The Marks Hall Estate
Primary Teachers Resources Pack
1
Contents:
Introduction
pg 3
A Timeline of the History of Marks Hall
pg 4
Overview of the Scheme of Work
pg 7
Lesson 1: An Introduction to the History of Marks Hall
pg 9
Lesson 2: Marks Hall during the Civil War
pg 16
Lesson 3: Marks Hall during the Victorian period
pg 22
Lesson 4: Marks Hall during the Second World War
pg 26
Activities that you could do on a visit to Marks Hall
pg 34
About the Author:
These resources were created by Emma Paulus. Emma is a qualified History Teacher who
completed her PGCE in Cumbria and her NQT year at a school in Redbridge. These
resources were created as a project to go alongside a module in Public History as part of her
MA History at the University of Essex. These resources have been designed to fit in with the
2014 new National Curriculum for History.
2
Introduction
Evidence suggests that the site at
Marks Hall has been occupied has
been occupied for many years.
Known as Mercheshala by the
Saxons, Marks Hall was occupied
after the Norman Conquest by the
Merkshall family who took their
name from the estate which appears
in the Domesday Book.
The Markshall family kept the
estate until 1562 when it was
acquired by the Honywood family.
They in turn kept the estate until
1898 when it was bought by its
final owner, Mr Thomas Phillips Price. When Mr Phillips Price died he instructed that the
house and the Estate were to be left to the nation after the death of his wife. The mansion was
demolished in 1950 and different theories exist as to why this is the occurred. The parkland
and the deer park in the grounds of the estate have played a prominent part in the estate’s
history and whilst the deer park is no more, the parkland is open to the general public.
The history of the Marks Hall Estate is rich and full of interesting characters and stories that
would provide a good local history study. This resource pack includes a short sequence of
lessons that could be used for the local history study element of the 2014 National
Curriculum. It would then be possible to finish this with a visit to the Marks Hall Estate. The
Scheme of Work includes four lessons focussing upon four key individuals in the history of
the estate. These individuals are Nigel Merkshall, a Norman, Sir Thomas Honywood, who
was a prominent Parliamentarian in the Civil War, Frances Emma Honywood, a Victorian
wife who kept control of the house despite her claim being contested by her brothers-in-law,
and Mary Elizabeth Phillips Price, the final owner of the Marks Hall Estate before it became
the property of the nation.
3
A Timeline of Marks Hall History
Pre-Normans
The area is known as Mercheshala by the Saxons. It is likely that the
name came from its position as a boundary between Lexden and Hixon.
1086
The Estate is mentioned in the Domesday book. It is recorded that the
Manor of Markshall is part of the estate of Hugh de Montfort whose
subtenant was a Norman called Nigel. His descendants took Markshall
as their surname.
1163
The Markshall family are granted the manor house and the estate by
Henry II after the earlier owners had been involved in a plot to depose
the King. The family keep possession of the estate for over 500 years.
1330
Records show that the Church at Markshall was in existence. We do not
know who built it.
1562
John Cole purchases the house from John Markshall and rebuilds and
updates parts of the house.
1581
William Cole, John Cole’s eldest son, sells the manor to Edward
Deraugh Esq.
1605
Robert Honywood purchases the estate from William Deraugh, the
grandson of Edward Deraugh. He began a rebuilding programme at the
estate, replacing timer with brick.
1631
Thomas Honywood inherits the mansion on the death of his mother. He
was to become a prominent Parliamentarian in the Civil Wars.
1632
Thomas Honywood was Knighted by King Charles I.
1648
Sir Thomas Honywood commanded a body of Essex militia in the Civil
War and played a part in the siege of Colchester. Local rumour suggests
that the Roundhead troops dug the lakes on the estate at this point. After
the Royalists surrendered to Fairfax it has been said that Honywood
was left in charge of Colchester.
1666
Sir Thomas Honywood’s wife Hester inherits the mansion after he dies
aged 87.
1681
Hester Honywood dies and her son, John Honywood inherits the house.
1694
John Honywood dies with no children. A distant relative, Robert IV
Honywood is the next heir to the estate. He was a Member of
Parliament and a Deputy Lieutenant of Essex. Evidence suggests that
he was responsible for further modernising the building at Marks Hall.
1735
Richard Honywood inherits the mansion from his father, Robert IV
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1755
Richard II Honywood inherits the house from his father when he is 7
years old. He lives to be 10.
1758
Philip, the third son of Robert IV inherits the mansion and estate after
the death of his nephew. He was a General in the Army and is often
confused with his uncle General Sir Philip Honywood. He made many
alterations to the house to update it.
1764
Philip Honywood commissions a map of the Marks Hall estate to be
made by Timothy Skynner. The map shows the house, three lakes, a
walled garden and an avenue of trees leading to the house. The Church
is shown on this map as well.
