(584) Bernard of Abington and Brampton, baronets

Bernard of Abington and Brampton, baronets 

This family traces its descent from the Bernard or Barnard family of Isleham in Cambridgeshire. Robert Bernard (fl. 1384) of Clare (Suffk) married Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir Nicholas Lylling (d. 1419), kt., of Abington (Northants) and through his marriage acquired property in Northamptonshire, of which he was High Sheriff in 1384-85. His wife evidently died before her father, for in 1416 Sir Nicholas made her second son, Thomas Bernard (d. 1464), with whom the genealogy below begins, his ultimate heir (the eldest son, John Bernard, being heir to his father's property in Cambridgeshire). The bequest was, however, conditional on the extinction of the life interest of Sir Nicholas's widow. She may have been a second, much younger, wife, for she lived until about 1451, and only then did Thomas come into possession of his estate at Abington. Since Thomas lived, and was buried, at Clare, it may be that he never moved to Northamptonshire, and simply handed the estate on to his son John Bernard (d. 1485), who had made an advantageous marriage to Margaret, the daughter of Henry le Scrope, 4th Lord Scrope of Bolton. When John died in 1485 he left Margaret a life interest in the estate, which she retained until her death in 1496. She was then succeeded by their son, John Bernard (c.1469-1508), and it was probably soon afterwards that he commissioned the building of a new manor house, of which the great hall still survives, albeit in a much altered form.

The Abington estate descended to John's elder son, John Bernard (c.1490-1550), and then to his eldest son, Francis Bernard (c.1526-1602), with whom the genealogy of the family is at last on rather firmer ground. Francis and his wife had a large family, of fourteen children, all but two of whom survived to adulthood. The eldest son, John Bernard, died in his father's lifetime in about 1586, so Abington passed to his second son, Baldwin Bernard (c.1554-1610). He married twice, producing three daughters by his first marriage and two sons and a daughter by his second. After his death, his widow Eleanor (d. 1634) married again, to Sir Edmund Hampden (c.1575-1627), kt., who in 1626 was one of the 70 people imprisoned without trial for refusing to pay the 'forced loan' demanded by King Charles I to finance his war against Spain. The opposition to the the 'forced loan' was one of the early instances of civil disobedience in the power struggle between the king and parliament that was ultimately resolved by the Civil War. Baldwin Bernard's elder son, Sir John Bernard (1604-74), kt., had just come of age at the time of the 'forced loan' dispute, and his political views were no doubt shaped by his stepfather's experience. At the outbreak of the Civil War he certainly supported the Parliamentary side, and he was actively involved as a local sequestration commissioner, although he is not known to have taken up arms. The execution of King Charles I in 1649 was evidently a step too far for his conscience, however, and he largely withdrew from public life during the Commonwealth years, when he was described as 'inclinable to royalism'. After the Restoration, he was knighted in 1661 and became a justice of the peace, and in 1664 he sought to represent the borough of Northampton in parliament, but was unseated on appeal. Sir John was twice married. By his first wife, who died in 1642, he had four sons and four daughters, but all the sons died in infancy, leaving him with no male heir. The turmoil of the Civil War then supervened, and when he married again, in 1649, it was to a widow, Elizabeth Nash (1608-70), who was the granddaughter of William Shakespeare. She gave him no further children, and in 1669 he sold the Abington estate to William Thursby. 

The third son of Francis Bernard (c.1526-1602) was Francis Bernard (c.1558-1630?). He evidently inherited property at Kingsthorpe (Northants) from his father, and settled there. He remains a somewhat shadowy figure, but it is known that he married twice and produced four sons by his second wife. The eldest of these, Sir Robert Bernard (1601-66), 1st bt., was educated at the Middle Temple and became a barrister, and later a serjeant-at-law and a judge. He made his home at Huntingdon, in the Parliamentarian heartland, and was MP for the town in the Short Parliament of 1640, but did not stand again at the second election of that year. His career suggests he was acceptable to both the Parliamentarians and the Royalists - something that few achieved successfully - and he was knighted at the Restoration and raised to a baronetcy two years later. When he died in 1666, he chose to be buried at Abington, then still in the possession of his cousin, but his eldest son, who succeeded him as Sir John Bernard (1630-79), 2nd bt., established a new seat by the purchase in 1653 of Brampton Park, just outside Huntingdon, and the building there of a new house, about which almost nothing is known.

Sir John married twice, having eight children by his first wife, the survivors of whom were all minors when he died in 1679. His widow was left to bring up her stepchildren, and did not marry again until 1688, when they were all grown up. The eldest son, Sir Robert Bernard (1663-1703), 3rd bt., was MP for Huntingdonshire in 1689-90 and High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire in 1691-92. In the latter year he married the daughter of a London mercer, but he died comparatively young, leaving a small family. His widow went on to marry the 1st Lord Trevor and have three more sons, but Brampton passed to his only son, Sir John Bernard (1699-1766), 4th bt. Sir John was the only one of the five baronets in this family not to stand for Parliament, and he seems to have played little part in public affairs. Through his marriage to Mary St John (d. 1793) he acquired estates in Essex as well as Northamptonshire, although there does not seem to have been a significant seat at any of his properties there. Sir John and his wife had nine children, many of whom died young: only his eldest son, Sir Robert Bernard (1739-89), 5th bt., and his eldest daughter, Mary Bernard (1738-93) survived to maturity. Sir Robert was regarded as a wealthy man, and had a keen interest in politics, where his views moved progressively to the radical left. For a time he was an associate of John Wilkes, whose influence secured his election as MP for Westminster, 1770-74, but his career was twice derailed by falling out with his political friends, and his career was eventually cut short by increasingly painful attacks of gout. He was unmarried and at his death the family baronetcy became extinct. His estates passed to his sister's son, Brig-Gen. Robert Bernard Sparrow (d. 1805), whose career will be considered in a future post on that family.

