Swynnerton Hall is a 17th century country mansion house, the home of Lord Stafford, situated at Swynnerton

Swynnerton

Swynnerton is a village in Staffordshire, England.St Mary's Church dates back to at least the 13th Century. Swynnerton received its charter from Edward I in 1306. During the 14th Century a market used to be held every Wednesday and an annual fair was held on August 15 each year...

 near Stone

Stone, Staffordshire

Stone is an old market town in Staffordshire, England, situated about seven miles north of Stafford, and around seven miles south of the city of Stoke-on-Trent. It is the second town, after Stafford itself, in the Borough of Stafford, and has long been of importance from the point of view of...

 , Staffordshire

Staffordshire

Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...

. It is a Grade I listed building.

The manor of Swynnerton was owned by the eponymous family for several centuries before it came to the Fitzherberts when William Fitzherbert, third son of Sir Anthony Fitzherbert of Norbury Hall

Norbury Hall

Norbury Manor is a 15th century Elizabethan manor house and the adjoining 13th century stone-built medieval Norbury Hall, known as The Old Manor in Norbury near Ashbourne, Derbyshire...

, married Elizabeth daughter and heiress of Humphrey Swynnerton in 1562.

The Fitzherberts, a staunchly Catholic

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 family, were Royalist

Cavalier

Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...

 sympathisers during the English Civil War

English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

 and the house was irreparably damaged by the Parliamentarian forces.

The Norbury and Swynnerton estates were united when in 1649 John Fitzherbert of Norbury bequeathed his estate to his cousin William Fitzherbert of Swynnerton.

The manor was rebuilt in about 1729 to an impressive Georgian style design by architect Francis Smith of Warwick

Francis Smith of Warwick

Francis Smith of Warwick was an English master-builder and architect, much involved in the construction of country houses in the Midland counties of England...

 of three storeys and a nine bayed frontage.

A private family chapel was built adjacent to the Hall by Gilbert Blount

Gilbert Blount

Gilbert Blount was an English architect working mostly for Catholic Churches. He started his career as a civil engineer under Brunel and became superintendent of the Thames Tunnel works...

 in about 1868. The chapel has Grade II* listed status.

Francis Fitzherbert inherited the title Baron Stafford

Baron Stafford

The title Baron Stafford, referring to Stafford, has been created several times in the Peerage of England. In the 14th century, the barons of the 1st creation were made earls. Those of the fifth creation, in the century became first viscounts and then earls....

 on the death of his maternal uncle, Fitzherbert Stafford Jerningham of Costessey Hall

Costessey Hall

Costessey Hall was a manor house in Costessey, Norfolk, England, four miles west of Norwich. The first mention of it dates to 1066, when William I gave it to Alan Rufus, Earl of Richmond. It was then described as Costessey Manor....

, Norfolk in 1913.

Thomas Fitzherbert

Thomas Fitzherbert

Thomas Fitzherbert was an English Jesuit.-Early life:His father having died whilst he was an infant, he was, even as a child, the head of an important family and the first heir born at Swynnerton, where his descendants have since flourished and still remain Catholics...

 of Swynnerton was a leading Jesuit of his day. Mrs Fitzherbert, the mistress/wife of the future George IV, was the widow of a later Thomas Fitzherbert of Swynnerton.

As of 2009, Lord Stafford, former High Sheriff of Staffordshire

High Sheriff of Staffordshire

This is a list of the High Sheriffs of Staffordshire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...

, still resides at the Hall and farms the 3000 acres (1,214.1 ha) estate.