OXBURGH HALL | Visit to the Bedingfeld Ancestral Home (with Postscript, August 2020)

Oxford to King's Lynn, Norfolk.
A pleasant drive.

EAST HAMPTON, N.Y., September 21, 2018–On Sunday, September 16, after the Oxford Alumni Weekend, Alice and I went by car from Oxford to Oxburgh (pronounced OX-boro or even just OX-bru with a hint of a u) Hall near King's Lynn, Norfolk.

This Grade I (highest-rated) National Trust estate has been occupied by ten generations of Bedingfelds. It is now open to the public. The family lives in a closed-off portion of the building.

Alice and I with Sir Henry Paston-Bedingfeld (center),
the 10th Baronet (photo by Lady Mary Bedingfeld). 

The Bedingfelds were recusant Roman Catholics during and after the Reformation.

Certain post-Reformation monarchs, starting with Henry VIII after his break with Rome, considered it treasonous to adhere to a religion other than that of the Church of England.

Therefore Oxburgh Hall includes a "priest hole" where someone could hide from priest-hunters.

A Catholic priest had to be ready, in the event of a raid by priest-hunters, to slide down into a small disguised room. The room is reached via a trapdoor that blends in with the stone and brick floor. It is not something for the claustrophobe to contemplate. No doubt the avoidance of imminent death has a great persuasive effect for using such a hideaway. Unlike most other houses with priest holes, at Oxburgh Hall it is on display, although the National Trust in its zeal for the safety of its visitors has made it impossible to lock the trapdoor to the hole. 

A book on Heraldry by Sir
Henry, when he was Rouge
 Croix Pursuivant.

Built during the Wars of the Roses, Oxburgh Hall has castle-like features such as a moat, a formidable gatehouse, and turrets. But it was always intended to be a family home and it is lightly fortified – not a castle that would withstand an artillery attack.

It was completed in 1482 for Sir Edmund Bedingfeld, the 1st Baronet, ten years before Columbus sailed the ocean blue in search of China. The Bedingfeld family has lived at Oxburgh Hall ever since, nearly 540 years.

That the house still stands is an achievement in itself. It survived a huge fire during the English Civil War, periods of disrepair, and the threat of demolition.

The family’s Catholic faith and desire to preserve the memory of their forebears are a potent combination. Their tradition is expressed in Oxburgh Hall's architecture, furnishings, objets d'art, and gardens.

In front of the Customs House
 at King's Lynn, Norfolk.

The collections include the Oxburgh Hangings needlework by Mary, Queen of Scots, and Bess of Hardwick. The needlework was completed while Mary was imprisoned (she was locked up for 18 years), in the custody of the Earl of Shrewsbury. 

In 1586, Queen Elizabeth was given evidence that Mary was conspiring with those plotting against her. In 1587, Elizabeth put a stop to the conspiracy by signing Mary's death warrant. Mary was subsequently beheaded.

Sir Henry Edgar Paston-Bedingfeld, the 10th Baronet, served as Rouge Croix Pursuivant, York Herald, and then Norroy & Ulster King of Arms (the two formerly separate Kings of Arms were united in 1943, the year Sir Henry was born). When he was Pursuivant he was co-author with Lancaster Herald of the book Heraldry, the cover of which is shown above. The book appears in the heraldic bibliography I have posted.

Lady Bedingfeld drove Alice and me to King's Lynn, where we took photos and bought some lunch. I was especially interested in seeing King's Lynn because it is featured in my late sister Sheila's first book for children, Flip to the Rescue. The book says that there is a Seal's Rescue Inn there.

Afterwards, Alice and I headed to London by train, via Cambridge to King's Cross. A lovely and educational visit. The Bedingfelds couldn't have been more gracious in welcoming us to their home and showing us the port town.

Postscript 1 (August 25, 2020): Oxburgh Hall is being renovated, because the roof was weakening. During the renovation, new historical treasures are being discovered. Here is the story: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/oxburgh-hall-artifacts-trnd-style/index.html.

Postscript 2 (December 24, 2020): More discoveries from the renovation (a John Fisher Bible): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBznVgKEwbk&feature=youtu.be.