Abington Park (later Abbey), Northamptonshire

Abington has long been swallowed by the suburban expansion of Northampton, and the house (originally Abington Park but known as Abington Abbey since the mid 19th century) has been a museum since 1897. It is a courtyard house with south and east fronts of the 1670s and 1730s, and north and west ranges which were rebuilt in the 19th century as service accommodation.

Abington Abbey: watercolour of the house in the early 19th century by George Clarke (1790-1868). Image: Northampton Central Library.

Between the south range and the central courtyard, however, there remains an open hall built for John Bernard (c.1469-1508), who inherited the estate on the death of his mother in 1496. The timbers of the roof have been dated to this period, and his arms appear on reset panelling from the room. The hall has lost its screens passage, but the blocked door from the screens into the courtyard is still apparent. Also of the early 16th century is a wing beyond the dais end of the hall which now forms the southern part of the west range, and which contained a ground-floor parlour with a chamber above. The Oak Room at the west end of the 17th century south front has panelling of c.1500 from several sources, including some fine linenfold and a frieze depicting the labours of the months, which was gathered together and reset here in the 19th century.

Abington Abbey: the interior of the great hall, looking west and showing
 the fireplace inserted in the 1730s. Image: Historic England BB82/2382.

Abington Abbey: phased ground plan of the house before 1900.
Image: Crown Copyright.

The early 16th century hall house remained in the Bernard family until 1669, when Sir John Bernard sold it for £13,750 to William Thursby (c.1630-1701), a London lawyer and court official. He settled at Abington and was responsible for modernising the house and enlarging the park. In altering the house, he aimed to create the increasing number of private apartments required by contemporary living. The open hall was obsolete and blocked the circulation round the house at first floor level. About 1670, he therefore built a new block in front of the hall, making the south range a double pile, and providing the grand new rooms he required. The new south front which resulted is a long low composition, with a platband, windows with segmental heads and keystones, and slight projections in the centre and at the ends, which were apparently originally gabled. The central projection has its original doorcase with flanking pilasters, but the upper storey was rebuilt in 1743. Inside, a passage led from the front door to the old hall, which became a central circulation space. Next to the passage but not accessible from it a grand new staircase was provided, which was rather old-fashioned, with turned balusters and finials to the newels.

Abington Abbey: the south front of c.1670, as altered in 1743.

Abington Abbey: the east front, built in 1738.

In 1736 the house passed to William Thursby's niece Mary, wife of John Harvey (c.1711-64), who changed his name to Thursby and came to live here. He too remodelled and enlarged the house, building what now forms the east range (dated 1738) and going on to alter and refenestrate the south range (dated 1743). The design of his work has been attributed on stylistic grounds to Francis Smith of Warwick (who died in 1738) and his son William. This is very plausible, as  Thursby had a portrait of Francis Smith and paid for it to be engraved. His new east front incorporates (as its left-hand four bays) the end of the 17th century south range. The central three bays of the front break forward under a steep pediment. The central doorcase has Doric pilasters carrying a segmental pediment, and the flanking windows have triangular pediments. All the other windows on the south and east sides have rectangular moulded and eared stone architraves with sills supported on corbels. On the south front the original gables were removed and a moulded cornice and parapet was added. The new east wing provided further apartments on the first floor but it is not clear what functions were assigned to which rooms on the ground floor. As part of all these works, the original dais in the hall was removed and the present marble floor was laid.

A generation later, the lobby between the front entrance and the great hall was decorated in the Gothick style, with a plaster vault springing from clustered columns, while the doorway into the hall was set in a screen with similar columns and ogee arches. These Gothick additions are attributed to the Hiorne brothers and dated to c.1760-70.

Abington Abbey: the Oak Room, an interior created in the late 19th century with panelling gathered from around the house and new work.

In 1798 the house passed to John Harvey Thursby (1768-1838), who refitted or altered several rooms before 1803. The main rooms at the east end of the south wing were redecorated as a suite of two drawing rooms, with new chimneypieces, and were connected by a wide opening, while a new staircase was made east of the hall. The east range was replanned as a service block either at this time or a little later. Towards the end of his life, J.H. Thursby was evidently in financial difficulties, for he raised mortgages on the estate and from 1836 let it to a tenant. After his death in 1838, the estate was sold to Lewis Loyd of Overstone (Northants) and leased to Dr. Thomas Prichard as a private lunatic asylum, and the north and west ranges were rebuilt. The house was also renamed Abington Abbey at this time. In 1897 Loyd's granddaughter, Lady Wantage, presented the house and its park to the town of Northampton. The house became a museum and the grounds a public park. The essence of the park still survives, although a busy road now runs through the middle of it. The north part contains a tower, once dated 1678, which housed a dovecote above a well from which water was pumped for the needs of the house by a mechanism designed by Samuel Warren of Weston Favell, who had a reputation for hydraulic inventions.

