Dorothy Vernon
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Dorothy Vernon (1544 – 24 June 1584), the younger daughter of Sir George Vernon and Margaret ''nee'' Talbois (or Tailboys), was the heiress of
Haddon Hall Haddon Hall is an English country house on the River Wye, Derbyshire, River Wye near Bakewell, Derbyshire, a former seat of the Duke of Rutland, Dukes of Rutland. It is the home of Lord Edward Manners (brother of David Manners, 11th Duke of Rut ...
, an
English country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...
in Derbyshire with its origins in the 12th century. She married John Manners in 1563.Dare, p. 25 The couple's descendants, the
Dukes of Rutland Duke of Rutland is a title in the Peerage of England, named after Rutland, a county in the East Midlands of England. Earldoms named after Rutland have been created three times; the ninth earl of the third creation was made duke in 1703, in whos ...
, continue to own Haddon Hall. A legend grew up in the 19th century that Vernon and Manners eloped, and a number of novels, dramatisations and other works of fiction have been based on the legend.


Family background and legend

Sir George Vernon was a prosperous and hospitable landowner in
Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...
, and his family seat was at
Haddon Hall Haddon Hall is an English country house on the River Wye, Derbyshire, River Wye near Bakewell, Derbyshire, a former seat of the Duke of Rutland, Dukes of Rutland. It is the home of Lord Edward Manners (brother of David Manners, 11th Duke of Rut ...
, which is England's best preserved medieval manor house and a major tourist attraction. His second daughter, Dorothy, fell in love with John Manners (c. 1534 – 4 June 1611), the second son of Thomas Manners, the first
Earl of Rutland Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...
.Trutt (2006), p. 7 According to historian Paul Dare's 1924 book, ''Ayleston Manor and Church'', Dorothy and John were second cousins. According to legend (none of which can be verified), Sir George disapproved of the union, possibly because the Manners were Protestants, and the Vernons were Catholics, or possibly because the second son of an earl had uncertain financial prospects. According to the legend, Sir George forbade Manners from courting the famously beautiful and amiable Dorothy and forbade his daughter from seeing Manners. Torn by her love for her father and her love for John Manners, Dorothy fled Haddon Hall to elope with Manners. Shielded by the crowd during a ball given by Sir George, Dorothy slipped away and fled through the gardens, down stone steps and over a footbridge where Manners was waiting for her, and they rode away to be married.Trutt (2006), pp. 8; Although it is known that Dorothy's older sister, Margaret, had been married for several years before Dorothy's marriage in 1863 (Trutt, 2006, p. 24), in many versions of the legend, the ball is a pre-wedding celebration for Margaret. The supposed elopement became the subject of several novels and other works of fiction and drama.Dare, p. 23 The marriage could have been held at Sir George's manor at
Aylestone Aylestone is a suburb of Leicester in Leicestershire, England, southwest of the city centre and east of the River Soar. St Andrew's Church, Aylestone dates from the 13th century. The area around the church retains much of the former villag ...
, Leicestershire, the
Bakewell Bakewell is a market town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, known for Bakewell pudding. It lies on the River Wye, Derbyshire, River Wye, 15 miles (23 km) south-west of Sheffield. It is the largest se ...
church or the chapel in Haddon Hall, although no written record survives. If indeed the elopement happened, the couple were soon reconciled with Sir George, as they inherited the estate on his death two years later. The couple had at least two children,
George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...
and Roger.Dare, p. 29 Dorothy Vernon died in 1584 and was interred in the Vernon Chapel at All Saints Church, Bakewell. Sir John died in 1611 and was also interred in the chapel.Dare, p. 26 George, their eldest son, inherited Haddon Hall upon the death of his father. He seems to have previously lived at Aylestone Hall as several of his children were baptised in the village church. Haddon Hall remains in the
Manners family Etiquette (Help:IPA/English, /ˈɛtikɛt, -kɪt/) can be defined as a set of norms of personal behavior in Politeness, polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted Social behavior, social behavi ...
to the present day.


Ancestry


Dorothy Vernon in fiction

*A story entitled "King of the Peak – A Derbyshire Tale" (Sir George Vernon was known as the "King of the
Peak Peak or The Peak may refer to: Basic meanings Geology * Mountain peak ** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics * Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion * Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-d ...
"), by Allan Cunningham, published in ''
The London Magazine ''The London Magazine'' is the title of six different publications that have appeared in succession since 1732. All six have focused on the arts, literature and poetry. A number of Nobel Laureates, including Annie Ernaux, Albert Camus, Doris Les ...
'' in 1822. *An 1823 novel ''The King of the Peak – A Romance'', in three volumes by William Bennett (1796–1879), writing under the pseudonym Lee Gibbons. *"The Love Steps of Dorothy Vernon", a short story by Eliza Meteyard (1816–1879), writing under a pseudonym in 1849. It was first published in the 29 December 1849 issue of '' Eliza Cook's Journal'' and then in ''The Reliquary'', October 1860, p. 79. *A light opera of 1892, ''Haddon Hall'' by
Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...
, with libretto by
Sydney Grundy Sydney Grundy (23 March 1848 – 4 July 1914) was an English dramatist. Most of his works were adaptations of European plays, and many became successful enough to tour throughout the English-speaking world. He is, however, perhaps best remembe ...
. *A novel ''
Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall ''Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall'' is a 1902 historical novel written by Charles Major (writer), Charles Major. Following the life and romances of Dorothy Vernon in Queen Elizabeth I, Elizabethan England, the novel became the year's third most su ...
'' written by American Charles Major in 1902. *A play of 1903, based on the novel, by American playwright Paul Kester that debuted on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
. *A 1906 adaptation of Kester's play by
Fred Terry Fred Terry (9 November 1863 – 17 April 1933) was an English actor and theatrical Management, manager. After establishing his reputation in London and in the provinces for a decade, he joined the company of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree where he re ...
and
Julia Neilson Julia Emilie Neilson (12 June 1868 – 27 May 1957) was an English actress best known for her numerous performances as Lady Blakeney in ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'', for her roles in many tragedies and historical romances, and for her portrayal of ...
, titled ''Dorothy o' the Hall''.Trutt, David
Introduction and libretto to ''Dorothy o' the Hall''
accessed 5 August 2010
*A
film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
of 1924, starring
Mary Pickford Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...
, also based on Major's novel.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon, Dorothy 1540s births 1584 deaths 16th-century English people People from Derbyshire