Staunton Harold
Encyclopedia
Staunton Harold is a civil parish in North West Leicestershire
about 3 miles (5 km) north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch
. The parish is on the county boundary with Derbyshire
and about 9 miles (14.5 km) south of Derby
.
A brook flows from the south through the parish, heading for the River Trent
which it joins about 4 miles (6.4 km) to the north. In the parish the brook is dammed to form a pair of small lakes. Nikolaus Pevsner
(later Sir Nikolaus) described the view westwards across the lakes to Staunton Harold Hall and Holy Trinity parish church as "unsurpassed in the country – certainly as far as Englishness is concerned".
Downstream from Staunton Harold, just over 1 miles (1.6 km) over the boundary in Derbyshire, the brook is dammed again to form Staunton Harold Reservoir
. Most of the reservoir is in the Derbyshire parish of Melbourne
, but part of the upper reach of one arm of the reservoir is in Staunton Harold parish.
(1650–1717) was created 13th Baron Ferrers of Chartley
in 1677 and 1st Earl Ferrers
in 1711.
Staunton Harold Hall is a country house
that was originally Jacobean
, but the 13th Baron had it enlarged in about 1700. Washington Shirley, 5th Earl Ferrers
had the present Palladian
east front added in 1763. It is of two storeys and eleven bays
, eight of which are red brick. The three central bays are ashlar
and pediment
ed, with engaged column
s of two orders: Tuscan
on the ground floor and Ionic
on the fist floor.
Priory of Breedon on the Hill had a dependent chapelry
at Staunton. Breedon was a house of Nostell Priory
, which surrendered all its properties to the Crown
in 1539 in the Dissolution of the Monasteries
.
Sir Robert Shirley, 4th Baronet had the present Church of England parish church
of the Holy Trinity
built in 1653. It is unusual for being built during the Commonwealth era
and a notable example of Gothic survival architecture. Two inscriptions commemorate Sir Robert's efforts. One is in the chancel and reads
Sir Robert Shirley Baronet Founder of this church anno domini 1653 on whose soul God hath mercy. The other is over the entrance and reads
Sir Robert did not manage to have the church completed: the Commonwealth authorities imprisoned him in the Tower of London
and he died there in 1656. After the Restoration of the Monarchy Richard Shepheard completed the church in 1665 for the young Sir Seymour Shirley, 5th Baronet (1647–67).
The exterior of the church is substantially buttress
ed, battlement
ed and pinnacle
d. The nave
has a clerestory
with square-headed Perpendicular Gothic windows. It is flanked by north and south aisles with windows of an earlier 14th century style and arcades
of three bays
. Although the architecture is Gothic the furnishings are Jacobean, including extensive panelling, box pew
s, the pulpit
and a west gallery
with an organ that predates the church. In the chancel is a monument with the white marble semi-reclining figure of Robert Shirley, Viscount Tamworth, who died in 1714.
The west tower is of three stages
divided by string courses and has a ring
of eight bells. George I Oldfield of Nottingham
cast the oldest three bells in 1669 and Immanuel Halton of South Wingfield
, Derbyshire
cast another in 1717. Thomas I Mears of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
cast the remaining four, including the present tenor and treble bells, in 1831. The bells are currently unringable.
Holy Trinity parish is part of the Benefice of the Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill
. Holy Trinity is now a redundant church
and a property of the National Trust
.
North West Leicestershire
North West Leicestershire is a local government district in Leicestershire, England. Its main towns are Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Coalville.The district contains East Midlands Airport, which operates flights to the rest of Britain and to various places in Europe...
about 3 miles (5 km) north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, — Zouch being pronounced "Zoosh" — often shortened to Ashby, is a small market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, within the National Forest. It is twinned with Pithiviers in north-central France....
. The parish is on the county boundary with Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
and about 9 miles (14.5 km) south of Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
.
A brook flows from the south through the parish, heading for the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
which it joins about 4 miles (6.4 km) to the north. In the parish the brook is dammed to form a pair of small lakes. Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
(later Sir Nikolaus) described the view westwards across the lakes to Staunton Harold Hall and Holy Trinity parish church as "unsurpassed in the country – certainly as far as Englishness is concerned".
Downstream from Staunton Harold, just over 1 miles (1.6 km) over the boundary in Derbyshire, the brook is dammed again to form Staunton Harold Reservoir
Staunton Harold Reservoir
Staunton Harold Reservoir is a large reservoir under the management of Severn Trent Water, located between Melbourne and Ticknall in Derbyshire, England...
. Most of the reservoir is in the Derbyshire parish of Melbourne
Melbourne, Derbyshire
Melbourne is a Georgian market town in South Derbyshire, England. It is about 8 miles south of Derby and 2 miles from the River Trent. In 1837 a then tiny settlement in Australia was named after William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, Queen Victoria's first Prime Minister, and thus indirectly takes...
