Frances, Lady Hobart, born Frances Egerton (1603 – 1664), was an English religious benefactor. She managed the finances during the completion of

Blickling Hall Blickling Hall is a Jacobean stately home situated in 5,000 acres of parkland in a loop of the River Bure, near the village of Blickling north of Aylsham in Norfolk, England. The mansion was built on the ruins of a Tudor building for Sir He ...

. She undertook an arduous religious regime arranged by her chaplain

John Collinges John Collinges (1624–1691) was an English Presbyterian theologian, and prolific writer. He lived and worked in Norwich for more than forty years where he played a major role in reviving and administering the City Library. He was one of the repr ...

Life

Hobart was born Frances Egerton in 1603. She was one of the eight children born to

John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater, KB, PC (1579 – 4 December 1649), was an English peer and politician from the Egerton family. The son of Sir Thomas Egerton and Elizabeth Ravenscroft, he matriculated at Brasenose College, Oxfor ...

and

Frances Egerton, Countess of Bridgewater Frances Egerton, Countess of Bridgewater (May 1583 – 11 March 1636), formerly Lady Frances Stanley, was an English art patron and book collector. She was born in May 1583, the second daughter of Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby, and his wi ...

. She was fluent in French as her parents gave her a

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

governess at a very young age. She married in February 1621 Sir John Hobart, 2nd Baronet and became his second wife. No children survived from his previous marriage. She and Sir John, had nine children but only one child, Phillipa, survived. During their marriage her husband completed the building of

which his father had started. The debts incurred were under her management and she reduced the huge debts by £6,000. She became enthusiastically religious and committed under the guidance of John Carter of

St Peter Mancroft St Peter Mancroft is a parish church in the Church of England in the centre of Norwich, Norfolk. After the two cathedrals, it is the largest church in Norwich. It was originally established by Ralph de Gael, Earl of East Anglia, between 1066 and ...

in Norwich and her husband soon followed her lead. In September 1646 she and her husband met

in London where her husband was a member of parliament. Collinges became their chaplain and he created a schedule for them that included studying scripture twice a day and prayers three times a day. In addition there was study of the catechism and sermons. Collinges published "The spouses hidden glory, and faithfull leaning upon her wellbeloved...". Sir John's health obliged them to return home and Collinges accepted their invitation to join them. In 1647 her husband died and she decided never to remarry. Her only daughter, Phillipa, married her husband's nephew and his heir,

Sir John Hobart, 3rd Baronet Sir John Hobart, 3rd Baronet (20 March 1628 – 22 August 1683) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1654 and 1683. Hobart was the son of Sir Miles Hobart (son of Sir Henry Hobart, ...

. She moved to a house in Norwich called Chapelfield where her chaplain, John Collinges, followed. While she was still agile she would start her prayers at four in the morning. She read the old testament every year and the new testament three times a year. She would hear about three sermons each day and she also bought a hundred pounds worth of books on religious matters for reference. She converted several lower rooms of her house to create a chapel so that services could be held there. The services were popular and they continued in her house for sixteen years. Collinges would lecture there each week and conduct evening services. Her chaplain was ejected from St Stephen's Church in Norwich in 1662. In 1664 Sir Joseph Paine, sometime mayor of Norwich, led a group who tried to disrupt services in her house and she successfully protested. In that year she died from dropsy and she was buried beside her husband in Blickling church. Her will was long and generous. She left her home to Lady Katherine Courten and this is presumed so that services could continue after her death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hobart, Frances category:1603 births category:1664 deaths People from Norwich Hobart family