Building record 2024/1/1 - Puddington Old Hall

<1> Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, 1883 -, Transactions of the Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, 17/110-17 Fergusson Irvine W 1901 (Journal/Periodical). SCH3293.

Puddington Old Hall. Puddington was given at the time of the Conquest to Hamon de Massey. A younger son of this house eventually settled there and the property remained in the possession of his direct descendants until the beginning of C19. Portion of Old Hall remains - three sides of a quadrangular building which probably dates from 1490. Entrance to quadrangle by an archway on north side. In interior of courtyard are traces of an open gallery. Secret chamber in an immense chimney stack in kitchen.

<2> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, Ormerod G 1882 2/558-60 (Book). SCH1389.

In 1398 Sir John Mascy had licence to found an oratory in his manor house at Puddington.

<3> Historic England, 2011, The National Heritage List for England, 1115567 (Web Site). SCH6528.

Puddington Old Hall, Priest's House and Priest's House Flat - Grade II* Listed.
Formerly moated manor house, now 2 houses and a flat: two wings late C15 and one wing early C16 for the Massey family. Rewalling of early C18 and some additions dated 1909. Timber framed, outer walls are brick clad, and roughcast. Welsh slate roof with stone ridge, mixture of lateral and ridge brick chimneys. House on 3 sides of courtyard. 2 storey and attics. Outer facades have brick band at 1st floor and a mixture of casements with glazing bars. 4 doorways of which the one in north-east corner has porch dated 1909. Entry under wooden lintel into courtyard through west range. North range has 2-storey 3-bay south front. Eaves project and are supported on wooden posts from a narrow gallery at 1st floor, itself supported on posts. Behind the wall is close-studded with heavy arch braces. The ground storey has 2 original casements with wood mullions and shaped wooden sills, and a blocked basket arched doorway and a rectangular frame to a board door. Above is a blocked 3-light wood mullioned window and copies of the wooden casements. East front of west range has close-studding with middle rail and weaker arch bracing surviving in upper storey. South range is now hidden by 2-storey late C19 addition. Interior: Puddington Old Hall: main range has a line of rooms reached from a corridor. Some heavy ceiling beams exposed but most fittings including staircase of late C19/early C20. Upstairs are a mixture of C17 6-panelled doors, 3-board doors and panelled pine doors with raised fields. Evidence of close-studding of this range visible in parts. Priest's House Flat: has large blocked fireplace but chamfered and stopped bracket of bressumer visible. Double chamfered and stopped beam by staircase. Upstairs are 3 early trusses: one has tiebeam and collar with open vertical studs, one has an arch-braced collar, and one has a cambered tiebeam, formerly arch-braced and probably carrying a king or crown-post. Suggests the north-west corner had a 3-bay room open to the roof or that it was a solar. Priest's House: not inspected. Saint John Plessington (c1637-1679), tutor to the Massey children and underground missionary Catholic priest was siezed at this house following the Popish Plot. He was hung at Chester Castle and his quartered body was returned to be displayed at the Old Hall before the family managed to have it buried at Burton.

<4> Farmer D H, 1978, The Oxford Dictionary of Saints (Book). SCH3222.

Saint John Plessington (c.1637- 1679), tutor to the Massey children and Catholic priest, was arrested here after the Popish Plot. He was hanged at Chester Castle, his quartered body displayed at Old Hall and buried at Burton.

<5> Hughes H, 1966, Cheshire and the Welsh Border, p.19-23 (Oral Communication). SCH564.

<6> PH Booth, 1984, Burton in Wirral, A History, p.37-8 (Monograph). SCH3867.

<7> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ37SW7 1975 (Index). SCH2487.

'Old Hall' (SJ 32617329) depicted on OS 6" 1954.
Site visit dated 15/10/1976, comments:- 'The walls facing the courtyard at Old Hall exhibit fine examples of early black and white work, and the whole building is in excellent condition. At SJ 32627338 there is a rectangular brick dovecote of probably 18th century date.'

<8> de Figueiredo P & Treuherz J, 1988, Cheshire Country Houses, p.264-266 (Book). SCH785.

<9> Irvine W F, 1903, Notes on the Old Halls of Wirral (Book). SCH2288.

<10> Cheshire County Council, 1989, The Parish Church of St Nicholas, Burton (Booklet-Leaflet). SCH9430.

Puddington Hall is pictured in a modern stained glass window in the Church of St.Nicholas at Burton (CHER 41/2/1). The 'Massey Chapel' is the only remains of the fourteenth century church of St.Nicholas which was largely rebuilt in 1721 and 1870. The chapel lies at the east end of the north aisle. At one time a large alabaster tomb of William Massey of Puddington (died 1549) and his wife was sited in the chapel, but this had been removed by the time Omerod wrote his history of the county in 1819. For some 200 years, the Massey family held the lease for the rectorship for the Church of St. Nicholas from the Hospital of St John the Baptist at Lichfield, so appointed the clergy at Burton, despite themselves being Roman Catholic.