Byrd at Harlington

 

 

Researching William Byrd, in March 2023 I took a trip along the new Elizabeth Line to Zone 6 in West London to visit Harlington and on the way home called at Westminster Roman Catholic Cathedral to attend a service which included the great composer’s music. Harlington has not been mentioned during the Byrd celebrations on the BBC so now I make amends.

 There is little to be seen at Harlington other than the Church of St Peter & St Paul which Byrd did not attend but a school nearby is named after Byrd.

 

The following are extracts from the new book ‘The Life and Times of William Byrd: A Local History’ now available.

 

The Byrd family moved to Harlington, near Uxbridge, in 1577 where they are named by the churchwardens of the parish church for non-attendance. From 1581 fines of £20 per month were imposed for non-attendance, but it is unclear whether he actually paid any fines[1].

 “It was probably on account of his religion that he lived all his life some way out of London where he would be less likely to attract attention. His name occurs as living at Harlington in 1581, … in another entry he is described as “a friend and abettor of those beyond the seas”, and as living at Draighton”[2].

 

The final entry for non-attendance at Harlington is dated 7^th April 1592, covering the period between 31^st August 1591 and 31^st March 1592. These presentations name William’s wife as Julian. At Stondon, Byrd’s wife is named Ellen, but she is the same person[3].

(During Byrd’s time at Harlington he falls under suspicion with involvement in the Throckmorton Plot then the Babington Plot to overthrow the Queen.)

In closing the net on the conspirators, Francis Walsingham, chief spymaster, and interrogator, discovered letters from Byrd to the Pagets. By February 1584 Byrd had been questioned and was expected not to stray too far from his home at Harlington.

Investigators into the Babington Plot find a letter on the person of John Reason[4], Byrd’s servant, to “m[aste]r Fyton”. Walsingham’s office diary notes: “’To seek out matters against Bryde’, ‘to sende to Fra[nci]s Mylls m[aste]r Brydes note’ and ‘To sende for M[aste]r Byrde’”[5].

 On 21^st August 1586[6], Byrd’s home in Harlington is searched[7].

 

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[1] In ‘The Elizabethans’ (2011), A.N. Wilson suggests that the Byrd family was always short of money because they were required to pay “stiff fines” for non-attendance at Church. There is no evidence to suggest that the Byrds paid any fines. Another historian suggests that the Queen personally intervened to prevent the family paying fines. Wilson also suggests that the exclusive right to print music was in some way compensation for a poorly paid job and that “the Anglo-Catholic Queen” effectively authorised the setting of Latin Masses by Byrd (Wilson, 2011, 195). Whilst there is evidence that The Queen preferred more ritual in worship authorisation of Latin Masses would be politically undesirable. Byrd though interprets the remit widely. Wilson adds elsewhere that there were many Catholic sympathisers in the legal profession, and this was acceptable “so long as they kept quiet about it and did not attempt to proselytise” (Wilson, 2011, 196). Keeping quiet about something does not necessarily mean the behaviour is acceptable. Finally, Wilson says that the government “would have deemed itself irresponsible not to suppress Jesuit missionaries” who “in most cases rightly [were] actively engaged in treason … [plotting] the murder of the head of state and overthrow of the system” (Wilson, 2011, 196). This is explored later in the text. Other historians suggest Catholic suppression was widespread – fearful of being caught.

[2] Reeve, 1900, 33

[3] John Harley (1997) says that this is an error on the part of the ecclesiastical court in Essex, assuming Byrd’s wife to be Ellen or Helena, and claims Byrd did not remarry. This is supported by Byrd’s family tree contained in Visitations of Essex dated 1634: ERO D/DQs/43

[4] Philip Brett (2007) notes that Julian Byrd and John Reason were cited for recusancy in 1577 (Brett, 2007,126)

[5] Harley, 2010, 129

[6] Morris, 1875, 142 The troubles of our Catholic forefathers related by themselves. First [--third] series (archive.org) accessed 15 February 2023

[7] Caraman, 1964, 41