Shrewsbury from where you are not: Halston Chapel

A little while ago, my friend and fellow urbexer Kay got us permission to visit Halston Chapel, a cute little disused thing surrounded by fields on the Halston estate, with no obvious road leading to it.

There's certainly more than meets the eye with this place. It's allegedly the final resting place of one of Shropshire's most infamous characters, Mad Jack Mytton, as well as a good chunk of his family.

But even without its historical significance, this is just a lovely chapel. It's not every day I come across one that's timber framed. It looks like something from a fairy tale. I love it!

With oodles of history to uncover, it shouldn't surprise anyone that I've found older photos of this place too.

(Photo not mine, obviously)

This photo is from 1920.

I have numerous sources telling the history of this place, and some of it is contradictory, as we'd expect from something this ancient, but I will try to straighten that out, and write the word "allegedly" so often that you can make it into a drinking game and end up on dialysis.

Halston is generally believed to have been a holy site long before the chapel was built. A lot of sources put it back to before the Norman conquest, but I'm going to be balsy and estimate that the land was sacred even before Christianity. The name "Halston" derives from "Holy Stone" and it was not at all uncommon for the early Christians to commandeer Pagan worshipping sites. Because if the people are already there worshiping, it's easier to just influence what they're worshiping instead of getting them to outright stop. The same can be said for Christian holidays. Birthdays were regarded as a Pagan practice by the early Christians, but then three hundred years after Jesus was purported to have died, they decided that his birthday was on the Roman Winter Solstice. How convenient.

But aanyway!

According to an article from 1934, Halston was a Saxon settlement belonging to a man named Edrio, although I don't know their source, which is a shame. We shouldn't fall for the idea that because a source is old it must be more reliable, because the distance between 1934 and now is insignificant when contemplating the distance between the Saxon era and 1934.

It's entirely likely that "Edrio" is a typo and they meant "Edric," a modernised spelling of Eadric, who was a Saxon ruler in Shropshire and good friends with some of the Welsh leaders during the days of the Norman conquest. And Eadric did a bloody good job opposing the Norman's until his eventual surrender. His surrender to the Normans was an unpopular decision among his own people, and according to legend he and his wife were imprisoned in some mines in the Stiperstones, and cursed to an eternity of riding out on their horses every time England was threatened. There have been alleged sightings of Eadric at the start of the Crimean War, and both world wars, and the curse won't be broken until England is restored to how it was before the Norman conquest. Those two world wars must be a bitter subject for poor Eadric. Unable to break the curse until the French are gone, and here he is riding out because the English decided to help the French. Poor bloke.

(Image not mine, obviously)

Halston became the site of a monastic order, the Knights of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, commonly shortened to the Knights Hospitaler.

Allegedly the modern day "St John's Ambulance" derived its name from this holy order too.

But that doesn't necessarily mean that the Knights Hospitalers focused on healthcare. The word "Hospital" derives from the Latin "Hospes" which actually means Guest. It translates into modern English because hospitals accommodate those who need to be accommodated, but it also comes up in words like Hospice and Hospitality. Interestingly "Ambulance" comes from Latin "Ambulare" which means to walk. We see this in words like "amble" and "ambulatory." It entered English via the French military in the 19th Century, when field medics were referred to as a walking hospital. And then in modern times the word transplanted onto the vehicle itself.

But the Knights Hospitalers existed in the era of crusades and warrior monks. The Knights Templar are probably the most famous example of such an order, and I've mentioned them in the blog before, because the media has somehow associated them with that damn sandstone folly.

The Knights Templar disbanded in 1312, about five hundred years before that folly existed, and the Knights Hospitaler did claim a lot of former Templar territory, but their ultimate purpose was to aid traveling pilgrims, give them shelter, food, and basically give them a rest stop while they were on their journey.

(Image not mine, obviously)

This drawing is dated 1885.

Because the 1300s were a God fearing era, and because it would make them look cool, a lot of estates actually donated land to the Knights Hospitalers. That seems to be what happened at Halston, but I seem to have conflicting information on who did the donating. One source says that it was Roger de Powys, while another puts it as the descendants of Guarine de Metz, the Sheriff of Shropshire. The conflict stems from the fact that both owned Whittington Castle at some point. It was ruled initially by the Peverels, but according to legend a young lady, Mellet Peveral, pledged to marry none other than the finest knight ever. She must have been pretty (In 1083 this means she just had all her teeth. When you're this close to Oswestry, the same rule applies today) because a bunch of Knights descended on Whittington for a tournament, and Guarine beat them all, got the woman, and they lived happily ever after, until the castle was annexed, passed around a bit, and given to Roger de Powys in 1165 by Henry II. Eventually it was reclaimed by Guarine's bloodline around 1204.

So I guess it all depends when the monastic order was established, and who had the land at the time.

Records from 1371 boasted that the order had the land for over a century, which doesn't help that particular mystery, but they do provide a detailed description of the area where this chapel now stands.

Records from 1338 describe the monks accommodation being a building in the vicinity of a chapel, as well as a Dovecote and a garden. Records from 1366 say that it had 27 tenants. A document from1427 describes a water mill and a barn. In 1428 they were said to have two chaplains, ten servants, a miller, warrener a stabler and dairymaid. It sounds like a thriving community.

Immediately inside the chapels main entrance is this old medieval tomb that absolutely must have belonged to the Knights Hospitalers. It may have once even held one of them.

Access to the tower wasn't possible unfortunately, but that didn't matter too much. We had more than enough.

