The Bishop’s Palace, Ely was one of the residences of the Bishop of Ely from the 15th century until 1941. It is a Grade I listed building.^[1]

The palace was built in the 15th century by Bishop John Alcock however just two towers from the original building remain. He also completed the bishop’s palace (now Wisbech Castle) at Wisbech (where he died in 1500). Bishops over the following centuries expanded and remodelled the palace.^[1]

In 1541, King Henry VIII founded a College of Canons at Ely Cathedral to replace the monks whose monastery had been dissolved in 1539

The Bishop’s Palace at Ely was used as a prison for Catholics between 1577 and 1597, and between 1588 and 1597 was exclusively a prison for lay recusants. Its inmates included Abbot John Feckenham between 1577 and 1580 and Thomas Tresham, who was imprisoned in Ely four times.

Content coming soon

Update 18/09/17 – links to currently uploaded posts added below. I have some posts yet to be written. I also need to add an intro to this post

Update 25/07/23 – I still need to write the intro

People:

Imprisoned – John Gerard, Catholic Priest, 1597

John Gerard’s story told in the Salt Tower, Tower of London

The Autobiography of a Hunted Priest by John Gerard

Book Review

St Nicholas Owen Priest-Hole Maker by Tony Reynolds

Book Review

Blessed John Wall

Glass window dedication at Harvington Hall

Places:

Traquaire – The House

A refuge for Catholic priests

Little Malvern Priory

A safe house for Catholics with an chapel in the attic and what may have been secret access to the chapel

Moseley Old Hall

An Old Catholic family provides refuge for Charles I

Harvington Hall – Priest Hides

A tour of the priest hides in pictures and words

The Chapel – Harvington Hall

Attic chapel with a hide for ‘massing stuff’

Ye Olde Bell

Guesthouse with a secret tunnel to the nearby Priory – Used by Lord Lovelace of Hurley (a plotter of the ‘Glorious Revolution’)

Hurley Priory

History, Lord Lovelace connection and secret tunnels.

Dorney Court and its Recusancy Connections

This house reveals a recently discovered priest hole that is thought to be connect to Burnham Abbey via a secret passage.

The Old Bishop’s Palace – Ely

A prison for 32 Catholic recusants between 1588-97

Arundel

After King Henry VIII parted from the Church of Rome and declared himself Head of The Church of England missionary priests were able to continue their teachings in Arundel.

Plots:

Remember Remember…

An account of the Gunpowder Plot

The Habington Chest

Habington’s chest in the Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum

The Birthplace of Guido Fawkes

Guido Fawkes, was caught in the basement of the Houses of Parliament as he prepared to ignite hidden barrels of gunpowder.

This chapel was used from about 1590 until the opening of the Georgian Chapel in 1743. It contains three features, from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, which illustrate the gradual easing of persecution over the century and a half. At first all ‘Massing Stuff’ had to be concealed when not in use, and so, in the north-west corner, two floor-boards cover a small hide for vestments and church plate – a ’secret corner’, as opposed to a ‘conveyance’, which was a hide big enough for a man.*

During the 18th century it became the custom to use a chest-of-drawers as an altar and simply store the vestments in it. Against the north wall is a chest-of-drawers which was used in this way. and still is when Mass is said here. *

*From the Harvington Hall guidebook by Michael Hodgetts

…Priest-Hole Maker

Synopsis (from the back of the book):

During the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I it was high treason, and therefore meant death, to be a Catholic priest in England. It was consequently vital that there be somewhere to hide when the pursuivants came battering at the door. One name is prominent in the construction of priest-holes – that of Nicholas Owen. A very short and later crippled man, he built the majority of these shelters, so saving the lives of untold numbers of priests and fugitives. His early apprenticeship as joiner and his knowledge of construction served him will as he burrowed into walls and constructed near-invisible entrance holes. Although a well-know figure in Recusant studies, and almost invariably mentioned in histories of the Gunpowder Plot, this is his first detailed biography.

St Nicholas Owen was born in Oxford, the son of a carpenter. Two of his brothers were to train as Catholic priests on the continent. A third, Henry, the first apprentice at what was to become the Oxford University Press, went on to assist the Mission with the production of Catholic books and pamphlets. Nicholas was himself apprenticed to and Oxford joiner in 1577.

