Sarah Hare • Stow Bardolph

In 1689 a daughter was born to Sir Thomas and Dame Elizabeth Hare. They lived at Stow Hall in the little village of Stow Bardolph, near Downham Market. This baby, named Sarah, would be the last of their daughters to be born and were it not for an extraordinary request, she would likely have been lost to history like so many other gentlewomen of the age.

Sarah grew up to lead an unremarkable life. She never married nor bore children, and perhaps it was her awareness of this that inspired her to create a different kind of legacy.

In 1743 at the age of 54 she made out a will and in it stated ‘I desire to have my face and hands made in wax, with a piece of crimson satin thrown like a garment in a picture, hair upon my head and put in a case of mahogany with glass before and fix’d up so near the place where my corps lyes as it can be put with my name and time of death put upon the case in any manner most desirable….’

It is not known whether the effigy was cast at this time or after her death, for it would only be a year until it was needed.

On a Sunday, 5th of April 1744 Sarah was sewing when she accidentally pricked herself. The wound became infected and Sarah quickly developed blood poisoning. She died 4 days later on the 9th April. At the time it was unkindly suggested that this was her punishment for working on a Sunday, which is what her sewing was considered at the time. As her will had dictated, her effigy was placed in its mahogany case and has remained hidden behind its door in Holy Trinity church ever since.

Sadly, the Hare family home of Stow Hall no longer exists. It became one of the many country houses lost when they became too expensive to maintain. The hall that Sarah knew was demolished in 1796 and replaced with a more modern building, which in turn was replaced in 1874. This fine Victorian structure didn’t fare well and was sadly demolished in 1994, after a 40 year stint as a maternity hospital.

The gardens remain, however, and are open to the public.

I am indebted to my friends James for venturing off and taking these photos for me! You can find more of his wonderful photography on Instagram @james_billings