Lady Anne Clifford and her visit to Chorley

John’s account of William Adams brought to mind another famous traveller who stayed in Chorley over two centuries earlier.
 

Lady Anne Clifford (1590-1676)

Born at Skipton Castle 30 Jan 1590 the daughter of George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, Queen’s Champion to Elizabeth 1, was the last Clifford to own Skipton Castle. She fought equally tenaciously for her rights and for the King’s cause in the Civil War. At the time Skipton Castle withstood a three year siege. Lady Anne was also remarkable for her extensive post Civil War restoration work she carried out on her various Castles and properties. Many Churches and buildings in Cumbria still bear commemorative plaques to remind people of her good works.

When an old lady she remembered in her diary an occurrence 60 years previously of a stay in a Chorley ale house in 1616. Her diary of 1676 says:

March – the second day. I remember how this day was 60 years since I went out of the Inne at Manchester in Lancashire into the poor cottage at Chorley where I lay in a poor ale-house there that one night. I went out of the poor cottage at Chorley (though it was Sunday, by reason the lodgings were so bad) into the Inne at Preston.

Thanks to ‘A History of Chorley’ by Jim Heyes for some of the above information.

BH (Dec 2009)