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The origins of the Kelsick Hall are shrouded in the mists of time, unfortunately, the inhabitants of Westmorland in the late middle ages, were not great ones for putting pen to paper and often all that remains of these long ago lives are the records of births, deaths and marriages in the parish records.
John Kelsick junior is an interesting figure in the history of Ambleside, because, although he died at the tender age of 23 in 1723, he left in his will made just four days before his death, the bulk of his property in Ambleside, paying a yearly lord's rent of £1 3s. 11 ½d. to three trustees for the foundation of a free school. A portion of it was to be sold for building the school and the rest secured for the schoolmaster's salary. The Kelsick Trust provided a free Grammar school for the boys of Ambleside for over two hundred years and is still in existence today. John seems to be the last of the Kelsick line in Ambleside, although his name lives on, not only in the Kelsick Hall but Kelsick Road, Kelsick Cottages and more.
The Gibson family seem to have prospered well, hence the Kelly's directory entry of 1897 - "Gibsons James, Grocer and earthenware dealer, Church Street (Kelsick Hall) and Miller, Old Water Mill, North Road. I wonder if this is Elizabeth's son, 16 at the time of the 1841 census, who would now be 72 or perhaps his Son or Grandson?
Kelsick Old Hall remained in the grocery trade until 1985, when the business crossed the road. The old building was converted into B&B with a small tea rooms in the present kitchen. Where the famous priest hole was a popular feature. We are not sure whether our "lady" on the wall outside, dates from this period or maybe resided inside the bulding in its grocery days. Restoration in more recent years uncovered the beautiful old oak wall in the restaurant which had been covered with plasterboard for some years, which possibly accounts for its amazing state of preservation.
To understand the history of priest holes, we must first look back at the history of England.
But many priests risked their lives to come back and minister to the flock, and many Catholics likewise risked their lives and fortunes to hear Mass and have their children baptised. Wealthy families built hiding places, "priest holes", in their homes to hide priests in case their homes were raided by the secret police. The story is told of one priest who was almost caught in a surprise raid. He had just time to squeeze into his hole before the police broke in on the family. The police had obviously received a tip off because they went right to the fireplace where the priest's hole was located. But try as they might, they couldn't find the entrance. Then in their frustration they ordered a fire to be lit to drive out the priest. When he didn't emerge, because to do so would subject the host family to prison or death, they ordered more logs on the fire. Eventually, all were driven from the room by the intense heat and the police left in disgust. The family rushed to get the priest out of the hole but he was already dead, baked alive. There is some speculation whether the priest hole in the floor of the Kelsick Hall is in fact nothing of the sort, but certainly there are many such in the North of England, where people clung to the old ways. Many of the noble families in the area were known to be Catholics, and John Kelsicke senior, with his contacts abroad and established trade routes, would have had plenty of opportunity to smuggle in the odd priest or two.
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Previous owners have traced the building back to 1572, although there is some evidence of a building on the site even further back than that. It next comes to our notice as the home of John Kelsicke, merchant, grocer with, some believe, links to the slave trade, who appears in the Hearth Tax records in 1674. The building became Kelsick Hall as the family grew in affluence and importance in this little market town, parish records show that he had eight children between 1654 and 1670 although many seem not to have survived into adulthood as it appears his third son George became his heir. George had four daughters from 1692 to 1698, two of died young, including little Elizabeth who perished at 1 day old in 1694. He must have been overjoyed when little John arrived on the 14th March 1699. Alas, George himself died at the age of 48 in 1709.
We now jump forward over one hundred years to the establishment of Gibson's the Grocers in 1834. The 1841 census is unclear, but by 1851, Mrs Elizabeth Gibson, Widow, presides over an establishment of Grocers and Tallow Chandlers with her seven children and a nephew John who was a bobbin turner. It is interesting that their next door neighbours at the Royal Oak, Robert and Margaret Askew, employed a cook, a brewer and a nurse to look after their two children, all of whom lived on the premises.
The family went from strength to strength as we see from an advert of 1915, when James Gibson, family grocer, tea and coffee salesman, miller, meal, flour and provender dealer, hay and straw merchant, earthenware dealer and provider of "home cured hams and bacon" had establishments in Ambleside and Grasmere. The family business seems to have been divided later, however as in adverts from 1921 and 1937 the shops advertise individually.
When Henry VIII was rebuffed by Rome in his bid to divorce Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn, he declared himself head of the Church in England, replacing the Pope and demanded that all swear an oath of allegiance to him as such. Thomas More, the Chancellor of the Realm, the equivalent of the Prime Minister today, refused the oath and Henry had him publicly beheaded. Catholic convents and monasteries were closed and looted. The situation grew worse under his son Edward VI, although things improved for Catholics during the short reign of Mary Tudor. She was succeeded by her half sister Elizabeth I, an ardent Protestant, the daughter of Anne Boleyn. The practice of the Catholic faith was banned. Priests were exiled and forbidden under pain of death from returning or performing the sacraments.
