1. History

2. The Beevor family

3. The Evans-Lombe family

4. The Marsh family

5. Later history

6. Present use

7. References

Bylaugh Hall, also known as Bylaugh Park, is a country house situated in the parish of Bylaugh in Norfolk, England.

History

The estate was acquired by Sir John Lombe in 1796. There is some uncertainty regarding the exact nature of the transaction. The unsubstantiated traditional story is that he won it from the former owner, Richard Lloyd, in a card game, after Lloyd's butler drugged his wine, but a more prosaic explanation seems likely. Sir John died childless in 1817 and the estate passed to his brother Edward, together with a large sum of money left by Sir John in trust for the construction of a new mansion house.

Sir John did not marry and therefore had no legal immediate heirs. The terms of his will were complex. He left his estates to Edward Beevor (1771-1847) a barrister who was not related to him but had assumed the name of Lombe on his inheritance.^[1] Sir John ordered in his Will that a new mansion was to be built on his Bylaugh estate but Edward was reluctant to do this and the terms of this Will were not fulfilled until about 30 years later when his son Edward Beevor (1800-1852) inherited the property in 1847.

The Beevor family

Edward Beevor (1800-1852) who built Bylaugh Hall assumed the name of Lombe. He was born in 1800 in Norwich. In 1826 he became a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Arundel. In 1831 he married Marie Rozer de St. Julien who was French.^[2] The couple had no children and spent most of their lives travelling abroad. In 1849 after a long delay it was eventually necessary for the Court of Chancery to intervene and order the use of the trust funds for their appointed purpose, and the architects Charles Barry, Jr. and Robert Richardson Banks were at length commissioned to design a suitable house. William Andrews Nesfield advised on the position of the house, and was responsible for laying out the grounds and gardens. The clock tower and surrounding buildings are vaguely reminiscent of the new Houses of Parliament which were designed by Sir Charles Barry, Sr. Along with the Houses of Parliament, it was amongst the first buildings ever to employ steel girders in the supporting structure. The exterior stonework, including the balustrades and the terrace walling, are of magnesian limestone. At this time the estate was the third largest in Norfolk, containing over 19,000 acres (77 km²).

Bylaugh Hall was completed in 1852 but Edward died in the same year in Florence before its completion. It was inherited by his uncle Charles Beevor (1776-1860) who assumed the name of Lombe in accordance with Sir John Lombe's Will. He was the first resident of Bylaugh Hall.^[3]

Charles died in 1860 and was succeeded by Rev. Edward Evans (1791- 1861)^[4] who was a legitimate descendent of the Lombe family. He died the following year in 1861 and was succeeded by his younger brother Rev Henry Evans (1792-1878).^[5] He took the name of Lombe in 1862.^[6]

The Evans-Lombe family

Rev Henry (Evans) Lombe (1792-1878) was born in 1792 in Kirby Bedon. His father was Thomas Browne Evans (1767-1827) and his mother was Mary Hase who was the niece of Sir John Longe. He was educated at Cambridge University and became a clergyman. In 1818 he married Sophia Cubitt who was the daughter of Thomas Cubitt of Honing Hall, Norfolk. The 1871 Census shows Henry and Sophia living at Bylaugh Hall with some of their family. There are also fifteen servants living in the Hall – a butler, two footmen, a housekeeper, a ladies maid, three housemaids, a scullery maid, a general domestic servant, a coachman, two grooms and two gardeners.

He died in 1878 and his son Rev. Henry Evans Lombe (1819-1897) inherited the Hall. He was born in 1819 in Norfolk. In 1849 he married his cousin Louisa Brown Evans. The couple had five children. He lived in the Hall with his family for almost twenty years and is listed in both the 1881 and 1891 Census with a very large number of servants. He died in 1897 and his son Major Edward Henry Evans-Lombe inherited the house. He appears not to have lived there but instead rented it to William Knox D’Arcy, a wealthy mining magnate, from 1899 until 1917 when D’Arcy died.

