#robert bainesrr

Hartlebury Castle always gives a warm welcome to the families or descendants of its bishops. At the end of July we welcomed Robert Baines and his family from Philadelphia, who are collaterally descended  from Bishop James Johnson (1759-1774) - the last bishop but one before Bishop Hurd. It was Johnson who removed the old fashioned mullion and transom windows from the east front of the castle, replacing them with sash windows; those on the ground floor were given pointed heads. He was also responsible for the rococo papier mache decoration in the saloon, where his portrait hangs.

Bishop Johnson was unmarried and his sister Sarah lived with him. Another sister married the Revd. Thomas Baines,  whom the bishop collated to the rectory of Upton-on-Severn. Later on he gave him the even better benefice of Richard’s Castle in Herefordshire, leaving his son Robert at Upton. Our visitors had lunch at Upton before joining us for tea. Of course  we showed them the Hurd Library first.

We were able to show them a direct link with Bishop Hurd.

This is a letter from Robert Baines, written in Upton on 20 January 1792. Bishop Hurd was busy collecting portraits of his predecessors and Robert had mentioned this to Sarah Johnson, who had a fine portrait of her late brother.  “She desires me to present her Respects” he wrote “and to request your Lordship would do her the Favor to accept a Portrait of the late Bishop Johnson. She will send it to Hartlebury by the first  Opportunity”.

We thought this was the only connection of the Baines family with Bishop Hurd, but Robert told us of another. A niece of Hurd’s, he said, had married a Major Thomas Baines. A short search in the genealogical notes compiled by Richard Hurd jr gave us the details. The bride was actually a great-niece, Mary Lucas, the fourth daughter of Hurd’s niece Hannah. Hannah, the daughter of his younger brother Thomas, married Robert Lucas, whom her kind uncle made rector of Ripple. Mary was born on 28 August 1785 and married  Thomas Josephus Baines on 27 October 1807.  Bishop Hurd was pretty frail by this time - he died the following May - but perhaps he met the happy couple. Young Richard, (Mary’s uncle), we hope almost certainly did.