�

~ WHO'S WHO ~

�

Dorothy Vernon (d. 1584)

�

Dorothy Vernon was the daughter of Sir George Vernon, known as "King of the Peak," because of his immense wealth. He lived at Haddon Hall in Derbyshire. Since Sir George had two daughters and no sons, all his lands would pass to his daughters on his death, so good marriages had to be made. The eldest, Margaret, was betrothed to Lord Stanley's youngest son. The Stanleys owned much land in Lancashire and should the two families unite their wealth would have been considerable.

�

Dorothy Vernon was five years younger than her sister; she was supposed to be the "most beautiful of all beautiful women" despite the rather contradictory evidence of her portrait. Nevertheless, she had the most wonderful hair. John Manners had been trying to gain Dorothy's hand, but her father refused his suit, calling John "that nobody, the second son of a mushroom earl." Sir George thought that Manners, who had recently (1526) been raised to the peerage, was an upstart who had married money in the form of the De Roos heiress. Furthermore, the Manners were Protestants, whereas the Vernons were Catholics.

�

Dorothy had other ideas, since she had no wish to be sacrificed to her father's ambitions; she wanted John Manners and must have pleaded often with her father, but Sir George had her put under close surveillance and she was refused any communication with the world outside the Hall. However, legend tells us that John Manners dressed up as a forester and hunted the woods around Haddon. Dorothy must have eluded her guardians on occasions, to meet him and plan their future development.

�

One night at Haddon Hall, a festive evening was held in honour of Margaret's forthcoming marriage. There was music, dancing and singing, plenty of food and wine. Some time during the general confusion and merrymaking Dorothy was able to slip away, unobserved, to the side of the ballroom, going out of a small door, ever afterwards known as Dorothy's Door, outside and down the balustraded steps, along the Lower Garden to the little bridge over the River Wye, where John Manners was waiting with swift horses to take them to Aylestone, in Leicestershire, where they could be married.

�

That is the story legend gives us and often legend is so different from the truth, but in this case the facts seem just as romantic. Dorothy, it seems, after much pleading, weeping and argument, was able to wear down her father's resistance to the Manners family and John in particular. Her father told her she could marry John but only on condition she went as far away from Haddon as possible, he would not allow her to disgrace the name of the Hall; she could go to Aylestone, a small Manor owned by the Vernons, here no one would know her. He told her he would not attend the wedding neither would he have anything to do with the pair of them. So John and Dorothy went to Aylestone where they were married by the priest, William Heathcott, without ceremony or any big reception, but it seems these things were unimportant, for Dorothy and her husband lived very happily together.

�

There is a Dorothy Vernon's pew in Aylestone Church, which probably means that they lived at Aylestone for a time. Dorothy's father must have relented for she inherited most of the Vernon lands; John was knighted by King James on his coming to the throne and they went to live at Haddon Hall, the tenants now calling Sir John "King of the Peak." Dorothy's grandson, also a John, became the Eighth Earl of Rutland, so the Vernon lands went to the Protestant cause after all. At Haddon Hall there is a "Dorothy's Door," "Dorothy's Gardens" and "Dorothy's Walk." Both John and Dorothy (died 1584) were buried in the Vernon Chapel at Bakewell Church. When this was restored the two coffins were found and when they were opened there flowed out of the coffin containing "the last of the Vernons" her sunlit mass of auburn hair, as radiant as ever and still upon the skull; also found were the last relics of human vanity, six hair pins.

�

This story is taken from the publication "Selected Legends of Leicestershire" by Susan E Green, published by Leicester Research Services, Imperial Building, 4 Halford Street, Leicester LE1 1JB

