Stories Unlocked Kettlethorpe

Katherine Swynford Most visitors to Kettlethorpe are interested mainly in its associations with Katherine Swynford, the third wife of John of Gaunt, through whose children the royal houses of Tudor, Stuart and Hanover traced their descent from the Plantagenet Kings of England. This interest was stimulated by the publication in 1954 of Anya Seton's very popular novel about her called "Katherine". The manor of Kettlethorpe was conveyed to Sir Thomas Swynford in 1356 and on his death, five years later his son Sir Hugh succeeded to the estate. Katherine, who became the wife of Sir Hugh, was the daughter of Sir Payne Roelt, a knight in the retinue of Edward lll‘s queen, Philippa of Hainault who is chiefly remembered today by her plea on

behalf of the "Burghers of Calais“. lt is believed that the wife of Geoffrey Chaucer was a sister of Katherine Swynford and in that case it is quite possible that the poet visited Kettlethorpe at some time. Sir Hugh Swynford died in 1371 and his widow became the mistress of John of Gaunt who was then no more than 30 years of age. Little is known about her activities and it is uncertain how many years she spent at Kettlethorpe. Part of her life was probably spent in Anjou; for some, or all of her children of John of Gaunt by his mistress Katherine are believed to have been born at Beaufort. Some of her time, however, must have been spent in London and some in Lincolnshire, either at

www.churchesfestival.info  

 

Bolingbroke, Lincoln or Kettlethorpe. There are documents which show that whether she was living at Kettlethorpe or not she was engaged in improving the property by the purchase of land and in 1383 Richard ll gave her a licence to enclose and mark a park of 300 acres of land and woods at Kettlethorpe. Eventually, after some twenty years as his mistress, she married John of Gaunt, who had reached the age of 55, at Lincoln on the 13th January 1396. He only lived another three years, however, dying a few months before his son, Henry Bolingbroke, succeeded to the throne. Katherine survived him for only four years. On the 10th May 1403 Katherine died after having been Lady of Kettlethorpe for just over thirty years. She was buried in the Cathedral at Lincoln on the south side of the Angel Choir, her son Henry Beaufort being at the time Bishop of Lincoln. The tomb has been much damaged. The connection of the Swynford family with Kettlethorpe lasted for another 95 years and no more, for her greatgreat grandson Thomas Swynford died unmarried in 1498.

Only the 14th century gateway and portions of the moat remain to show us that the manor house of the Swynford family occupied the site of the present house, although the southern front of Kettlethorpe Hall contains some stonework that may have come from the earlier house. If any memorials of the family existed in the church they must have disappeared when it was altered and reconstructed in 1809. Image shows: 1640 drawing of the tombs of Katherine Swynford and her daughter Joan Beaufort in Lincoln Cathedral before the tombs were despoiled in 1644 by the Roundheads. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F ile:KTombDugdale67.jpg

www.churchesfestival.info