day. The two exchanged thoughts. Sarah, her domestic fulfilments and Francis, his love for Sarah and his political ambitions. The sky darkened, the blood red sun like a ball of fire, dipped below the western horizon. When the candles had been lighted, the two descended the spiral stairs and returned to the inner comfort of the Hall, but the brain of Francis would not rest.

A fantasy of religious devilry had crystallised in his vivid imagination with the ball of fire to the west and the Priory to the east. Nocton had provided a witches brew. The potion must be taken at all speed to Buckinghamshire and West Wycombe where Sarah's future husband founded the Hell Fire Club. Nocton's octagonal viewpoint had fuelled the creative mind of Francis. The fullest ritual of the 'Holy Brotherhood' of the Hell Fire Club with the 'Friars' in attendance wearing their robes of office was held at Medmenham Abbey in 1752, when penance was paid to the creator 'St. Francis of Wycombe'.

After the restoration of Medmenham Abbey, the brotherhood of unholy friars of St. Francis who attended the inaugural meeting included the following cross section of intellectuals of that time - namely:

John Wilkes - Demagogue

Charles Churchill - Satirist
Robert Lloyd - Poet
Henry Vansittant - Governor of Bengal
Robert Vansittant - Requis Professor of Civil Law at Oxford
Arthur Vansittant - Member of Parliament for Berkshire
George Selwyn - Wit
John Stewart, Lord Bute - Prime Minister 1762
Dr. Benjamin Bates - Physician of Aylesbury
William Hogarth - Painter
Sir William Stanhope - Relative of Lord Stanhope of Nocton and son of Earl of Chesterfield
Evelyn Pierrepoint - Duke of Kingston, relative of Robert De Pedwardine through his wife John Manners - Marquis of Granby
John Montague, Lord Sandwich - First Lord of the Admiralty
Paul Whitehead - Poet and political writer
George Bubb Doddington - Baron of Melcombe Regis, Dorset
Thomas Potter - Paymaster General and Joint Vice Treasurer of Ireland
Francis Duffield - Artist and landowner at Medmenham
William Douglas, Earl of March - High liver
Henry Fox - Lord Holland
Sir John Aubrey
Henry Loviband Collins
George, Lord Orford
Sir Francis Delaval of Doddington near Lincoln
Sir John Vanhattan
Sir Thomas Stapleton
Mr. Clarke of Henley.

Their activity behind closed doors fired the imagination and those whose interest went beyond curiosity, allowed the word to spread that the 'Friars' indulged freely in all the 'sinful lusts of the flesh'. Sir Francis associated with Venus and other deities may have indulged by fuelling this 'fire' of the 'do gooders'.

Many envied a close order where complete bodily freedom was expressed without restriction. Is it not possible that Francis set up the 'Hell Fire Club' as the greatest leg-pull in history?

It must be said that what the R.A.F. Hospital at Nocton referred to as a 'Dining in Night' far excelled any 'hanky-panky' motivated by Sir Francis. His spirit must have been very much in evidence at these parties in the Hall and would have made him feel at home and perhaps bring back memories of the days when he joined Sarah in the lantern tower - moments of bliss, never forgotten.

Nocton can bear no malice that one of its sons developed such an eccentricity. Sir Francis built his own monument by which Nocton and Lincolnshire will remember him.

On occasions, travellers making their way from Sleaford to Lincoln had been confronted by highwaymen on the bleak western heath of Nocton and Dunston. One holdup ended in murder when the victim, Christopher Wilkinson, who refused to hand over his money to Dick Turpin, was found dead and later buried at Nocton.

Francis was determined to make the road safer on the western edge of their estate by the erection of a land lighthouse, similar in design to the central cupola on Nocton Hall. It was to be much higher to make sure the beams of light would spread across the extensive brush waste to deter highwaymen. In 1751, the Pillar rose into the sky. During the work, so many people gathered to watch the building that it was impossible for men of evil intent to attack a lone traveller. The people in the surrounding countryside rode over on horseback to watch the erection going up and up. Steadily the work advanced until the Pillar began to break the skyline in every direction. It was no simple task building the structure of stone, 92 feet in height with an octagonal lantern top 15'/2 feet high. An inner staircase carried the lighthouse keeper to the gallery which surrounded the base of the lantern.

The view from this 108 feet tower was extensive and magnificent. Lincoln Cathedral stood out to the north and on a clear day, even Boston Stump could be seen to the far southeast. The area on which the Pillar stood gave it a central position on a square, enclosed by a stone wall and surrounded, except on the west, by plantations. At each corner of the perimeter wall was a building, and on the north side, the lightkeeper's house.

A daily stream of people visited the Pillar both to stand and gaze or to climb up to the gallery and look across the Lincolnshire views. It gave Francis pride when he climbed the Hall tower in the late evening to look west and see his achievement three miles away lighting up the sky.

In the passing of time, this open and inhospitable brush waste was fenced in and is today good farm land. The lantern gradually collapsed as the ironwork rusted and it was replaced with an enormous stone statue of George III, erected by the resident Earl of Buckinghamshire. The King was not flattered when the Earl told him that to celebrate his 50th Anniversary on the throne, he had been placed on a stone pinnacle on the top of a 90 feet tower on Lincoln Heath. A steeplejack regretfully lost his life either placing or removing the noble King from his plinth. The remains of George Ill's statue has been placed in the Lincoln Castle grounds.

On the sides of the Pillar appear the following inscriptions:-

North Side - To Lincoln… V Miles

South Side - From the City… CXX Miles
East Side - Dunston Pillar
West Side - Columnam Hone… Utilitate Publicae… D.D.D. F. Dashwood… M. DCCLI

By 1751, Francis had become a baronet. The neighbouring estate owners of Nocton invited him to attend the Fen Drainage Meeting at the White Hart Hotel in Lincoln on 15th November 1753. The Duke of Ancaster took the Chair. He held a proxy from Sir Francis who was at his Buckinghamshire home.

In November 1761, Lady Dashwood's name appeared as a subscriber towards the expenses in promoting the Witham Drainage Bill in Parliament. The Act was passed in 1762 and the work of draining thousands of acres in the Witham Fen gave an immediate advantage to this low ground's fertility. Increased rents, which increased income, cheered the land owners including Sir Francis and Lady Dashwood. Nocton had over 2,000 acres of black soil between the Nocton escarpment and the River Witham - about a third of the estate which from Roman times had been unproductive. Dashwood's career in Parliament enlivened the House. Dull sittings were crystalized into verbal exchanges as his orations had a habit of arousing even the deepest sleeper on the benches. Admiral Byng's sentence to death evoked his deep passion but his forceful defence of the Admiral failed to save this poor sailor from capital punishment.

In 1762 he became the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Lord Bute's Tory administration. His budget speech was so confused and incomprehensible that it was received with shouts of laughter. Francis was under no illusions that he had bodged the speech. People will point at me and say 'There goes the worst Chancellor of the Exchequer that ever lived' but he was to be remembered in the years to come; it was a good budget for the people and this is what a nation will remember.

In 1763 Sir Francis succeeded his uncle in the right of his Mother, Lady Mary Dashwood, daughter of the fourth Earl of Westmoreland, as Lord Le Despenser. The connection in past history of a gentleman bearing that name who had served Edward II would not have escaped the members of the Hell Fire Club. The very man to live down such a remote connection with homosexuality, was Sir Francis. On the one hand, an effeminate and slimy creature, on the other hand, an outspoken and generous person with the courage of a lion who used outrageous methods to destroy superstition within the Church and gave his fellow individuals a conscience unshackled from the belief of 'hell fire'.

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