Langar, Nottinghamshire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Langar is a small village about four miles south of Bingham in Nottinghamshire.
One of the first recorded landowners was Gerard de Rodes in the 12th century. The de Rodes family served as soldiers for King John who visited Langar in 1215. The estate then passed to the Tibetots in the 13th century. Following the marriage of Margaret Tibetot to Roger Scrope, 2nd Baron Scrope of Bolton[1] in 1373, the estate passed to the Scrope family.
The last Lord Scrope who was associated with Langar was Emanuel Scrope, 1st Earl of Sunderland. Emanuel's estate was inhertited by Annabella, his illegitimate daughter. In 1677, Annabella married the Gloucestershire politician, John Howe. According to Thoroton, Langar Hall and nearly the whole parish had lately become the estate of Mr Howe.
A famous descendant of the Howe's was Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, famous for his victory in the sea battle known as "The Glorious First of June". Admiral Howe died in 1799 and was buried in Langar Church.
Another famous son of Langar was the author Samuel Butler whose father, Thomas, was rector of Langar-cum-Barnstone.
Contents |
[edit] St Andrew's Church
The church of St Andrew's is often called the 'Cathedral of the Vale' due to its large size for such a small village. This may be in part due to its importance as a place of pilgrimage in Saxon times. The church was heavily restored by Thomas Butler in 1860. The North Transept contains monuments to the Chaworth family of nearby Wiverton Hall. In the South Transept is a magnificent monument to Thomas, Lord Scrope and his wife, Philadelphia, with their son, Emanuel, kneeling at their feet. This transept also contains the blocked-up entrance to the Howe tomb with a tablet to the memory of Admiral Howe, second daughter Mary Juliana Howe and Mary, Countess Howe.
[edit] Langar Hall
Adjacent to the church is Langar Hall, once the home of Earl Howe. The present building was constructed in 1837 and was later bought by Annie Bayley, wife of Thomas Bayley, the former MP for Chesterfield. It is now a restaurant and hotel.
[edit] The Treasure of Robert Earnstock
We know from pieces of evidence recovered from various places around the Vale of Belvoir that in the 1600's Robert Earnstock committed a series of robberies from numerous places in the area. We know from letters that were later discovered he was raising money to travel to his wife-to-be who lived somewhere to the north of England. Earnstock kept the treasure hidden away until he had raised a small fortune, as he neared his goal Earnstock was caught and hung for his offences. Earnstock's treasure was never found and is believed to be buried somewhere around the outskirts of the village. If found now the rarity of the items would make them priceless and many historians dream one day to find it.
[edit] Unicorn's Head
The Unicorn's Head public house was built in 1717 and had its own brewhouse which can still be identified by its unusual three tier chimney to the south of the building. The public house was originally known as 'The Feathers'. The name was taken from the plume of feathers in the Howe family crest. The current name was adopted following the purchase of the estate in 1799 (following Admiral Howe's death) by John Wright the Nottingham banker and one of the founders of the Butterley Company; he had a unicorn's head as his family crest. The Unicorn's Head was a coaching inn in the 19th century and the original stables can still be seen around the back of the building.
[edit] References
1. Brown, I. Samuel Butler of Langar, Nottinghamshire County Council Leisure Services (1990)
2. Southwell & Nottingham DAC Church History Project [[2]] Accessed 4th February 2008
- The geographic coordinates are from the Ordnance Survey.
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||
