Secrets within the Walls! - Priest Holes | Hopwood DePree
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- Опубліковано 2 чер 2024
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WELCOME to Hopwood Hall Estate (AKA "Downton Shabby") in Middleton, England.This channel follows the unexpected adventures of American Hopwood DePree who, whilst living in Los Angeles, traced his family tree online, and discovered his abandoned 60-room ancestral home "Hopwood Hall Estate" that dates back to 1426! Hopwood was informed that if he didn't do something very soon to save the Hall, it would be lost forever. So he packed his bags and left LA to take on the madcap challenge of his life with a passionate team of supporters and community volunteers, in England.We share the ups & downs, failures & triumphs of this group effort DIY rescue emergency: learning new skills, discovering house & garden secrets and seeking the inspirations that will be needed to get this Estate back onto her feet once again!Thank you to all our Patreons, Friends and Supporters who have decided to come along on the ride with us as we transform this irreplaceable British treasure back to her original grandeur! It may take us some time, but we embrace it, as the fun is in the process!! We hope you agree and that you will gain as much from watching the journey as we are experiencing it - and do feel free to contact us via the comments section below. If you would like to become a Patreon of this channel and receive exclusive perks and content, we'll be delighted - please click here: / hopwoodxiv
#hopwood #hopwooddepree #hopwoodhallestate #castlerestoration #homerestoration #restoration #restorationvideos #britishhistory #englishhistory #rochdale #priesthole #tudor #discovery #guyfawkes #bonfirenight
Chapter Times:
00:00 - Intro
00:33 - The Discovery
01:00 - Meet Ros!
01:21 - The History
02:06 - The Hopwood Family Secret
02:28 - Who was Nicholas Owen?
03:10 - Visiting the Priest Hole
04:01 - The Tabernacle Evidence
05:08 - The Possibilities
05:42 - Searching for Priest Holes
06:50 - A Hidden Double Wall
07:53 - The Consequences
08:16 - The Hidden Wall!
09:17 - Outro
This was so fascinating! And the fact that there are still places in the Hall that haven't been opened or accessed yet only adds to the mystery. It's one of the ways history is alive - you're always discovering new things about it.
Thanks Josh!!
I highly recommend the book "By What Authority" by Robert Hugh Benson. It deals with the Catholic plight during that time. This was an awful time for Catholics that wished to practice the religion of their ancestors and could not find it in their conscience to convert to this new religion. Catholics lost a lot of their rights and to this day a Catholic can not ascend to the throne of England. England has so many heroes from that time. Margaret Clitherow known as the "Pearl of York was another of those who hid priests. Unfortunately in 1556 she was arrested and pressed to death and she was at the time expecting a baby. Thank you for these programs. Harvington Hall is also rich with history of the Recusancy period.
I did it! I just completed watching all 60 videos, in order! The scope of this project is astounding and you seem to approach each task and adversity with such a positive attitude. And, you've inspired so many people to get involved and share their talents. I am now looking forward to each new step in the process. Who knows, maybe sometime I'll get to see Hopwood Hall in person! Thank you for bringing a ray of sunshine (despite all the rain there) into an otherwise troublesome world.
Haha wow I am so impressed! Thank you for watching and your support! Amazing!! 😀
DUDE!!! Get the lock-picker specialist over and open that cabinet!!!
Hahaha yes will do! There are so many mysteries to solve and urgent works needed it's tricky to keep up! 😅
totally agree!! I want to know what's in there too!! haha
@@T.Account.356 ❤
I can’t imagine being stuck in a small space for long lengths of time. God forbid you were claustrophobic. What a scary time in history.
I agree! It's very spooky when you get inside of it!! 😬
It's a good thing that you didn't find any priests still hiding after 450 years ! Thanks for the interesting video.
Hahaha thanks Marg!
Great to have an update on the secret room, Hopwood. Really fascinating that it was a priest’s hole after the Reformation, & that the tabernacle base dates back to that time too.
Have you heard of Harvington Hall in Worcestershire, where they have a number of priest’s holes?
Looking forward to more updates on this in due course!
Oh, & I love the symmetry of the shot with you & Ros chatting, against the backdrop of the model of the Hall.. perfectly placed coffee mugs & all!! 😄
😀Thanks so much Judith! Yes I have heard of Harvington - would be great to see it sometime!
6:30, the cupboard may have been used to hold shutters to put over the windows.
That would be very interesting although if they were using it for other purposes in later centuries it seems like they would have then discovered the tabernacle
Oh haha now I understand! I thought you were talking about the priest hole being a storage space. Yes I think you're right that the door by the window probably could have something to do with concealing the shutters. We'll have to look into it further. Thanks!
