ALMOST every village and hamlet in "merrie England", now has,
or has had, its ancient hall or manor house, and in the Peak
these former homesteads of the old English gentry are very
numerous. In them formerly dwelt the territorial possessors
and owners of the land, the warriors and worthies of the olden
time. In them the Crusaders and Cavaliers were born and bred,
and they were the seats of feudal hospitality, of rural
plenty, and of festive mirth. It is, however, much to be
regretted that of a great number of these "precious relics",
and landmarks of the days that are past, scarcely a vestige
remains. Some are crumbling away with age, and are in a rapid
state of decay; others are the habitation of the farmer or
labourer, while but few are now occupied, or even possessed,
by the lineal descendants of their original founders.
Connected with most of the families and denizens who have from
time to time tenanted these venerable halls, are historical
associations or tales of local or more general interest, and
where these are wanting, legend, tradition, or romance, seldom
fails to furnish events and incidents, always found linked
with the rural hall, or country residence. Hence, they are
always regarded with attention by the local antiquary, and
furnish rich materials for the student in genealogy or family
history. These quaint old gabled houses, ever varying in their
architectural detail, diversify and beautify the scenery
around them; like gems, or brilliants in the coronet, they
strike the eye of the tourist, and impart a vivid and peculiar
charm to the landscape.
The interesting and secluded village of Eyam, in the Peak, possesses
one of these interesting relics in the remains of
"Bradshaw Hall", once the residence of a branch of the
wide-spreading family of that name, but before that time the seat,
for many generations, of the ancient and influential family of
Stafford, from whom it was inherited by the Bradshaws, through
the female line. The hall, or rather the small portion of it
which remains, stands on the northwest outskirt of the
village, within an easy walk of the church. It is built at the
foot of the lofty range of hills, commencing at Stoke and
terminating near Brough; these hills form an earth-lee, and
screen and shelter it from the north. A short distance farther
north, and overtopping these heights, as well as the
surrounding eminences, is "Sir William", the "Prince of
Derbyshire Mountains". Clad in perpetual heath, and hopeless
sterility, he rears his Alpine crest, and in the language of
one of his minstrels
"Peers o'er a thousand dales, and looking out
Views distant Winhill, Mam, and Kinder Scout."
Bradshaw Hall is situate on rising ground, a short distance
from the roadway. It is four stories high, and commands an
extensive prospect over a large sweep of country to the south.
The view is bounded by Bleak Low and Longstone Edge; while to
the east is Riley, with its shelving woods, and its famed
"Riley Stones", and stretching a little farther are the
romantic and turreted crags of Rock Hall. The ruin itself,
grey with age, when seen from a distance, presents a rather
lofty and imposing appearance, and conveys to the mind of the
spectator some idea of the opulence and influence of its
former owners. The main portion of the structure now standing
(as will be seen by the sketch), forms a square measuring
twenty-two feet by twenty-five feet.
Attached to the north-west angle, is an erection of inferior
dimensions, probably formerly used as a kitchen, or other
office, now converted into a cow-house ; it is a two storied
erection, but the first floor is destroyed. This, as well as
the other part, is in the Tudor or Elizabethan style, and is
constructed of the durable, though soft, sandstone from the
neighbouring moorlands. The courses in the walls are seven or
eight inches in thickness, and the masonry extremely good. The
windows on the ground floor, which light the principal
apartment, are large. There are two in either front - south and
east - and they are divided by mullions and transomes. All the
windows in the edifice have labelled heads with knees. In the
crenelle in the centre of the upper tier of windows, on a
circular stone, is carved in bold relief, and in good
preservation, the crest of the Bradshaws - a stag at gaze ppr.,
standing under a vine fructed ppr. The principal floor in the
square building, formed one large apartment, which being light
and pleasant, was probably intended as a hall or reception-room,
though it had no main outward entrance. It contains a
noble fire-place, the mantle and jambs recessed and enriched
with a deeply indented moulding. Above this room were two
other floors now removed, and beneath were the cellars. The
whole is now greatly dilapidated and used as a barn.
