My wife's ancestors - Gerard - Contents

Gerrard's Bromley Hall

Gerrard's Bromley Hall, SE of Ashley, Staffordshire.
Mostly gone, but there are some remains.
See Google Maps and streetmap.co.uk.

Gerrard's Bromley Hall.
Print of 1686. (See below.)
See full size.

Gerrard's Bromley Hall (or Gerard's Bromley Hall) was an impressive (but sadly now lost) Elizabethan mansion.
Sir Gilbert Gerard purchased the manor of Bromley in 1564.
He built the mansion around 1575.
The porch has a stone dated 1584.
Sir Gilbert died 1593, probably here.

It was seat of Barons Gerard (created 1603).
James I paid a Royal visit to the house on 26 Aug 1617, during the time of the 1st Baron Gerard, and stayed two nights.
A print survives from 1686.
The mansion was demolished in the 1750s.
See Gerrard's Bromley Hall - the site today.

The porch was saved.

Some massive oak beams were saved from the mansion and used in the George Inn, Wolverhampton.
See extract from p.387 of [Staffordshire Directory, 1818]. This shows Wolverhampton then had two pubs called The George and one pub called The George and Dragon. So more information is needed.

"Gerards Bromley" is mentioned (sometime in 1603 to 1618) in Britannia by William Camden.
This was written in Latin and ran through various editions from 1586 to 1607. English edition pub 1610. Camden died 1623.
The above is from p.638 of 1722 edition.
The text should have "was" corrected to "is", which dates the original text to 1603 (title created) to 1618 (1st Baron dies). Probably 1610.

James I paid a Royal visit to the house on 26 Aug 1617, and stayed two nights.
When it was the seat of Thomas Gerard, 1st Baron Gerard.
From p.413 of The Progresses, Processions, and Magnificent Festivities, of King James the First, vol.3 (1828).

Gerrard's Bromley Hall, "the W.N.W. Prospect".
Print in The Natural History of Staffordshire, Robert Plot, 1686.
This is plate VI, on p.103.
See full size.

Detail of the above.
The dedication is to Digby Gerard, 5th Baron Gerard, though he died 1684, shortly before publication.
See full size.

Extracts from pp.99-100 of A survey of Staffordshire by Sampson Erdeswick with additions by Thomas Harwood (1844).

Site of Gerrard's Bromley Hall.
Entrance from SW. Old farm buildings and gate into site of demolished mansion.
Then round the corner to the E is the farmhouse (about as old as the mansion, still stands).
From old map. Surveyed: 1879. Published: 1889.

The location today.
From Google Maps.
See street view of SW entrance.

The grand gateway and farm buildings on the W side.
Photo 2018. See full size.

The hunting frieze

Surviving in one of the farm's ancient barns is a late Elizabethan plaster frieze depicting a hunting scene.
A horseman and 3 dogs chase a fox.

LHS of the hunting frieze.
In a barn with farm machinery.
Photo 2018. See full size.

Centre of the hunting frieze.
Photo 2018. See full size.

RHS of the hunting frieze.
Photo 2018. See full size.

Close-up of figure on horseback.
Photo 2018. See full size.

The porch

The porch, or portico, with stone dated 1584, survives.
It was moved to a wood S of Batchacre Hall, Shebdon, Staffordshire (some distance S of Gerrard's Bromley Hall).

Location of porch S of Batchacre Hall.
From old map. Revised: 1900. Published: 1903.
An earlier map incorrectly had date 1548.
See modern map.

The porch in 1686 print.

The surviving porch.
Photo from "The Gerard Coat of Arms", Transactions of the North Staffs Field Club, vol 59, pp.94-103, 1924-25.
See full size.

The porch of Gerrard's Bromley Hall today, in the woods S of Batchacre Hall.
Photo 2018. See full size.
See wider shot.
See arms.
See side view.

Gerrard's Bromley Hall - the site today