"By Degrees" Sounds like your motto for making progress on restoring Hopwood Hall to its former self! Keep up the good work Hopwood! Richard
Thanks so much Richard - haha yes agreed on the motto! 😀
Thank you.
Totally geeking out about this. I picked up your book, Downton Shabby, at the Harold Washington Branch of the Chicago Public Library and read three chapters while riding the Blue Line home. I love history. I love restoration. I love a good story. Hopwood Hall is the trifecta! :D
Haha thanks Molly! That's great to hear! 😀❤
Fascinating!
Thanks Sondra!
Just thought be careful when opening priest holes as ones that are known of are the ones that Priest hunters found. And sometimes the priests were in there so long and if family were arrested there was no one to let them out so they could die there. Theres a house near Preston I think that opened a Priest hole and found a skeleton.
Sir, an added note to your viewers. I highly recommend reading a brief history of Hopwood on the Wikipedia site. It speaks quite highly of you Mr. DePree. Especially when it notes that the council verified your ancestry to the hall.
Thank you for letting me know, I'll have to take a look at it
Very cool, Hopwood! I've subscribed to all your channels - a few weeks ago, I came across your book during a visit to a library branch i don't usually visit... and was very amazed by the coincidence, as I've been researching my family history, and my 5th great-grandfather, William "Doc" McClelland. Called Doc because he made whiskey, and ran a tavern, where people always left feeling better than when they came in! He was married to Esther Hopwood, apparently of the Hopwood, PA family, although I'm still working on who her parents were... In any case, I look forward to more of your videos, I'm sure there are more secrets to be discovered in the walls of Hopwood Hall!
Bruce that's amazing! Great to know you're on the journey along with us!
@@HopwoodXIV Thanks! I really need to check my messages more often; I see you replied a week ago! I had an interesting (almost creepy!) coincidence just last night - I had watched that show "History's Greatest Mysteries about the Voynich Manuscript, and it was mentioned that one of the possible authors was John Dee...little did I suspect that later in the evening I came across a reference to him while looking into our interesting ancestor Edmund Hopwood...it seems Edmund knew Dee and was borrowing books from him! (I'll put a link in your Facebook message box, since I don't know if You Tube allows links!)
This is awesome 😊 I never knew about priest holes and why they were used 😮. I'm sure you will find a few more in various places. Absolutely fantastic!😉 So glad I found this channel 🎉
Thanks Jeannette! We're so glad to know you're watching!!
Unfortunately Catholic History has been conveniently covered up. Thanks to Hopward and Harvington Hall for bringing these to light. A good read is Robert Hugh Benson's " By What Authority."
Hadn't heard of priest holes. Reminded me of a Nancy Drew mystery when you pulled out that piece of trim and said the paneling is a door.
Hahaha it did for me too when I first saw it!
Great!!
Thank you!
That was very interesting. Thanks for sharing it with us.
cheers Rita - thanks for watching!
Thank you Hopwood - really enjoyed this video on priest holes!!
Cheers Cheryl! Thanks for watching!
I’ve been binge watching these videos! They’re all so fascinating. I very recently discovered I’m also related to the hopwoods so this is very cool to see :)
Thank you! Great to have you along with us on the journey!
Loved doing this video! Love the Hall.
Thanks Ros! We love having you involved!
@@HopwoodXIV We must do some more soon!
@@rosalynliddle1353 😀❤
Hopwood, have you done a historical explanation of that mantle? what's up with the "by Degree's" "by Degree's"????
Fascinating! Have you been able to find any history from your family that dates back to when they originally occupied that gorgeous castle? Letters? Historical references? Pictures/drawings? Its' mention in 'other' families records who lived in the area at the time? Thanks for another step back in time. Ohio
Hi - yes we have found a lot but there is much more to discover! I wrote about a lot of it in my book and we also made a UA-cam video about some of it called "Uncovering My Family History" that you can watch here: ua-cam.com/video/OZcXEZoBP4E/v-deo.html
@@HopwoodXIV Thank you! My apologies. That must have been the one episode I missed. To know your family brushed elbows with royalty. What glorious times they must have been.
This is fascinating, I would be bursting to peek behind the voids. Have you found any secret stairways yet? I am watching another UA-camr who is renovating a convent and they found priest holes behind wardrobes and between walls that had religious icons and crucifixes etc. but I think this was more likely for during the 1st and 2nd world wars as it’s nowhere near as old as your estate. Fascinating none the less.
I also want to say That I got your book Downton Shabby today and it will be my holiday read in March (if I can wait that long) and I am super excited to read it. Thank you again for allowing us to come along on your incredible journey. 🙏
Thanks so much Ginger! Great to hear from you. There is still much to discover so we'll keep posting as we do!