The part now standing is said, on reliable authority, to have
been erected by the Bradshaws just before the plague broke out
at Eyam. They, in order to escape the fury of the pestilence,
removed to Brampton or Treeton, in the county of York, and
never returned to reside at Eyam. Owing to this circumstance
it is believed the building was never completed.
It was intended to be hung with tapestry, which came to the
place but was never put up. An old man who was born in this
part of the Hall, informed the writer that when a child he saw
"the tapestry lie in a heap in a corner of the chamber, where
it rotted away". About 70 years since the cotton manufacture
was introduced into Eyam. At that time the largest portion of
the Hall belonging to the Staffords being ruinous, was pulled
down, and the remainder, as built by the Bradshaws, converted
into a cotton factory, worked by horse power. During this
occupation the place narrowly escaped destruction by fire, and
the blackened and charred lintels, beams, and rafters, still
to be seen, afford ample evidence of their contact with the
destructive element.
Judging from the extent of the foundations removed some years
since, the Hall of the Staffords, the predecessors of the
Bradshaws, must have been an extensive building. Before its
destruction it had been converted into small dwellings
inhabited by miners. The whole had a flat roof covered with
lead. One room was said to have been very large, the beams
ornamented with carvings of shields of arms, and a fine
traceried window looking east. In the room was a large shovel
board of massy oak. Tradition informs us that a very large
establishment of servants was maintained by the Staffords, and
this is partly corroborated by a large baker's oven which was
destroyed some years ago. Of the out-offices the butcher's
shop only now stands; in this they slaughtered the meat
consumed in the house.
Very little is now known of the history of the once great
family of Stafford, who for some centuries resided here, and
even tradition is almost silent respecting them. Rhodes, in
his Peak Scenery, says that the Eyam estate descended from
King John to a family of the name of Stafford, for military
services, on the express condition that a lamp be kept
continually burning before the altar of St. Helen, in the
church at Eyam, but unfortunately, he does not cite his
authority. An old tradition of this kind still prevails at
Eyam. The same writer also affirms that the Staffords were
formerly Lords of the Manor of Eyam, but in this he is in
error. He also says that one of the chiefs of this family, in
the reign of Richard the Second, was seized in his house at
Eyam for some political offence, and remained in prison until
ransomed by his friends. It is evident that the Staffords were
very influential, and were large owners of land: Nearly all
the property in the hamlets of Eyam, Foolow, and Bretton,
comprising several hundred acres acknowledged them as
proprietors. They were also Lords of the two Manors, and sole
owners of Calver and Rowland. According to Lysons, John
Stafford de Eyham was one of the Conservators of the Peace,
for the county of Derby, in the 12th year of Henry the 6th
(1433). The last male heir, Humphrey Stafford, was living at Eyam
in the 11th and 33rd of Henry the 8th. His widow, Ann,
was living in 1560. He had two sons, Roland and Humphrey, who
both died without issue. His immense property was divided
among his four daughters and co-heirs, of whom presently.
In the north aisle of the church is the "Manor Pew", or as it
is called, " Bradshaw Quire;" this is enclosed by a high
railing of oak. The whole belongs to Bradshaw Hall. On one of
the pillars is a piscina, and close to it is a "squint". A
part of a somewhat curious carved slab, which was some years
since dug up beneath the pavement, is built into the wall
beneath the window of this chapel. It is singular that of this
ancient family, resident at Eyam for so many generations, no
monument or other sepulchral memorial exists. On the panels of
the Manor pew are the initials FB. & IB., with the date 1595 ;
and on a pillar is a brass plate with the following
inscription to the memory of a descendant of the Bradshaws :
" Underneath is interred the remains of John Galliard,
youngest son of Joshua Galliard, Esq., of Edmonton, in
Middlesex, and Elizabeth, daughter of John Bradshaw, Esq., of
Eyam, and Lord of the Manor of Abney. He departed this life
April 29th, 1745".
The following is the pedigree of the now extinct family of
Stafford[1], of Eyam -:
Richard de Stafford, of Eyam.
Richard de Stafford, temp. John.
Roger de Stafford.
Roger de Stafford, of Eyam, 12th Edward III.
John de Stafford, of Eyam, 25th and 43rd Edward III.