Acting as a servant to Fr Henry Garnet SJ for nearly twenty years, Owen had many adventures, narrowly evading capture, and assisted in the escape of the Jesuit Fr John Gerard from the Tower of London in 1597. St Nicholas was tortured at the Poultry Compter in 1594 but later released. He was finally taken in one of his own priest-holes during the rigorous pursuit of Catholics that followed the failure of the Gunpowder Plot, and died upon the rack in the Tower of London in 1606.

Evidence of St Nicholas Owen’s work is still visible in contury houses and mansions across England, and recent research has unveiled greater detail of his fascinating career assisting the English Mission aat the close of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries.

Review:

This fascinating account of both Nicholas Owen and his construction of priest-holes is well worth a read. The book also gives accounts of Jesuit priests and the Catholic families that helped and concealed them from pursuivants. The content is quite graphic at times, detailing hanging and torture procedures. We are told of Nicholas’ early life, his work in creating the hides right through to his torture, death and beyond to when he became one of the forty-martyr saints who received canonization in 1970. The book is fully illustrated with black and white photographs and diagrams of the hides, houses and some of the key players of this period in history.

Harvington Hall, a medieval and Elizabethan manor house situated on an island surrounded by a moat is in the ownership of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham.

A house full of secrets, Harvington Hall was built in the 1580s by Humphrey Pakington, who was a recusant Catholic under the Protestant rule of Elizabeth I. The hall brings to life the fascinating history of the survival of Catholic families and clergymen at a time when it was high treason for a Catholic priest to be in England. The remarkable survival of its priests’ hiding places and rare Elizabethan wall paintings, together with its unique character, make Harvington Hall an extraordinary place with a captivating story, never to be forgotten.*

In 1696 the house passed to the Throckmorton family and remained in their hands until 1923. The Throckmortons also owned and lived in the nearby Coughton Court, which led to Harvington being stripped of items and fittings to be installed in Coughton including the grand staircase. The house was left to become derelict until, in 1923, it was purchased and donated to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham. The house has now been fully restored including a replica staircase; the original of which can still be seen at Coughton Court.

Harvington Hall boasts the largest surviving collection of priests’ hiding places in the country. Built in the time of Humphrey Pakington (1555-1631), some of these hides are believed to be the work of the ingenious carpenter and hide-builder, Nicholas Owen, who was arrested in 1606 and tortured to death in the Tower of London.*

The first hide that is encountered on the guided tour of the house is situated above the bread oven within the thickness of the chimney stack. This hide was accessed by a trapdoor in the garderobe in the room above the kitchen.

On the first floor, the Withdrawing Room also hides a priest hide behind wood panelling next to the fireplace. On the opposite side of the fireplace the original 16^th century ladder for accessing the hide can be seen.

The Great Chamber, next door to the Withdrawing Room, conceals a hide above the ceiling of the Butler’s pantry in the corner of the chamber. Entry for this hide was from the top floor and the difference in levels was obscured by a panelled porch which covered the door from the Chamber to the Pantry and also from the Chamber to the Great Staircase.

A very ingenious hide was unearthed in 1894 within Dodd’s Library. Inside a space that was originally a book cupboard is a hinged wall panel that, when pushed at the top, swings up to reveal a space behind.

On the top floor of the house is a priest’s room which has a hidden space under the floor where the vestments, the church plate and other items for mass could be concealed when not in use. On this floor is another smaller chapel with walls decorated with rows of red and white drops representing the blood and water of the Passion.

Round the corner from the small chapel is the Marble Room where a false fireplace in the corner of the room gives access to the attic space and a further priest hole in the corner of the roof. The fireplace has been blackened to simulate smoke discolouring so that it appears to have been used.

Five steps, which are original, lead down to the grand staircase. Two of the steps when lifted reveal a small cavity (the back of which is now missing), where money and valuables could be hidden. Originally this drew the eye from the larger cavity that was concealed behind; a priest hide measuring 5ft 9ins by 5ft and 6ft high. This hide is above the butler’s pantry next to the Great Chamber, and as are the other hides located around the grand staircase thought to be the work of Nicholas Owen.

