31st July 1924 SS

BANK HOLIDAY FETE AT SANDON PARK

American Lawn Tennis Tournament

Effort for Sandon Church

There will be a Fete in the grounds of Sandon Park, by kind permission of the Earl and Countess of Harrowby, on Bank Holiday, to clear off the debt on the re-seating of Sandon Church. The gardens look beautiful just now, as those who attended the garden party for the Dominion visitors enthusiastically agreed, and it will be a great treat to the public to have the privilege of seeing the gardens and the park. The programme includes an American law tennis tournament (mixed doubles). The tennis entry fee is 5s.—per couple, and admission to the grounds for the public is a shilling, commencing at two o’clock. A band will play for dancing and teas may be obtained. Entries for tennis, accompanied by fee, to be made to Mr. T.W. Knowles, Sandon Estate Office, Sandon, Stafford.

The P.E.T. Company are running special buses, and the Railway Company are putting on extra trains.

NOTES ON SANDON

Sandon was formerly the home of the Erdeswick family, which included the historian of Staffordshire, but has long been in the possession of the Ryder family, of which the Earl of Harrowby is the head. There are Erdeswick monuments in All Saints’ Church.

The founder of the Harrowby family was Sir Dudley Ryder, Lord Chief Justice, 1754-6, who was offered a peerage by George II. on May 24th, 1756, but died the following day. His son, Nathaniel, M.P. for Tiverton, Devon, was created Baron Harrowby, of Harrowby, Lincolnshire. The second Baron was created Viscount Sandon and Earl of Harrowby, and was successively Foreign Secretary and Lord President of the Council. On a lofty position in Sandon Park stands a column, 75 feet high, erected by the first Earl in memory of the great Prime Minister, the younger Pitt (whose contemporary he was), on his death in 1805. There is also a shrine set up, in the fashion of the day, to Spencer Perceval, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister, who was assassinated by a lunatic at the House of Commons in 1812.

The second Earl of Harrowby was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Lord Privy Seal, and married a daughter of the first Marquis of Bute. His son, third Earl, was M.P. for Lichfield and Liverpool, held Government offices, and married, in 1861, Lady Mary Frances Cecil, daughter of the second Marquis of Exeter. He was the first Chairman of the Staffordshire County Council. He was succeeded in 1900 by his brother, the fourth Earl, who died in the same year, and was succeeded by his eldest son, the present Earl (the 5th) who in 1837 had married the youngest daughter of the late Right Hon. William Henry Smith, member of Lord Salisbury’s Government, whose wife was created Viscountess Hambleden. Viscountess Hambleden was succeeded by her son the present Viscount Hambleden, Lady Harrowby’s brother. The Earl and Countess of Harrowby by two children—Viscount Sandon and Lady Frances Ryder.

The present Earl of Harrowby, John Herbert Dudley Ryder, fifth Earl, formerly M.P., and in his youth an officer in the Staffordshire Yeomanry, is a partner in Coutt’s Bank. He is a Deputy-Lieutenant for Staffordshire, and he was a Director of the North Staffordshire Railway Company, until it was merged in the London, Midland, and Scottish Railway Company. In addition to Sandon, and his London residence, Lord Harrowby has the estate of Norton House, Campden, Gloucestershire.

The present Sandon Hall was built in 1852. During the War, Sandon Hall was used as a Red Cross Hospital, and many a wounded soldier no doubt remembers gratefully the kindness he received there, in the handsome Hall set in the delightful park. The Hall contains pictures by Holbein, Hoppner, Sir Thomas Lawrence and Sir Joshua Reynolds, while Romney is represented with a portrait of Dudley, first Earl of Harrowby. The correspondence of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1690-1762) is preserved at Sandon. Lady Mary was the eldest daughter of the Duke of Kensington, and the Countess of Bute was her daughter. The second Earl of Harrowby married a daughter of the first Marquess of Bute, and thus Lord Harrowby’s ancestors include Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, famous in literature and the national history.

SANDON CHURCH

The Vicar of Sandon kindly supplies the following notes on Sandon church, originally built in 1270, and a picture of which appears in this issue of the “Weekly Sentinel.”

The work that has been done to Sandon church has been that of reconstruction and reseating. There was here and there throughout the church portions of old oak seating, some of which was carved with the initials of George Digby, who lived at Sandon in the middle of the seventeenth century. The rest of the church was seated with pitch pine seating, with swing doors, which though quaint were not really old, being put in in 1839, and being out of keeping with the general dignity of the church. Mr. Caroe, the well-known architect, drew up plans for oak benches in keeping with the 17th century pews. The whole of the church now is in the same style.

Other alterations were the removal of the organ from the middle of the south wall, and placing it in the gallery, which also was altered, in keeping with the other work. The whole church has an oak dado round the walls. Part of this is old, and has the initials R.L. carved on it; this is possibly Ralph Lander, a benefactor of the church.

The whole church was first re-floored with wood blocks to take the place of the old deal floor, which was decayed. The whole work, including the architect’s fees, came to just over £1,500, of which about £125 remains to be raised. The large efforts made by parishioners during the last two years resulted in nearly £800 being collected by various means.

It is hoped that the present effort will clear off the debt, and provide enough money to complete certain alterations on the north side, where part of the seating has been left unrestored.

Among various interesting features of the church may be mentioned:--

The old stained glass in the east window, which dates from the late 16th century. The two fine old fonts. One is possibly Norman, while the other is dated 1669, and bears an inscription showing the names of the then churchwardens John Palmer and William Atkins. There is also half a stone coffin lid, which is beautifully carved; it dates from 1200 and is the lid of a priest’s tomb. Sandon church is particularly interesting, and will well repay a visit.

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