Descent: Sir Nicholas Lylling (d. 1419); to grandson, Thomas Bernard (d. 1464); to son, John Bernard (d. 1485); to widow, Margaret (d. 1496); to son, John Bernard (c.1469-1508); to son, John Bernard (c.1490-1550); to son, Francis Bernard (c.1526-1602); to son, Baldwin Bernard (c.1554-1610); to son, Sir John Bernard (1604-74), kt., who sold 1669 to William Thursby (c.1630-1701); to nephew, Richard Thursby (1666-1736); to first cousin once removed, John Harvey (later Thursby) (1709-64); to son, John Harvey Thursby (1734-98); to son, John Harvey Thursby (1768-1838); to son, John Harvey Thursby (1793-1860), who sold 1841 to Lewis Loyd (1767-1858), banker; to son, Samuel Jones Loyd (1796-1883), 1st Baron Overstone; to daughter, Harriet Sarah (d. 1920), wife of Robert James Lindsay (later Loyd-Lindsay) (1832-1901), 1st Baron Wantage, who donated the house and park to the borough of Northampton in 1898.

Brampton Park, Huntingdonshire

Brampton Park, which covers about 100 acres south-west of the village of Brampton, can be traced back to the 12th century, when it was a royal hunting ground. The house may have originated as a lodge in the park, but in 1328 was said to be ruinous. An Elizabethan house seems to have been built here, probably by the Throckmortons, which is described as a fair brick house, but nothing more is known of its appearance, for it was incorporated in a house probably built by Sir John Bernard, who purchased the property in 1653. 

The mid 17th-century house, of which I have traced no visual record, was in turn remodelled by Lady Olivia Sparrow who came into possession after her husband died in 1805. In 1806-07 she brought in John Nash, who built service accommodation and made alterations to the house itself, and the gabled and castellated gault brick west end of the present house is presumably his work; one room in the service wing has a shallow saucer dome on squinches which could be his work. Later on, in 1823-25, Lady Olivia employed Thomas Stedman Whitwell (1784-1840) to rebuild the principal block of the house, and J.B. Papworth to carry out internal decoration in the library and dining room. Thomas Hopper also claimed to have worked at Brampton in the late 1820s, although it is not clear what was done to his designs, as a plan of 1824 appears to show the same footprint for the house as it occupied later. The house that resulted from these works was recorded in a number of late 19th century engravings and photographs. Its most striking feature was a large domed conservatory on the south front, flanked by two four-storey towers, while the east front had extensively glazed three-storey projecting bays either side of a centre with a canted central bay on the ground floor. The entrance front on the north side was plainer, but had a single-storey porch with an elaborate achievement of arms over the archway. It may be that on this side, elements of the earlier house were retained and incorporated. Papworth also produced a picturesque design for the grounds, which was probably not followed, although the surviving thatched lodge is in his style. 

Brampton Park: north front before the fire of 1907. Image: Huntingdonshire Archives

Brampton Park: engraving of the south and east fronts of the house in 1852.

Sadly, the main block of the house was gutted in a disastrous fire on 24 January 1907, which is said to have started in a box room at the west end of the main block and spread east, initially through the roof space, although within two hours it had largely gutted the main block. The fire happened at a time of light winds and its rapid spread was put down to the largely timber construction of the internal walls.

Brampton Park: the ruins of the south front after the fire and the collapse of the conservatory, 1907. Image: Huntingdonshire Archives

Brampton Park: east front after the fire, 1907. Image: Huntingdonshire Archives

After the fire, the damaged part of the building was pulled down and replaced by a smaller new house in red brick. Although clashing in colour with the older part of the house, this emulates the style of the Nash wing, which was again restored and remodelled. The rebuilding was commissioned by Viscount Mandeville, but the architect seems not to be recorded. 

Brampton Park: the house in 2018 before its recent conversion to apartments. Image: Derelict Places/Rubex

The house passed into the hands of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, and remained in military use, latterly as the officers' mess for a camp which sprawled across the park, until 2012. A further fire in the early 1980s led to a programme of repairs and remodelling that included significant extensions to the south and west of the house, and the addition of a new porch on the north side of the house. The building was restored and the modern extensions removed after 2019, when it was converted to multiple occupation. Extensive suburban housing has been constructed in the former park since 2015.

Descent: William Foster (d. 1508); to son, John Foster (d. 1526); to son, Gerard Foster (b. c.1524), who sold 1545 to John Newton, who sold 1550 to Simon Throckmorton MP (d. 1585); to son, Robert; to brother Simon Throckmorton (d. 1613); to brother Joseph Throckmorton, who sold 1613 to Sir Thomas Hetley (d. 1637), kt., serjeant-at-law; to son, Francis Hetley (d. 1638); to brother, William Hetley, who sold 1653 to Sir John Bernard (1630-79), 2nd bt.; to son, Sir Robert Bernard (1663-1703), 3rd bt.; to son, Sir John Bernard (1699-1766), 4th bt.; to son, Sir Robert Bernard (1739-89), 5th bt.; to nephew, Brig-Gen. Robert Bernard Sparrow (d. 1805); to widow, Lady Olivia Sparrow (d. 1863); to grandson, William Drogo Montagu (1823-90), 7th Duke of Manchester; to son, George Victor Drogo Montagu (1853-92), 8th Duke of Manchester; to son, William Angus Drogo Montagu (1877-1947), 9th Duke of Manchester. The house was leased to Benjamin Beasley as an institution for the cure of stammering, 1889-1907. He was in the process of giving up his lease at the time of the fire, but though he was uninjured in the blaze he died a fortnight later. The house was used to house German prisoners of war in the First World War. In the Second World War it was first used as an evacuation home for mothers and babies from the East End of London and later taken over by the RAF, which acquired the freehold. It remained in use for military purposes until 2013, when it was closed and redeveloped for large-scale housing.

