A PART OF HISTORY
Amanda Parker has followed in the footsteps of previous custodians of Browsholme Hall, when she was named High Sheriff of Lancashire earlier this year. Photography: Sarah Valentine
Robert and Amanda Parker are the current custodians of Browsholme Hall – the ancestral seat of the Parker family, Bowbearers of the Forest of Bowland.
Built in 1507, Browsholme is the oldest family home in Lancashire having been occupied by 14 generations. Over the centuries the Parkers have been awarded the office of High Sheriff of both Lancashire and Yorkshire.
So it is highly fitting that earlier this year, Amanda Parker was named as the most recent High Sheriff of Lancashire, which is the oldest secular office in the UK.
The High Sheriff of Lancashire has ancient origins and is personally appointed by the Queen in her Right as Duke of Lancaster. The office, as Keeper of the Queens Peace, is voluntary, unpaid and is held for one year.
Non-religious and non-elected, the High Sheriff is the Queen’s representative in the county for all matters relating to the judiciary and the maintenance of law and order.
A High Sheriff is appointed for each county in England and Wales and those chosen are picked for their contribution and work within the county. Working within the community and with a lifelong love of hockey, Amanda is a magistrate and has spent a huge amount of time on sports in schools. She is treasurer of the Lancashire Hockey Development group and a founder member of the Lancashire Hockey Umpires Association having started a young umpiring programme 14 years ago. Since setting up the training programme Lancashire is now at the forefront of young umpire development in England.
“Because Lancashire is a Palatine county, the Queen supervises the appointment of High Sheriff personally,” explains Amanda. “It was quite a surprise and such a great honour – historically as High Sheriff I represent the monarch in matters judicial and uphold law and order within the county.
“So for me the office of High Sheriff is about promoting law and order and the idea of citizenship, it is about bringing people together and promoting cohesion.
“A key role will also be to support and encourage the many voluntary and statutory organisations in the county, whose work so often goes unrecognised.”
As a representative of the Queen promoting law and order Amanda has already sat with a High Court judge at Preston Crown Court. She will also be working closely with various charities including Blackburn-based NightSafe and Lancashire Partnership Against Crime (LANPAC), which is an initiative with Lancashire Constabulary and has an annual Young Citizen of the Year Award (#YC2015). Amanda will also continue her work with schools, visiting them in her capacity as High Sheriff, explaining her historic role.
A keen advocate of supporting local communities and people, Amanda turned to UCLan’s School of Art and Design, not Savile Row, when it came to designing and making her High Sheriff uniform.
“Most people go to a city tailor or Savile Row to have their uniform designed and made – it can cost a fortune. But I wanted to have mine made in Lancashire by local people, it seems only right.
“I chose purple silk velvet and I am delighted with the result. It is very elegant and I wear it on all my official engagements including when I was presented to Her Majesty during her historic visit to Lancaster Castle in May.”
Previous members of the Parker family that have been awarded the office of High Sheriff have traditionally had trumpeter’s banners.
“As well as their uniform, traditionally each High Sheriff has a trumpeter’s banner designed for them for the fanfare to announce the procession in Lancaster Priory prior to the shield hanging ceremony. The earliest banners that survive were made for Thomas Lister Parker in 1807, but a further four sets remain in pristine condition within our archives,” says Amanda.
The banners date back centuries and include a silk embroidered banner from the early 1800s, one belonging to Colonel Parker who was High Sheriff in 1913 made by his wife and more latterly one from 1985 made for Amanda’s father in law, Christopher who was High Sheriff in 1985.
“Each of the banners reflect the times in which they were made. While the ones from long ago were traditionally embroidered, Christopher’s was screen printed, which was the modern technique of the time.
“My banner is being designed and made using laser cutting and 3D printing,” explains Amanda.
As a result the banners from each historic appointment are to be displayed at Browsholme from July when visitors are invited to enjoy its magnificent architecture, fabulous interiors and gardens.
Browsholme is a stunning piece of history – but first and foremost it is a family home. The grand entrance hall at Browsholme has remained unchanged for 200 years. It is filled with a collection of artefacts, which the family have added to over the centuries. English chairs painted with the family crest from 1630, tankards with the Parkers Arms crest from 1660, a coach panel from 1780, a portrait of Edward Parker from the 1600s – the list is endless.
More recent additions include a fragment of a Zeppelin shot down in October 1916 and given as a gift to the family – it is an amazing collection.
“Browsholme is a nationally important, historic house and one which has been in the Parker family since 1507. The collection accumulated over the centuries is unique. Our visitor’s love the fact the family live in house and are often more interested in muddy wellington boots by the front door than the artefacts,” says Amanda. “We use all the rooms in the hall, it is simply our home, just extraordinarily large!”
As Amanda and Robert stride along the flagged corridors, opening up each of Browsholme’s magnificent rooms they recount the history of the hall and the people who have lived and worked there. They point out the huge portraits hung on silk covered walls, fragile stained glass panels dating back hundreds of years and tapestries which have spanned the centuries.
Managing Browsholme is a huge task but the whole family have endless enthusiasm. Eleanor, 22, and Roland, 20, both at university help on the Estate felling trees, mowing lawns and in the evening helping with wedding receptions in the recently restored 18th century Tithe Barn.
Browsholme has been open to visitors since 1958, but many people are not aware of this jewel nestling in the Forest of Bowland.
“Here we are in the centre of the kingdom – yet Lancastrians don’t know we’re here. However our visitors comment on the unspoilt, quiet tranquillity of this very English historic home, which would be destroyed if we were overwhelmed by vast numbers,” adds Robert.
Having to rely entirely on their own financial resources, Amanda and Robert are philosophical when it comes to funding further work on the hall.
“If a project doesn’t get done this year maybe it will get done another. It doesn’t really matter, we have survived here for 500 years with hard work and good fortune maybe we will reach a thousand.”
NGS Plant and Garden Fair
5th July
Every Wednesday until September – the gardens and tea room are open 11am-4pm.
Hall tours from 12 noon.
The High Sheriff banners will be on display from July.
www.browsholme.com
Browsholme Hall
Clitheroe Road, Cow Ark, Clitheroe BB7 3DE
www.browsholme.com
For further information on the High Sheriff of Lancashire go to:
www.highsheriffoflancashire.com
or follow Amanda on: Twitter @HSLancs
