Things were going well with Thomas Lee. Now, on this winter's night, he probably went up to bed with a contented mind.
Sometime during the night Thomas awoke suddenly to find the house in flames around him. He shook Hannah and they grabbed up the children from their beds and started for the stairs only to find that it was too late to get down that way. The heat was hot on his back when he helped Hannah over the window sill and watched her fall to the ground—fifteen feet. He dropped his small children and then jumped himself. Just in time, too, for he was hardly on the ground before the roof caved in—too late to save the twelve-year-old white servant girl who was asleep in the house.
Shivering in their night clothes the family watched the barns and outbuildings burn to the ground, shocked into silence by the loss of the little servant.
Later the ashes of the house were searched for Hannah's silver. When not a trace of it was found the origin of the fire seemed evident—burglars had broken in, stolen the silver and other valuables, and then set fire to the house.
The villians who burned the house were never caught. There were at large a number of English convicts who had been transported to Westmoreland as indentured servants. They had joined together and formed a lawless gang—they frightened and robbed the citizens of the countryside. Thomas Lee in his line of duty as a local magistrate had no doubt at some time given them reason to want revenge. These convicts may have burned the house.
As naval officer of the Potomac, Thomas had to prevent smuggling. A year before Matholic was burned his life was threatened by the crew of the Elizabeth. No doubt some of his enemies made in the line of his duties were at the bottom of this outrage. At any rate the Lords of Trade in London thought so, for they sent him a bounty, three hundred pounds of which was from the privy purse of Queen Caroline. Tradition says that this bounty helped Thomas Lee to finish building his home, Stratford.
In the meantime he built another house on the Matholic estate at a spot removed from the original house. The new house was called Mt. Pleasant.
The site of the destroyed house was ever after known as Burnt House Field. It was used as a family burying ground.
STRATFORD HALL
Long before Matholic burned Thomas Lee had started building his own home.