Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to pay a visit to Uppark House, near Petersfield, Sussex and thought I would share a little information from my trip.
In 1747 Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh and his wife Sarah Lethieullier purchased Uppark House and estate in Sussex.
For around ten years the couple redecorated the house and spent much of their time travelling in France, Italy and Austria on lavish shopping trips, purchasing a wide variety of antiquities for their new house.
The couple only had one child, Henry, known as Harry, who was ‘safely delivered’ at Uppark on 22nd December 1754 according to the newspaper report in the Newcastle Courant just less than one week later. He was baptized at the local church in Harting, Sussex a few weeks later, on January 14th, 1755.
Matthew was to die before Harry reached his majority but fortuitously wrote his will just before he died in March 1774, appointing his widow Sarah and her brother Benjamin Lethieullier as guardians to their only son Harry.
Like his father, the educated and extremely wealthy Harry also undertook the Grand Tour and added to the antiquities that his parents had purchased.
He also commissioned the renowned Humphry Repton to add a new pillared portico, a dairy and to landscape the garden, creating some spectacular views from the house.
Harry was a good friend of the Prince of Wales who stayed at Uppark during the mid-1780s. In 1780, Harry had a short-lived affair with Emma Hart, later to become Lady Emma Hamilton, he even provided her with a cottage on the estate.
After this he became something of a confirmed bachelor and recluse until that is, at the ripe old age of 71 he happened to hear the head of the milking parlour, Mary Ann Bullock singing and fell in love with her immediately.
Mary Ann was a mere 21 years of age. A marriage licence was issued 9th September 1825 and the couple married a few days later, despite such a massive age gap. Harry also arranged for Mary Ann to be educated in Paris. Upon his death in 1846, he left the entire estate to her.
Mary Ann’s family moved to the village from Streatham, Surrey, where Mary Ann was born on 16th December 1804 (her parents were William and Ann Bullock). The couple had several children baptized in Surrey, prior to moving to Harting, Sussex at which point they produced several more children including Frances (1817) who lived at Uppark with her sister and was sole executrix of her sisters will in 1874. Despite being a scandalous marriage in its day, the union lasted some 21 years, so perhaps the age gap didn’t matter after all.
Featured Image
The exterior of Uppark House © Sarah Murden
All Things Georgian 
Sarah, you might not have recognized it when you read the story (unless you looked at the Pinterest storyboard for the book) but The Harrows in Echo in the Wind was modeled after Uppark. It is such a grand estate, I couldn’t resist. Thanks for the great post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, no, I hadn’t made the connection, but I have now, it makes perfect sense 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed, it does. I would love to see it in person!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You must visit it next time you’re in the UK 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would like that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello Sarah and congratulations on your fine blog. I am also a great admirer of the Georgian era that saw the arts flourishingin England as never before. I have started a blog about classical paintings and I have some posts on Georgian artists such as Reynolds, Ramsay and Gainsborough that may be of interest to you. Regarding Uppark I have a post regarding two unsusal paintings by Pompeo Batoni this is the link:
https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/141186363/posts/364
LikeLike
Hi, we’re delighted you enjoyed our website and thank you so much for sharing your fascinating site too, you have some beautiful paintings on there and lots of really interesting information 🙂
LikeLike
Hi Sarah,
Regan Walker is not the first to use Uppark in a fictional setting.
H.G Wells’ mother worked there, first as a maid for Frances Bullock, and later as housekeeper. Bladesover in his novel Tono-Bungay is based on Uppark.
My 3 greats grandfather Josiah Weaver was Sir Harry’s valet from 1811, though the primary reason for he and his wife Letitia’s employment was to bring up one of Sir Harry’s bastard children as their own. (In the book on Uppark Josiah is referred to as Joseph). The adopted son, Joseph Weaver, later took over from Josiah as valet and was Lady F’s companion (and in all likelihood her lover) until she died.
Wells commented “A Mr. Weaver, a bastard, I believe, of Sir Harry’s, occupied an ambiguous position in the household as steward and was said—as was probably inevitable—to be Lady Fetherstonhaugh’s lover.It could not have been much in the way of love-making anyhow, with everyone watching and disapproving”.
LikeLike
Well, you learn something new everyday. What interesting ancestors you have. Thank you, Mike for sharing this 🙂
LikeLike
An interesting read! I have been working on the family tree of a good friend the ‘milking maid’ was his 4 x great aunt … her parents were William and Ann Bullock … these are my friends 4 x great grandparents … it has been interesting to trace the families lack of status and fortune before and after the singing milk maids marriage ! So was Joseph Weaver lover of the milking maid or her sister Frances? You can email me if you like!
LikeLike