Bernard family of Abington Abbey, baronets

Bernard, Thomas (d. 1464). Second son of Robert Bernard (fl. 1384) of Isleham (Cambs) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Nicholas Lylling (d. 1418) of Abington (Northants). Escheator of Rutland and Northamptonshire, 1415. He married Margaret, daughter of John Mantell, and had issue:

(1) John Bernard (d. 1485) (q.v.);

(2) Rev. Thomas Bernard (fl. 1449), vicar of Pattishall (Northants).

He lived at Clare (Suffk), and evidently acquired the manor of Abington on the death of his mother c.1451, but there is no evidence that he lived there.

He died in 1464. His widow married 2nd, William Newenham (c.1435-1504) of Thenford (Northants) and was living in 1467.

Bernard, John (d. 1485). Elder son of Thomas Bernard (d. 1464) and his wife Margaret, daughter of John Mantell. He married Margaret (or Mary), daughter of Henry Scrope, 4th Lord Scrope of Bolton and widow of William Plessington and Hugh Stafford, and had issue:

(1) John Bernard (c.1469-1508) (q.v.);

(2) Francis Bernard;

(3) Rev. Eustace Bernard*; a secular priest at Filgrave (Bucks), Thenford (Northants), Tarporley (Ches) and Maidford (Northants);

(4) Thomas Bernard, of Gloucestershire;

(5) Rev. Robert Bernard (fl. 1510); said to be rector of Cotterstock (Northants) in 1510.

He lived at Reading (Berks) and inherited the manor of Abington from his father in 1464. At his death it passed to his widow for life.

He died in October 1485. His widow is said to have died in 1496.

* Probably not the man who was an Augustinian canon at Ravenstone Priory (Bucks) (prior, 1473-85), who would have been at least a generation older.

Bernard, John (c.1469-1508). Eldest son of John Bernard (d. 1485) and his wife Margaret, daughter of Henry Scrope, 4th Lord Bolton and widow of William Plessington and Hugh Stafford, born about 1469. He married Margaret, daughter of Roger Wake* of Blisworth (Northants), and had issue:

(1) John Bernard (c.1490-1550) (q.v.);

(2) Richard Bernard, of Earl's Barton (Northants); married Anne [surname unknown] (who m2, John Mulsoe).

He inherited Abington from his mother in 1496 and built a new manor house.

He died 24 August 1508, and an inquisition post mortem was held at Northampton Castle, 31 March 1509. His wife's date of death is unknown.

* She is generally said to be the daughter and heiress of John Daundelyon, but the particulars given in John Bernard's inquisition post mortem are as above.

Bernard, John (c.1490-1550). Elder son of John Bernard (c.1469-1508) and his wife Margaret, daughter of Roger Wake of Blisworth (Northants), born about 1490 as he was aged 18 at the time of his father's death. He married, 16 January 1507/8 at Earls Barton (Northants), when his bride was probably still a child, Cicely (d. 1557), daughter of John Muscott of Earls Barton, and had issue:

(1) Francis Bernard (c.1526-1602) (q.v.);

(2) John Bernard; married Mary, daughter of John Haslewood, and had issue one son;

(3) Elizabeth Bernard; married 1st, John Covert, and 2nd, William Dixon;

(4) Mary Bernard; married George Purley of Lincs;

(5) Dorothy Bernard, a nun at Delapré Abbey (Northants);

(6) Bridget Bernard; married John Dixon.

He inherited the Abington estate from his father in 1508.

He died 4 February 1549/50 and was commemorated by a memorial brass (now lost) at Abington; an inquisition post mortem was held at Northampton, 3 Edward VI. His widow died 21 September 1557 and was commemorated by a brass (also now lost) at Abington.

Bernard, Francis (c.1526-1602). Elder son of John Bernard (c.1490-1550) and his wife Cicely, daughter of John Muscot of Earls Barton, born about 1526, based on his age at his father's death. He married Alice (d. 1612?), daughter of John Haslewood of Maidwell (Northants), and had issue, with two further daughters who died in infancy:

(1) John Bernard (d. c.1586); married Dorothy (who m2, Richard Neale of Rugby (Warks), daughter of Francis Cave (c.1502-83) of Baggrave (Leics), but died without issue in the lifetime of his father, c.1585/6;

(2) Baldwin Bernard (c.1554-1610) (q.v.);

(3) Francis Bernard (c.1558-1630?) (q.v.);

(4) Thomas Bernard (c.1560-1628) of Reading, born before 1564; ancestor of the Bernards of Nettleham (Lincs), Nether Winchendon (Bucks) and Castle Bernard (Co. Offaly); he is variously said to have married Catherine, daughter of Henry Barnsdale, or Sarah [surname unknown] and had issue at least two sons and three daughters, baptised at Reading*; buried at St Mary, Reading, 14 December 1628;

