Birchley Hall
Encyclopedia
Birchley Hall is a grade II* listed Elizabethan house built in about 1594, in Billinge, Merseyside
, England
. It is situated in postcode WN5 7QL.
Birchley Hall was bought by Christopher Anderton of Lostock in about 1581. The present building was built by one son, James and extended by another son, Thurston in 1594. There is an inscription stone carved with 'TA 1594' on the front of the house, TA being attributed to Thurston. Thurston died in 1598 or 1599 and another brother, Christopher, lived at the Hall with his wife Anne Scarisbrick till 1613, when James died, and he inherited Lostock Hall. Another brother, Roger, lived at Birchley Hall till his death in 1640.
, which was a stronghold for Roman Catholics during their persecution during the reigns of Henry VIII, who destroyed and plundered many monasteries
(much of their riches were given to Oxford University colleges), and Queen Elizabeth I. Catholics, especially priests, were driven underground and catholic literature was vigorously suppressed.
A secret Catholic printing press
was set up at Birchley Hall, possibly in about 1604, by Thurstan, whose wife Norris of Speke
was a Catholic, or recusant as they were known then. Roger Anderton more certainly ran a printing press from about 1613. About 19 titles are attributed to the Birchley Hall Press by the English Short Title Catalogue
of the British Library
.
Many of the books are in the name of John Brerely, which is thought to be a pseudonym of Lawrence Anderton, a cousin of James and his brothers. He was the youngest son of Lawrence Anderton of Chorley
, was educated at Blackburn Grammar School, and entered Christ's College
, Cambridge University in 1593. He is thought to have originally taken orders in the Anglican Church but went to Rome
in 1604 and subsequently joined the Society of Jesus
. He published a volume of poems in 1601 in London and The Protestant Apologie in 1604, which may be his first book after becoming a Catholic priest.
which was used for secret religious services. According to "Secret Hiding Places" published in 1933, there was a trap door in the vestry
floor concealed inside a confessional
box. This led to the floor below and into the Hall and would have been used for priest to escape discovery. In 1920 a fall of plaster disclosed a secret door to a short tunnel in the wall leading to a look-out in the roof, from which the approach to the house could be watched. It was in poor condition at the time. Hiding places were also discovered (date unknown). In one of these chalices
and vestment
s were found, which were subsequently kept at the local catholic church. A chalice, however, was stolen from the church in the 1970s. There are also reports of books being found under the floor during a restoration in the 1920s, including an early edition of Ptolemy's
Geography
. It is not known what happened to these.
Birchley Hall was bought by Vincent Wood from his cousin Joseph Middlehurst in 1945. His son Bernard partially restored the chapel up to the 1970s, when the Hall was sold to the charity Sue Ryder Care
, which converted it into a home for the elderly. The chapel was fully restored for interdenominational use, and as of 2008 the Foundation still runs the Hall as a care centre for the elderly.
The Birchley Hall Press was resurrected by Bernard Wood, and formally named as such, in 1951 in the same building as the original press, with the publication of This is the Faith (author Francis J Ripley). The actual printing, however, was done by Wood Westworth & Co Ltd a printing company in St Helens, Merseyside, owned by Vincent Wood (and founded by the family in about 1860). A few further titles were published up to at least 1960, including A Flame for Africa (1953) and Liverpool's Hidden Story (1957).
The Birchley Hall Press was resurrected a second time in 2007 by Harry Wood, son of Bernard Wood. It is now based in Farnborough, Hampshire, UK and publishes two online magazines, The British Journal of Healthcare Computing and Information Management (www.bjhcim.co.uk) and Medical Technology Business Europe (www.mtbeurope.info), and the website Tropical Trees for Life (www.treesforlife.info) a green project to propagate some of the large amounts of important information on tree planting and management in the tropics that is locked in a few paper copies and that should be made globally accessible to give it a greater chance of reaching those who could benefit from it.
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated in postcode WN5 7QL.
Birchley Hall was bought by Christopher Anderton of Lostock in about 1581. The present building was built by one son, James and extended by another son, Thurston in 1594. There is an inscription stone carved with 'TA 1594' on the front of the house, TA being attributed to Thurston. Thurston died in 1598 or 1599 and another brother, Christopher, lived at the Hall with his wife Anne Scarisbrick till 1613, when James died, and he inherited Lostock Hall. Another brother, Roger, lived at Birchley Hall till his death in 1640.