1785
Philip’s wife Elizabeth inherits the house for the rest of her life. No date
is given for her death and when she dies the house is inherited by
Filmer Honywood, a distant cousin.
1809
William Honywood, grandson of Sir John Honywood, inherits the
mansion from his uncle Filmer Honywood who died without children.
William Honywood was a military man who had fought in the
American War of Independence. When he left the military he became a
Member of Parliament.
1818
William Philip I, William Honywood’s son, inherits the mansion.
1831
William Philip I dies, leaving his three sons in the guardianship of his
wife Priscilla and his brother, the Rector of Marks Hall. William Philip
II Honywood inherited the mansion.
1859
William Philip II dies, leaving the house to his wife, Frances Emma
Honywood for the remainder of her life. This was contested by his two
brothers who took the matter to court. The legal costs of Honywood v
Honywood probably contributed to the financial difficulties faced by
the estate later on. Frances Emma remained at Marks Hall for another
36 years.
1875
Frances Emma Honywood started work renovating the Church on the
site.
1895
William Philip II’s godson Philip Courteny inherits the estate after the
death of Frances Emma.
1897
The mansion, its contents and surrounding land were put up for auction
to offset the debts of the estate. The estate is bought by Thomas Phillips
Price.
1927
Thomas Phillips Price marries his third wife, Mary Elizabeth Swan. She
becomes the infamous Mrs Price who was in charge of the estate when
the house was demolished.
5
1932
Thomas Phillips Price dies aged 88 leaving the estate to the nation after
the death of his wife, Mary Elizabeth.
1933
The Church at Marks Hall is demolished and its materials sold.
1941
The building work for Earls Colne Airfield begins in the surrounding
area and woods. Over 1,500 workers are involved in its construction.
1943
The construction of Earls Colne Airfield is completed and American
GIs move in to make the airfield operational. Marks Hall mansion is
turned into the Headquarters of the surrounding airfields and Mrs Price
moves to Marygolds, a house on the estate.
1945
The war ends and the troops depart leaving their buildings like Nissen
Huts. The house soon fell into disrepair as Mrs Price was unwell and
unable to look after it. Braintree Local Council used the huts to fill the
post-war housing shortage.
Permission is given to Surridge and Son to auction the interior of the
mansion and to demolish it. It is unclear who made the decision to
demolish the house and why.
1949
1950
The mansion house is demolished and the contents are auctioned off.
1966
Mrs Phillips Price dies aged 90.
1971
The first Trustees of the Thomas Phillips Price Trust were appointed.
They have since been responsible for maintaining and running the
estate.
6
Scheme of Work
Lesson
Learning
Objectives
Activities
Resources
1) An
Introduction to
the History of
Marks Hall
By the end of the
lesson students will
be able to:
- Describe some
key individuals in
the history of
Marks Hall
- Make inferences
from sources
-Create a source
Starter: Introduce the topic through questioning
a picture of the Marks Hall Mansion.
Activity 1: Students interviewing each other in
the roles of key individuals from the Marks Hall
past.
Activity 2: Students analysing the shield of the
Markshall family and creating their own.
Plenary: Students swapping their shields with
somebody else. They need to explain what they
can learn about the person from the shield.
House
worksheet,
Key Figures
Cards,
Shield
worksheet
2) What
happened at
Marks Hall
during the Civil
War?
By the end of the
lesson students will
be able to:
- Describe the
difference between
the Roundheads
and the Cavaliers
- Create a
storyboard to show
what happened at
the Siege of
Colchester
- Decide how
important Sir
Thomas Honywood
was in the Siege of
Colchester
Starter: Watch a video about the British Civil
Wars. Using that complete a ‘fill in the gaps’
worksheet about the difference between the
Roundheads and the Cavaliers.
Activity 1: Talk through the events of the Siege
of Colchester. Have the stages of the siege on the
board and give each group a stage of the siege
that they need to act out. The rest of the class
needs to guess which stage they are.
Activity 2: Remind students about Sir Thomas
Honywood who they looked at last lesson. A
volunteer student will read out the role that Sir
Thomas Honywood played in the Siege of
Colchester. Students then need to decide how
important they believe he was to the success of
the Parliamentarians.
Plenary: Make a continuum in the room and ask
students to decide how important they believe he
is. They need to be prepared to justify their
views.
Homework: Complete a storyboard about the
Siege of Colchester.
Video
Starter: A word search of common Victorian
things to provide a quick introduction to the
Victorians.
Activity 1: Read a newspaper article about the
court case going on over the ownership of Marks
Hall.
Activity 2: Write a diary entry from the
perspective of Frances Emma Honywood
explaining how she feels about the court case
Word
search
3) How different
was Marks Hall
during the
Victorian
period?
