Ford Hall - CELF ancient halls & estates Traditional Cache
La Lunatica: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache I am archiving it.
Regards
Suzanne
La Lunatica - Volunteer UK Reviewer www.geocaching.com
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Ford Hall - CELF ancient halls & estates
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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One of a series of caches placed at the sites of notable ancient Norman and medieval estates within the Chapel-en-le-Frith area.
The area around Chapel-en-le-Frith is noted for the high proportion of ‘great’ houses. These are sited on the remnants of the estates carved out by the early Norman Foresters and other workers within the Royal Forest. A charter of 1222 lists men whose family names (often based on pre-norman place names) are still evident in the names of some of the halls, mansions and farms in this cache series.
The hamlet of Ford which takes its name from the ford on the ancient road on which the houses stands. Notice the 18th century bridge now crossing the Black Brook. Ford is one of the oldest recorded estates in Chapel-en-le-Frith.
Ford Hall was probably built in the reign of Henry III. In 1222 it was recorded that Robert De La Ford paid a fine for building in the Royal Forest with out a ‘warrant’ to do so. There was a Wymund de Ford illegally clearing Royal Forest land in Combs at the beginning of the 13th century. In 1317 several houses in Ford were to be ‘thrown down’ for being built by Nicholas de la Forde without licence. Nicolas was the last known de la Ford.
In 1342 Queen Philippa required Nicholas atte Forde to pay rents that were due to her from lands in Blackbrook Chapel-en-le-Frith, to the warden at the hospital of St Mary Castleton so that a chaplain could say the mass daily at the chapel.
The present hall largely dates back to the early 1520s in the reign of King Henry VIII. The south west side of the Hall is the oldest portion. It was rebuilt between 1575 and 1585 in the shape of a letter E. This was said to be a compliment to Queen Elizabeth.
Amongst the foresters of fee in the Royal Forest was the family of Bagshawe and in 1662 Mr. William Bagshawe of Abney became the owner of Ford Hall starting an ownership of 400 years. He is the father of another William who who succeeded him in 1669 this Bagshawe was the ‘Apostle of the Peak’.
William Bagshawe, the 'Apostle of the Peak' had been the vicar at the Anglican church in Glossop and was forced to resign along with some two thousand other clergy for refusing to comply with the introduction of the Book of Common prayer following the Act of Uniformity in 1662. Bagshawe continued to preach and hold secret Nonconformist services throughout the Peak District and many warrants were served for his arrest but he was never captured. He died in Ford Hall 1702 and he is ironically buried in Chapel-en-le-Frith parish church where he regularly attended, paying lip-service to the legal requirement to attend church on Sunday.
The Hall has in recent times been converted into 3 dwellings.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Frnepu gur boivbhf uvqvat cynprf...
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