Somersal Herbert Hall is a privately owned

timber-framed Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...

16th-century country house at

Somersal Herbert Somersal Herbert is a hamlet and civil parish in Derbyshire, England, 2 miles northeast of Doveridge. Somersal Herbert Hall was built c.1564, incorporating an earlier building from c.1500, and is a Grade I listed building In the United Ki ...

, near Ashbourne,

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 ...

, in England. It is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. The FitzHerbert family came to Somersal in the 13th century when the estate was acquired by Thomas FitzHerbert, second son of Sir William FitzHerbert of

Norbury Norbury is an List of areas of London, town and suburb in south London. It shares the postcode London SW16 with neighbouring Streatham. The area is mainly in the borough of Croydon London Borough Council, Croydon, with some parts extending int ...

. The present timber-framed house was built by John FitzHerbert on the site of an earlier manor house in 1564. The entrance front at the south and other parts were encased in brick in 1712, when the property was enlarged. The Somersal line of the FitzHerbert family was extinct on the death of Richard FitzHerbert in 1803. The estate was initially sold in 1806 outside the family but was later repurchased by his cousin

Alleyne FitzHerbert, 1st Baron St Helens Alleyne FitzHerbert, 1st Baron St Helens, PC (1 March 1753 – 19 February 1839)''Fitzherbert, Alleyne, Baron St Helens (1753–1839), diplomatist'' by Stephen M. Lee in ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' was a British diplomat. He was ...

, younger brother of Sir William FitzHerbert, Bt of

Tissington Tissington is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Tissington and Lea Hall, in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England. In 2001 the parish had a population of 158. The population "Tissington and Lea Hall" at the 20 ...

. He lent it in 1808 for life to cousins of his, the novelist

Frances Jacson Frances Margaretta Jacson (born 13 October 1754 at Bebington, Cheshire, died 17 June 1842 at Somersal Herbert, Derbyshire) was an English novelist. Her work shows a strong moral purpose and insight into relationships and marriages. Family commi ...

(1754–1842) and her sister Maria Jacson (1755–1829), a writer on botany and gardening, who were in financial straits caused by a spendthrift brother.Joan Percy: Jacson, Frances... In: ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford: OUP, 2004
Retrieved 19 November 2010.
/ref> In about 1850, Sir Henry FitzHerbert, Bt, enlarged the house by the addition of a north wing for his second son Richard who was in occupation of the house in 1881. His son Anthony emigrated to New Zealand and the estate was sold. It was modernised and restored in 1899; further restoration work was carried out in 2004.

References

''Magna Britannia'' Vol 5 Derbyshire (1817) p246 from British History Online
{{coord, 52.9137, -1.7981, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Grade I listed buildings in Derbyshire History of Derbyshire Country houses in Derbyshire

See also

References