(5) Richard Bernard (c.1562-1613), of Turvey (Beds) and Great Doddington (Northants), born before 1564; married 1st, Alice (c.1543-1606), daughter of John Chibnell of Astwood (Bucks) and widow of William Adam of Turvey (Beds), but had no issue; married 2nd, Elizabeth (d. 1622), daughter of Anthony Woolhouse of Glasswell (Derbys) and widow of [forename unknown] Morley, and had issue two sons and one daughter; buried at Great Doddington (Northants), 24 April 1613; will proved in the PCC, 16 June 1613;

(6) Katherine Bernard, born before 1564; married Ambrose Agard (d. 1612) (who m2, Anne [surname unknown], and had issue one daughter) of Broughton (Northants) and later of Forrock House, Chipping (Lancs), and had issue at least one son and two daughters; death not traced;

(7) Anne Bernard (d. 1629), born before 1564; married 1st, John Doyley (d. 1593) of Merton (Oxon), son of Robert Doyley (d. 1577) of Merton, and had issue four daughters; married 2nd, 11 December 1600 at St Margaret, Westminster (Middx), Sir James Harington (c.1555-1614), kt. and 1st bt., of Ridlington (Rut.) and married 3rd, c.1615, Sir Henry Poole (1564-1632), kt., of  Kemble (Glos) and Oaksey (Wilts); died 1629 and was buried at Merton;

(8) Magdalen Bernard, born before 1564; married Thomas Danvers of Banbury (Oxon), son of George Danvers;

(9) Elizabeth Bernard, born before 1564; married 1st, Thomas Harrison (1568?-1625) of Gobion's Manor, Northampton, second son of Robert Harrison (d. 1598?) of Stow (Northants), and had issue at least five sons and three daughters; married 2nd, Henry Favell of Coventry;

(10) Jane Bernard (c.1560-1619), born before 1564; married, as his second wife, Richard Saltonstall (d. 1619) of Chipping Warden (Northants) and Groves, South Ockendon (Essex), son and heir of Sir Richard Saltonstall, Lord Mayor of London, and had issue at least three sons and one daughter; died 1619; will proved in the PCC, 4 June 1619;

(11) Dorothy Bernard, born before 1564; married Thomas Charnock of Wellingborough (Northants);

(12) Prudence Bernard (fl. 1619), probably born about 1566; married Richard Winhall of Warks; living in 1619 when she was mentioned in the will of her sister Jane.

He inherited the Abington Park estate from his father in 1550.

He died 21 October 1602. His widow was living in 1610 and is said to have died in 1612.

* The mother's name is unfortunately not given in the parish register.

Bernard, Baldwin (c.1554-1610). Second, but eldest surviving, son of Francis Bernard (c.1526-1602) and his wife Alice, daughter of John Haslewood of Maidwell (Northants), born about 1554. He married 1st, 11 November 1587 at St Clement Danes, Westminster (Middx), Alice, daughter of Thomas Stafford of Tattenhoe (Bucks), and 2nd, 20 July 1603 at Tanworth-in-Arden (Warks)*, Eleanor (d. 1634), daughter and co-heir of John Fulwood of Ford Hall (Warks), and had issue:

(1.1) Elizabeth Bernard (fl. 1610); living in 1610; probably died unmarried;

(1.2) Anne Bernard (fl. 1610); probably died unmarried;

(1.3) Dorothy Bernard (fl. 1610); probably died unmarried;

(2.1) Sir John Bernard (1604-74), kt. (q.v.);

(2.2) William Bernard (b. c.1608) of Ecton (Northants), born about 1608; married, 11 November 1658 in Northampton, Mary, perhaps the daughter of Francis Lane of Abington, but had no issue; probably died before his brother as he is not mentioned in his will;

(2.3) Catherine Bernard, probably died unmarried.

He inherited the Abington Park estate from his father in 1602.

He died 7 September and was buried at Abington, 11 September 1610, where he is commemorated by a monument erected by his elder son in 1634; his will was proved at Northampton, 1610. His first wife died before 1603. His widow married 2nd, c.1615, Sir Edmund Hampden (d. 1627), son of Griffith Hampden of Great Hampden (Bucks), and had further issue four sons and two daughters; she died 27 June 1634, and was buried with her second husband at Abington; her will was proved in the PCC, 18 December 1634.

*Where he appears in the register as 'Baldwin Barneyard'!

Bernard, Sir John (1604-74), kt. Elder son of Baldwin Bernard (c.1554-1610) and his second wife, Eleanor, daughter and co-heir of John Fulwood of Ford Hall, born 23 August 1604. After his father's death he was made a ward of the Crown. Educated at King's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1621) and Grays Inn (admitted 1624). He stood unsuccessfully for parliament in Northampton in 1640 and supported the Parliamentary side during the Civil War, being a local sequestration commissioner in 1643, but after the execution of the king he became increasingly 'inclinable to royalism' and he went out of political life during the Protectorate, returning to public office after the Restoration. He was knighted 24 September 1661 and elected MP for Northampton, 1664, but unseated on appeal; JP for Northamptonshire, 1661-74. He married 1st, Elizabeth (c.1602-42), daughter of Clement Edmondes (1568-1622) of Preston Deanery (Northants) and 2nd, 5 June 1649 at Billesley (Warks), Elizabeth (1608-70), daughter and heir of Dr. John Hall of New Place, Stratford-on-Avon (Warks)* and widow of Thomas Nash (1593-1647) of Welcombe (Warks), and had issue:

