Lawshall Hall
| Lawshall Hall | |
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Lawshall Hall
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| Location | The Street, Lawshall, Suffolk, England |
| Coordinates | 52°09′17″N 0°43′20″E / 52.154812°N 0.722342°ECoordinates: 52°09′17″N 0°43′20″E / 52.154812°N 0.722342°E |
| Built | Mid sixteenth century |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name: Lawshall Hall | |
| Designated | 10 January 1953 |
 Location in Suffolk
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Lawshall Hall is a Grade II* listed building, re-built in 1557, that is located in the parish of Lawshall in Suffolk. The Hall is adjacent to All Saints Church and is very close to the centre of the village.
The original manor house on the site of Lawshall Hall dates from at least the eleventh century when it belonged to Ramsey Abbey at Ramsey. An agreement was drawn up between the Abbot of Ramsey and William Herberd in 1269 that required Herberd to provide for the widow of Alexander Hemning, the tenant of Lawshall Hall, and her two sons. Herberd was to "maintain the sons and land in as good or better state than when he first had access to the wife of Alexander".
After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1534 the Manor of Lawshall, including Lawshall Hall, was granted to John Rither for 13 years and then in 1547 was sold to Sir William Drury. The Drurys of Hawstead were a very important family in the district and over the years several members of the family had distinguished connections with the Royal Family. It is possible that these connections brought about the visit of Queen Elizabeth I to Lawshall in 1578.
Queen Elizabeth I visited Henry Drury at Lawshall Hall during her "Royal Progress" tour in August 1578. The Lawshall parish register records that:
The queen was met with an impressive welcoming committee led by the High Sheriff of Suffolk, Sir William Spring:
For the small village of Lawshall, this would have indeed been a day to remember. The preparations at Lawshall were made by Richard Conysbie, 'Extraordinary' Gentleman Usher who was not on the regular staff. He must have been in attendance on other duties and assembled a nine-man team to provide some temporary help for the two regular ushers.
Henry Drury entertained and fed her entourage at lunch, after which the queen asked that he pledge his loyalty to the throne, denounce his faith, and acknowledge the crown as the spiritual head of the church. Henry Drury would have certainly pledged his life to defend the queen, but would not renounce his church, and was arrested on the spot. When Elizabeth called next on his nephew Sir William Drury that evening at Hawstead Place, Hawstead, Sir William converted and thus secured his politically correct position with the crown. In contrast, Henry was imprisoned for six months, and was in prison off and on for the next three years.
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Wikipedia