By the end of the
lesson students will
be able to:
-Describe famous
things from the
Victorian era
- Create a diary
entry to show what
life was like for a
Stages of
the Siege
Role card
Storyboard
sheets
Newspaper
article
7
4) How did
Marks Hall
change during
World War
Two?
Victorian lady.
-Judge how
different Marks
Hall was during the
Victorian period
and what daily life is like for her.
Plenary: Ask students to think back to Marks
Hall during the Civil War. As a class list the
differences seen between that and the Victorian
period.
By the end of the
lessons pupils will
be able to:
-Describe changes
to Marks Hall
during the war
- Judge whether
Mrs Phillips Price
deserved her
reputation
-Explain their view
Starter: Students trying to guess the topic of the
lesson through looking at picture clues. They
then need to see if they can name or explain any
of the pictures.
Picture
clues
Activity 1: Show students the Horrible Histories
World War Two Report and get students to
answer some questions. Make the link to Marks
Hall.
Video and
questions
Activity 2: Sources carousel to show students
what happened at Marks Hall during the Second
World War. They need to consider the origin of
the source and how they feel about the changes.
Sources
Activity 3: Using the information gained in the
lesson students need to consider whether they
believe Mrs Phillips Price deserved the
reputation that she had.
Mrs Price
information
Plenary: Student opinion continuum.
8
Lesson One: An Introduction to Marks Hall.
Title:
Learning
Objectives:
Prior
Knowledge
Required:
Timing
Starter:
5-10 mins
An Introduction to the History of Marks Hall
By the end of the lesson students will be able to:
 Describe some key individuals in the history of Marks Hall
 Make inferences from sources
 Create a source of information.
No prior knowledge is assumed for this lesson.
Teacher Activity
Give students the picture of the
Marks Hall Mansion and ask them
to use two colours with which to
annotate the picture.
Student Activity
Students should be looking at the
picture and annotating it in two
colours. In Colour 1 they should
write what they can see in the
picture and in Colour 2 they
should write down any questions
that they might have about the
picture.
Resources
Picture
source
Get feedback from students and
Listening
explain that this is a picture of the
Marks Hall Mansion on the Marks
Hall Estate and that over the next
few lessons they will be learning
about how this estate changed
over time and that the mansion no
longer exists. Hopefully over the
lessons some of their questions
will be answered.
Main
Main
Written
Activity
10-15 mins
5 mins
Put students into groups of four.
Each individual in the group is to
be given a role card and will be an
important person in the past of the
Marks Hall Mansion.
Student should be given a few
minutes to look at their role and to
fill in the sheet for their character.
They should then be given time to
interview each other in pairs and
swap so that the whole sheet
about the important individuals is
completed.
Students are working in groups of Role Cards
four. They will be reading their
individual role and using this
Worksheets
information to complete the sheet
for their character. They then need
to take it in turns to interview the
other members of their group to
complete the sheet for all of the
important figures in the past of
Marks Hall.
Ask individuals to tell us about
other members of their group.
Who they were and what they
Feeding back from the task and
explaining who other members of
the group were.
9
found out.
10-15 mins
Plenary
5-10 mins
Explain that for the rest of the
lesson the focus will be on Nigel
Merkshall who we know little
about. Pose the question of why.
Students should think about why
we do not know much about Nigel
the Norman. They may want to
think about how we learn about
History and realise that not many
sources would survive.
Explain that one thing that has
survived is a copy of the shield of
the family. Explain that a shield
was the family symbol that people
would be able to recognise as
many people couldn’t read.
Students to complete the
worksheet.
Students to complete the
worksheet, thinking about how the
shield makes them feel and what, Shield
if anything, they can infer about
worksheet
the family from the shield. They
make think of things like the sun
on it might mean that they are
strong because the sun is strong
and shines brightly. They then
need to design their own shields
to say something about
themselves.
Shields should be collected in and
students should see what they can
learn from looking at the other
shields and if they can guess who
the individual is.
Students looking at peer work and
assessing what they can learn
about the individual through their
shield and seeing if they could
guess whose shield it was.
None
10
11
In Colour 2: write down any questions that you have about this picture. Eg. What are the people in the picture doing?
Task: Pick two colours. In Colour 1: write down what you see in the picture. Eg There are people in the front of the picture.
Nigel the Norman
Sir Thomas Honywood
Your name is Nigel and you are a
Norman. Your family was given
the land at Marks Hall by King
Henry II in 1086. You have used
the name of the land to choose
your surname, Merkshall. Over
time this turned into Markshall.
Your family owned the land for
over five hundred years and it is
your family who built the first
Church on the site. We do not
know much about you as a person
or about your descendants
because not many of the records
still exist. You are a bit of a
mystery!
