Astley Hall

  The route through Astley Park has formed part of my  daily walk on an almost daily basis and I regularly see visitors reading the notice on the south front of the building explaining the closure of the Hall and the planned work programme taking place over the next 20 months or so. Occasionally my longing to share the story of the Hall and its residents over the last 400 years or so gets the better of me and I stop to all them all about them. This often leads to them sharing their stories of historic buildings they have visited and loved. As a volunteer room steward in the Long Gallery I have welcome visitors from as far as Australia and been delighted to share 'selfies' with many as a reminder of their visit to Chorley.   Hopefully they have all felt their visit was enhanced by my tales that attempt to bring to life the families who have lived at the. Hall.    Reading the family trees of the 'Gentry' families of Lancashire reveals the very close connections with other

The countless questions raised during my role as a volunteer room steward in Astley Hall's Long Gallery frequently revealed the gaps in my knowledge and prompted further research.  Several questions that taxed me were about the elements of the various shields displayed on the shields on view inside  the Hall and carved in the panelling and framework of the building.  This  drew me into the world of the Heralds who maintained the records of Arms from the time of the Crusades and throughout the medieval world. Over the centuries various Armigerous families bearing Coats of Arms beginning with the Charnock family have displayed there shield with pride in the fabric of the building be it glass, wood or stone and these materials have preserved them to this day. Then, as now, people adopted arms belonging to other families without right or permission.  Today this is very prevalent among internet companies purporting to provide your Arms but, in reality, simply selling you copies of t

My family worked in the Lancashire coal mines and quarries and a great uncle, and namesake, left Lancashire for America on board the R.M.S.. Oceanic in 1901 to work in the coal mines at Frostburg in Maryland.  I like to reflect this ancestry in the unofficial coat of arms I designed for my family.   The two canaries facing each other on the black chevron are in honour of my grandfather breeding canaries to test for the lethal methane gas in the mines and the pick for his role as coal hewer. On leaving the mines he came to Chorley where he set up in business as a Bird Fancier’s supply stores and Corn Chandlers.   He served the people of Chorley as a Councillor, for many years. Because of this ancestry  it is of especial interest when visitors to the Long Gallery in Astley Hall regularly pose the question - "where did the money come from?"  The Charnocks of Astley Hall had been substantial land owners since the 13 th century and owned many acres of  coal bearing land w

The Marriage of Peter Brooke and Susannah Crookall Peter Brooke of Astley Peter Brooke of Astley was married to James Crookall of Clifton's daughter Susannah by Special Licence issued on April 4th 1761 Know all Men by these Presents, that We Peter Brooke of Astley in the Parish of Croston and County of Lancaster Esquire and  James Crookall  (deleted) Matthew Ryley Gentleman of Clifton in the Parish of Kirkham and County aforesaid  are held and firmly bound unto the Right Reverend Father in God  Edmund  by divine Permission, Lord Bishop of Chester, in Two Hundred Pounds of good and lawful Money of  Great Britain ,  to be paid to the said  Right Reverend Father, or to his certain Attorney, his Executors, Administrators or Assigns; to which Payment well and truly to be made, We oblige Ourselves, and each of Us, by himself for the whole, Our and each of Our Heirs, Executors, and Administrators firmly by these Presents, Sealed with our Seals; dated the fourth

Today I should have been on duty as a room steward in the Long Gallery at Astley Hall.  Welcoming visitors and, hopefully, entertaining them with stories of the families who had lived at Astley.   As we all trying to keep safe either self isolating or social distancing this is not possible but I have put together this illustrated family tree which I hope will interest those who intended to visit us  today. I have recreated here the mantled Coats of Arms of two of the earliest resident families using blazons from Papworth's Armorials and Rick Macmurchie's   Armorial Gold heraldry art collection .  All put together with the free Inkscape graphic art software . The Brookes The Charnocks These have all been combined in an illustrated family tree dating back beyond the reign of Tudor Queen Elizabeth 1, "Gloriana" and the Stuart Charles 1 who was supported by the Charnock's. You can support the work of the Friends of Astley Hall by m

The Brooke Window The visitor walking along the landing of the west wing of Astley Hall will find the stained glass window overlooking the internal courtyard.  A stained glass window that was thought to have been brought to Astley when Richard Brooke married Margaret the Charnock heiress.   The religious imagery leads you to believe that the older, coloured pieces of glass, were brought from Norton Priory that the family had purchased following the dissolution of the monasteries in the time King Henry VIII. In the top left and right corners the diamond shaped pieces of glass contain the letters, IHS representing the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek capital letters, ΙΗΣ.  More fully ΙΗΣΟΥΣ or Ιησους. These are also incorporated in the symbols of the Jesuits, The Society of Jesus The Brooke Window The Society of Jesus The window is dated 1600 and below this can be seen the image of a badger though it often mistaken for a boa

By order of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I, landed families in Lancashire and Cheshire were visited  during 1567  by Norroy King of Arms William Flower accompanied by Robert Glover, Portcullis Pursuivant.  They were visited again  in 1613  during the reign of James I by Richard St George.   Their task was  confirming the genealogy of the families to support their right to bear coats of arms.  In the words of the time the visit was to "correcte, cumptrolle and refourme all mann' of armes, crests, cognizaunces and devices unlawfull or unlawfully usurped, borne or taken by any p'son or p'sons.  They were authorised to pull down or deface arms that were displayed without the authority of the Crown or belonged to another family. Timothy Duke Norroy and Ulster King of Arms Today the position of Norroy, now Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is filled by Timothy Duke and  families to the South of the River Trent are the responsibility of Clarenceux King of Arms.