The Peeress and the Parson

Elvaston Castle (derbyshire.gov.uk}

Elvaston Castle, the Derbyshire seat of the Earls of Harrington, has been described as “perhaps the most remarkable place in England.” Charles Stanhope, the 4th Earl, succeeded his father in 1829. Charles was a "Regency buck" known for collecting snuff boxes. And actresses. In 1831, he married Maria Foote, a sometime stage performer and notorious courtesan. As the new countess would never be accepted in respectable society, Charles and Maria retreated behind their castle gates. 

The Earl permitted few visitors. He forbade his wife to leave the Castle. To amuse her, he expended a fortune on the Castle and grounds. On those grounds stood St. Bartholomew’s Church. In 1841, a new vicar arrived, the Rev. Frederick Nathaniel Highmore. Despite the "scandals," the young clergyman was not judgmental and soon won the affection of his patrons at the castle. The peer and parson got along famously. Rev and Mrs Highmore, the villagers said, enjoyed the castle's hospitality, i.e. lavish dinners and card parties, "rollicking times." It was, therefore, a sad day at the vicarage when the 4th Earl passed away in 1851. He left no legitimate male heir and the title passed to his brother, Leicester Stanhope. The 5th earl soon arrived with his wife, now the Countess Elizabeth, a “noted beauty" of London society. The new Earl and his wife, however, were of a very different mindset. They held strong temperance views. It soon became clear that the days of comity between church and castle had ended.

The Rev. Mr. Highmore actually left Elvaston for three years, ostensibly for his health. A succession of curates filled in, none of whom pleased the Castle. Upon Mr. Highmore’s return to Elvaston, there were new disagreements over plans to rehabilitate St. Bart’s church and how to run the village school. By 1857, the vicar was persona non grata at Elvaston Castle.  

About that time, the Rev. T.J. Jones, fresh from school, arrived to be Mr. Highmore’s newest curate. He was, of course, invited to the Castle for tea. The Countess was eager to hear him preach but she would only come to St. Bart’s if Mr. Jones was officiating. She confided in the young curate that the vicar was a “wicked fellow.” She knew what went on at the vicarage (Thurlaston Grange) and how they were “drunks rolling on the floor.” But Jones had dined at the Highmores and found them pleasant. The Countess answered: “If you go to those Highmores, you will not be welcomed at the Castle.” Jones relayed this to the vicar and the Rev. Highmore sued her Ladyship for slander.

The Vicarage (Thurlaston Grange) historicengland.org.uk

At the Derby Assizes in June 1857, the Rev Mr Jones recounted his meetings with the Countess. She told him that neither she nor her husband would take communion from the vicar because of his wickedness. "He is a low & vulgar fellow, a drunk, and he has encouraged card-playing, gambling & debauchery in the village." Jones was told that Highmore and his wife were “constantly rolling drunk on the floor.” She further accused Highmore of being "unduly familiar” with his female servants and "pocketing" money from the church restoration fund. 

In his turn, the Rev. Mr. Highmore told the jury that he had enjoyed a decade with the 4th Earl but ever since the arrival of the 5th, he'd been snubbed. In fact, he couldn't recall speaking a single word to the Countess. But she had spoken about him and it was time for her "persecution" to end. Under questioning from the defendant's counsel, Highmore admitted that he had taken a lengthy leave of absence from Elvaston for his health, endangered by the harsh Derbyshire winters. Pressed, he conceded that he once had an overfondness for “stimulating drink.” But he had been sober for seven years.  

The vicar admitted finding temporary curates was not easy and he removed the bad ones as soon as he could. As for his theft from the building fund, it was all over £10. With a crumbling tower and rising damp, he spent where it was needed most. His books were open to anyone for inspection. 

The public gallery was packed; folks eager to hear the Countess who did not deny her views on the vicar of Elvaston. Still, she insisted that Mr. Jones, an inexperienced cleric, had completely exaggerated her remarks. She never described the Highmores as “drunks rolling on the floor.” But one of the departed curates, an apparent dipsomaniac, had been seen in such a state. As for the vicar's "debauchery," she found his card playing to be very sinful and a horrible example in the village. Card-playing had not been allowed in the Castle since the late Earl’s death.

The Countess would also face cross-examination. She denied meddling in school affairs although she disapproved of the vicar's laissez-faire discipline. She did not shout down the schoolmistress, but thought the woman was a "virago." The most serious charge was that the Lady Harrington had spread gossip that Mr. Highmore “kept” a servant (Ellen Wilson) as his mistress, they regularly met for “bad purposes.” The Countess disavowed ever saying it, laying it at the feet of "her enemies."  

The jurymen quickly found for the Rev. Mr. Highmore and the Countess was ordered to pay £750. (£100,000 today!). She appealed claiming the damages were excessive. But Lord Chief Justice Cockburn (a bit of a lad, himself) turned her down: "Looking at the destructive and fatal tendency of the imputations cast upon the plaintiff as a clergyman and a gentleman, the damages are anything but excessive." Of course, the money would come from her husband, the 5th Earl, a quiet figure throughout it all. Poor chap; he was "one of the mildest and most benevolent men of our time." 

The Rev. Highmore remained in Elvaston until his death in 1873. His nemesis, the Countess, lost both her husband and her son in the 1860s and Elvaston Castle passed out of her branch of the family.  

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