Your name is Sir Thomas
Honywood and you become the
owner of Marks Hall in 1631
when your mother dies. You were
knighted by King Charles I in
1632 and you were a Member of
Parliament. When Parliament and
the King fought in the Civil War
you took the side of Parliament
which won. You helped
Parliament to win the Siege of
Colchester. You were in charge
of Marks Hall when the lakes
were added to the parkland.
Frances Emma Honywood
Mary Elizabeth Phillips Price
Your name is Frances Emma
Honywood and your husband
died in 1859 leaving you in
control of Marks Hall. His
brothers were not happy about
this though and they took you to
court because they thought they
should own the house. It took a
while but you won and lived in
the house for another 35 years
with your cousin. You made
changes to the Church on the site
and made it more modern.
Your name is Mary Elizabeth
Phillips Price. You got control of
Marks Hall when your husband
died in 1932. He didn’t give you
the house when he died though,
he said that you had to live there
until you died and then the house
and gardens belonged to the
country. The Second World War
happened when you were in
charge which meant that you had
to move out of the mansion and
into a smaller cottage. The
mansion was knocked down in
1950.
12
Task: Fill in the information for your character and then interview each person
in your group to fill in the information for the other important people in the
history of Marks Hall.
What is your name?
What is your name?
When did you get control of Marks
Hall?
When did you get control of Marks
Hall?
What changes did you make to the
mansion or to the other buildings?
What changes did you make to the
mansion or to the other buildings?
Did anything interesting happen when
you were in control?
Did anything interesting happen when
you were in control?
What is your name?
What is your name?
When did you get control of Marks
Hall?
When did you get control of Marks
Hall?
What changes did you make to the
mansion or to the other buildings?
What changes did you make to the
mansion or to the other buildings?
Did anything interesting happen when
you were in control?
Did anything interesting happen when
you were in control?
13
Coat of Arms Activity
This is the Coat of Arms of the Markshall family who lived at Marks Hall in the medieval
period. At this time most people could not read so families needed a symbol that everyone
could recognise and Knights could wear into battle.
1) What colours do you think this
should be? Why?
2) Write down three words that come
into your head when you see this:
1)
2)
3)
3) Does this tell you anything about the Markshall family? How do you think you would
feel if you saw it on the shield of a Knight?
Task: You need to design a Coat of Arms for your family. It needs to tell people who
cannot read about you. Think about:



What colours you might use
Do you want any pictures? What of?
How do you want people to feel looking at it? Will it be a scary coat of arms or not?
14
15
Lesson Two: Marks Hall in the Civil War
Title:
Learning
Objectives:
Prior
Knowledge
Required:
Timing
Starter:
5-10 mins
Main
Main
Activity
10-15 mins
5 mins
10-15 mins
What happened in Marks Hall during the Civil War?
By the end of the lesson students will be able to:
 Describe the difference between the Roundheads and the Cavaliers
 Create a storyboard to show what happened at the Siege of Colchester
 Decide how important Sir Thomas Honywood was in the Siege of Colchester
Students should remember Sir Thomas Honywood as a character from the previous
lesson but they do not need any further prior knowledge.
Teacher Activity
Show students a video about the
British Civil Wars. The Horrible
Histories Civil Wars Song is a
good video to use and is available
on YouTube. Alternatively
Timelines TV has a good Civil
War summary video.
Student Activity
Resources
Students should watch the video
Video
about the British Civil Wars. They
should use this information to fill Worksheet
in the gaps of the worksheet.
Hand out the homework sheet and
talk through the stages of the
Siege of Colchester. Separate the
class into eight groups and give
each group a number. They need
to create a freeze frame or a short
drama of the caption and after
time to practice; each group will
need to perform for the rest of the
group who will guess which
caption they are.
Each group of students will be
given a caption of the story of the
Siege of Colchester. They need to
act/mime/freeze frame their
caption for the rest of the class to
guess which caption they have
been given.
Storyboard
sheets
Remind students about Sir
Thomas Honywood who was a
character from last lesson. Get a
volunteer to read the information
about Sir Thomas Honywood.
A volunteer to be Sir Thomas
Honywood and read the
information.
Sir Thomas
role sheet
Guide students to complete a table
with reasons why you could
suggest that Thomas Honywood
was and wasn’t important to the
Siege of Colchester.
Students completing a table with
reasons why it could be argued
that Thomas Honywood was and
was not important. Eg was
because it was his house where
many of the Roundheads were
living and he was a Commander
of the militia. However he wasn’t
that important because the siege
ended because of the starvation of
the Royalist troops.
Table
worksheet
Students then need to make a
Making a judgement about how
16
judgement about how important
they believe Sir Thomas
Honywood was to the Siege of
Colchester.
important Sir Thomas Honywood
was in the Siege of Colchester.
Plenary
5 mins
Make an opinion continuum on
the room. Ask students how
important they believe Sir
Thomas Honywood was and they
need to stand in the appropriate
are. Ask some to justify their
views.