John de Stafford, of Eyam, 19th Richard, and 1st Henry IV.,
mar. Alice, and had three sons
John, his successor.
Robert, living 1st Henry IV.
Roger, living 1st Henry IV.
John de Stafford, of Eyam, living 1st and 4th Henry IV., and
23rd Henry VI. ; he espoused Margaret, daughter and heir of
Roger de Roland, living 4th Nov., 5th Edward IV., a widow, and
had three sons
John.
Richard, his successor.
Nicholas, living 6th Henry VII.
Richard Stafford, of Eyam, in the 6th Henry VII., had two
illegitimate children - Thomas, living in he 6th of Henry
VII., and Margaret, living at the same time. He married Agnes,
daughter of Robert Eyre, Esq., of Holme Hall, in the county of
Derby, and had issue John Stafford, living 6th Henry VII.; he
had issue:-
Humphrey, of Eyam, living 11th and 33rd Henry VIII. He married
Ann . . . . . who survived him, and was living a widow in 1560. He had
issue by her:-
Roland, who died without issue.
Humphrey, who died without issue.
Alice daughter and co-heir, married John Savage, of
Castleton, gent.; he died in 1605. His wife inherited from
her father a large estate in Eyam. This property was sold by
his grandson, Humphrey. The title, a general one is in
possession of Mr. Benjamin Bagshaw, of Foolow, and bears date
11th April, 1613. It recites "that for the sum of £1013 6s.,
Humphrey Savage, Esq., of Nor Lees, Hathersage (grandson and
heir of Ales Savage, formerly Ales Stafford, daughter and
heiress of Humphrey Stafford, Esq., of Eyam), sold his lands
in Eyam to Thomas Middleton, Clerk, Richard
Furness, yeoman, and a few others. The last of the Savage family
was baptized at Castleton, 21st Nov. 1639. Mr. Bateman made
additions to the pedigree from the Castleton register. [Ed: the original does not close the quotation beginning
"that for the sum...". One might
assume it ends with "a few others".]
Gertrude, daughter and co-heir, married Rowland Eyre, Esq.,
of Hassop. She had issue eight sons and four daughters. She
died in 1624. She and her husband are buried in Longstone
Church, where there is a brass to their memory, on which they
are represented in a supplicating attitude. By this marriage
the Eyres acquired the two manors of Calver and Rowland. The
last male lineal descendant was Francis, the seventh and last
Earl of Newburgh, of Hassop.
Ann, daughter and co-heir, married Francis Bradshaw, of
Bradshaw, in the county of Derby. She inherited the "hall of
her fathers", and a large estate at Eyam, Foolow, and Bretton.
This property is now in possession of her descendant,
Eaglesfield Bradshaw Smith, Esq., of Blackwood House,
Ecclefeccan, N.B.
Katherine, fourth daughter and co-heir of Humphrey
Stafford, married Rowland Morewood of the Oaks, Bradfield,
Yorkshire. She brought to her husband an estate at Middleton
Bank, Eyam, and Riley. This property was sold about sixty
years since to James Furness, Esq. (of Stony Middleton and
Sheffield), and a few others. Mrs. Morewood was buried at
Bradfield, 16th July, 1595.
The knightly and ancient family of the Gresley's, of Drakelow,
are descendants of the Staffords through the Morewoods. One of
them, the Rev. John Morewood Gresley, is the Rector of
Overseal, in the county of Leicester. The Morewoods quartered
the arms of Stafford of Eyam, "Or, a chevron, gules, between
3 martlets, sable".[2]
From Mitchel's manuscript it appears that:-
William de Stafford de Eyam, had a son William de Stafford,
living 28th Edward III. He married Maud, daughter of Richard,
or Roger del Dale, of Eyam (and Agnes, his wife), 43rd Edward
III., and had issue:-
Joan, wife of John Meveril the Elder, had (4th Henry IV.),
the moiety of a messuage and two oxgangs in Riley, which she
had by inheritance from William, her father.
- a daughter, wife of Nicholas Leghs, of Eyam, held half of
William Stafford's property, 6th Henry IV.
