Hatfield House is located in the town of Hatfield in Hertfordshire. Hatfield House was built in 1485 by John Morton, Bishop of Ely. After the English Reformation, King Henry VIII confiscated Hatfield House and used it as a residence for his three children: Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward.
Elizabeth spent most of her childhood at Hatfield House during the reigns of her father, brother and sister. After Mary’s death in 1558, the ministers found Elizabeth sitting under an oak tree on the Hatfield estate. Her first council meeting was held in the Great Hall at Hatfield House. However, after her accession, Elizabeth spent little time at Hatfield.
Robert Cecil
In 1603, Queen Elizabeth died and her cousin, King James VI of Scotland, became King James I of Great Britain. James did not like Hatfield House and offered to exchange Hatfield for Theobalds House, also located in Hertfordshire. Theobalds was owned by Robert Cecil, the 1st Earl of Salisbury.
Robert redesigned the house, using the designs of Robert Lyminge and Inigo Jones. The gardens were designed by John Tradescant. Before the house was finished in 1612, Robert died. His successors were not as notable, but Hatfield still played host to royalty. Both James I and Charles I stayed at Hatfield. Samuel Pepys visited Hatfield on several occasions. When King James II arrived at Hatfield when fleeing London, he found the house empty because the 3rd Earl of Salisbury was not a supporter. The king, however, ordered food and candles, and stayed.
Marquess of Salisbury
At the end of the eighteenth century, Hatfield once again came into prominence. The 7th Earl of Salisbury was created the 1st Marquess of Salisbury in 1789. The Marquess became King George III’s Lord Chamberlain. His wife, Lady Emily Mary Hill was the chief Tory hostess of the period. Lady Emily died in 1860 in a fire that destroyed the west wing of Hatfield House. The 2nd Marquess rebuilt the house. In 1846 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Hatfield.
The 3rd Marquess was the leader of the Conservative Party and was prime minister three times. It was during this time that England gained most of its Empire. The 3rd Marquess also brought electricity and the telephone into Hatfield.
Under the 4th Marquess, Hatfield continued its status as a social center. King Edward VII stayed at the house. During World War II, Hatfield was used as a hospital and the first Civil Resettlement Unit for prisoners of war.
The 5th Marquess was the under Secretary for Foreign Affairs and served in many Conservative governments, including that of Winston Churchill’s. He was the third successive Marquess of Salisbury to be the leader of the House of Lords. The current occupants, the 7th Marquess, served as a member of Parliament from 1979 to 1987 and has had a distinguished career in politics.
Today Hatfield House and the surrounding park is open to visitors.
Sources:
Cecil, Lord David and Robin Harcourt Williams. Hatfield House. London: Gascoyne Holdings, Ltd., 2004.
Hatfield House (accessed November 11, 2009)
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