Students need to move to the area
of the room with the statement
that they agree with the most.
Homework
Students need to complete the storyboard with pictures to show the
stages of the Siege of Colchester at home.
None
Worksheet
17
The British Civil War
Task: Use the information from the video to help you to fill in the gaps. The words are in the
box below.
The Civil War was fought between 1642 and 1651. In this war, King _________ I was
fighting against Parliament. The King’s soldiers were known as Royalists or ___________
which was an insult because it came from the Spanish word for horse. ________________’s
Army were known as the Roundheads because the helmets that they wore gave them round
heads. The country was split with some people supporting Parliament and some people
supporting ____ ______________. In the King’s Army you were likely to be promoted
because of who you were whereas in Parliament’s Army you were promoted based on
________. In the end it was ________________ who won the war.
Merit, Parliament, Cavaliers,
Charles, the King, Parliament
The British Civil War
Task: Use the information from the video to help you to fill in the gaps. The words are in the
box below.
The Civil War was fought between 1642 and 1651. In this war, King _________ I was
fighting against Parliament. The King’s soldiers were known as Royalists or ___________
which was an insult because it came from the Spanish word for horse. ________________’s
Army were known as the Roundheads because the helmets that they wore gave them round
heads. The country was split with some people supporting Parliament and some people
supporting ____ ______________. In the King’s Army you were likely to be promoted
because of who you were whereas in Parliament’s Army you were promoted based on
________. In the end it was ________________ who won the war.
Merit, Parliament, Cavaliers,
Charles, the King, Parliament
18
19
Sir Thomas Honywood Resource
I am Sir Thomas Honywood. I was made a Knight
by King Charles I in 1632 but I am not fighting for
him in this war, I’m fighting for the
Parliamentarians! I control the section of
Parliament’s Army that are in Essex and during the
siege many of the men have been staying with me at
Marks Hall. I inherited Marks Hall in 1632 and it
has a large park and deer park in the gardens. I was
there when the Royalists surrendered to
Parliamentarians and when he left; General Fairfax
left me in charge of looking after Colchester Town
and keeping it under the control of Parliament.
When the Royalists took control of Colchester I
made sure to gather all of the weapons on
Coggeshall to keep them safe and out of Royalist
hands!
20
How important was Sir Thomas Honywood in the Siege of Colchester?
You could say that Sir Thomas Honywood
You could argue that Sir Thomas Honywood
was very important in the Siege of Colchester was not that important in the Siege of
because…
Colchester because…
In conclusion, I believe that Sir Thomas Cromwell was very important/quite important/ not
very important in the Siege of Colchester because…
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
21
Lesson 3: How different was Marks Hall during the Victorian period?
Title:
How different was Marks Hall during the Victorian period?
Learning
Objectives:
By the end of the lesson students will be able to:
 Describe famous things from the Victorian era
 Create a diary entry to show what life was like for a Victorian lady
 Judge how different Marks Hall was during the Victorian period
Prior
Knowledge
Required:
Timing
Some memory of the two previous lessons.
Teacher Activity
Student Activity
Resources
Starter:
Students to complete a word
search of common Victorian
objects and individuals to provide
a quick introduction to the
Victorians.
Completing the word search about
the Victorians
Word
search
Read the newspaper article
reporting the court case of the
ownership dispute at Marks Hall.
Students could highlight what
they feel is the important
information or they could do this
in a spider diagram.
Reading the newspaper article and
getting the important information
out of it either via underlining or
in a spider diagram.
Newspaper
article
Explain the task to students. They
need to create a diary entry from
the perspective of Frances Emma
Honywood to explain how she felt
about the court case and what
daily life is like for her.
Students need to write a diary
entry from the perspective of
Frances Emma Honywood. They
need to explain:
-Why there was a court case
-How she felt about the court case
-What happened
-What her daily life is like
Ask students to read examples of
their work
Listening to pupil examples
Ask students to think back to what
has been done over the last three
lessons. What has changed at
Marks Hall? Bullet point these on
the board.
Students thinking about what has
changed at Marks Hall. The class
is to create a list of what they
think might be different.
5-10 mins
Main
5-10 mins
15 mins
Plenary
5 mins
22
23
Queen Victoria (right) is one of the
most famous Queens in British History.
She ruled between 1837 and 1901 and
was married to her cousin, Prince
Albert (left). When Victoria was Queen,
the British Empire was at its largest and
Britain ruled huge portions of the world
(see picture below). The Empire caused
different foods to become popular like
tea, sugar and curry.
If you were poor and did not work in a factory,
it was likely that you worked in domestic
service as many large houses had servants.
The Victorians were keen to educate the poor
and so they opened free museums and
libraries to allow more people to learn.
Victoria was Queen during the Industrial
Revolution, where many factories were built.
