Hemlock Hall

Hemlock Hall, the ancestral home of the Earls of Gypping, lies just to the north of Gypping in the Marsh and is one of the largest, grandest stately homes in Lincolnshire.

The current Hall is a fine mixture of architectural styles, and in many ways the history of Hemlock Hall is the history of Gypping in the Marsh.

Hemlock Hall is currently home to Lord Murray, the 18th Earl of Gypping, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth.

Hemlock Hall

There follows a brief history of Hemlock Hall and the Earls of Gypping.

The Origins of the Murray Family

The family of the Earls of Gypping is of Norman stock. The family (whose name was originally "de Meurray" until it was anglicised), came over to England with William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest in 1066.

The de Meurray family first came to prominence when a distant ancestor of the present Earl, Gaston Hirondelle de Meurray who was a knight in the King's service, assisted the Conqueror when he fell ill after eating a surfeit of lamprey. The grateful monarch granted Gaston the hereditary title of King's Keeper of the Privy, a title which has been proudly held by the first-born son of the family up to and including the present day. The somewhat onerous - and odorous - duties associated with the role were recently reduced to one purely ceremonial act per year, much to the relief of the present Earl.

A medieval image of a man cleaning a toilet

A 14th Century illustration showing an early member of the Murray Family carrying out the role of King's Keeper of the Privy

The Granting of the Earldom of Gypping

The Murray family has been pre-eminent in English history from that day forward. The first Earl, Norman Stanley Fletcher Murray, was granted the Earldom of Gypping by Charles II the day after the King was restored to the throne. The first Earl had been one of the King's most faithful retainers all the way through Cromwell's Commonwealth, and risked his life on many occasions to perform his duties in the King's service. The Earldom of Gypping, and a substantial parcel of land in the county of Lincolnshire - centred upon the hamlet of Gypping in the Marsh - was his reward.

The Construction of Hemlock Hall

The first Earl lost no time in stamping his mark on his land by beginning the construction of Hemlock Hall on the edge of the village. It was not the best location to build a large manor house; as the name of the village suggests, the surrounding countryside is extremely swampy, and the original Hall sank into the mire just three years after it was completed. Nevertheless, the first Earl persevered, and found that the sunken timbers of the first Hall made an excellent foundation for the construction of the second Hemlock Hall, which forms the basis for the house that stands on the site today.

The Great Hall, Hemlock Hall, in its Victorian heyday

As the fortunes of the family grew in the intervening centuries, the Hall was extensively enlarged, but traces of the original Hemlock Hall are still visible in the cellars below the second ballroom.

Declining Fortunes

Unfortunately, the 20th Century was not so kind to the Murray family. A combination of rising death duties and ill-conceived business ventures (such as the 16th Earl's plans to ship coals to Newcastle and sell ice to the Esquimau) resulted in the family's fortune being dramatically reduced.

Hemlock Hall Today

When the 17th Earl, died, the current Lord Murray inherited not only the Earldom and Hemlock Hall, but substantial debts. Ever since inheriting the title, the 18th Earl has striven to maintain Hemlock Hall and to prevent it from sinking into a state of total dereliction.

To this end, the 18th Earl has enthusiastically pursued a number of promising business deals... most of them hailing from West Africa, for some reason.

The Grand Staircase, Hemlock Hall, showing advanced signs of dereliction and decay

The 18th Earl regularly opens Hemlock Hall to the public during the spring and summer months. Members of the public are requested not to walk on the grass and not to pick the cabbages.

Opening Times and Admission Prices

April - September: Saturdays and Sundays, 2pm - 5pm.

Admission prices: £4 per adult; £2.50 concessions.

October - March: Closed to the public.