Page 8 - Estate Catalogue complete Flip book_Neat

of the room from which the figure had emerged at Candlemas yearly a farthing. Leland in his
and that into which it had entered were locked. Itinerary, speaks thus of Thornhill. “From Staple-
Startled by so strange an occurrence, she deter- “forde on to Thornhul a myle by good grounde
mined to be in the hall on another evening at the “enclosid. Here dwellith Master Thornhul, an
same hour. Once more she witnessed the same “auncient gentleman. From Stourminster over
strange events. Now thoroughly convinced that “the bridge and less than a mile further, I passed
it was something more than a mere freak of her “over a bridge of four arches that standeth as I
imagination, she returned at once with her children “remember over Devlles broke, and thens aboute
to London, and took an early opportunity of calling “a mile onto Thornehull. Thornehul dwelled at
on Lady Anglesey. She told her what she had “Thornehill in Staplebridge and yet doth.” It
seen, and begged to know what was the meaning was here that Sir James Thornhill, the painter,
of it. Lady Anglesey related to her the following resided, who painted the dome of St. Paul's.
story. Some years ago the house was inhabited There was formerly a beautiful ceiling in the
by a widowed mother and her only son, who was drawing room, painted by Sir James Thornhill,
not yet of age. One day the boy came to his with his head in the centre. This remained in good
mother and told her that he had fallen in love preservation till about 1810, when it was taken
with the gamekeeper's daughter. The mother down by the tenant and carried away to preserve
reproved him for his indiscretion, and forbade him it from the wet, which came into all the other
to mention the subject again. Not long after, the ceilings, but it was afterwards brought back very
boy returned to the subject and announced his much injured, and the house fell into a very
intention of marrying the girl. Once more his ruinous condition. It is of Sir James Thornhill
mother refused to listen to him. Some weeks that the well-known story is told. It is said that
afterwards the son once more spoke to his mother when painting the dome of St. Paul's, he was
on the same subject, and told her that it would be working on a hanging platform with no protection at
better for her to make up her mind to accept the the back. A friend was standing by him.
inevitable, as the girl had now been his wife for Presently Sir James, entirely engrossed in his
some months. The mother was so indignant work, stepped back a pace or two from the picture
that she turned her son out of the house and for- to survey the effect. Another step and he would
bade him ever to enter it again. Some months have fallen backward from the platform, and been
passed away, and the mother apparently repented dashed to death on the pavement below. His
of her harshness, for she sent to her son and told friend, seeing his danger. with great presence of
him that she would receive both him and his mind seized a brush of colour and dashed it
wife, and condone his disobedience. They re- across the picture. Sir James started forward in
turned to Stalbridge House, and at first all went indignation, and his life was saved. There is a
well, for the girl was beautiful and amiable, and painting of the Resurrection, by Sir James
did her best to please her mother-in-law. One Thornhill, in Folke Church, near Sherborne. It
day, however, the young man returned late in the was formerly in the private chapel at Grange,
evening after a long day's hunting, and was met Middlemarch, and was given to the Rev. R.
by the sad news that his young wife had been Frome, Rector of Folke, for his church, when
burnt to death. The accident had occurred in Grange chapel was pulled down.
this, way. His wife had entered her mother- In the year 1811, the tything of Thornhill
in-law’s dressing room about five o'clock in contained 40 houses, inhabited by 41 families,
the evening, ready dressed for dinner. The eight of whom were employed in agriculture, and
mother-in-law was sitting in a distant part of the 12 in trade. Total population, 191.
room before her looking-glass, and the girl stood
before the fire. Suddenly the elder lady heard a
scream, and turning saw her daughter-in-law
STALBRIDGE WESTON.
enveloped in flames, having accidently caught her This hamlet seems to derive its name from
dress on fire from the hearth. This story was
the fact that roughly speaking it lies to the west
accepted without question, and it was not until
of Stalbridge. In Domesday book this place is
the wretched woman lay on her deathbed that
surveyed among the lands of the Bishop of Salis-
she confessed to her son that she had murdered
bury. “The Bishop himself holds Westone.” Its
his young wife, having pushed her into the fire. value was estimated at £7 per annum. In 1293
After the death of the murderess the old house
the land had passed into the hands of the Abbot
was haunted by her figure enveloped in flames,
of Sherborne and was valued at a yearly value of
and exclaiming at her own crime.
£7 2s. 6d. The manor belonged very anciently
This is sometimes called the Stalbridge
to the Weston family, who were lessees under the
Ghost Story; it cannot, however, be reconciled Abbey of Sherborne until the dissolution. There
with any of the recorded pedigrees of the Anglesey
are some interesting monuments of the Weston
family. To leave the region of legend, and to
family in the north chancel of the Parish
return to sober fact once more.
Church.
The history of the manors of Thornhill and
THE MANOR OF THORNHILL. Weston show incidentally how many of our
This manor was from ancient time the seat
English surnames arose. The tenant in chief of
of the Thornhill family. In Domesday book
the manor being the most important man in the
Thornehelle was held by Uluricus, one of the
place, would be called John of Thornhill or
king's thanes. It is described as having “land for
Robert of Weston, and in course of time the ‘de’ or
one plough, which is there, five bordars and ‘of’ would be omitted and the name become
five cottagers and five acres of meadow. It is
simply John Thornhill or Robert Weston.
worth ten shillings.” In the fourteenth year,
In 1811 the tything of Weston contained 35
however, of Richard II (A.D. 1391) we find that
houses inhabited by 37 families, eight of whom
John Thornhill de Hargrove held six virgates of
were employed in agriculture and 12 in trade.
land here leberé of the Abbot of Sherborne, paying Total population, 173.
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