John Stafford married Dionisia, daughter of William de
Lynford, county of Chester, and had issue a son, John
Stafford, who also had a son, Robert Stafford, county Lincoln.[3]
Stafford of Eyam, from Henry III. to Elizabeth. It has been
shewn that the co-heiresses of Humphrey Stafford married
Savage of Castleton, Eyre Hassop, Morewood and Bradshaw. The
immediate descendants of the co-heiresses quartered the arms
of Stafford, of Eyam, the same as those of Stafford, of
Botham. We have seen a seal of Stafford, of Eyam, in the
collection of Mr. Wolley, of Matlock Bath, with the following
arms; Ermine, on a bend, gules, 3 roundels.
The same coat was borne by Folcher, whose heiress married
Bradshaw, and also by Botterill.[4]
PEDIGREE OF BRADSHAW, OF BRADSHAW AND EYAM.
John Bradshaw married Cicely, daughter of Thomas Foljambe, and
had issue:-
Henry Bradshaw, his heir.
John.
Henry Bradshaw, his successor, married a daughter of Kirk, and
had issue:-
Henry, son and heir, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert
Eyre, and had issue:-
John, who married Isabell daughter of John Kinnersley, by
whom ho had a son Richard, who died without issue.
William, of whom presently.
Elizabeth, married -- Brookhouse.
Ann, died without issue.
William, of Bradshaw Hall, who succeeded his father, married
Margaret, daughter of Christopher Clayton, of Strynds, of
Strines Hall, county Chester, and had issue:-
Godfrey Bradshaw, his heir, of whom hereafter.
Henry Bradshaw, of Marple and Wybersly, now represented by
the Bradshaw Isherwood's, of that place. This Henry Bradshaw
had a son Henry, whose third son John was President of the
High Court of Justice on the trial of King Charles I. See
Ormerod's History of Cheshire.
Francis, who had issue (was dead in 1625). He was uncle to
Peter Bradshaw, of London, in whose will, dated 1625, his
children had £30 each, one of whom, Lucy Cresswell, had £20
specifically.
Anthony, of Duffield, and of the Inner Temple, London. He
held lucrative appointments under the crown. He was twice
married, and had no less than twenty children. His Prayer
Book, with entries of his children's names, their births,
baptisms and the names of their godfathers and godmothers
(many of them leading people in this part of the country), is
still in possession of Miss' Ward, of the Vicarage, Duffield,
and his monument is in Duffield Church.
John. 6. Richard. 7. Elizabeth. 8 Margaret.
Godfrey, his eldest son and successor, of Bradshaw and
Windley, in Duffield. He espoused Emma, daughter of Anthony
Shalcross, of Shalcross (who died 1524). Godfrey Bradshaw
purchased the Manor or Lordship of Abney. Had issue:-
Francis, of whom presently.
Leonard, had 100 marks by the will of his brother Peter.
Geoffrey.
Bridgett.
Ellen, married - Ash; her children had 100 marks under her
brother Peter's will.
Peter Bradshaw, citizen and merchant tailor, London. He
married Amy, daughter of -- Johnson, of Watling Street,
citizen and merchant tailor London, and had issue Edward,
Peter, Francis, Paul, Thomas, William, and Elizabeh. His will
is dated 23rd May, 1625. His nephews are sometimes styled
cousins. Francis Bradshaw is an executor. His large estates in
Ulster, in Ireland and at Duffield, Bonsall, Castleton,
Litton, Fernilee, Combs, Bentley Mills, and herbages in
Chinley and Maynstonfield, and Elsewhere in Derbyshire,
Staffordshire, Leicestershire, and London, he divides among
his children. His wife was sister to Lady Byrd.
Francis Bradshaw, of Bradshaw (eldest son and successor of
Godfrey Bradshaw), living in 1611, married Ann, one of the
daughters and co-heirs of Humphrey Stafford, Esq., of Eyam and
thereby acquired Bradshaw Hall, Eyam, and extensive estates in
the neighbourhood. He had issue:-
Francis, his successor.
Humphrey. 3. Rowland. 4. George. 5. Peter; and several
daughters.
