Lady Alice Le Strange 1586-1656

Lady Alice Le Strange was the wife of Sir Hamon Le Strange of , a Stuart landowner, whose estates were spread across North-West and beyond. As well as being a member of the local gentry, Sir Hamon, whose family had held the manor of Hunstanton since the , was also a prominent figure in county politics. He represented the people of Norfolk as a Member of Parliament and like his father before him was Sheriff of Norfolk. Sir Hamon was an ardent supporter of the monarchy and church and openly displayed his Royalist sympathies in a county which had strong Parliamentarian leanings.

The principal source of this article is the series of household accounts kept by Alice herself. No letters or personal papers have been found and it seems likely that these were deliberately destroyed, perhaps by Alice herself. But she speaks to us from these meticulously kept accounts. Those who spend some time reading these ledgers begin to feel they know Alice, her likes and dislikes, her character and even her favourite colour. Ketton Cremer calls her “… a woman of unconquerable spirit” and Alfred Kingston speaks of “…a capable woman, whose opinion of men and things, one feels, would have been worth having”. Her husband in his will in 1652 spoke of her thus: -

“I thank thee [Lord]... abundantly for that comfortable union and blessed harmony which I have for many years enjoyed with that life of my life my dear wife…her ever dear esteem of my life and person and her most pious and painful care in the education of my children… and her ever incessant industry in straynes of knowledge above her sex”. “...for a further legacy of my love I give unto…Alice my wife one hundred pounds”.

A touching testimony of the love and affection between husband and wife. In fact the marriage between Alice and Hamon had started as a business arrangement, a merger probably planned even before Alice’s birth.

Lady Alice Le Strange 1586-1656 1

Richard Stubbs, Alice’s father, was a lawyer and M.P. for , owning land and property across Norfolk, in Lynn, , , Ringstead, Hunstanton, Holme, Fring, Harply, Edgefield, Runton and Wiggenhall. He also owned or leased most of . In 1584 Richard had married Anne the widow of John Le Strange of Sedgeford, who was Hamon’s great uncle. From this marriage Richard acquired lands originally belonging to the Le Strange family. The children of Ann’s first marriage weren’t happy that Richard had managed to acquire assets that they felt they were entitled to and there were some legal battles instigated by the husbands of two of Ann’s daughters. The will of the third unmarried daughter Katherine also hints at some resentment. Although the children of Ann and John Le Strange were unsuccessful, the Le Strange family were still anxious to have the land in Sedgeford restored to the family. A marriage between Richard’s daughter and the Le Strange heir was a mutually beneficial solution. The lands would be returned to the Le Strange family and Alice would marry into the gentry.

In 1602 when Alice was sixteen and Hamon nineteen the marriage was formally agreed between Richard and Sir John Payton, Lieutenant of the Tower of , Hamon’s guardian. The laborious legal process of settlements began with Richard putting nearly everything he owned into the marriage, transferring virtually all his property to the use of Hamon and Alice.

In March 1603 Hamon accompanied Sir Robert Carey to Scotland on horseback to inform James VI that Elizabeth I was dead and that he was now King of . On his return Alice and Hamon were married on 20th October and within a year their first son Nicholas was born. Hamon came of age in 1604 and was knighted at the coronation of James. The portrait of Hamon now hanging in King’s Lynn Town Hall and the matching one of Alice probably date from this time.

In 1605 their second son Hamon was born and to provide Alice with an income if she was left a widow Hamon settled the manor of Gressenhall on her. The young couple settled down to married life at Hunstanton Hall. In the March following his coming of age Hamon began keeping the estate accounts, recording all the family and estate expenditure and income. Their first daughter Dorothy (named for Alice’s half sister) was born in 1608. The day after Dorothy’s christening Hamon recorded that he gave Alice 30s to pay for the midwife. In March 1609 Alice took over the responsibility of keeping the accounts, a task that she was to perform diligently for nearly fifty years. The first pages of Alice’s accounts are touching in their neatness and legibility and are reminiscent of a child beginning a new exercise book and a strong contrast to Hamon more difficult hand. Sadly Dorothy died in April 1610, just one year old. Five year old Nicholas’s health worried Alice and she frequently called upon the apothecary for advice and “phisick” for the rest of the year Nicholas recovered but his health was to often worry Alice throughout his childhood. In the autumn an ape (monkey) was delivered to the house, perhaps Alice thought it would amuse the ailing Nick.