(1.1) Elizabeth Bernard (c.1630-66), born before 1631, when she was mentioned in her grandmother's will; 'a person of extraordinary charity and piety', a memoir of whose life was written by her husband; she married, 18 February 1657/8 at Abington, Henry Gilbert (fl. 1662) of Locko (Derbys), and had issue five sons and one daughter; buried at Spondon (Derbys), 16 January 1665/6, where she is commemorated by a monument;

(1.2) Mary Bernard (fl. 1671); married, 7 July 1657 at Abington, Thomas Higgs (d. 1671) of Colesbourne (Glos), second son of Thomas Higgs (d. 1649) of Colesbourne, and had issue at least one child; living in 1671;

(1.3) Eleanor Bernard (b. c.1635), born about 1635; married, 8 September 1659 at Abington, Samuel Cotton (b. c.1632; fl. 1684) of Hinwick Hall (Beds) and later of Dadlington (Leics), High Sheriff of Leicestershire, and had issue at least six children;

(1.4) John Bernard (d. 1645), eldest son; died young and was buried at Abington, 18 January 1644/5;

(1.5) William Bernard (d. 1637); died young and was buried at Abington, 30 March 1637;

(1.6) Charles Bernard (1638-39), baptised at Abington, 8 February 1637/8; died in infancy and was buried at Abington, 5 June 1639;

(1.7) Charles Bernard (1640-51); baptised at Abington, 7 May 1640; died young and was buried at Abington, 25 May 1651;

(1.8) Catherine Bernard (b. & d. 1642), baptised at Abington, 9 March 1641/2; died in infancy and was buried at Abington, 13 March 1641/2.

He inherited the Abington Park estate from his father in 1610, enlarged and modernised the house, but sold it in 1669.

He was buried at Abington, 5 March 1673/4. His first wife was buried at Abington, 30 March 1642. His second wife was buried at Abington, 17 February 1669/70, where she is commemorated by a monument.

* And therefore granddaughter of the poet and playwright, William Shakespeare (1564-1616).

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Bernard, Francis (c.1558-1630?). Third son of Francis Bernard (c.1530-1602) and his wife Alice, daughter of John Haslewood of Maidwell (Northants), born about 1558. He is said to have married 1st, [name unknown], widow of William Mercer of Oxford, and 2nd, c.1596, Mary, eldest daughter of Anthony Woolhouse of Glasswell (Derbys) and had issue:

(1.1) Francis Bernard; died in the lifetime of his father;

(1.2) Ann Bernard; married Robert Welling of Riscom (Suffk);

(2.1) Sir Robert Bernard (1601-66), 1st bt. (q.v.);

(2.2) John Bernard;

(2.3) James Bernard;

(2.4) William Bernard.

He lived at Kingsthorpe (Northants).

He is said to have died 21 November 1630. His first wife's date of death is unknown. His second wife's date of death is unknown.

Bernard, Sir Robert (1601-66), 1st bt. Eldest son of Francis Bernard (c.1558-1630?) and his second wife Mary, daughter of Anthony Woolhouse of Glasswell (Derbys), born at Kingsthorpe, 1601. Said to have been educated at Queen's College, Oxford (but does not appear in the Alumni Oxoniensis) and the Middle Temple (admitted 1615; called 1621; bencher 1647). Barrister-at-law; Recorder of Huntingdon 1640-63, Counsel for the University of Cambridge, 1646; Serjeant-at-law, 1648 and 1660; Steward and Judge of the Court of the Isle of Ely, 1649. MP for Huntingdon, 1640. He was knighted in 1660 and raised to a baronetcy, 1 July 1662. He married 1st, 13 April 1625 at Huntingdon, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Tolcarne* (1569-1627), kt., of Ashen Hall (Essex), and 2nd, Elizabeth (c.1601-62), elder daughter of Sir James Altham of Oxhey and widow of Sir Francis Astley (d. 1638) and Robert Digby (c.1599-1642), 1st Baron Digby of Geashill, and had issue, perhaps among others:

(1.1) Lucy Bernard (1626-69), baptised at Huntingdon, 19 January 1625/6; married, 14 January 1641, Sir Nicholas Pedley (1615-85), kt. (who m2, 10 June 1674, Anne, daughter of Richard Dorrington of Stow (Hunts) and widow of Lawrence Torkington (1622-73) of Great Stukeley (Hunts)), of Abbotsley (Hunts), serjeant-at-law and MP for Huntingdon or Huntingdonshire, 1656-60, 1673-79, and had issue eight sons and seven daughters; died 12 May 1669;

(1.2) Mary Bernard (b. c.1628), born about 1628; married, before 1647, Lawrence Torkington (1622-73) (who m2, Anne, daughter of Richard Dorrington of Stow (Hunts)), of Great Stukeley (Hunts);

(1.3) Sir John Bernard (1630-79), 2nd bt. (q.v.);

(1.4) William Bernard (c.1634-98?), born about 1634; said to have been an officer in the Commonwealth army (Col.) and later grocer in London**; a friend of Samuel Pepys; married, 1680, Jane (c.1648-c.1700), daughter of Henry Ireton and widow of Richard Lloyd (d. by 1680); probably the man of this name who was buried at St Giles-in-the-Fields, Holborn (Middx), 2 December 1698 and administration of whose goods was granted to his widow Jane in the PCC, 12 December 1698.

