My family lives near Hatfield, so I grew up going to craft fairs and having picnics at this lovely estate. We took this trip to the archives due to my grandfather being stationed here during the Second World War when it was a hospital. But for those of you who don't know....
History of the House
The 'house' actually consists of two parts. The older part (only one remaining wing of the original), which is a few metres away from the newer house, was where Elizabeth I had her household when she was a young princess. It was built by the Bishop of Ely and Henry VII's minister John Morton in 1497. After it was 'seized' by Henry VIII, both Elizabeth I and Mary I lived here; Mary was made to be a part of Elizabeth's household between 1533-36 to punish her for failing to recognise the marriage of her father and Anne Boleyn.
Elizabeth used Hatfield as her main residence right up until 1558. She was told her sister had died and that she was Queen under a tree on the estate (a plaque currently marks the spot!).
The next King, James I, gave the house to his chief minister and 1st Earl of Sailsbury, Robert Cecil. He promptly tore down three wings of the royal palace and used the bricks for the newer house as we know it today.
During the First World War the beautiful gardens were used for testing tanks (such a shame!) and during the Second World War the house was used as a hospital for wounded men to convalesce.
The Trip
The point of our day was to see the wonders of the archives in relation to my family (please note that you have to get permission to see this. Sadly it's not open to public access). I had to be careful of how many pictures I took but here are the few I could...
My great-grandfather worked at one of the Cecil family's estates, called Cranborne, from the 1920's. As you can see, we found him in the employment books:
There weren't any pictures of my grandfather, but there were lots of the house as a hospital.
After looking through these, we were very content to shut the door and head home. But our guide had other ideas! We were treated to some of the absolute treasures of the archives. Lord Burghley, Elizabeth's chief minister was also behind the origins of the secret service. Most of the records here are because of his record-keeping skills, and it is truly incredible that they have survived!
Now, I don't want to give away too much, but some of the gems we saw were:
- A letter by the 15-year old Elizabeth, protesting her innocence against rumours about an affair and pregnancy between her and Thomas Seymour.
- A letter that supposedly incriminated Mary Queen of Scots in the assassination plot against Elizabeth.
- A letter signed by Henry VIII about how much he disliked the way Anne of Cleves (his fourth wife) looked!
- Books of hours (devotional books) from the 13th Century, and books commissioned for Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon.
Now, onto the house. Here I did take pictures....
The older part of the house contains originals of most famous paintings, including the wonderful 'rainbow' portrait of an older Elizabeth, which is at the back of the Great Hall here:
Check out the painting in the chapel!
The stain glass window is pretty magnificent too.
We were told by one of the guides that this story of Moses looks a little odd because the artists presumed the palaces of the pharaohs looked like european ones....and that pyramids looked a bit like plinths....
There are tons of little treasures hidden around, and the house also includes what is perhaps the first silk stockings in England. There is room after room of Downton Abbey-style:
One of my favourite rooms had to be this made up bedroom, full of oriental furnishings:
As we were there until late, I didn't get many good photos of the old palace or the grounds. So here are some I found elsewhere, but they give you an idea about what is on offer as a visitor. You can also book a place on the medieval banquets that take place every few months during the year; the link is at the bottom.
Apologies for the quality of my photo, I thought it was best to only take my phone!
http://www.hatfield-house.co.uk/content.asp?id=11&p=78&The%20Hatfield%20Banquet
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