Summer Outing: Along the A59

This sixteenth outing organized by David started with a visit to the private house Martholme, near Great Harwood in the Whalley area. The first lesson was to know the local pronunciation ‘Martom’ as for ‘Browsholme/Brewsom’. The house is rather hidden and was overlooked by the former railway viaduct, now screened by trees. The name may signify a market or mart, held on a dry piece of land, a holme, in a wet area almost surrounded by water. The house is near the River Calder and had a moat, now filled in. William the Conqueror gave land to Roger de Poitou who distributed manors to his supporters to keep them happy. The Manor of Martholme was later granted to Richard de Fytton in 1177 in return for knight’s service. The manor passed down the generations and it ended up with the Hesketh family until 1819 — after 523 years of their ownership.

The main property comprises the main medieval hall and the 17th century wing incorporating an earlier timber-framed building, with a small hall joining the two. There are 14th century footings of earlier buildings attached to the main hall. Sir Thomas Hesketh built the separate large gatehouse in 1561 and repaired the house in 1577. An outer gateway was added by Robert in 1607. Robert Hesketh’s wife Lady Jane was a Roman Catholic and a Royalist resulting in confiscation of the property after her husband died. The house became neglected and partially collapsed. Robert’s post mortem inventory (1620) has details of the contents of 33 rooms. The house became a tenanted farmhouse.

Since 1962 the present owners have rebuilt the whole set of buildings in a sensitive manner so that it is now a most comfortable home. We were first treated to coffee and some background information given by members of the family. The site was earlier approached from the south through the outer gateway arch, then further through the gatehouse building, to enter a courtyard, the path being in line with the main door to the hall. A side door leads into a cross passage with the site of the original hall on the left, and a kitchen passage, with ancient pointed arch doorways, at right angles to the right. There are two rooms (service rooms) on either side of the passage which now leads through a new archway into a large room with a large ornate fireplace, timber framed partition, and curious corner features. We were invited to look at the rooms above with ancient structural timbers still visible. Outside again we looked at the traces of the moat. The house is complex in its structure and full of delightful architectural features which made the visit memorable, interesting and instructive.

(Notes courtesy of Ray Wilson of SPAB and a very helpful leaflet showing the buildings plan, photographs, and a brief history of the property.)

We proceeded to Old Langho Church of St Leonard a few miles away. The church is a rare example of a Marian church. It was a former chapel of Blackburn built around 1557 using stones taken from the dissolved abbey at Whalley. There are various carved stones to see, probably also from Whalley Abbey. A credence shelf used as a holy water stoop is set in the north wall; a piscina from the same abbey is in the south wall. Restoration work was carried out sympathetically by Paley and Austin, architects well-known in our area. Some attractive bench ends date from the 17th century, dated 1688 to 1719. A fine sanctuary chair also 17th century is to be seen.

After lunch in the Black Bull a visit to Samlesbury Hall was made. Although there was a hall here in 1180 it was destroyed in 1314, then rebuilt in 1325. This is what is seen today. In Tudor times the Catholic Southworth family were owners. A John Southworth was arrested for being a priest and after he had been bodily deconstructed and put back together again was eventually buried in Westminster Cathedral in the 1920s, recognized as a saint and martyr. In 1612 Jane Southworth was accused of witchcraft but was acquitted. After 1678 various owners used the building as a house, weaving workshops, an inn, and a girls’ boarding school. In 1862 restoration was put in place but this ended in bankruptcy and a suicide. In 1924 a move to demolish it and replace it with housing was thwarted. We were given a talk about the history of the place by an actor dressed in Tudor garb (with Henry VIII jokes) and then were free to explore further upstairs, followed by tea. It must be said that the main fireplace and the magnificent exterior of this medieval timbered hall are the features which excite most wonder.

It is not surprising that we ask David to continue organizing these Summer Outings for NCHT but it must be recognized that much effort and planning is needed on his part. These trips are a highlight of the year for many and are very much appreciated and enjoyed by those who take part. Visits to these unusual and interesting historic places makes history come alive and we learn much about our wonderful heritage in the process. On this occasion there was a mixture of elements of the Catholic/Protestant turmoil of the 1500s, barbaric practices of our forebears, the twists and turns of fate for local families, and the homes they lived in. Another thank you, David, on behalf of us all for a most interesting day.