Borwick Hall

XLVII. VOL. C., AND L. OF S. H. LANCASHIRE. HALL, QORWICK FRONTISPIECE. BORWICK HALL. By William Oliver Roper. Read 2ist February, 1895. HE traveller on his war to Scotland by the T London and North-Western Railway may, some seven miles north of Lancaster and shortly after leaving Carnforth station, catch a glimpse of a massive tower and long lines of grey buildings, embosomed amidst the trees to the north-east of the line. The tower and the grey buildings form part of Borwick Hall. But if the traveller should ask if the tower has a history, and why the long lines of grey buildings stand almost athwart the front of the hall, his enquiry either meets with a blank ignorance of the subject, or with that little knowledge which is a dangerous thing, and which furnishes a reply totally devoid of any approach to historical accuracy. What, then, is the history of Borwick Hall ? Our sources of information are somewhat limited. Tradition affirms that the first of the Bindlosses of Borwick was a merchant at Kendal in West morland. A reference to the Books, of Rccordc for the borough of Kendal, shews that in January, 1579, it was ordered that " Henrye Willson ffrom hencefurthe shal be removyd displacyd and discharged off his sayd offyce and place oft" Burgesshippe and ffrome the usinge and exercisinge thereof and all maner off authoritye belonginge thereunto. ... By and wth the ffull advise counsell and consente of Xpofer Byndlose, Alderman of 22 Berwick Hall. the Boroughe of Kirbie Kendal, and the Recorder and Burgesses of the same Boroughe with the advise and assennte of the more part of the xxiiijtie their assistants being then assembled in the Court Lofte tliar. And al.so it is likewise orderyde by the sayd Alderman Recorder Burgesses and others the p'sons above mencyoned that . Jennutt Kskrige (ihe oilier defendant) shall be cartyd through the sayd Boroughe to the terror and ffeare of other persons of evill dispocicion for the comyttinge the like offence in tyme to come." In 1579, then, Christopher Bindloss was a person of some importance in the town of Kendal. Another entry in the same volume mentions amongst the list of aldermen "Christopher Byndlosse, chapman, alderman 1579, mort 1581." According to this entry, Christopher Bindloss, the alderman, died in 1581. The same volume also mentions, in handwriting of 1575, " Mr. Roberta Byndlose Esquyer " as a freeman of the borough. This Robert Bind loss probably died in 1594 ; and the next of the family of whom we have any definite knowledge, and the first who is definitely connected with Berwick, is Christopher Bindloss. This appears from the registers of the parish of Warton, in which Berwick Hall is situate. Amongst the earlier items in those registers are the following: 1583 Mr. Barnabye Bindlosse buried. 1592 Dorothea, daughter of Christopher Bindloss of Borwick Hall, bapt. 1594 Brigget, daughter of Christopher Bindloss of Borwick, bapt. 1596 Christopher, son of Christopher Bindloss of Borwick, bapt. The Barnaby Bindloss named in the first of these entries I have been unable to identify. From the second, Christopher seems to have been resident at Borwick Hall in 1592 ; and, apparently, still lived at Borwick, if not at the hall, in 1594 and 1596. Berwick Hall. 23 Christopher Bindloss of Berwick, "being troubled "with an infirmytie in his body," made his will on the 3rd of June, 1600. After directing his body to be buried in the chancel of his parish church at VVarton, he bequeathed to the poor of Warton £6 135. 4d., to the poor of Kendal £10, and to the poor of Lancaster £6 138. 4d. His wife, Millyzant, is to have the tuition of his daughter Bridget till she attained the age of eighteen years. The testator then directs that Valentine Bindloss " is to have £100 when twenty-one, which was " given him by the last will of Robert Bindlos " Esq. my father deceased." The will proceeds " Whereas my brother Robert Ryndlos is bounden to pay to my brethren in !a\v Thomas Breathwait and John Cnlvert Esquires and to my cosenes James Boroshell and Edward Willimsone ^1200 for the maner of Presthutton for my use ^300 of it to my wife and ^900 to my daughter." The testator appoints his wife executrix of that his will, and " Thomas Braithwaite of Burnishead, " Esq., and John Calvert of Cockerham, Esq., my " brethren in law and my loving friends Mr. " Christopher Shute, Vicar of Giglesworth, and " Henry Porter, Vicar of Lancaster, supervisors." The will was proved at York, on the nth of August, 1600. From this will it appears that the testator was the son of Robert Bindloss, and that he had a brother named Robert ; that probably he had, at the date of his will, only one child living, viz., Bridget, unless it can be supposed that the Valentine Bindloss mentioned in the will was a son of the testator. Still, there is nothing to shew that Christopher Bindloss lived at Borwick Hall, except the extract from Warton register for 1592 ; and nothing at all to shew that he built the hall. Now at the top of the staircase there is a stone, supported by a dozen small pillars, and bearing on its edge the name and date 24 Berwick Hall. ALIXANDER BRINSMEAD MASON 1595 and on a stone in the wall of one of the long barns, which, according to tradition, were built to shelter the pack horses of the Kendal merchant on their way to and from London, are the date and initials A DNI 1590 R B A B From these dates it would appear that Berwick Hall was built in the last decade of the sixteenth century ; that its builder was probably Robert Bindloss, who died about 1594 the father of Christopher Bindloss, the testator, and his brother Robert. Beyond this point our information does not at present carry us. With the next generation more definite details appear. The Visitation of Lancashire, by Sir William Dugdale, in 1664-5, describes Sir Robert Bindloss as of " Barwick Hall, Knight" ; and as marrying, first, Alice Dockwray, and secondly, Mary Eloft. The parish registers furnish the date of the baptism of the son by the second wife 1603 ffrancis son of Mr. Robert ISindloss of Barwick bnpt. In 1604, " Dorithie daughter of Mr. Robert " Bindloss of Barwick, Armiger," and, in 1614, "Jane the daughter of Mr. Robert Byndloss Esq. " of Barwick," are baptized. In 1625 is the entry of the burial of " Marie ladie to Sir Robert " Bindlose Kt. in the Churche." Sir Robert Bindloss made his will on the 7th of February, 1629-30. He desires " to be buried " in my parish church of Warton, neare unto my " well beloved wife." He then devises all the lands left to him by Robert Bindloss, his father, in various parishes in the counties of Lancaster, Westmorland, York, and Durham, to his grandson Berwick Hall. 25 Robert, the son of Francis Bindloss, to whom also he bequeathed all his armour and furniture, pro vided for the service of the king. The will also mentions Francis Bindloss, a minor (probably his younger grandson), his daughter, Jane Bindloss, and his daughter-in-law, " the Lady Cicely Bind- " loss," the widow of his son Francis. 1 Sir Robert Bindloss, the testator, is stated to have built a chapel at Berwick, and to have bequeathed a sum of £20 per annum "to a " preaching minister here to be nominated by the " Lord or Lady of Berwick : wch pension was to " be paid out of an estate at Wencedale, Yorksh., " and to continue as long as any of ye s(1 Sir " Robert's name or blood shall remain Lord or " Lady of Berwick." 2 The Church Survey, in 1650, states that the stipend left by Sir Robert Bindloss for Berwick Chapel was " withholden and not payed"; and, rather more than half-a-century later, Bishop Gastrell, in his Notltia. states that " the Pension is " dropt, and ye Chapel is dropping." Returning to Sir Robert Bindloss, the testator, the Warton registers shew that his second wife predeceased him in 1625, and that his grandson Robert was baptized in the same year. This grandson was the son of Francis Bindloss, by his marriage with Cecilia, daughter of Thomas West, Lord de la Warr. The arms of " Byndloss impaling West," carved above the fireplace in the hall at Berwick, have only recently been removed. Francis Bindloss was knighted in 1624, and was Member of Parliament for the borough of Lan caster in 1627-8. He died in 1628, in the lifetime of his father, and leaving two sons, Robert and Francis, and a daughter, Dorothy. Robert, the elder son, was baptized on the 8th 1 Ckethani Scciely, n.s., vol. xxviii, p. 204. * Nolitia Caslriensis, vol. ii, p. 562. a6 Berwick Hall. of August, 1624, and on the death of his grand father, in 1629, became the owner of the Berwick estates. He was created a baronet on the i6th of June, 1641 ; was Member of Parliament for the borough of Lancaster from 1645 to 1653, and for the county in the Convention Parliament of 1660; and served the office of High Sheriff of the county in 1658, 1672, and 1673. Sir Robert Bindloss ranks as a Royalist, but although he received a baronetcy from Charles I, he does not seem to have drawn his sword on behalf of his king. In 1651 the Royalist army were on the march from Scotland to London. The king reached Kendal on the loth of August, 1651, and the vanguard arrived at Lancaster the following day.

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