Love this, how amazing. I could not sleep until that lock was open and I could see in that cupboard, that would drive me nuts. My imagination is running wild.
Hahaha
What a cool history lesson. I never knew about priest holes.
Thanks Emily! Great to hear!
Cool
Thanks Terry!
So glad you're doing it up I studied there in the 1990s and went into the hall have you found the Priest hole in the cellar yet
Thanks Chriss - Wow no I didn't know about that one! We'll have to go in search!! 😃
@@HopwoodXIV I've a old photocopy of a old book of the hall history When I'm down at Dads who is still in Rochdale I will look for it and you can have it. That door in the wooden wall I think leads to the cellar priest hole and tunnel away from hall. The door opens think you move something on the fireplace and it pops open This is all from memory it's 30 years since I was there I'm so pleased you are doing it up I campaigned in the 1990s but RMBC wasn't bothered Love to meet
Thanks@@chriss312 - some of those areas are currently closed off for health & safety but I can't wait to go looking as soon as possible!
@@HopwoodXIV I understand it was in such a state 30 years ago it had been left to rot from the early 1980s I'm amazed its still standing and the wooden wall look unchanged Think Lady Susan and William Wicked Monk are looking out for it too
@@chriss312 haha yes we definitely have some good spirits on our side!
Must of been scary to of hid in there knowing one cough or sneeze could cost you and the familys life.
Agreed James - I can't imagine -especially since it is cold, damp and musty in there it would be so easy to cough or sneeze
If I hid in there they would have found me. I snore.
My Father told me a story that my Great Grandfather was sending money to England on a regular basis to maintain the castle of our family ancestors. He even sent money during the Great Depression. Unfortunately, that's all I know. I would love to find out if this is true but don't know where to start. I'm also concerned if I find out it is true, I'd be responsible for millions in taxes, restoration costs, etc. What would be a good place to start my research?
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my friend had secret walls filled w pot back in the 80's.. he did retire early.
😅
grand of lady will look nice when fixed up
open that possible priest hole i’ve gotta know!
The hole in the door where a key would fit, take a photo of the hole within the hope that a locksmith could identify the type of lock it is by usually looking through the hole and looking at the actual key way of the lock, for that period it's probably a warded lock, post the photo on the community bit id like to see for myself if possible, maybe a Joseph Bramah lock
Ok thanks Clinton! We'll check it out!!
@@HopwoodXIV I am also thinking with just a hole, if there's no key way, search for a "Roman Key" Demonstration it could be similar to that but without seeing it I can't tell
@@Clinny- thanks so much- great to know!
@@HopwoodXIV Have none of you're film crew got an endoscope type camera thin enough to place inside the hole to see what locking mechanism it is
@@Clinny- not yet but that's a good idea. It would have to be a very small camera to work. That area is currently closed off for works but as soon as we can get back in there we'll see what we can find and hopefully make a follow up episode about it
🤔 Priest holes 😅
Under Queen Elizabeth I in England, technically it wasn't actually a crime to be (Roman) Catholic. It was a crime to celebrate the Mass.
I'm curious how many priest holes a residence of this size would normally have had? This is both a fascinating subject and a sad one. It's tragic that the Protestants and Catholics couldn't have worked out their theological differences. But absent that, what the Apostle Paul instructed was that we are to avoid heretics, not to kill and persecute them -- so both groups should have taken the Apostle's instruction to heart. In the end, more harm than good came out of this clash.
Who knows how many priest holes may be in a Hall of this size, it's impossible to say really....but there were often decoy priest holes to detract the searchers away from the real priest holes.I do feel that there will be more priest holes yet undiscovered at the Hall..... it's fascinating.
Thanks Suzanne - Ros knows a lot about this subject so I defer to her! 😀
Thanks @@rosalynliddle1353 - all good information to know!
@@HopwoodXIV Yes! There must be more priest holes yet undiscovered....
henry the 8th created the conflict, it wasnt really over religion, it was about greed and power.
It has never been illegal to be a Catholic in England. It was illegal to attend a mass and of course, to hide a priest would incur severe penalties or even death. A priest's hide would not be detected by tapping on the wood panelling, because the wooden beams behind the hide entrance would have been thick enough to cancel out any hollow sounds. It would not have been possible to hold a "little mass" inside a hide because, with very few exceptions most of them could only hold one or two priests due to the very cramped space.
Thanks Patricia!
She added erm...not a great deal. Not sure that is a result of editing or lack of anything to say.
Not that interesting, should had try to open the last spot. 😒