Owen was servant to Fr Henry Garnet, the Jesuit superior in England, who during the 1590s built up a network of houses throughout the country to which incoming priests could be directed and where they could find disguises, chapels and priest holes.

The centre of this operation for Worcestershire and the Welsh Marches was Hindlip House, the home of Humphrey’s friend Thomas Habington, where the Jesuit Edward Oldcorne arrived in 1590.It was there that Garnet, Owen and Oldcorne were all captured in 1606, just after the Gunpowder Plot.

Owen was starved out of one of his own hides on the fourth day of a twelve day search, during which he and a companion, Ralph Ashley, had nothing to eat but one apple between them. He died under torture in the Tower; Garnet, Oldcorne and Ashley were all hanged, drawn and quartered. Although Hindlip was demolished in 1814, descriptions of the hides there show a striking similarity to those that survive at Harvington.**

—

• *From 2017 Harvington Hall leaflet
• ** From Harvington Hall Website
• Further source of information – Harvington Hall guidebook by Michael Hodgetts

NB: All photos including the individual photos in the mosaics can be viewed full size here.

When I woke up the sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Mr C started his morning ritual of making a cup of tea only to find that the drinks tray had not been restocked!  When we entered the dining room I chose a table that was next to French doors that opened out onto the terrace so we could enjoy the sunshine over breakfast.

After breakfast we checked out of the hotel, put our luggage in the car and took a short stroll down the high street to find the remains of the old Priory building which now functions as Hurley Parish Church. The inside of the church is delightful and within it is housed what is thought to be one of the oldest wooden crosses in England, dated at around 1040.

We then returned to the car and drove to Henley-on-Thames where we took a stroll around the town and along the river. As we approached the bridge over the Thames we noticed a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang style car that was driving over the bridge. It was making alarming noises and limped its way off the bridge before breaking down.

We then looked at options of where next to visit that would also serve lunch. Mr C opted for Stonor which was nearby although we nearly changed our minds when we got there. There was a large craft fair taking place and the place was heaving with cars and people. After a brief talk with the car park attendant we were advised that if we only wanted to go to the house and gardens we needed to go a different way.

When we got to the house there was hardly anyone there. Initially we only bought tickets for the gardens because we didn’t know if there would be time for the house. The formal garden was enjoyable and we found that we still had time to go inside the house so we upgraded our tickets.

The lady who was checking tickets on entry to the house persuaded Mr C that he should purchase a small pamphlet about the contents that are on display. I am so glad she did, it is full of fascinating information. Unfortunately they had run out of guide books so I had to come away without one.

The house and contents are fascinating. The house has been home to the Stonor family for over 850 years and is linked with the travails of the Catholics following the reformation by Henry VIII. The roof space at Stoner was used by Edmund Campion to print the ‘Ten Reasons’ pamphlet in the 1580s. The library houses an important collection of Recusant books that were either printed abroad and imported illegally or illegally printed in England.

On display is an original copy of the ‘Ten Reasons’. Next to the house is the private Chapel of the Blessed Trinity, the interior of which is quite stunning.

All too soon it was time to set off on our homeward journey. The traffic was free flowing unlike our outward journey and when we got home the weather was still being kind to us so we were able to dine on the patio. I have to say that as a culinary experience, it was meal of the weekend.

For two days, in September 1651, the destiny of Britain was decided within the walls of Moseley Old Hall.

In January 1649 Charles I had been executed in Whitehall, the monarchy had been abolished and the country declared a Commonwealth. The hopes of the Royalist Cause now rested on the shoulders of his eighteen-year-old son, Charles II, who was in exile in France. In the late summer of 1651 Charles marched south from Scotland with an army of 16,000 men in a final effort to reclaim the throne. But on 3 September outside Worcester his army was annihilated, and for the next 41 days he was on the run, with a price of £1000 on his head.*

Early on the morning of 8 September the bedraggled figure of the King arrived at the back door of Moseley Old Hall. He had had no sleep and little to eat since the day of the battle. He was disguised in rough woodsman’s clothes with ill-fitting shoes that made his feet bleed. He was cold, wet and desperate. Standing waiting to greet him were the owner of the house, Thomas Whitgreave, and his priest, Father Huddleston.