Major Edward Henry Evans-Lombe (1861-1952) was born in 1861 in Suffolk. He was educated at Cambridge University and joined the military forces in the Prince of Wales Own Norfolk Artillery Militia.^[7] He also managed his father's estate at Great Melton Hall. In 1886 he married Albinia Harriet Leslie-Melville who was the daughter of Alexander Samuel Leslie-Melville of Branston Hall, Lincoln. The couple had two daughters who were frequently mentioned in the social pages. The eldest daughter Albinia Mary Evans-Lombe was married in 1911 and a photo is shown of the couple.In 1917 Major Edward Henry Evans-Lombe sold Bylaugh Hall and it was bought by the Marsh family.

The Marsh family

The Marsh family who were Americans owned Bylaugh Hall until 1947. Henry Wheelwright Marsh (1860-1943) seems to have bought the Hall in 1917. He was one of the founders of the insurance brokerage firm Marsh and McLennan with headquarters in Chicago and New York. In 1904 he married Agnes Elizabeth Power (1876-1947) who came from Boston Massachusetts. The couple had no children but they loved to entertain. They made their home in England, while Henry 'commuted' to the US by steamer and before settling for Bylaugh had leased many notable historical buildings. Some of these included Medmenham Abbey, Knebworth House and Warwick Castle.^[8] While they still held the lease on Warwick Castle it seems that they decided to buy their own property and so purchased Bylaugh Hall. They continued to entertain at Warwick Castle after their purchase and a photo of Mrs Agnes March with two members of Russian Royalty at one of their house parties is shown. They were separated in 1926.

Other members of Agnes's family also came to live at Bylaugh Hall for extended visits. In 1922 her mother Alice Anne Rice and her step father David Rice became residents.^[9] At the same time her sister Genevieve Power (1885-1964) who had married Sir Russell Wilkinson (1888-1969) moved into the Hall. A notice appeared in “The Times” in 1923 advertising for a nursery governess for Mrs Russell Wilkinson's two young children at Bylaugh Hall.^[10] Agnes's mother Alice died at the Hall in 1935.

During the War the Hall was requisitioned by the Royal Air Force. Agnes Marsh moved into the 'Butler's cottage' for the duration. The 100 Group (Bomber Support) moved there in 1944 and an account of their activities is given [https://books.google.com.au/books?id=gGKQbYgYbioC&pg=PA39&dq=bylaugh&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwifjIjRwf7UAhXCXLwKHV_5BjIQ6AEIJDAA#v=onepage&q=bylaugh&f=false here]

Henry Wheelwright Marsh died in 1943 at the age of 86. Agnes returned to Bylaugh Hall after died in 1947 at Bylaugh Hall.^[11]

Later history

By 1950, the house was in disrepair. It was stripped of its lead and interior fittings, and abandoned.

The Hall and outbuildings (as of 1 July 2009) were the subject of ongoing financial problems that resulted in the complete repossession of the buildings and the apparent loss of deposits by a number of customers.^[12]

Feb 2013: The house was put up for sale.^[13]

Present use

March 2014: The house and outbuildings were purchased by Ben Budworth owner of The Lady Magazine published in London.^[14]

References

• Chesterfield, Indiana
• Chesterfield Inlet Airport
• Chesterfield, MA
• Chesterfield, Massachusetts
• Chesterfield, Missouri
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• Chesterfield (Montville)
• Chesterfield, New Hampshire
• Chesterfield, New Jersey
• Chesterfield, New York
• Chesterfield, NH
• Chesterfield, NJ
• Chesterfield, Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of
• Chesterfield Railroad
• Chesterfield Railway
• Chesterfield Railway Station
• Chesterfield railway station
• Chesterfield, SC
• Chesterfield, South Carolina
• Chesterfield Township
• Chesterfield Township, MI
• Chesterfield Township, Michigan
• Chesterfield Township, New Jersey
• Chesterfield Township, NJ
• Chesterfield (UK Parliament constituency)