He lived in Huntingdon by 1625, but also maintained chambers in London.

He died at Serjeant's Inn, 18 April 1666, and was buried in the north aisle at Abington, where he is commemorated by a monument. His first wife's date of death is unknown. His second wife died 3 January 1662/3, and was buried at St Paul, Covent Garden, Westminster (Middx), 7 January 1662/3.

* This surname is also spelled Tollakerne, Tallakern, Tolkern, Talkerne etc.

** He was certainly a grocer, but his reputed military career is more doubtful.

Bernard, Sir John (1630-79), 2nd bt. Elder son of Sir Robert Bernard (1601-66), 1st bt. and his first wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Tolcarne, born November 1630. Educated at Christ's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1645) and the Middle Temple (admitted 1645; called 1649). Barrister-at-law. MP for Huntingdon, 1654-55, 1656-58, 1659, 1660; JP for Huntingdonshire, 1660-70, 1673-79; a commissioner for sewers in Lincolnshire, 1660; a conservator of the Bedford Level, 1669-75. Knighted c.1662 and succeeded his father as 2nd baronet, 18 April 1666. He married 1st, 26 February 1655/6 at Enfield (Middx), Elizabeth (d. 1667), daughter of Sir Oliver St John, 2nd bt., of Bletsoe (Beds), Lord Chief Justice of Common Pleas, and 2nd, 1670 (licence 30 August), Grace (1643-1721?), daughter of Sir Richard Shuckburgh (1596-1656), kt., of Shuckburgh Hall (Warks), and had issue:

(1.1) Elizabeth Bernard (d. 1679); died unmarried and was buried at Brampton, 8 April 1679;

(1.2) Anne Bernard (1659-89), baptised at Brampton, 11 October 1659; died unmarried and was buried at Brampton, 5 March 1689;

(1.3) Mary Bernard (1660-1704), born 28/29 November and baptised at Brampton, 4 December 1660; married, 1682 (licence 9 October), as his second wife, Thomas Browne (1640-1713) of Arlesey (Beds), MP for Bedfordshire, 1690-95, and had issue two sons and five daughters; buried at Arlesey, 14 November 1704;

(1.4) Lucy Bernard (1662-1716), baptised at Brampton, 21 February 1661/2; died unmarried and was buried at Brampton, 1 November 1716;

(1.5) Sir Robert Bernard (1663-1703), 3rd bt. (q.v.);

(1.6) Joanna Bernard (1665-1740?), baptised at Brampton, 11 April 1665; married, 4 January 1700/1 at St George's Chapel, Windsor, Ven. Richard Bentley (1662-1742), archdeacon of Ely and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, and had issue one son and two daughters; said to have died in 1740;

(1.7) Frances Bernard (b. 1666), baptised at Brampton, 4 August 1666; living in 1679 but died young;

(1.8) Grace Bernard (1667-84), baptised at Brampton, 27 August 1667; died young and was buried at Brampton, 10 December 1684.

He purchased the Brampton Park estate (Hunts) in 1653.

He died 25 June and was buried 26 June 1679 at Brampton, where he is commemorated by a monument; his will was proved 11 January 1679/80. His first wife was buried at Brampton, 5 September 1667. His widow married 2nd, 20 September 1688 at St Benet, Paul's Wharf, London, as his third wife, Thomas Mariett (1631-91) of Whitchurch (Warks) and Alscot Park, Preston-on-Stour (then Glos, now Warks), MP for Warwickshire in 1681, and is said to have died in 1721.

Bernard, Sir Robert (1663-1703), 3rd bt. Only son of Sir John Bernard (1630-79), 2nd bt., and his first wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Oliver St John, Lord Chief Justice of Common Pleas, baptised at Brampton, 15 December 1663. JP and DL for Hunts, 1688-1703; High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, 1688 (but did not act) and 1691-92. Whig MP for Huntingdonshire, 1689-90. He married, 26 May 1692 at St Margaret, Westminster (Middx), Anne (c.1670-1746), daughter of Robert Weldon of London, mercer, and had issue:

(1) Anne Bernard (1693-1765), born before August 1693; died unmarried, 6 November 1765; will proved in the PCC, 27 November 1765;

(2) Mary Bernard (1696-1785), baptised at Brampton, 7 September 1696; died unmarried, 11 March 1785; will proved in the PCC, 26 March 1785; 

(3) Sir John Bernard (1699-1766), 4th bt. (q.v.);

(4) Elizabeth Bernard (d. 1703); born in or before 1702; buried at Brampton, 21 July 1703.

He inherited the Brampton Park estate from his father in 1679 and came of age in 1684.

He is said to have died 26 July and was buried at Brampton, 5 August 1703; his will was proved in the PCC, 16 August 1703. His widow married 2nd, 25 September 1704 at Brampton, as his second wife, the Rt. Hon. Thomas Trevor (1658-1730), 1st Baron Trevor, of Bromham (Beds), Lord Privy Seal, 1726-30 and Lord President of the Council, 1730, and had further issue three sons; she died 5 December and was buried at Bromham, 13 December 1746; her will was proved in 1746.

