The History Cyclist, aka Rob, is a great friend of Cafe Allez!. As many of you know, he loves to cycle in the Vale of Belvoir and whilst doing so, he can indulge his passion for the historical events and places to be found right on our doorstep.
You can see the video THC made exclusively for us on our Facebook page at the site of Owthorpe Hall, but we thought we’d share a version to read here too.
Over to THC:
On the edge of the Vale of Belvoir, nestling beneath the ‘high wilds’ that accompany the Fosse Way is the small village of Owthorpe. Passing it today you may notice the quaint village church minding its own business in the corner of a cow field. The 17th century traveller would have too seen the church but dwarfed by Owthorpe Hall the country seat of the Hutchinson family which stood magnificently where the cows now chew their cud.
During the turbulent years of the English Civil War Colonel John Hutchinson and his wife Lucy left Owthorpe Hall for the Parliamentarian stronghold of Nottingham Castle which John commanded. There are many tales of narrow escapes and derring do throughout this time but the young couple survived the war and all it threw at them to return to a peaceful life at Owthorpe. John whiled away his time in this tranquil spot “planting groves and walkes and fruite-trees, in opening springs and making fishponds” whilst Lucy immersed herself in her love of writing and the arts. Perhaps somewhere in the backs of their minds they wondered if John’s decision to add his name to King Charles I’s death warrant had been the right one.
On the restoration of the monarchy John received a pardon for his role in the former king’s death whilst other regicides went to the gallows. The contrition shown in a letter forged by Lucy who was brilliant, bright and brave in equal measure may have tipped the scales in his favour.
But one dark winter’s night the Royalist soldiers came to Owthorpe.
Had Lucy’s forged letter been discovered? John was taken first to Newark, then The Tower of London before ending up in insanitary conditions in Sandown Castle in Kent. The conditions of his custody were wretched and he died as a result of them in incarceration at just 49 years of age.
Lucy never stopped loving him. And she never stopped regretting what she had done. In her grief she dedicated herself to poetry and the memory of the life they shared at Owthorpe.
If I on thee a private glance reflect
confusion does my shameful eyes detect
Seeing ye man I love by me betrayed,
by me who for his mutual help was made.
Who to preserve thy life ought to have died,
and I have killed thee by my foolish pride.
Lucy Hutchinson (1620 – 1681).