This led to the growth of new cities in areas
like Manchester. These cities were built
quickly and often people lived in dirty,
cramped conditions. This led to the growth of
the importance of charity and it became
fashionable for the wealthy to give money to
help the poor.
Starter: In this lesson we will be learning about Marks Hall during the Victorian period. Search for the words that are in bold and
underlined in the word search below.
HONYWOOD VS HONYWOOD CASE FINALLY OVER!
Mrs Frances Emma Honywood is finally
able to enjoy living in the Marks Hall
Mansion (left) in peace for the rest of her
days, a court has ruled this week. Mrs
Honywood was left the mansion and the
grounds in the will of her husband,
William Phillips II Honywood when he
died in 1859. Her husband chose to leave
her the mansion rather than either of his
two brothers because he believed that they
could not be trusted to look after the
mansion and the grounds in a properly.
Mr Honywood’s two brothers contested
the will in court believing that the property
rightfully belonged to them however a
Judge has ruled that the house rightfully
belongs to Mrs Honywood. She is said to
be relieved that that court case is finally
over. Speaking to a reporter, Mrs
Honywood has said ‘I am glad that the
whole thing is over. Marks Hall is my
home and I didn’t want to have to stop
living in a house that was rightfully mine.
My cousin Elizabeth is going to move in
with me to keep me company and I’m
looking forward to being able to go for
long walks around the grounds and
watching the deer in the deer park.’
Mrs Honywood will be able to remain in
her mansion at Marks Hall where she is
waited on by a housekeeper, a butler, cook,
lady’s maid, two housemaids, a kitchen
maid, a coachman and a gardener. Mrs
Honywood is said to be looking forward to
updating her home and the Chapel is the
first on her list as she plans to restore it.
24
Task: Imagine you are Mrs Frances Emma Honywood. Write a diary entry about how she
might feel now that the court case with her family is over. You should include:
-
-
The reason why you were in court
How you feel now that it is over and you have won your case
What is life like living at Marks Hall? Is the house nice? Do you have to work hard?
Think about what a Victorian lady like yourself would do with her time. Do you go
for walks? Read? Do charity work?
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Lesson 4: Marks Hall in World War Two
Title:
Learning
Objectives:
Prior
Knowledge
Required:
Timing
Starter:
10-15 mins
Main
Activity
10 mins
15-20 mins
What changed at Marks Hall during the Second World War?
By the end of the lesson students will be able to:
 Describe changes to Marks Hall during the war
 Judge whether Mrs Phillips Price deserved her reputation
 Explain their view
Previous lessons on the history of Marks Hall.
Teacher Activity
See if students can guess the
topic of the lesson from the sheet
available. The pictures could also
be copied and put onto the board.
They are all of famous things to
do with the Second World War.
Once students have guessed the
lesson topic see how many of the
objects they can name and
explain.
Student Activity
Resources
Give or show students the eight
Picture
picture clues about the topic. They clues
need to try to guess the topic and
see how many of the pictures they
can identify.
1) Dig for Victory Poster
2) An evacuation label
3) Adolf Hitler
4) The Home Guard/ Soldiers
5) People in the RAF
6) The Cenotaph in London
7) Luftwaffe
8) A Spitfire
Show students the Horrible
Histories World War Two Report
which is on YouTube. Ask them
to listen carefully because they
will then have to answer
questions.
1) Name three countries that
were involved in World
War Two
2) What was the Blitz?
3) Why was the Air Force
important in this war?
4) Which side won the war?
Students need to watch the video
about World War Two. They then
need to answer questions about
who was involved in the war, why
the air force was important and
who won the war.
Horrible
Histories
video clip
on
YouTube
Explain that we will now be
learning about what happened at
Marks Hall during the Second
World War.
Using a carousel of sources,
students should be able to learn
what changed at Marks Hall
during World War Two. The
sources include a letter from a
In groups students should look at
the four different sources. Using
the information on the source they
should be able to state:
- What the source is eg
letter, diary etc.
Sources
26
soldier posted there, the diary of a
girl from a local village, a farm
worker on the estate and a letter
from Mrs Phillips Price.
-
-
5-10 mins
10 mins/
homework
Plenary
5-10 mins
Explain to students that Mrs
Phillips Price has a bad reputation
locally and people do not seem to
like her. Read the information
sheet about what happened after
the war and ask students to
consider why people might have
disliked her.
Show students the newspaper
article written about Mrs Phillips
Price and read it to the class. Ask
students to write a letter to
respond to it saying whether they
agree or disagree that Mrs Phillips
Price deserved her reputation.
Student continuum of opinion
Who wrote the source
What changed at Marks
Hall during World War
Two
How did the person who
wrote the source feel about
it? Back this up with
evidence.
Reasons that you could consider:
- Mrs Phillips Price did not
restore the farms
- The house was knocked
down
- Many of the trees were cut
down and it changed the
landscape.