The Birchley Hall press
Birchley Hall, at this time, was in the county of LancashireLancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, which was a stronghold for Roman Catholics during their persecution during the reigns of Henry VIII, who destroyed and plundered many monasteries
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
(much of their riches were given to Oxford University colleges), and Queen Elizabeth I. Catholics, especially priests, were driven underground and catholic literature was vigorously suppressed.
A secret Catholic printing press
Printing press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
was set up at Birchley Hall, possibly in about 1604, by Thurstan, whose wife Norris of Speke
Speke
Speke is an area of Liverpool, Merseyside, England, close to the boundaries of the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley. It is south east of the city centre and to the west of the town of Widnes....
was a Catholic, or recusant as they were known then. Roger Anderton more certainly ran a printing press from about 1613. About 19 titles are attributed to the Birchley Hall Press by the English Short Title Catalogue
English Short Title Catalogue
The English Short Title Catalogue or ESTC is a short title catalogue of works published between 1473 and 1800, mainly in Britain and North America, and primarily in English, from the collections of the British Library and other libraries....
of the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
.
Many of the books are in the name of John Brerely, which is thought to be a pseudonym of Lawrence Anderton, a cousin of James and his brothers. He was the youngest son of Lawrence Anderton of Chorley
Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
, was educated at Blackburn Grammar School, and entered Christ's College
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
, Cambridge University in 1593. He is thought to have originally taken orders in the Anglican Church but went to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1604 and subsequently joined the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
. He published a volume of poems in 1601 in London and The Protestant Apologie in 1604, which may be his first book after becoming a Catholic priest.
The Birchley Hall chapel
One wing of the Hall contains a chapelChapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
which was used for secret religious services. According to "Secret Hiding Places" published in 1933, there was a trap door in the vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
floor concealed inside a confessional
Confessional
A confessional is a small, enclosed booth used for the Sacrament of Penance, often called confession, or Reconciliation. It is the usual venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church, but similar structures are also used in Anglican churches of an Anglo-Catholic orientation, and also in the...
box. This led to the floor below and into the Hall and would have been used for priest to escape discovery. In 1920 a fall of plaster disclosed a secret door to a short tunnel in the wall leading to a look-out in the roof, from which the approach to the house could be watched. It was in poor condition at the time. Hiding places were also discovered (date unknown). In one of these chalices
Chalice (cup)
A chalice is a goblet or footed cup intended to hold a drink. In general religious terms, it is intended for drinking during a ceremony.-Christian:...
and vestment
Vestment
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially among Latin Rite and other Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans...
s were found, which were subsequently kept at the local catholic church. A chalice, however, was stolen from the church in the 1970s. There are also reports of books being found under the floor during a restoration in the 1920s, including an early edition of Ptolemy's
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
Geography
Geographia (Ptolemy)
The Geography is Ptolemy's main work besides the Almagest...
. It is not known what happened to these.
Birchley Hall was bought by Vincent Wood from his cousin Joseph Middlehurst in 1945. His son Bernard partially restored the chapel up to the 1970s, when the Hall was sold to the charity Sue Ryder Care
Sue Ryder Care
Sue Ryder is a charity which was founded in 1953 by Sue Ryder, with the creation of a nursing home in Suffolk, UK....
, which converted it into a home for the elderly. The chapel was fully restored for interdenominational use, and as of 2008 the Foundation still runs the Hall as a care centre for the elderly.
The new Birchley Hall Press
The word 'press' is used as a descriptive term for the printing operation in the early times, as it is not likely to have been used as a formal title — especially as it would have given away the location of the illegal printing press.The Birchley Hall Press was resurrected by Bernard Wood, and formally named as such, in 1951 in the same building as the original press, with the publication of This is the Faith (author Francis J Ripley). The actual printing, however, was done by Wood Westworth & Co Ltd a printing company in St Helens, Merseyside, owned by Vincent Wood (and founded by the family in about 1860). A few further titles were published up to at least 1960, including A Flame for Africa (1953) and Liverpool's Hidden Story (1957).
The Birchley Hall Press was resurrected a second time in 2007 by Harry Wood, son of Bernard Wood. It is now based in Farnborough, Hampshire, UK and publishes two online magazines, The British Journal of Healthcare Computing and Information Management (www.bjhcim.co.uk) and Medical Technology Business Europe (www.mtbeurope.info), and the website Tropical Trees for Life (www.treesforlife.info) a green project to propagate some of the large amounts of important information on tree planting and management in the tropics that is locked in a few paper copies and that should be made globally accessible to give it a greater chance of reaching those who could benefit from it.
External links
- http://www.sueryder.com/birchleyhall/ - Sue Ryder Care page about its Birchley Hall facility