Civil War and Muskerry

The Clanricarde’s son Ulick took up arms during the English Civil War for Charles I. After the Royalist defeat at the Battle of Naseby in 1645, Somerhill was sequestered by Parliament and Ulick forced into exile. The house went first to Robert Earl of Essex who died in 1646. Parliament then voted the Estate to John Bradshaw who had presided over the Court which condemned Charles I to death in 1649 (his is the first signature on the famous death warrant). Bradshaw died in 1659, and the house passed to his son. Initially Bradshaw was given a huge funeral at St Peter’s church Westminster, but a year later his body was dug up and hanged on the gallows at Tyburn.

Ulick sought to reclaim the house in a deal with Cromwell in 1653 in exchange for estates forfeited as part of the infamous Cromwellian Settlement in Ireland. Ulick died in 1659 and is buried in Tonbridge church. Eventually, with the Restoration of Charles II, the Estate was returned to its rightful owner, Ulick’s only daughter, Margaret, the eccentric wife of Lord Muskerry.

Soon after that, the new Tunbridge Wells became fashionable with London nobility. Before adequate lodgings were developed around the Pantiles, Somerhill, like certain other nearby big houses, hosted many gentry visiting the Wells to socialise and to take the waters. In 1664 the Queen visited Tunbridge Wells and the Queen’s Ladies stayed at Somerhill and “they went every day to Court or the Court came to them.”

At this time Lady Muskerry’s appearance was unflatteringly described thus: “… whose husband most assuredly never married her for her beauty; she was made like the generality of rich heiresses to whom nature seems just sparing of her gifts in proportion as they are loaded with those of fortune; she had the shape of a woman big with child without being so, but had a very good reason for limping; for of two legs uncommonly short one was much shorter than the other; a face suitable to this description gave the finishing touch to this disagreeable figure.” Lady Muskerry, a notable hostess, often it seems, took to wearing a cushion under her dress to make believe that she was pregnant. It is her ghost, “The Lady in White” that now walks the Julian Staircase in the Victorian wing of the mansion, but she only reveals herself to men!

Lady Muskerry’s second marriage was to John Villiers Viscount Purbeck who did his best to spend their money. Lady Chaworth wrote of him: “He makes what haste he can to consume his lady’s fortune by gaming and all other extravagances”. After Purbeck’s death there was a third marriage to Beau Fielding, but by this time parcels of land were being sold off to pay debts and Lady Muskerry died in financial distress about 1698.

John Villiers, the son of her second marriage, inherited the much depleted Estate, and like his father he wasted his money gambling and had to sell soon after in 1698 to pay his debts. The estate then passed into the hands of Thomas Deakins (The 'Lowy of Tunbridge' states: THOMAS DEAKINS, gent. of Tunbridge, in 1707, gave to this parish 50l. to put out ten poor boys apprentices; and 50l. more to the poor, which was laid out in building two almshouses).

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