Like many in this area of Staffordshire, Whitgreave was a Catholic, and his mother Alice, who was also in the house, had suffered heavy fines for their faith from the Parliamentary authorities. They welcomed the King inside, gave him dry clothes and food, and found him a safe hiding place in one of Moseley’s ‘priest’s holes’. Here he crouched the following afternoon, while Whitgreave confronted a Parliamentary search party in the road outside.*

The priest hole was hidden beneath a cupboard which was either a garderobe of a wardrobe.

In the floor of the cupboard is a trap-door concealing the hiding place below, some 4ft 6in by 5ft and only 4ft high, a cramped space in which Charles, who is believed to have been ‘over two yards high’, spent an uncomfortable time when Parliamentarian soldiers came to the house. Whitgreave tells us that, after being presented to the King in his room, Charles asked him ‘where is the secret place my lord [Wilmot] tells me of?’ On being shown the hide, he entered it ‘and when came forth, said itt was the best place hee was ever in’.*

Having devised a practical plan of escape Charles left the house two days later.

As well as a priest hole the house had a chapel in one of the upper rooms of the house.

John Huddleston took the King up to see the Chapel during his stay at Moseley. Charles described it as a ‘very decent place’ and told Huddleston that if he ever regained his throne, Catholics would no longer have to worship in secret. Charles married a Catholic, but as part of his efforts to reconcile the anti-Catholic majority, professed a moderate Anglican faith, unlike his openly Catholic brother, James, who was driven from the throne in 1688 because of his religion.

The Chapel, or more properly the Oratory, did not look as it does now when Charles saw it in 1651. The roof was open to the rafters, and is said by tradition to have once contained a secret hiding place, although there is no evidence of it. The barrel-vaulted ceiling was added following the Relieving act of 1791, which allowed Catholics greater freedom of worship.*

*From the National Trust guide book to Moseley Old Hall 1997 revised 2000. The photo of the priest hole was also taken from the same guide book (all other photos are my own as usual).

Little Malvern Court is a 14th century Prior’s Hall once attached to a 12th century Benedictine Priory with Victorian additions. The house, home to the Berington family by descent since the Dissolution of the Monasteries displays paintings and furniture along with a collection of 18th and 19th century and needlework.

Doubtless, the preservation of this notable medieval hall can be ascribed to the fact that since the dissolution of the Monasteries  in the 1530s by order of King Henry VIII, the property has passed by descent from John Russell in the early 16th Century to the Berington family, the present owners.

The Benedictine Priory of Little Malvern was founded by Bishop Simon of Worcester in the first half of the 12th Century. A small monastery (never having more than a dozen monks at any one time), it was subject to the See of Worcester. On his Visitation in 1480, Bishop Alcock of Worcester was most displeased at ‘the great ruin of the church and place’ at Little Malvern. Bishop Alcock set about a major restoration work of the Church and Monastery, having despatched the monks to Gloucester for two years as a punishment. The walls of the Prior’s Hall bear traces of his repair work. *

Our guided tour of Little Malvern Court revealed to us that there was more to its history than the was initially apparent from the advertising literature. We learned that the Russells were a recusant family from Strensham and that the house was a safe place for Catholics that did not wish to renounce their faith in favour of the Church of England.

The house had a resident priest and a secret chapel in the eaves of the house. On our way up to the chapel we were shown black marks on the wooden beams which are thought to be marks warding off evil spirits. We were also shown an access point in the ceiling that could have been an escape route for the priests and worshipers, although it is not known where the exit led to. The chapel is accessed by staircase which is more ladder than stair. From the chapel we were shown where a landing had been cut away. The landing when intact would have connected the chapel to a spiral staircase on the opposite side of the building.

When we returned downstairs we were shown the access to the spiral staircase, which still exists. After looking at the wall I was convinced that there would have been a secret panel in the wall concealing the staircase access.

*From A brief history of Little Malvern Court Worcestershire