Coughton Court, Warwickshire

Twenty generations of Throckmortons have and continue to live at Coughton Court through good times and bad. They remained Catholics after the Reformation and suffered fines, imprisonment, and even execution for their devotion to the old faith. Cousins of the Throckmortons were directly involved in the Gunpowder Plot, and the family was lucky not to be implicated in the conspiracy. After the Reformation, the family continued to celebrate Mass in secret, and conceal Catholic priests in an ingenious double-compartmented "priest's hole." In the late 18th century, the Throckmortons played a leading role in the Catholic Emancipation movement, which removed many of the restrictions that had been inflicted on their co-religionists. This new guide tells the dramatic story of the Throckmorton family, and provides a lively account of the house that they created at Coughton Court, accompanied by a family tree, plans of the house, and a bird's-eye view of the garden. It also describes and illustrates the rare Roman Catholic treasures the family rescued and preserved at Coughton.