Category: UK

Oxburgh Hall was in the first wave of National Trust houses to re-open after the enforced period of closure and the only one in Norfolk. It was essential to pre-book, and non-members needed to pay, in advance on the web-site although this was an easy process to navigate.

Signage was suitably clear and there was an engaging staff member at the entrance to the property checking names and explaining what was happening.

Gateways such as this were one-way only, with visitors routed around to ensure sufficient space.

There was a one-way system through a few parts of the gardens where there was limited space, such as the herbaceous border. Visitors could also enter the house itself and I was warned there might be a queue for this, although it transpired that I was able to walk straight around with no wait.

After crossing the bridge over the moat, visitors are met at the entrance to the house and another friendly guide explained where to go. It was all rather relaxed and I didn’t have to queue at any point, the National Trust hadn’t tried to cram too many people in.

Visitors need to go through the courtyard, where there are also toilet facilities, and then enter the rooms at the far left. Only a few rooms were open, but there’s probably a limit to what they can do given the nature of the historic property that they have. More on these rooms, and indeed other elements about Oxburgh Hall, in other posts though.

All told, this was very well-organised, although most things involving the National Trust usually are, albeit perhaps sometimes a little over-managed in some areas. Their one minor issue which was probably only temporary, they had run out of maps and they knew that they had more, but couldn’t work out who had them. But, they kept everyone safe and had managed to open up something, so that seemed a positive result to me.

This is the diary of Thomas Marwood (?-1718), a private tutor to Henry Arundell Bedingfield (1689-1760). The diary was written between 1699 and 1703, with the pair often travelling in Europe under the guise of meeting family members. A ruse was needed because Marwood, who went by the alias of Henry Nelson, was a Catholic at a time when providing a child with such a religious education was not permissible.

The National Trust have noted that the diary is opened out onto September 1700, with the entry of 1 September:

“I measured the Esquire’s height without his shoes and find him just 4 feet 4/6 English measure, ie, 4 feet 8 inches. And that he has grown a full inch since June 12 last. One inch”.

Marwood gained a reputation for his theological work and his ability to understand and interpret the Bible, rejecting what he felt were the errors of the Reformation and its impact on the text. It was once thought that the above painting was of Marwood and his charge, the young Henry, although apparently this might not be the case.

Marwood’s diary was used extensively in the early twentieth century in research papers, so it has been carefully examined and most of it has been published. And Marwood seemed to have had a marvellous time travelling throughout Europe, seeing travel, theatre and culture as part of the whole learning experience.

The diary entry for 19 November 1700 is for when Marwood went to visit Dunkirk, where he stayed for six weeks. He was particularly taken with the kitchen, which he noted was “the neatest contrived I ever saw; it would roast three spits with a little charcoal and bake small things by two ovens with the same fire”. To be fair, it’s the sort of things that I would have written excitedly about if I had been there then.

But what a learning experience this was for the young Bedingfield, visiting important political figures around Europe. There were also a couple of meetings with Jacobites, perhaps this is what influenced Henry later on in his life to produce his secret drinking glasses.

Oxburgh Hall is going through a substantial restoration programme at the moment, caused by things falling off the building, which means that they’ve been lifting some floorboards. Their discoveries might look mundane, but there’s something quite compelling about the random things that have been found. So far, some masonry, half a plate, a paper money bag, bits of newspaper and a cigarette box.

This is one of eleven glasses that were commissioned by Sir Henry Arundell Bedingfeld (1689-1760) and the National Trust has done a fair chunk of research on what the glass represented. As an aside, the glasses were all sold in 1908 and all bar this one has gone missing. This particular glass is on temporary loan from the Drambuie Collection and the research conducted received some widespread media attention earlier on in the year.

It seems that Bedingfield was a supporter of the Jacobite movement, a plot to return the House of Stuart to the British throne. James Francis Edward Stuart (1688-1766), who was for a few months the Prince of Wales and would have been King if it hadn’t been for the Glorious Revolution of 1688 which placed William III on the throne. Bedingfield supported the restoration of the Catholic James Francis Edward Stuart, which meant opposing the Kingship of the Protestant King George II.

The glasses were probably made in the 1750s, when it was prohibited for anyone in the country to drink to the health of the Stuarts. So, the glasses were made with hidden messages such as the rose and twin buds, which were meant to represent James Francis Edward Stuart, along with the inscribed ‘fiat’, meaning ‘let it come to pass’.

As for the other ten glasses in this collection? I imagine most people wouldn’t have ever even begun to have recognised the significance of the glasses, so they could be anywhere today, even supposing they’ve survived. It’s a nice find, but without the National Trust offering an explanation and background, I wouldn’t have had a clue what it represented.