Francis Bradshaw, of Bradshaw and Eyam, eldest son and heir,
was of the Inner Temple, Barrister-at-Law, in 1611. He was
married on or before that year to Barbara, daughter of Sir
John Davenport, of Davenport, county of Chester. She had no
issue living in 1610-11. He was Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1630.
Had issue:-
Francis, his successor: see below.
Edward, died 22nd December, 1665. Buried at Treeton:
Anne, wife of the Rev. Michael Adams, Rector of Treeton.
She died 9th January, 1665.
Francis Bradshaw, of Eyam, county of Derby, and Brampton-en-le-Morthen,
in the county of York, eldest son and heir, married
at Braithwell 22nd January, 1652, to Elizabeth Vescy, daughter
and co-heir of John Vescy, of Brampton. She married secondly
to John Bolle, of Brampton, Gent.; he died before 1676.
Francis Bradshaw died 21st December, 1659. Buried at Treeton.
He had issue:-
Francis Bradshaw, Esq, of Brampton , eldest son, died 29th
December, 1617, without issue. Buried at Treeton.
John Bradshaw, who died 10th June, 1656, in the first year
of his age, and buried at Treeton.
John, his successor, of whom hereafter.
Elizabeth only daughter of Francis Bradshaw, died in
London, 28th August, 16--, and buried at Treeton, 4th
September following.
John Bradshaw, son and heir, of Brampton, county York, was
Sheriff of Derbyshire, 1717; he married Dorothy, daughter of
Anthony Eyre, of Rampton, county Nottingham. Marriage
settlement dated 1680. She had £1500. The Abney and Vescy
estates settled. Had issue:-
George Bradshaw, Esq., married Ellen, daughter of Robert
Roper, of East Derby, county Lancaster, had issue one son
James, who died an infant. George Bradshaw, buried at
Doncaster, 15th December, 1735.
John. 3. Margaret, died 1682. 4. A second Margaret; all
died without issue. 5. Elizabeth.
Elizabeth, sister and heiress of George Bradshaw, married 11th
January, 1706, to Joshua Galliard, Esq., of Edmonton, in
Middlesex, son of John Gailiard (by Ann, daughter of William
Wakefield, Esq.), descended from Joshua Galliard, Receiver of
the Revenue, temp. Charles I. Had issue:-
Joshua, eldest son, who died an infant.
Pierce, his successor.
John, died 20th April, 1745. Buried at Eyam.
Elizabeth, married Arthur Beardsley, of Nottingham.
Dorothy, married John Richards, of London.
Pierce, his son and heir, of Edmonton, Barrister-at-Law, died
about 11th October, 1789. He married first, Ann, daughter of
John Hughes, of London. Marriage settlement dated 28th
February, 1742/3. Married March, 1743. Died 1777. He married
secondly, Elisabeth Coxherd, living 1791.. Pierce Galliard,
Esq., had issue by his first wife:-
Bradshaw Galliard, son and heir apparent. Died without
issue in his father's lifetime, and intestate, September,
1785. He was author of some poetical works.
Anne. 3. Mary.
Anne, his daughter and co-heir, inherited Eyam, Foolow, and
Bretton. She espoused Eaglesfield Smith, Esq., of Longshaw, N.
B., and had issue:-
Pierce.
Eaglesfield, his successor, of whom hereafter.
Thomas.
Bradshaw Galliard.
Eaglesfield Smith, his heir, married Judith Elizabeth Irving,
second daughter of Lieutenant-General Sir Paulus Emilius
Irving, Bart., of Woodhouse (by his wife Lady Elizabeth St.
Laurence, daughter of Thomas, Earl of Howth). Marriage
settlement dated 10th August, 1811. They had issue:-
Eaglesfield Bradshaw Smith, of Blackwood Horse, Ecclefeccan,
N.B., who is the surviving representative of this branch of
the Stafford's, Bradshaw s, and Galliard's, and now the owner
of their patrimony at Eyam, &c. He married - Elizabeth
Macdowal Walker[†],
of Liverpool; and has issue:-
Mary, daughter and co-heir, who inherited Bradshaw Hall Chapel-
en-le-Frith, with the manor or Lordship of Abney. She married
Charles Bowles, Esq., of Radcliffe, county Middlesex. The
present Rev. Humphrey Bowles is the representative of this
branch of Stafford, Bradshaw, and Galliard.
