Rocksavage or Rock Savage was an

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personif ...

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

, which served as the primary seat of the Savage family. The house now lies in ruins, at in Clifton (now a district of

Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's coun ...

, England. Built for Sir John Savage, MP in 1565–1568, Rocksavage was one of the great Elizabethan houses of the county, a leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house; in 1674, it was the second largest house in Cheshire. James I visited in 1617. The

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...

was abandoned when it passed into the Cholmondeley family early in the 18th century, and by 1782 only

ruin Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

s remained. Rocksavage comprised a sandstone quadrangle around a central courtyard, with paired octagonal towers flanking the main entrance. Only fragments of its garden and orchard walls are still standing; they are listed as Grade II.

History

The Savage family were important

landowners from the late 1370s, when the family acquired lands at Clifton by the marriage of John Savage (d. 1386) to Margaret Danyers.Thornton, Tim. "Savage family (per. c.1369–1528)" in: ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford University Press; 2004, 2007)
(accessed 19 February 2009) Sir John Savage (d. 1597/8) was the

Seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

of Halton Castle, and also served at various times as a Member of Parliament for

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

and

High Sheriff of Cheshire This is a list of Sheriffs (and after 1 April 1974, High Sheriffs) of Cheshire. The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most ...

. Rocksavage was built for him on a hillside overlooking the River Weaver. Started in around 1565, the house was completed in 1568.de Figueiredo, Peter & Treuherz, Julian (1988). ''Cheshire Country Houses'', p. 268 (Chichester: Phillimore) () Pevsner, Nikolaus & Hubbard, Edward (1971). ''The Buildings of England: Cheshire'', p. 180 (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books) ()Beck, Joan (1969). ''Tudor Cheshire'' (''A History of Cheshire'', Vol. 7; series editor: J.J. Bagley), pp. 29–30 (Chester: Cheshire Community Council) Rocksavage was one of the great

" prodigy houses" of Cheshire.Starkey, Bert. Rocksavage Hall. Runcorn and District Historical Society
(accessed 19 February 2009) Hearth-tax assessments of 1674 show that it was the second largest house in the county, its fifty hearths being surpassed only by Cholmondeley House. An early 17th-century description praised the mansion's "magnificent fabric".Dore, R.N. (1966). ''The Civil Wars in Cheshire'' (''A History of Cheshire'', Vol. 8; series editor: J.J. Bagley), pp. 1–2 (Chester: Cheshire Community Council) The medieval family seat of Clifton Hall stood nearby, and was retained as farm and service buildings.Some notes on the history of Clifton (Rocksavage) near Runcorn, in Cheshire. Runcorn and District Historical Society
(accessed 19 February 2009)Hodson, J. Howard (1978). ''Cheshire, 1660–1780: Restoration to Industrial Revolution'' (''A History of Cheshire'', Vol. 9; series editor: J.J. Bagley), p. 77 (Chester: Cheshire Community Council) () James I dined at Rocksavage with his retinue on 21 August 1617 on his way to Vale Royal Abbey and

. John Savage, Earl Rivers, declared for the

royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

side during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

; Rocksavage was ransacked by parliamentarian forces, and the roof and part of the walls were destroyed. The first Duke of Monmouth stayed at Rocksavage on 13 September 1682 as a guest of Thomas Savage, Earl Rivers, while touring Cheshire to assess support for a faction opposed to Charles II. The estate passed by marriage to James Barry, Earl of Barrymore in the early 18th century.Hodson, p. 79 Further buildings were constructed higher up the hill by Lord Barrymore, possibly by the architect Henry Sephton. Now known as Clifton Hall, these might have been intended as a replacement for Rocksavage or as service buildings for the main mansion. A few years after these buildings were erected, Rocksavage was abandoned after the 4th earl's daughter and heiress, Lady Penelope Barry, married into the Cholmondeley family and the principal

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

of the combined

estate Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representat ...

became Cholmondeley House; Robinson, John Martin (1991). ''A Guide to the Country Houses of the North-West'', p. 60 (London: Constable) () the empty house soon decayed and was already in ruins by 1782. The

Marquesses of Cholmondeley A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...

use the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some c ...

''Earl of Rocksavage'', one of their

subsidiary title A subsidiary title is a title of authority or title of honour that is held by a royal or noble person but which is not regularly used to identify that person, due to the concurrent holding of a greater title. United Kingdom An example in the U ...

s, for heirs apparent to the marquessate.

Description

The design of the

mansion was a quadrangle of four bays in the local red sandstone, built around a central courtyard, and was symmetrical but not classical.de Figueiredo & Treuherz, p. 6 The main entrance was a gateway flanked by octagonal towers with domed tops and bridged by a

crenellated A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interv ...

wall.de Figueiredo & Treuherz, p. 45 The towers are prominent in an engraving of the ruins, after Peter de Wint, which dates from around 1818 and appears in George Ormerod's ''The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester''.

Brereton Hall Brereton Hall is an Elizabethan prodigy house north of Brereton Green, next to St Oswald's Church in the civil parish of Brereton, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I lis ...

, built some twenty years later by Sir John Savage's ward and son-in-law Sir William Brereton, was modelled on Rocksavage and copied its paired octagonal towers. Unlike Brereton Hall, the

string course A belt course, also called a string course or sill course, is a continuous row or layer of stones or brick set in a wall. Set in line with window sills, it helps to make the horizontal line of the sills visually more prominent. Set between the f ...

s of the Rocksavage towers extended around the adjoining walls. The last major remnant of the house fell in around 1980. Only the orchard gateposts and fragments of garden and orchard walls now remain near the

Weaver Viaduct The Weaver Viaduct, in the north of Cheshire on the M56, is one of the longest concrete viaducts on the British motorway network. History It was built as part of the first section of the M56 North Cheshire Motorway, also initially known as the ...

over the M56 in

; they are designated by National Heritage as a Grade II-

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

. The 18th-century Clifton Hall was originally a U-shaped brick building with prominent stone

pilaster In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...

s. One arm of the U has been demolished and the remnants are now surrounded by

farm building A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G. N ...

References

External links

''Burke's Peerage & Baronetage''
{{coord, 53.3153, -2.7135, display=title Houses completed in 1568 Former country houses in England Grade II listed buildings in Cheshire Country houses in Cheshire Ruins in Cheshire Buildings and structures in Runcorn Savage family

History

Description

See also

References

External links