Berkshire History for Kids: Ladye Place, Hurley

Where plotters change the King

Ladye Place was a Tudor mansion in East Berkshire. It stood at Hurley near Maidenhead. It was built in the late 16th century for Richard Lovelace. It was an Elizabethan H-plan house. It was built on the site of an old priory.
Richard was a pirate. He had sailed to the Caribbean with Sir Francis Drake. They made a fortune stealing gold from the Spanish. His son became Baron Lovelace.
The 2nd Baron Lovelace fought for King Charles I during the Civil War. When he was away, Roundhead soldiers stole everything from Ladye Place. His mother was left standing in her underwear!
A small boy told him his father started the Great Fire of London. Was it true?
In the cellars, the 3rd Baron plotted to throw King James II out of England. He and his friends brought William III over from the Netherlands instead.
He had artists paint fabulous pictures all over the walls and ceilings of the house. He spent all his money and it had to be sold.
It was bought by a lady who had won £20,000 in a lottery (£1.5m today). Her nephew, Joseph Wilcocks spent his money helping people in Hurley.
The family died out. The house was empty for 11 years. It needed lots of expensive repairs. So, in 1837, it was pulled down instead.
The gateways and the cellars are still standing.