At Eyam very little is now known of the Bradshaw family,
excepting their connection with the place as landlords. The
pedigree clearly establishes the relationship between the Eyam
branch and that seated at Marple, from whom the celebrated
President Bradshaw descended. It will be seen that his elder
brother Henry took an active part in the events of that
period. He married Mary, daughter of Bernard Wells, of Hope,
by whom he acquired Wyberslegh Hall. His name is the first to
the Cheshire petition to the two Houses of Parliament, 6th
July, 1646, praying for the establishment of the Presbyterian
religion. He was Colonel of the Macclesfield Hundred Militia,
and was at its head at the battle of Worcester, where he was
wounded. In 1652 he was one of the Court Martial on the Earl
of Derby, at Chester, and on the petition of the Countess of
Derby, he was summoned to appear before the Lords' Committee,
to which the Countess's petition had been referred. On this
occasion he was confined, in the house of Thomas Lee, a
messenger of the Black Rod, from the 17th July, to 14th
August, 1660, on which day the said Colonel Bradshaw, Henry
Bradshaw, of Gray's Inn, and Cromwell Meverell, of Tideswell,
were bound in £500, to Alexander Thane, Usher of the Black
Rod, for the Colonel's appearance. There were at Marple several
forms for an apology or answer to the charge against him. In
these documents he calls the President his brother. Colonel
Bradshaw obtained his release, as appears by a receipt for
£40, dated 14th August, 1660, signed Alexander Thane, for fees
duo to him as Usher of the Black Rod, from the said Colonel H.
Bradshaw, during his confinement; and by another signed
Cromwell Meverell, dated 23rd February, 1660, for the
Colonel's pardon sueing out, and 30 shillings paid to the
Master of the Black Rod, as a gratuity on the delivery in of
his bail book. On the l 5th March following, the said H.
Bradshaw was buried at Stockport. This branch of the
Bradshaw's is now represented by the Isherwood's, of Marple
Hall. It is asserted that there are no less than fourteen
Bradshaw Halls in different parts of the country, all of which
have, at various periods, been inhabited by members of the
Bradshaw family.
The pedigrees of Stafford and Bradshaw, have been
collected and compiled from various sources. Mr. Birds, of
Eyam, Michell's MS., Flower and Glover's "Visitation", the
late Mr. Bateman, Mr. Ince Wakefield, Mr. Wright, of Tamworth,
Ormrod s Cheshire, and Hunter's South Yorkshire.
'Elizabeth Macdowal Walker' is believed to be incorrect,
and in fact according to the IGI, an Eaglesfield Bradshaw SMITH married an
Elizabeth Macdonald LOCKHART on 30 Aug 1838 in Braddan, Isle Of Man.
The
Will of Norman LOCKHART (1853), taken from the Scottish Archives, refers to
his daughter Elizabeth Macdonald, wife of Eaglesfield Bradshaw
SMITH Esquire of Blackwood House. [Information kindly supplied by Shirley Lockhart, 28 Nov 2004]
ii.
The sasine dated 15 August 1855 when David Souter ROBERTSON bought
Tarbrax Estate from the trustees of Norman LOCKHART refers to "Eaglesfield
Bradshaw Smith Esquire of Blackwood House in the County of Dumfries". [Information kindly supplied by Gideon Riddell, 11 Jan 2005]
See also the chapter on
Bradshaw Hall in William Wood's 'History and Antiquities of Eyam'.
Transcribed by Paul Bradford 19th March 2001.
Additional information provided by Shirley Lockhart, 28th November 2004,
and Gideon Riddell, 11th January 2005.
URL of this page: http://www.wishful-thinking.org.uk/genuki/DBY/Eyam/Stafford/BradHall.html
[Created 28 Mar 2001. Last updated 30 Dec 2007 - 13:44 by Rosemary Lockie]
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[Created 28 Mar 2001. Last updated 30 Dec 2007 - 13:44 by Rosemary Lockie]