Oxburgh Hall - Norfolk’s Game of Thrones story.
The National Trust has many great properties , most are enjoyable for the beauty of the estate , the grounds , the architecture and interesting artefacts , but many lack a great story. Often the story is of a wealthy dynasty which fell on hard times or simply died out and the property handed over to the NT with or without conditions. Please don’t misunderstand, as NT members for a number of years we fully support the maintenance and restoration of historical properties but the real buzz is in the people and their story. If you are like us, when we visit a venue for the first time , we often make our way to the downstairs quarters of the working people. Those old kitchens , servants dining rooms , the array of agricultural looking kitchen equipment speaks to us of the lives of the people who lived and worked there.
Occasionally though you drop on a real story , one of dynasty , power struggle , with thrown in elements of political and religious conflict and then, for those who enjoy English history , it’s time to strap yourself in for the ride. Oxburgh Hall is just such a place. This is real Games of Thrones stuff. Currently approaching the end of a significant restoration . Simply put this is a must visit place for all history buffs and lovers of ancestral homes. It is simply our favourite and as it’s on our doorstep so we are regular visitors.
Oxburgh Hall from My Lady’s Wood
Located in the Village of Oxborough ( no typo here - it’s Oxborough village but Oxburgh Hall), in Norfolk. It’s 7 miles South West of Swaffham and 10 miles from Downham Market.
A Potted History.
The Estate and House can be traced to 1274 and the unscrupulous De Weyland Family
In 1482 the House passed to the Bedingfield’s and BOOM starts 500 years of family history and a tale of struggle to endure. A License of Crenellate is granted by Edward IV which gave the planning permission needed for Sir Edmund B to build a grand house.
Within a year though political instability reigns following the death of Edward IV , a key figure in the War of the Roses and the brother of Richard III. The death leads to stories of the murder of the Princes in the Tower , the killing of the King ( Richard III) in 1485 at Bosworth Fields and the subsequent rise of the Tudors in Henry VII. A difficult period for Sir Edmund Bedingfield as he was knighted at the Coronation of Richard III and was a Yorkist , however he pleaded allegiance to the Tudor King, who visited Oxburgh with his wife the Queen Elizabeth of York and his mother Lady Margaret Beaufort a key player in the political landscape of the day. The date of the visit was 28th August 1498.
A generation later and the third son of the dynasty, Edmund fought for Henry VIII in France , who subsequently Knighted him for his services and entrusted Catherine of Aragon to his care under house arrest at Kimbolton.
The Bedingfield’s were a staunch Catholic Family and Sir Henry was supportive of Mary I, Bloody Mary who reigned 1553 -58 , and provided armed escort to take her to safety at Framlingham Castle , another great place to visit.
He was also Elizabeth, Mary’s protestant half sisters gaoler at the Tower of London where he was the Constable, before escorting her to Woodstock under house arrest. He would treat Elizabeth well, and although he was stripped of all his duties at Court and subsequently returned to Oxburgh, Elizabeth 1 openly told him that if she needed a gaoler she would call on him.
A short film of some of the historical artefacts inside the Hall.
Failure to sign the 1559 Act of Uniformity requiring Catholics to renounce their Church led to serious risks for the Bedingfield’s including penalties, fines and imprisonment . This however, is a family who know’s how to survive. This is the period of priest holes and hidden places to pray and worship and Oxburgh has a few secrets of its own.
A brief respite resumed for this fervently Catholic and Royalist family with the accession of Charles I and their fortunes improved with the marriage of Charles to the Catholic Henrietta Maria of France. But Civil War was approaching and more turbulent times ahead as Sir Henry and his sons fought with the King against Parliamentary forces at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, the scene of the first major defeat of the Royalists in the Civil War and giving the Parliamentarians control of the North. A great read for more information about this period is Charles Spencers superb book Killers of the King.
Following the restoration of the Monarch Charles II , the King rewarded the family with a Baronetcy, however the money the family had lost during the Civil was not returned.
Periodic reenactments are a feature in summer at the Hall
Religious woes were not over for the family however after the demise of James II and the passing of the Stuart dynasty, William of Orange doubled taxes for Catholics and Sir Henry was not allowed to travel more than 5 miles from Oxburgh. Catholic children could not be educated in England and after 1700 it became illegal for Catholic’s to inherit land or purchase it. Sir Harry fell into debt. Yet again however they were to prove that they were a family of survivors and they plotted their away out by a marriage of strategic alliance , when the eldest soon of Sir Harry married Protestant Elizabeth Boyle which worked to off-set the anti Catholic feeling towards the family.
The House and Gardens were restored and remodelled following another successful marriage between Sir Henry ( the 6th Baronete) and Margaret Peston in 1826 from a famous Norfolk family. She brought a dowry of £50K along with the assets of the sale of her inherited estate and the estate was transformed into a Gothic Revival Masterpiece.
Even this level of investment however was insufficient to prevent the sale following debts accrued and the 9th Baronet reluctantly sold the hall to the Eagle Star Insurance Company who intended to sell it. Remarkably appalled by the plans of a single bidder to demolish the property and strip it of its bricks , Eagle Star agreed to sell back to the family as a much reduced rate. Lady Cybil Bedingfield raised the money to secure it although much of the contents of the House were sold in the process.
In 1952 the Hall was given to the National Trust on the condition that the family could still reside in one part of it , and do to this day.
The grounds beautiful to walk in and the National Trust Site sets out a number of walks of different lengths and duration. There are two places to get refreshments , one in the court yard and one outside the walls of the estate.
The swing bridge over the River Gadder is one of our favourite spots. The 6th Baronet diverted part of the river to this location and created My Lady’s Wood after his wife Margaret. The River Gadder is one of England’s rare chalk Rivers , with a crystal clear bottom which supports brown trout and bullhead. There has also been sightings of water voles, otters and shrews. It’s a delightful walk and looking backwards gives our favourite view of the house. Children play pooh sticks off the bridge in this beautiful spot in summer.
If you prefer VLOGs to written Blogs here is our Video of this amazing place below.
