The Lucy family of Charlecote Park

The Lucy family has shaped the house you see today through wealth and loss. There are portraits of every generation of the family throughout the house and through these you can discover their colourful stories.
The cultured, prolific Lucys
The 'new' Charlecote, completed by the first Sir Thomas Lucy in 1558 was one of the first great Elizabethan houses. His son, also Thomas, married Constance Kingsmill who brought a dowry of £40,000 and, ultimately, 14 children to Charlecote.

Shakespeare and the poaching legend
The legend that William Shakespeare was caught poaching at Charlecote has existed for centuries. Was he brought up before Thomas Lucy, the local magistrate, and is there really any evidence for the legend?
The third Sir Thomas was a lover of culture – fond of music and theatre, putting on performances in the Great Hall, and a friend of poet John Donne. His wife Alice shared his love of books and her library was renowned as it still is today.
Take a look at the family portrait over the fireplace in the Great Hall which shows Sir Thomas III and Alice with seven of their 13 children.
King or Cromwell?
Triumph and disaster
The decadent bachelor squire

"Bachelor" George Lucy
Discover more about George Lucy and how he shaped Charlecote's landscape.
The country parson
When George’s cousin the Reverend John Hammond inherited Charlecote at the age of 52 he took the additional name of Lucy and married Maria Lane who was 24 years his junior.
He preferred hunting, fishing and a good dinner to preaching – and was not afraid of a brawl either. He spent thousands trying to obtain the parliamentary seat of Fowey in Cornwall for his son George but without success.
In 1823 that son, George, inherited Charlecote and married Mary Elizabeth Williams of Bodelwyddan Castle in North Wales – and it is their Charlecote that you see when you visit today.

The Mistress of Charlecote
Discover the story of Mary Elizabeth Lucy who came to Charlecote as a young bride and transformed the house and gardens into the Victorian masterpiece you see today.
You can find out more about the Lucy family whose portraits you see throughout Charlecote by talking to our friendly room guides.