, but part of the upper reach of one arm of the reservoir is in Staunton Harold parish.
Estate and Hall
The estate was the seat of the Shirley family. George Shirley (1559–1622) was created 1st Baronet in 1611. Sir Robert Shirley, 5th BaronetRobert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers
Sir Robert Shirley, 7th Baronet, of Staunton Harold, 13th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, created 1st Earl Ferrers was an English peer and courtier....
(1650–1717) was created 13th Baron Ferrers of Chartley
Baron Ferrers of Chartley
The title Baron Ferrers of Chartley was created on February 6, 1299 for John de Ferrers, son of Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby. The daughter of the 6th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, Anne, married Walter Devereux who was summoned to parliament as Lord Ferrers in her right. Their descendants...
in 1677 and 1st Earl Ferrers
Earl Ferrers
Earl Ferrers is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1711 for Robert Shirley, 13th Baron Ferrers of Chartley. The Shirley family descends from George Shirley of Astwell Castle, Northamptonshire....
in 1711.
Staunton Harold Hall is a country house
English country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
that was originally Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
, but the 13th Baron had it enlarged in about 1700. Washington Shirley, 5th Earl Ferrers
Washington Shirley, 5th Earl Ferrers
Vice Admiral Washington Shirley, 5th Earl Ferrers, FRS was a British Royal Navy officer, peer, freemason and amateur astronomer.-Biography:...
had the present Palladian
Palladian architecture
Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
east front added in 1763. It is of two storeys and eleven bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
, eight of which are red brick. The three central bays are ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
and pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
ed, with engaged column
Engaged column
In architecture, an engaged column is a column embedded in a wall and partly projecting from the surface of the wall, sometimes defined as semi or three-quarter detached...
s of two orders: Tuscan
Tuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
on the ground floor and Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
on the fist floor.
Parish church
By AD 1122 the AugustinianAugustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
Priory of Breedon on the Hill had a dependent chapelry
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
at Staunton. Breedon was a house of Nostell Priory
Nostell Priory
Nostell Priory is a Palladian house located in Nostell, near Crofton close to Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, approached by the Doncaster road from Wakefield...
, which surrendered all its properties to the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
in 1539 in the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
.
Sir Robert Shirley, 4th Baronet had the present Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of the Holy Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
built in 1653. It is unusual for being built during the Commonwealth era
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
and a notable example of Gothic survival architecture. Two inscriptions commemorate Sir Robert's efforts. One is in the chancel and reads
Sir Robert Shirley Baronet Founder of this church anno domini 1653 on whose soul God hath mercy. The other is over the entrance and reads
When all things sacred were throughout ye nation Either demollisht or profaned Sir Robert Shirley Barronet founded this Church whose singular praise it is to have done ye best things in ye worst times And hoped them in the most callamitous. The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance.
Sir Robert did not manage to have the church completed: the Commonwealth authorities imprisoned him in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
and he died there in 1656. After the Restoration of the Monarchy Richard Shepheard completed the church in 1665 for the young Sir Seymour Shirley, 5th Baronet (1647–67).
The exterior of the church is substantially buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
ed, battlement
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
ed and pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
d. The nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
has a clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
with square-headed Perpendicular Gothic windows. It is flanked by north and south aisles with windows of an earlier 14th century style and arcades
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
of three bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
. Although the architecture is Gothic the furnishings are Jacobean, including extensive panelling, box pew
Box pew
Box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th century.-History in England:...
s, the pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
and a west gallery
West gallery music
West Gallery Music, also known as "Georgian psalmody" refers to the sacred music sung and played in English parish churches, as well as nonconformist chapels, from 1700 to around 1850...
with an organ that predates the church. In the chancel is a monument with the white marble semi-reclining figure of Robert Shirley, Viscount Tamworth, who died in 1714.
The west tower is of three stages
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
divided by string courses and has a ring
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of eight bells. George I Oldfield of Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
cast the oldest three bells in 1669 and Immanuel Halton of South Wingfield
South Wingfield
South Wingfield is a village in the Scarsdale Hundred of Derbyshire, England, and is now part of the district council area of Amber Valley.An ex-mining village, it has a mixed community. Its most famous landmark is Wingfield Manor, a ruined manor house built around 1450. It is situated about from...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
cast another in 1717. Thomas I Mears of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
cast the remaining four, including the present tenor and treble bells, in 1831. The bells are currently unringable.
Holy Trinity parish is part of the Benefice of the Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill
Breedon on the Hill
Breedon on the Hill is a village and civil parish about north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in North West Leicestershire, England. The parish adjoins the Derbyshire county boundary and the village is only about south of the Derbyshire town of Melbourne. The 2001 Census recorded a parish population of 958...
. Holy Trinity is now a redundant church
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
and a property of the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
.