John Mery of Barton Park

John Merry or Merrie, born in London in about 1526, was a Merchant of London and Tallow-Chandler. Bought Barton Blount/ Hall, 1546, also Brizlincote Hall and Sutton on the Hill. He appears to have been buried from St. Dunstan's (Fleet Street) in London on 22nd December 1592 and his Will was proved on 24th April 1594. He attended the coronation of King Henry VIII who died in January 1547. The Merry family were Recusants and fined many times over the years. There is a priest hole in Barton Blount.

John Merry was succeeded by his son Henry, and subsequently by his grandson, Sir Henry Merry, who is described in the Visitation of 1611, as of Barton Park. Sir Henry was followed by a son of the same name, and by a grandson, John. John Merry died without issue, and his only sister and heir brought the Barton Blount manor and advowsou, by marriage, to the family of Simpson. About the year 1700, Merry Simpson, the issue of this marriage,retired to a French Monastery, and the estate was purchased of his trustees by Sir Nathaniel Curzon.

John Merry moved to Derbyshire, apparently as he thought he could enjoy religious freedom as a Catholic there, and bought a stately manor in Barton Blount (between Derby and Uttoxeter) and became the Lord of the Manor. A former name, Barton Bakepuys, can be seen in a record featuring Thomas Blount, esq, in 1422. It was the seat of Sir Walter Blount, a key supporter of John of Gaunt, who bought it from Nicholas Bakepus in the 1380s and renamed it.

During the civil war in October 1644, during the reign of Charles I, the manor-house was garrisoned for the parliament, and a skirmish took place in the neighbourhood between these forces and the royal troops from Tutbury Castle. This manor house, Barton Hall was the home of Francis Bradshaw who was High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1851. The Hall at Barton Blount was originally a moated fortified manor house dating from the 15th century. In the 19th century extensions were made. The terrace in the front of the house is by Bakewell. The Merry family's descendants all did extremely well with the family acquiring a coat of arms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQRkRW7H2TU

Barton Hall is 15th century in origin and originally a moated semi-fortified manor house. The 15th century red brick gatehouse has early 19th century ashlar facing and battlements. The front to the former office court is probably late 17th/early 18th century red brick with some 15th century brickwork. Garrisoned in the Civil War. Grade II. (2)

The rear (north west face) is the only part which is brick faced the remainder being faced with stone parts of which are 20th century. Small areas of 15th century. Brickwork are visible at the north and west angles. See G.P.'s AO/66/171/2 & 3. The published site of the moat, the north wrest arm, has been landscaped, and the head gardener indicated the site of the south west arm which he filled in the 1930's at approximately. SK 2078 3462. (3)

The remnants of the moat have been altered and landscaped to such an extent that the original form is not now discernible and it should be considered as a site only. (4)

Barton Hall is a grade II* listed small country house dating to the 15th century, early 18th century, c. 1800, early 19th century and 1925. The c. 1800 work was possibly by Thomas Gardner of Uttoxeter. It is built of red brick and sandstone ashlar, and has plain tile hipped roofs and seven brick stacks. It is of two storeys and garrets. The gate house in the north-east corner has 15th century origins but was refaced in stone in the early 19th century, possibly in 1824 or 1829 (dates on the hopper heads). The brick north elevation has stone quoins and a coped parapet, and is early 18th century and c. 1925 in date. This is probably the remains of an early 18th century H-plan house, with an additional bay to the left. The whole façade has at some time been heightened. The main part of the house is c. 1800, possibly by Thomas Gardner. It has five symmetrical bays, the centre bay being advanced and pedimented. Three bays of plainer mid-late 18th century are set back to the left, but still with a heavy cornice. Some garden features are also listed. See list description for more details. (5)

Barton Hall has had a long list of owners, rather than staying in the possession of one family, and trying to explain and understand the history of the site is difficult as all records of the hall were apparently destroyed during the Civil War. It stands on what at one time was the village of Barton Blount. At the time of Domesday, Barton was held by one Ralph under Henry de Ferrers and had a priest, church and two mills. In 1789 there were only five houses in Barton Blount including the hall, though this increased to 11 by 1851. The rectory and various outbuildings were destroyed in the Civil War, but the bulk of the village had gone by then. An agrarian revolution probably took place under the Blounts, who were at Barton from 1381 to 1560. The first mansion on site may have been built by the Bakepuze family, who displace Ralph as tenants of the Ferrers. Twin turrets guard the main entrance to the housemaid originally a drawbridge between the towers could be lowered over the moat that surrounded the house, and this was retained by the Blount's successors, the Merrys and the Simpsons, who otherwise made extensive alterations. John Merry was recorded to have bought Barton Blount and move to Derbyshire from London in 1560 in order to, as a Roman Catholic, worship in his own way with less interference from the authorities. Henry Merry owned the house when the Civil War broke out and was a Royalist captain fighting at Tutbury. The house was apparently burned during this time and the red-brick front on the hall probably dates from the resulting restoration; this may have been incomplete at the time of John Merry's death in 1676 when everything passed to the Simpsons. It was certainly Henry Simpson who pulled down the tithe barn and remains of the parish church in order to construct stables and out buildings. In 1710 Merry Simpson rebuilt the church that was subsequently restored in 1854, and some remains of the pre-Civil War church have been retained today (1964) in the current building. Multiple alterations and the construction of a rock garden were made in 1925 by Captain and Mrs Mallender; between their occupation and the Merrys, there had been numerous other owners of the hall. (8)

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C3714281 Charles Birch, clerk v. Robert Stone, Henry Jackson, Alice Eley, Roger Wharton, Rebecca... E 134/10Geo1/Mich6 Description: Charles Birch, clerk v. Robert Stone, Henry Jackson, Alice Eley, Roger Wharton, Rebecca Lea, widow: Rectory and parish of Barton Blount (Derby), and the defendants' lands in the said parish, viz., defendant Wharton's "three parcels of land called the Two Launds' and Great Parke,' parcel of Barton Parke," defendant Jackson's parcels of "said park called Barton Parke called the Bushey Parke,' the Thistly Close,' and the Cowgate,'" defendant Stone's large parcels of grounds called "Barton Fields," defendant Alice Eley's parcel of ground called "the Gorsty Fields," and defendant Lea's lands called "part of the Barton Fields," &c., &c. Tithes. [The names and possessions of James Blount, knight, Lord Mountjoy, John Merry, citizen and tallow chandler in London, Mrs. Simpson, of London, Richard Simpson, owner of Barton Hall, Mr. Simpson, of London (an infant), the son of Edwd. Simpson (deceased), lord of the manor of Barton Blount, Sir Henry Merry, Richd. Lort, of Foston, Merry Simpson, Frances Simpson, widow and relict of Edwd Simpson, and mother of said Mr. Simpson, "an infant," are mentioned.]: Derby