Blatherwycke is a village with a reported population of around 55 people (2001 census). No official meaning of the name has been found but some suggestions include 'bladder-plant specialised-farm' or even some form of the name 'black-thorn'. The village appears in the Domesday Book as 'Blarewiche' and is nestled in a valley which is home to the babbling Willow Brook.
It is about seven miles north-east of Corby and due west of Peterborough on the Blatherwycke Lake which is fed from the brook.
Blatherwycke Hall once stood here with our current research being inconclusive of its origins. It seems that from the 16th to the early 18th Century the Staffords were in residence at Blatherwycke but a Henry O'Brien was given the estate by Edmond Stafford as declared in a document dated 1703.
This document is at the Northamptonshire Records Office and shows that Edmond agreed with Henry that he and his wife Susannah (daughter of Edmond) would have rights to use Blatherwycke Manor (not referred to as a 'Hall') including the contents but would not inherit the lands in Hopton, Enson and Weston nor the Manor at Salt. These lands were to go to Susannah's brother William, and as a gesture of goodwill and love from William, Susannah could have Blathewycke and a small sum of money. In the event that Blatherwycke was sold however, William would should be given the sum of 1500 pounds.
Henry changes his name to Henry Stafford-O'Brien as a result of a marriage to Susannah. Henry O'Brien was apparently the youngest son of an Irish baronet and had the house rebuilt to designs by Thomas Ripley (external link) at a cost of around £4,000. The building works were by Robert Wright of Castor.
The contract for rebuilding the Hall in 1720 is also held at the Northamptonshire Record Office and has detailed information of the costs etc. There is also a clause in the contract that says that Henry or Thomas Ripley could inspect the building and if there was any deviation from the plans, the offending section could be torn down and rebuilt at the cost of Mr Wright. There is also a clause stating that and wood painting or carving would be paid for by Mr O'Brien.
During the Second World War the Hall was occupied by the British forces and was left in a very poor state. It was put up for auction but we are not sure if it was actually sold on before it was pulled down to have it's materials reclaimed in 1948. There is a document held at the Public Records Office in Kew which seems to be a record of the meeting discussing the preservation of the Hall which we intend to investigate soon.
A quote from the BBC's People's War series reveals that the hall was "where all of the Battery’s training in the use and maintenance of 6-pounder guns took place". An amusing story is that "The Poles also had one-up-manship on other Allied troops in the area: they discovered a stash of wine and port bottles in a tunnel that led from the Hall directly under the church. Apparently the British never did work out how the Poles could merrily get drunk without leaving the compound. For the full story go to BBC People's War - Corporal Antoni Szulakowski
Location of the Hall
We haven't been able to research the exact location of the Hall but this map shows a likely position. We would expect that the building would face towards the lake (facing West) but this is conjecture. The location that we suspect is due to the circular outline in the center of the grassy area which looks to be clearly visible in the Wide Shot of the hall above. This, the proximity to the stables and the clearing amongst the trees is enough to provide a good guess until we can confirm this.
The Staff at Blatherwycke Hall
We are fortunate enough to know that a In 1891 a David Gear was a footman in Blatherwycke Hall and travelled at some time with the family to South Africa. We have contact details of a relative who is looking for photos of the family and staff from this period so if anyone has any photos or knows any more about this we would be grateful if you could let us know by clicking on 'Add Comment' for this page. David was born in Suffolk in 1867 and later lived in Bournemouth.
Blatherwycke Family History
If you are looking for family history of the Blatherwycke surname then there is a fabulous resource available at http://www.judandk.force9.co.uk/blather.htm. I urge you take a look at this at there is a wealth of information here including photos (the source of some of those above) and images of the hall and the family crest.
Beneath this crest are the initials D.O.B which may refer to a Donagh O'Brien who was the Father of Henry O'Brien, the early 18th Century owner. The name Donagh also occurs many times in the O'Brien line as Henry's great grandfather and great, great, great grandfather. Follow the link to discover more...
Built next to the stables of the site of Blatherwycke Hall (the stables are still standing), this Norman church is 12th century but seems to have had constant improvement throughout it's life.
There is a tablet by Nicholas Stone which is in memory of the poet Thomas Randolph, who was born June 1605 near Daventry and died whilst in Blatherwycke just before his 30th birthday. He was staying with William Stafford and is now buried in the churchyard. The tablet was laid in 1650 a period of 15 years after his death.
The church's east facing window is decorated with stained glass by J R Clayton around 1850. J R Clayton also designed mosaics that can now be seen in the Chapels of St Gregory and St Augustine in Westminster Cathedral (created during 1902 - 1904).
I beleive I have a copy of the theater of plants book that may have belonged to Stafford, it it very very old and has his name written inside??
could you possibly send us a photo? Email address in on the 'About Us' pages. Thanks :)
Interesting info concerning the Staffords of Blatherwick.
"In 1534, Mary secretly married William Stafford. He was the younger son of Humphrey Stafford of Blatherwick in Northampton. This marriage was a disaster for her, excepting her personal happiness. Mary undoubtedly loved Stafford, a soldier she had met at Calais (he had been part of Henry VIII's retinue.)"
I am writing a history of Blatherwycke and would be very grateful to be put in touch with anyone who has any family history connection with the place. I am especially interested in David Gear (footman) and any of his reminiscences.
Many thanks,
Hilary Clare
I would like to get information about Violet Beatrice Scott. She was a nurse/midwife at the hall from about 1914 to 1918. Thank you!
Edward was the son of Henry De Stafford O'brien of Blatherwick. Edward was born in 1855 and I am trying to find out what happenned to him after 1891. His brothers were Lucius and Horace, who both went to Ireland but there is no record after the 1891 census of what became of Edward. If anyone has any info, however small, I would be very grateful if you could let me know.
Many thanks
I believe my grandfather and grandmother both worked at the Hall. My grandfather was a gardener, as far as I know. He died when I was 3 from pneumonia and I don't remember him. My mother was born there. My grandmother was still in touch with someone from Blatherwycke during the late 1940s. Is there anyone who has any more information?
my mother was born and lived in the village until she married her father was a game keeper during ww2
If I understand your map correctly the statue which is in the field, towards the top of the rise, could well have been in the garden or courtyard of the old hall.
Do you have any information about this?
Would anybody be able to tell me the exact positioning of the hall in relation to the church at Blatherwycke? And secondly, does anybody have any information or knowledge on the skeleton that was found in Blatherwycke lake?