Students writing a letter to say
whether they believe that Mrs
Phillips Price deserved her
reputation.
Students placing themselves along
a continuum line to state how far
believe that Mrs Phillips Price
deserved her reputation.
27
1
28
5
6
2
7
3
4
8
Task: Using the picture clues see if you can guess the time period that we will be looking at in the lesson today. If you know what these
pictures are of then write it underneath.
This source is a letter/ diary that was written by
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
This source is a letter/ diary that was written by
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
What does the source tell you changed at Marks
Hall during World War Two? Eg was anything
new built?
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
What does the source tell you changed at Marks
Hall during World War Two? Eg was anything
new built?
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
How did the author of your source feel about the
changes? Are they happy about them? What
evidence do you have for this?
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
How did the author of your source feel about the
changes? Are they happy about them? What
evidence do you have for this?
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
This source is a letter/ diary that was written by
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
This source is a letter/ diary that was written by
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
What does the source tell you changed at Marks
Hall during World War Two? Eg was anything
new built?
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
What does the source tell you changed at Marks
Hall during World War Two? Eg was anything
new built?
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
How did the author of your source feel about the
changes? Are they happy about them? What
evidence do you have for this?
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
How did the author of your source feel about the
changes? Are they happy about them? What
evidence do you have for this?
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
29
30
Source: A diary entry written by a
girl living in a village nearby
Anyway, it’s quite late now and I’ve got to be up early
tomorrow to help Mum make the Christmas dinner. We’re
determined to have a good day! I’ve been invited up to the
house for another party for New Year though so I’ll write
more about the house then! 
It’s been a lovely night though. We all walked up to the
Estate as a family and went into the mansion. Music was
playing and people were dancing and having a wonderful
time. If it wasn’t for the blackout curtains keeping the light in
you would almost have forgotten that there was a war on.
They even had Father Christmas there for the little ones and I
was quite jealous of the presents that they were getting! I’ve
not had an ice cream in years because all of the ingredients
that you would need to make it are rationed.
Well, I’ve just got back from a Christmas Party up at the
Marks Hall Estate. It’s all changed up there! Poor Mrs
Phillips Price isn’t living in the house any more; it’s being
used as the Headquarters for the air base. There are loads of
American GIs living on the site now and they’ve built a
tonne of new buildings so that they have enough space to
house them all. I was talking to one soldier and he said they
even had a cinema on the camp! Can you imagine?
24th December 1943
James
Source: A letter from an American
soldiers living at Marks Hall
Give my love to Dad!
I have to say Mum, the site here is great. We’ve got a cinema here
that shows all of the latest film and we have a squash court to keep
fit on. We quite often have dances up here with the locals as well
and I’ve actually met a really nice girl. If it wasn’t for the Germans
trying to bomb us I’d be very happy! We get them back though and
planes leave here to bomb Germany every day.
We’ve been moved again! I’m still in England and we’re now in a
place called Essex which is quite near to London. The Germans try
to bomb us here but we show them who is boss and fight back! The
Brits built an airfield right next to a big country mansion and that’s
where I’m staying at the moment. It’s great! There are loads of
woods in the park of the mansion which give brilliant camouflage
for the military hospital and the barracks where I live. The house
itself is our command post and that’s where the whole thing is run
from.
Dear Mum,
5th January 1944
Essex,
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Source: A diary entry written by
Mrs Phillips Price
On the plus side it’s been a lovely day today and I did get to
go for a quick walk around the grounds. A lot of the flowers
are in bloom at the moment and they are looking lovely. I
think I’m just tired and that might be why I’ve been feeling
odd.
I’ve not been myself today. I’ve just been thinking about how
much has changed here at Marks Hall over the last few years.
My husband died 8 years ago (I still can’t believe it’s been
that long) and of course he decided to leave the house ‘to the
nation’ so I can live here until I die but then the country owns
the place so my home isn’t even really my home! It’s
definitely not my home at the moment because the Air Force
have taken over the mansion and built a load of barracks on
the estate to house the 2,500 people who are living there at
the moment. I’m glad that its being useful and I feel as if I’m
doing my part to help the war but I have no idea how I’m
going to look after the place when the war is finished. What
am I supposed to do with barracks and a cinema? The house
is quite old and it needs a lot of work. I can’t go up to the
house and ask them if they’ve checked it over and fixed
things like the leak in the roof though can I? They have far
more important things to worry about like trying to win the
war! I would much rather they concentrated on that!
20th August, 1944
Jack
Source: A letter from a farmer who worked
on the Estate to his cousin
Anyway Frank, Molly is yelling at me that it’s time for tea. I’m
going to have to go. I hope things are better where you are!
