Due to a last minute change of plan, the talk on Thursday 29th October was given by Peter Machin and was entitled ‘The Manor of Hallamshire and the Lord’s of the Manor’.
Hallamshire was the ancient name for Sheffield and at the time of the Norman Conquest this area was in the control of Waltheoff, son of Sigurd a Saxon War Lord. William the Conqueror was at first so impressed by Waltheoff that he allowed him to keep his lands and to marry his niece, the Lady Judith of Normandy, but in 1086 he took part in an uprising against William and was executed. Waltheoff’s lands then passed to Lady Judith, but were administered for her by Roger de Busli and then his son, who died without issue.
The lordship then passed to William de Lovetot the son of a Norman baron who had come over with the Conqueror. It was Lovetot who built the first church, now the Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul in Sheffield, although it is believed that there may have been a Saxon Church on the same spot.
After the Lovetots came the de Furnivals, who built the first Sheffield Castle, this is believed to have been built on the site of the hall or aula of Waltheoff, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book.
Following them came the more familiar family name of Talbert symbolised by the Talbert Dog, a carving of which can be seen in St Helen’s Church. The first of these was John Talbert the 1st earl of Shrewsbury who was known as the English Achilles. His younger son Christopher had his home at Treeton and is reputed to be represented by the knight effigy in St Helen’s Church.
The 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, George Talbot had Sheffield Manor built in 1516 to serve as a country retreat. Thomas Cardinal Wolsey stayed here as Talbot's ‘guest’ on his way to face trial for treason in 1530.
The 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, another George Talbert married twice and his second wife was the well-known ‘Bess of Hardwick’ he is best known by most people as the minder of ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ finally came Gilbert, the 7th and last Earl of Shrewsbury.
After the Talbots came the Dukes of Norfolk, but unfortunately Peter ran out of time and had to end there.
Throughout his talk Peter gave us a tour of the Stained glass windows in the Chapter House of Sheffield Cathedral, these tell the story of the development of the Manor of Hallamshire and the sometimes fearsome looking Lords who shaped it. It was a very enjoyable evening and it seemed as though Peter could have gone on all night.
October meeting report
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