The young couple enjoyed a good standard of living. The purchase of golden and silver lace, silks, taffetas and other rich cloth appears frequently in the accounts in the first ten years of their marriage. Alice appears to have particularly fond of green with many of her dresses made in that colour or trimmed with green lace; two of the three beds left in her will were draped with green hangings and she left green petticoats to her daughter in law and niece. She purchased silk stockings, at £1 5s a pair and paid £2 4s. for silk garters trimmed with gold lace; Hamon and the children wore stockings or hose, knitted for them by local women. It was not only Alice who dressed richly but Hamon and the children also owned many rich clothes trimmed with lace and ribbon. One of Nick’s coats was trimmed with five and quarter ounces of lace costing 12s 7d and a gown made for him cost £3 7s 2d. In February 1612 Jane, their next daughter was carried to her baptism on a bearing cloth of crimson taffeta

2 trimmed with silk and silver lace costing £2 13s. 4d. Alice held a dinner following Jane’s baptism for which the cook received 10s, a quarter of a years wages. At Jane’s birth a midwife employed by her relation Lady Knivett attended Alice, but for her subsequent children she used the services of Alice Chant a local woman whom she called “my keeper”. Alice, like many gentry ladies of the time employed a wet nurse for her children. This was a very well paid position with a wet nurse earning three times as much as a normal female servant and more than many men servants. Alice retained the services of a nurse for each of her children for between a year and eighteen months.

The family enjoyed many leisure activities. The children played battledore and shuttlecock. The family employed a fool. Dice and cards feature in the accounts. Butt arrows and quivers show that archery was a pastime. Hawking was a favourite sport and hoods, hawking gloves, hawks and the wages of a falconer appear often in the accounts of the household. Small game was also shot with guns for sport and for the pot. The family was musical, the celebrated music teacher and composer spent many years living with the family. Sir Hamon played the viol and is said to have built an octagon in the garden especially to practice in away from his wife. He also enjoyed gambling. Alice records his losses at cards and the tables and even 3s lost playing shovelboard. On one occasion Alice allowed him 6d to play at tables. To date no entry has been found recording his winnings only his losses. Some of his losses and other expenses of £5 0s 3d were “layd out at Swaffham at the election of the Knight of the Shire” where Hamon was elected M.P. for Norfolk in 1614.

Elizabeth was born in 1614 and the accounts record a payment to the vicar for Alice to be “churched”. Churching, which normally took place twenty-eight days after the birth was a ceremony that served as a thanksgiving and a marking of the return of the new mother into the community.

Not including the children’s nurses, Alice and Hamon employed at least four maidservants and seven menservants. In addition Alice had a gentlewoman and often used women of the village when needed. Although Alice had many servants to do the work of the household, she was a very practical and down to earth woman who was not averse to getting her hands dirty. One anecdote written by her son Nicholas relates Alice skinning a rabbit. The growing family meant that more beds were needed and two were purchased in 1614 costing a total of £10 8s 8d without the hangings.

Nick fell ill again in December 1614, as did his three year old sister Jane. Alice called on Doctor Rant to whom she paid the large sum of £6. It must have been serious for Alice to want the services of a doctor. She was used to tending the sick, not only within the household but also in the local area and was described as doing “great service to the poor in the way of surgery”. It is recorded that in 1616 she ministered to a Catholic priest who had received rope burns to his hands when escaping from his prison in . She mentioned treating this stranger to Hamon. He suspected the identity of the man and was subsequently instrumental in his recapture.

