BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



WHALLEY 



building accounts, some of which may have been in 

 this part of the building, being of little help. Previous 

 to the alterations of 1 8 50 there was a panelled chamber, 

 apparently forming the eastern end of the present 

 hall, and lit by the bay window and a smaller window 

 on the east. On its north side two panels in the 

 upper part of the wall separating it from the hall 

 opened into the music gallery of that apartment. 

 The ceiling bore the date 1604 and some curious 

 mottoes, and over the fireplace was a marquetry tablet 

 bearing the initials and dates of various members of 

 the Shuttleworth family between the years 1443 and 

 1604. This room was done away with by Sir Charles 

 Barry, in order that the present entrance hall might 

 be carried to the south-eastern angle of the building,'" 

 and in the course of removing the oak sill of the 

 window in the east side a quantity of old coins, chiefly 

 Portuguese, dating between 1709 and 1745,'" were 

 discovered. The window at the east end above the 

 fireplace is modern, together 



with the whole of the north p O^ 



wall and all the panelling. 



The genealogical tablet just 



referred to, however, which 



consists of a series of inlaid 



oak panels with dates and 



initials, has been preserved, 



and is now fixed on the north 



wall.'" It is flanked by two 



panels inclosed by geometrical 



marquetry borders, each with 



three more initials. 



The plan is interesting as 



showing the complete aban- 

 donment of the central hall 



and end wings. The great 



hall, now called the dining- 

 room, is in the north-east 



corner of the house, and the 



old dining-room, now the 



drawing-room, in the south- 

 west, witha smaller apartment, 



probably ' the little dining- ^ 



room,' but now used as a 



library, opening from it and 



from the staircase tower. On 



the east side is a circular stone 



staircase'^" from the kitchen 



and offices in the basement, and continued to the 



top floor. 



The hall (now the dining-room) is 30 ft. long by 



20 ft. in width, with a large square recessed window 



at the north-east corner 9 ft. square. At the south 



end the arrangement follows that of the ancient 



screens with a low music gallery over a passage 

 4 ft. 6 in. wide, the division between which and 

 the room forms the screen. There is a dais at the 

 upper or north end of the hall or dining-r om,'*' 

 which is lit by a long window of seven lights, but the 

 floor to the bay is slightly raised. The fireplace is 

 on the west side and is modern, but the room retains 

 its original oak wainscot to a height of about 5 ft., 

 with square panels in the lower parts and longer 

 fluted ones above. The screen '" is a good example 

 of Jacobean woodwork with turned balusters to the 

 front of the gallery, access to which is gained from 

 the stone staircase. In the spandrels of the screen 

 doorways are four small shields, those on the east 

 door bearing the initials 'Jf and '^f, and those on the 

 west door ^ and '^."^ Over each door is the date 

 1605 The plaster ceiling, consisting of a rich geo- 

 metrical pattern with pendants and the initials K S, 

 was designed by Barry. 







o 



o 



:C: 



:C= 



^tt 



■ 17'i'Cenhury 



^ /Moder n 



,1=^ 



* 



DCftle of reel' 



f V 



O 



Fl 



P 



a 



T'lan of Gi-ouncI floor 

 Gawthorpe Hall 



The drawing-room, originally the dining-room, is 

 29 ft. long by 18 ft. 6 in. in width, and is lit on the 

 south side by a five-light and a bay window corre- 

 sponding to those of the entrance hall, with another 

 window of five lights at the west end. It is the 

 finest room in the house, and its original appearance 



"' These particulars are taken from the 

 description given in CAet, Soc. Publ. xli, 328. 

 "s There were also English coins of 

 the reigns of Charles II, James II, Wil- 

 liam III, Anne, George I and George II. 

 See ibid, xli, 329. 



'^5 The dates and initials are as follows : 

 S S 



LE • 1443 NE • 1473 



G 



NE 



S sS 



HA -1577 RM-I599 

 K s 



LS • 1545 S 

 P N TA- 1586 



RS • NS VS • 1604 



L 



TT 



The initials are probably those of Law- 

 rence and Elizabeth Shuttleworth 1443, 

 Nicholas and Ellen Shuttleworth 1473, 

 Hugh and Anne Shuttleworth 1577, Sir 

 Richard Shuttleworth, kt., and Margery 

 his wife, sepultus 1599 ; Lawrence Shut- 

 tleworth, presbyter, natus 1545 ; Thomas 

 and Anne Shuttleworth 1586 ; and 

 Richard, Nicholas and Ughtred Shuttle- 

 worth, the three sons of Thomas and 

 Anne, 1604. The initials on the first of 

 the flanking panels cannot be appropriated, 

 but the second may refer to Thomas 

 Lister and his wife, between whom and 

 the Shuttleworths there was a covenant 

 in 1527 that a son of Nicholas Shuttle- 



465 



■worth should marry a daughter of Thomas 

 Lister ; Chtt. Soc. xli, 323. 



150 * Sept. 1604. A mason v days 

 hewinge ashelars for the backe starres.' 



151 <The long table in the head of the 

 halle' was being made in Mar. 1605- 

 6. 



15a < xhe skreine in the hall ' was begun 

 Sept. 1605. 



153 The initials are probably those of 

 Hugh Shuttleworth (of) Gawthorpe and 

 his three sons, Richard Shuttleworth, kt., 

 Lawrence Shuttleworth, priest, and 

 Thomas Shuttleworth, gent. ; Chet. Soc. 

 xli, 324. 



59 



