Page 12 - Oundle Life August 2023

FIT FOR
A KING
Kirby Hall
It was one of England’s finest Elizabethan houses, and was a favourite of King James I, who stayed there on at least four occasions. But as it fell into ruin, the grandiose
Kirby Hall became home to a humble shepherd and his flock of sheep.
at Kirby to host the royal court, Elizabeth stayed at nearby Deene Park, but her snub was the inspiration Stafford needed to build a
The foundation stone was laid in
1570 on the site of an earlier medieval
manor house on the edge of what was
left of Kirby village. By 1570, the small medieval village had been mostly
abandoned and the last few houses and the parish church were pulled down to make way for the grand house and the Jacobean gardens that were later added.
Kirby estate was bought by Sir Humphrey Stafford of Blatherwick in 1542, and he built the house after missing out on hosting Elizabeth
I in 1569. With no building grand enough
and was one of the judges who found Mary Queen of Scots guilty of treason, resulting in her decapitation. Mary’s son, James I, stayed at the house at least four times between 1608 and 1624 (although some sources claim he stayed there nine times), marking it as a royal favourite.
The original Elizabethan house was modified greatly over the years, particularly by
The Hatton family kept Kirby Hall until 1764
magnificent pile fit for a queen – or, at least, a king.
Once completed, the house became a favourite of King James I. Sir Humphrey Stafford sold the house and estate to Sir Christopher Hatton of Holdenby in 1575. Hatton later became Elizabeth I’s Lord Chancellor,
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