In 1616 Roger was born. Alice’s father Richard made provision for his two youngest grandchildren, Hamon and Roger by settling property in Holme on them. In May the following year Richard made his last will, confirming Alice and Hamon's possession of lands and property that were settled on them before their marriage. He also left them land in Holme and . The children received the manor of and personal mementoes such as “my book called Chaucer and a ring of gold”

1619 was a sad year for Alice. Her last son John had been born in 1618 but did not live long, dying in February 1619. In November her father Richard became sick. His sickness was of a short duration; he fell ill after the 10th and died before the 24th. The family mourned Richard

3 both privately and publicly. Specially made morning clothes were brought or made for all the family. A whole page of Alice’s account book is filled with purchases of black stockings, gloves, hats, and cloaks. Mr Stevenson and his boy were employed for eight days making morning clothes for the children. 42 yards of black cotton was used for the coach cover and 4 yards for the coach curtains. Even the horses had black saddles and bridles. Richard was a strong character. His shrewd dealings had made it possible for his daughters to marry well. He remained very much part of Alice’s life after her marriage and his passing must have left a large gap in her life. As her father became older and then died, Alice assumed responsibility for the Sedgeford estate. This involved not only receiving rents but keeping the sheep accounts, organising grazing regimes and crop rotations, drawing up rental agreements and keeping field books.

Nicholas and Hamon attended Eton College. In 1620 Alice and Hamon travelled down to London with Nick, Hamon, Jane and Elizabeth, leaving four year old Roger at home. A gentlewoman, a maid and four menservants attended them. James Oldman then took the boys on to Eton by horseback. Their beds and clothes had been sent to Lynn and then on by ship to Eton via London. The rest of the family stayed in London for thirteen weeks, hiring three chambers and a dining room from a Mrs Hayward. While in London they entertained friends in their lodgings. Alice also took the opportunity to do some shopping. She brought cloth, curtayn stuff, pewter and brass. These were sent back to Hunstanton by ship. A new coach was delivered from London in June, which was probably commissioned during their stay. After their return from London Jane who was nine years old died. At Jane’s burial, Alice gave money to the poor of Hunstanton, Heacham, Sedgeford, Holme and Ringstead in memory of her daughter.

From 1620 she also kept all the building accounts. From the details in these accounts it would appear that a new wing was added to Hunstanton Hall. The black and white stone mentioned in the accounts is probably the chequered flint work still visible on the front of the hall today.

The following year Mary was born. At her baptism on 11th September she was carried on a cloth of “Scarlett bayes” costing 13 schillings. Sir Roger Townsend sent Mary a gilt cup as a baptismal gift. Mary was not a healthy baby. Alice employed women to watch over Mary at night and brought medicine for her but she died during the night on 29th January 1622.

Alice was to have no more children, but those left to her, Nick, Hamon, Elizabeth and Roger all reached adulthood, married and had children.

From 1631 she rationalized and maintained the records for the entire estate, including Hunstanton, Heacham and Sedgeford. She also commissioned the drawing up of a field map of Sedgeford.

In 1643, as governor of King’s Lynn, the then sixty-year-old Hamon was instrumental in Lynn declaring itself for the King in the early years of the Civil War, an enterprise which was to cost him dear. In consequence of this declaration, Lynn was besieged by a parliamentary army for three weeks and upon the town’s capitulation, Sir Hamon was held personally responsible for the damage done to the town. Not only did Sir Hamon have to pay for property destroyed by both sides but compensation to the parliamentary supporters, many who were under house arrest during the siege. Some of these gentlemen were even appointed assessors of their own damages. “Compensation for every imaginable claim for damage was exacted from Sir Hamon in overflowing measure”. The Hunstanton estate was “plundered” wrote Lady Alice and they were “overpowered by the times”. Throughout all Sir Hamon’s troubles Alice was his support and strength, even bearing him company during the siege. She was not only his helpmate during times of trouble but a partner and administrator

4 of his estates. While her husband and sons were heavily committed to the royalist cause, Alice managed the household and estate single handed.

Hamon died in 1654 and Alice retired to West Hall in Sedgeford. She died in 1656 and was buried in Hunstanton Church beside Hamon.

© Linda Nudds 2014 Photograph © Michael Meakin 2002

Illustration by kind permission of Michael Le Strange Meakin

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