In other news, the Americans are using the estate as a base. Have I
told you that? They’ve built a load of huts in the woods. They look
ugly but I bet the Americans are warm! They get much better
looked after than we do! We went up there for a party at Christmas
and they had bananas and oranges and everything, stuff we haven’t
seen in years because of the rationing!
Thank you for your letter telling us about how you are all, I’m glad
to hear that Grandma Joan is feeling better. Unfortunately things are
not good here. The Americans are in control of the mansion at
Marks Hall and Mrs Phillips Price, the actual owner, is living in a
smaller house now. Its ok for her, she has servants to look after her
and her house is well cared for but ours isn’t. Its February now and
we’ve had snow this week and the house is freezing. Mrs Phillips
Price doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to sort it out though even though
as the owner of the estate, it’s her job! The house needs to be
modernized! But I’m beginning to think that it will never happen.
Dear Frank,
15th February 1944
Poppy Farm,
1950
MARKS HALL MANSION GONE!
The mansion at the Marks Hall Estate
(pictured above) is no longer standing.
Individuals have lived on this site for over
900 years and it was recorded in the
Domesday Book in 1086. This week has
marked the end of an era as the house has
been demolished. The mansion was used
by the Royal Air Force and that American
Forces during the Second World War as a
base from which they controlled the East
Colne Airfield. The airfield was the site
from which many planes took off to go to
Germany and was vitally important in
helping Britain to win the war. Mrs
Phillips Price, the current owner of the
estate, has been living at Marygolds, a
different house on the estate, for the last
few years. She moved out to allow the
RAF to use the mansion during the Second
World War.
People are uncertain why the mansion has
been demolished. Sources claim that after
the war the mansion was badly vandalised
by squatters who moved into the house
without Mrs Phillips Price’s permission.
This meant that the house was dangerous
and it would be too expensive to repair.
However a local source who has asked to
remain anonymous has suggested that it
was Mrs Phillips Price who is responsible
for the demolition. He stated that ‘the
house is absolutely fine! I’m convinced
there was no damage to it at all, that
woman (Mrs Phillips Price) just couldn’t
be bothered to look after it any more. The
estate has been ruined by her!’
Mrs Phillips Price (with her husband
below) was not present when the house
was demolished and was staying in
Harrogate at the time because she did not
wish to watch
her home be
demolished.
Why the house
was demolished
remains a
mystery.
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Mrs Phillips Price has gained a bad reputation because the mansion was demolished when she
was in control of the estate. Your task is to decide whether she deserved this reputation. Could
she have avoided demolishing the house do you think? Does this make her a bad person?
Task: Write a letter the editor of the Marks Hall Times to explain how you feel about Mrs
Phillips Price. Does she deserve her reputation and was demolishing the house her fault? Can
you think of any positive things about her? Use all of the information you have learnt so far.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to you about your article about the demolition of the Marks Hall Mansion.
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Suggested Activity: What you could do on a visit to Marks Hall
Time
10-11
am
Activity
Activity 1:
Students to be given a tour of the estate and a chance to explore. They will be
shown the Church and the site of the house, the war memorial and the gardens. A
brief overview of the history will be given whilst students are on the tour.
Students need to make sure that they are listening carefully to what is being said
and trying to remember what they have learnt about the Marks Hall Estate
because the tour will be finished by a quick quiz. There will be a prize of a Marks
Hall pencil for the winning team.
11-11.15
am
11.1512.15
pm
Break for refreshments
Activity 2:
Ask students what they can remember about Mrs Phillips Price and where she
lived towards the end of her life. Talk to students about her move to Marygolds
and explain that towards the end of her life her mobility was limited to the ground
floor of her house. To allow her to still keep an eye over what was going on in the
estate she used a system of mirrors to help her to see.
Put students in small groups. One person is to be given a sign and the rest of the
group needs to work as a team to position themselves and their mirrors to allow
them to able to see the person with their symbol. This could be done over two
sides of a room or an area outside. Once students have considered how it is
possible to see over large distances with mirrors they should then pick a spot and
a view in the mirror that they like and sketch it. It is up to them where and what
they choose to draw.
12.15-1
pm
1-2 pm
Lunch
Activity 3:
Ask students to explain what happened at Marks Hall during World War Two.
Take them down to the war memorial on site and talk about what they can see,
how it makes them feel and why it is there and try to get them to think about the
fact that a memorial acts as a reminder of what has happened in the past.
Students will write a poem about what has happened at Marks Hall in the past. It
can be about any of the characters that have been studied, Nigel the Norman, Sir
Thomas Honywood, Frances Emma Honywood or Mrs Phillips Price or they can
use the war memorial as inspiration and write about the war or even how the
estate has changed over the time. They can choose whether to work individually
or in small groups of no more than four and at the end of the day students will be
asked to volunteer to perform their poetry.
2-2.30
Summing up the day and an opportunity for students to visit the gift shop.
34