The arms of Lord Hampton, who is patron of the living of Hampton Lovett, are—per chevron, sable and argent; in chief three mullets, or, and in base as many garbs, one and two, gules. Crest—an elephant, or. Supporters—dexter, an elephant, or; sinister, a talbot, argent; each charged on the shoulder with a mullet, pierced, sable. Motto—“Fidelis et audax.” His seats are Westwood Park, Droitwich, and Powick Court, Worcester.
The pretty little Church of Hampton Lovett—one of the burial-places of the family—lies about two miles from the mansion, from which it is approached by a delightful drive across the park and the outlying portions of the estate. The Church is charmingly situated, and possesses some features of interest. It consists of a nave, chancel, and north aisle, with a tower at the west end, and contains a modern stone pulpit of exquisite design; and, besides recent stained-glass windows, there are some good remains of ancient armorial stained glass, including the royal and Pakington arms, &c. In the chancel, which is paved with encaustic tiles, is a piscina on the south side, and on the north a fine canopied tomb, on which has been placed an explanatory brass plate, bearing the inscription, “This monument was discovered behind another, which was removed to the west wall of the side chapel, during the repair of the church in 1859. Though much mutilated, the design was preserved, and the heraldic escutcheons (which were uninjured) show it to have been erected to the memory of Sir John Pakington, Kt., of Hampton Lovett, and Anne, his wife, daughter of Henry Dacres, sometime Sheriff of London. He was eminent as a Lawyer and a Judge, and amongst other honours received a grant of the lands of Westwood from King Henry VIII.”
Hampton Lovett Church.
The monument here noted as being removed in 1859 stands against the west wall of the north aisle, or “side chapel.” It is a fine piece of sculpture in the style of Roubilliac, with a semi-recumbent figure of St. John. It bears this highly interesting inscription:—“Here lyes Sir John Pakington, Kt. and Bart., aged 55 years, an indulgent father to his children, a kind master to his servants, charitable to the poor, loyal to the king, and faithful to his country. Who served in many parliaments for the county of Worcester speaking his mind there without reserve; neither fearing nor flattering those in power, but despising all their offers of title and preferment upon base and dishonourable terms of competition. He was chosen Recorder for the City of Worcester the 21st day of February, 1725, in the room of Other, Earl of Plymouth, deceased, which few ever enjoyed the honour of under the degree of a Peer of the Realm. He dyed the 13th of Augt., 1727. In the same church lyes Sir John Pakington, Kt. and Bart., and his lady, grandfather and grandmother to the said Sir John. The fyrst try’d for his life and spent the greatest part of his fortune in adhering to King Charles I., and the latter justly reputed the Authoress of The Whole Duty of Man, who was exemplary for her great piety and goodness.” There is also a tablet to Dorothy Anne, second daughter and co-heiress of Sir Herbert Perrott Pakington, 1846; her father, 1785; her mother, Dame Elizabeth Pakington, daughter of Sir Cæsar Hawkins, 1783; and Sir John Pakington, 1830; and one to the memory of Mary, the first wife of Lord Hampton, and daughter of Moreton Aglionby Slaney, Esq., who was born in 1799 and died in 1843.
In the churchyard are some venerable yew-trees, and near the path is a tall and lovely cross, of simple but effective design, restored by Lord Hampton in memory of his second wife. At the head of the lofty shaft is a crocketed cross bearing the sacred monogram: beneath this are beautifully sculptured figures of the four evangelists under crocketed canopies. At the base are the four evangelistic symbols, and beneath is the inscription, “To the beloved memory of Augusta Anne, second wife of Sir John Pakington, Bart., this cross was restored A.D. MDCCCXLIX. She was the daughter of George Murray, Lord Bishop of Rochester, and departed this life in the true faith of Christ, February xxiii., MDCCCXLVIII., after the birth of her second child, and in the XXXIST year of her age. + Not my will but thine be done.”
We said, at the commencement of our notice, that Westwood Park lies a couple of miles or so from Droitwich, and it therefore behoves us, before closing, to say a word or two about that town, and the “healing waters” which are its great attraction and blessing.
The neighbourhood of Westwood and Droitwich is very charming, the walks and drives are beautiful, and the whole locality is rich in historic lore and in antiquated traditions. Venerable church towers, pretty villages, homely yet comfortable cottages, fruitful orchards, productive meadows and corn lands, delicious lanes rich in wild flowers, wooded slopes, broad and narrow rivers (notably, majestic Severn), are in view from any ascent. But the eye takes in more than these: ancient mansions are numerous; among them several of our justly boasted baronial halls. There are houses of prosperous gentry, and picturesque dwellings of wood and plaster of a long-ago time. Indeed, the rich and the poor may be equally content with their lot in this fair, fertile, and rarely gifted locality. It is suggestive of prosperity, and indicative of content, although the whistle of the railroad is often heard, and the mysterious wires of the telegraph skirt the principal highways. The distant views are even more graceful and majestic than those near at hand. Grand old Malvern, the Abberley Hills, the Clees, the “hunchbacked Wrekin,” the Clents, the Lickeys, Tardebigge, Astwood, and even the far-off Cotswolds, may be seen from any of the neighbouring heights.
Droitwich itself is a town devoid of beauty or interest, but it is situated in a lovely district, with a glorious country around it, and a neighbourhood rich in scenery and in picturesque localities. Internally the town is a “land of many waters,” its brine wells, from which thousands of gallons per hour are constantly being pumped up, producing an enormous quantity of salt, which is sent out to supply the tables, and the workshops, and the manufactories of our native population, as well as to help to render our fields more prolific, and find employment for nearly the whole of its population. Droitwich, there can be no doubt, is a town of Roman foundation, and its salt-works were worked by that people on precisely the same system of evaporation in vats as now. A portion of an interesting Romano-British tesselated pavement—part of a Roman villa—was discovered here some few years ago, and is preserved at Worcester. It is indisputable evidence of Droitwich and its springs being known to the Romans. Although small, and mainly depending for its prosperity on its salt-works, Droitwich has always, since the Conquest, been a place of importance, and until the passing of the Reform Bill sent two members to Parliament; it now sends only one. It is governed by a mayor and corporation, possesses abundance of schools and charitable institutions, has spacious churches and other places of worship, and has every facility of railway and canal communication.