SIZERGH CASTLE

Cumbria, England

Early Jacobite associations; the Stewart Society visited here in 1983

Sizergh (pronounced "Sizer" with a long "i") has been, from the 12th century, the home of the Strickland family. Their relevance to Stewarts is that Sir Thomas Strickland (1621-1694) was a zealous royalist whose father, Sir Robert, had been implicated in the Yorkshire Engagement. Sir Thomas was Keeper of the Privy Purse to the queen (Catherine of Breganza) in the reign of Charles II and the Purse is still at Sizergh to this day. His Lady, Winifred Trentham (1645-1725), whom he married in 1674, was present, as a member of the household of Mary of Modena, the consort of James II, at the birth of the Prince of Wales (James VIII & III, the future father of Prince Charles Edward Stuart) in 1688. At the Revolution later that year, Sir Thomas and his wife loyally followed the Stuart royal family into voluntary exile at St. Germain, in France. Here Lady Strickland became governess to the young Prince James, whose birth she had witnessed. At Sizergh there is a collection of Stuart personal relics and a set of portraits of the Stuart royal family, given to Lady Strickland by the grateful Queen, a permanent reminder of those difficult years in exile.

The earliest part of the present Castle is a Pele (pronounced "Peel") Tower, dating from about the middle of the fourteenth century. To this was added a Tudor great hall, remodelled in Elizabethan times (16th century), and two Elizabethan wings, forming three sides of a large courtyard. After the Revolution of 1688 the family fell on evil times because of their loyal support for the Stuarts. However, by the nineteenth century their fortunes had recovered enough for them to alter and extend the castle considerably; not all these alterations can be said to have been "improvements" as many original features were lost in the process.

The Stewart Society was privileged to be allowed to hold its Gathering and AGM at Sizergh on 23 July 1983. The castle, which is still the home of the Stricklands, is now administered by the National Trust [for England] and is open to the public, Sundays to Thursdays, from 30 March to 30 October. It lies 3 1/2 miles south of Kendal, on the Barrow side of the A590/A591 interchange, quite close to Junction 36 of the M6 motorway. Contact: Sizergh Castle, nr. Kendal, Cumbria, LA8 8AE Tel: 01539-560-070.