Bernard, Sir John (1699-1766), 4th bt. Only son of Sir Robert Bernard (1663-1703), 3rd bt., and his wife Anne, daughter of Robert Weldon of London, baptised at Brampton, 23 February 1698/9. He succeeded his father as 4th baronet, 26 July 1703. He married, 22 December 1735 at St Stephen Walbrook, London, Mary (d. 1793), youngest daughter of Sir Francis St. John (c.1680-1756), 1st bt., of Longthorpe (Northants), and had issue*:

(1) Mary Bernard (1738-93), born 26 January 1738/9; married 8 July 1771 at St Marylebone (Middx), Robert Sparrow (1741-1822) of Worlingham Hall (Suffk), and had issue one son and one daughter; died 9 February 1793;

(2) Sir Robert Bernard (1739-89), 5th bt. (q.v.);

(3) Ann Bernard (1740-44), born 17 July and baptised at St Margaret, Westminster (Middx), 28 July 1740; died young and was buried at Brampton, 12 July 1744;

(4) Francis Bernard (1741-57), born and baptised at St Margaret, Westminster, 30 October 1741; said to have died at school in Bishop's Stortford (Herts), and been buried 6 July 1757;

(5) Elizabeth Bernard (c.1743-50), buried at Brampton, 3 March 1749/50;

(6) Richard Bernard (b. & d. 1747), baptised at Brampton, 20 October 1747; died in infancy and was buried at Brampton, 22 October 1747;

(7) Richard Bernard (b. & d. 1749), baptised at Brampton, 5 July 1749; died in infancy and was buried at Brampton, 10 July 1749;

(8) Frances Bernard (1750-70), born 9 August and baptised at St Margaret, Westminster, 29 August 1750; mentioned in her father's will in 1757; died unmarried and was buried at St John, Peterborough, 16 June 1770;

(9) William Bernard (c.1751-66?); mentioned in his maternal grandfather's will in 1755, his father's will of 1757, and his aunt Anne's will of 1765; said to have died at Thorpe Hall (Hunts), 8 February 1766.

He inherited Brampton Park from his father in 1703 and came of age about 1720. His father in law settled the manors of Leigh Hall and Hadleigh as well as lands at Paggleham, Barling and Shopland (all Essex) on him, and bequeathed his estates in Co. Armagh to trustees for his son William.

He died 15 December and was buried at St John, Peterborough (Hunts), 21 December 1766; his will was proved in the PCC, 30 December 1766. His widow died 'at a great age', 21 September 1793, and her will was proved in October 1793.

* Some online sources plausibly mention other children who died young, but I have been unable to find any evidence to support their existence.

Bernard, Sir Robert (1739-89), 5th bt. Eldest son of Sir John Bernard (1699-1766), 4th bt., and his wife Mary, youngest daughter of Sir Francis St. John, 1st bt., of Longthorpe (Northants), born 17 June and baptised at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster, 2 July 1739. Educated at Westminster and Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1758). He succeeded his father as 5th baronet, 15 December 1766 and undertook a tour in Spain in 1771 with Col. Barre. Recorder of Bedford, 1771-89. He was initially elected to Parliament on the Duke of Manchester's influence as MP for Huntingdonshire, 1765-68, but quarrelled with his patron in 1766 and became a radical Whig. In 1769 he helped to found the Bill of Rights Society, and was with the help of John Wilkes elected as MP for Westminster, 1770-74, but in 1771 he voted for the the dissolution of the Bill of Rights Society and joined the rival Constitutional Society and broke with Wilkes. On this account he was deselected by the Westminster radicals and made no further attempt to sit in Parliament, although he had a personal interest at Bedford; his obituary suggests he was obliged to abandon politics by 'violent attacks of gout'. He was unmarried and without issue.

He inherited Brampton Park from his father in 1766. At his death, he left his property, valued at £14,000 a year, to his sister's son, Robert Bernard Sparrow.

He died 2 January 1789, when the baronetcy became extinct, and was buried at Brampton, 7 January 1789; his will was proved in the PCC, 21 January 1789.

Principal sources

Burke's Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies, 2nd ed., 1841, p. 59; J. Bridges, History & Antiquities of Northamptonshire, 1791, vol. 1, p. 400-05; S. Napier-Higgins, The Bernards of Abington and Nether Winchendon: a family history, 1903 (2 vols); VCH Hunts, vol. 3, 1936, pp. 12-20; VCH Northamptonshire, vol. 4, 1937, pp. 65-69; J. Heward & R. Taylor, The country houses of Northamptonshire, 1996, pp. 47-51; B. Bailey, Sir N. Pevsner & B. Cherry, The buildings of England: Northamptonshire, 3rd edn., 2013, pp. 471-72; C. O'Brien & Sir N. Pevsner, The buildings of England: Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire and Peterborough, 2nd edn., 2014, pp. 427-28; Brampton Park Heritage Assessment, 2015; History of Parliament biographies of Sir John Bernard, kt. and of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th baronets;

https://www.stirnet.com/genie/data/british/bb4ae/bernard01.php

Location of archives

Bernard and Sparrow families of Brampton: deeds, estate and family papers, 17th-19th cents. [Huntingdonshire Archives, DDM]

Coat of arms

Bernard of Abington and Huntingdon: argent, a bear rampant sable muzzled or.

Can you help?

• Can anyone provide photographs or portraits of the people whose names appear in bold above, for whom no image is currently shown?
• If anyone can offer further information or corrections to any part of this article I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from current owners or the descendants of families associated with a property who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 30 September 2024 and was updated 1 and 2 October 2024.