This chapel was allegedly built in the latter half of the 15th Century, although it absolutely stands on the site of an older chapel. Some of the timber has been carbon dated to a felling in the winter of 1437, and the bell is allegedly inscribed with 1678, but I didn't get up there, so it could just be hearsay. But it is a hodgepodge of different eras, as parts were added and taken away over the centuries. It's believed that it once connected directly to the Knights Hospitaller's preceptory, which was torn down around 1690. One source dates the chapels tower to 1725, and it's generally believed that the tower was built at the point where the chapel connected to the rest of the building, although Time Team theorised that another doorway was once in the side of the building.

Check it out! Isn't it gorgeous?

And look at this! This is a Saxon font, far older than this chapel, no doubt dating back to one that stood here earlier than that, even before the Hospitalers. This is incredible!

Records show that numerous members of the Mytton family were baptised in this font, including Mad Jack Mytton himself. And before that, who knows how many people?

Mad Jack Mytton was also married in this chapel, and allegedly rests in the crypt below. He was tragically and annoyingly apathetic to his legacy though. When he threw his money away (sometimes literally) on booze and gambling, and was on the verge of losing the estate, people tried to persuade him to change his ways by pointing out that it had been with his family for hundreds of years. At which point he just said "Well then it's high time we let it go."

I don't share his apathy to the Mytton legacy. I went through every old record I could find to figure out exactly which Myttons were baptised here, and when.

Why? Probably because of autism.

The earliest record I've been able to find on Mytton baptism in this chapel was Mary Mytton, the first daughter of Richard Mytton and Arabella Houblon. She was born in 1686. But given that the chapel already belonged to the family for 150 years at this point, I really doubt she was the first.

After that came Mary's siblings, of which there are fucking loads. Anne was baptised here in 1687, Richard in 1688, Arabella in 1689, John in 1690, Edward in 1691, William in 1693, James in 1696, Rebecca in 1697, Sarah in 1699, Henry in 1700, Charles in 1702, Dorothy in 1703, Benjamin in 1705, and Esther in 1710.

I have actually found a painting of Arabella Mytton, from 1744.

(Image not mine, obviously)

Arabella's own claim to fame is that she was the mother of Thomas Pennant the famous Welsh naturalist and writer. But her siblings also deserve a mention. Dying in infancy, Rebecca was buried here in 1700, followed by her brother Benjamin in 1708. Anne and Mary also died relatively young, in 1712, in their twenties.

William Mytton was a keen historian and set out to write the history of Shropshire. Apparently he died before he could finish it. His work, "The Mytton Papers" are currently held at the University of Birmingham.

But the Myttons appointed a chaplain for this chapel, and it did serve the community. As a result, the people of Whittington were sometimes buried at the chapels graveyard too, the earliest I've been able to find being a man named Edward Pritchard in 1696.

Check out this painting! That's positively ancient.

But I've been approaching the Mytton dynasty from the wrong order. It does not start with Arabella's generation. As usual, I've gone right down the Mytton rabbit hole, and dug up as much info as I can on their linage, and now I'm going to share this headache with you.

The Mytton family can be traced back to the 1300s. One publication says that their name derives from the hamlet of Mytton, a few miles from Shrewsbury. Because English was a lot less rulesy back then, what with illiteracy being at an all time high (except when compared to racist Facebook groups) there were a few alternative spellings that pop up. Historic Myttons are "William de Mutton," in 1313, popping up in a record that rated the goods that he sold, and Thomas de Mutton who was bailiff of Shrewsbury in 1360.

A Hugh de Mutton is recorded as being slain in battle, and eight generations down from him we have Reginald de Mutton, who was chosen to represent his borough in parliament. Reginald allegedly gave King Richard a load of money, and the two became besties, with Richard recording him as "Reginald de Mitton."

Reginald had two sons, John and Thomas. And from this point on, they just recycle names. If a pub quiz ever wants you to list ten members of the Mytton family, just say John.

According to an article from 1927, the Myttons acquired property through marriage, starting with Thomas and his marriage to Agnes Burley.

Their son, also Thomas, married Eleanora the daughter of Sir John de Burgh, Lord of Mawddwy. So this Thomas now claimed lordship of Mawddwy and was an MP for Shrewsbury, as well as becoming Sheriff of Shropshire in 1470.

Richard III came to power in 1483, and Thomas Mytton became his mate by arresting Henry Stafford, the Duke of Buckingham, who was being a very naughty boy and plotting against the crown with Henry Tudor. Henry Stafford had actually hidden in Wem after his failed uprising. They probably spotted him because he had the right number of toes, growing in all the right places.

Despite their friendship, Thomas Mytton had a change of heart. Henry Tudor swung by Shrewsbury on his way to face King Richard at Bosworth Field, because he needed to cross the Severn. Thomas had previously pledged an oath to Richard that Henry would only enter Shrewsbury by stepping over his belly, implying that he should die. This sort of scenario is probably the origin of the term "over my dead body." But Henry was adamant that he didn't want to hurt Shrewsbury. He just wanted to pass by and secure his right to the crown. Thomas Mytton was eventually won over, realising that the townsfolk actually preferred Henry Tudor over Richard III, and in order to not break his oath he actually lay on the floor of Welsh bridge, and let Henry step on him as he entered. Thomas Mytton ended up being buddies with the future King.

In Shrewsbury, the building where Henry Tudor stayed is now known as... The Henry Tudor Inn! Just in case that wasn't obvious.

But as much as I love history, I also love alternative history theories, and I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Thomas Mytton had stood his ground. Would Henry Tudor have tried to force his way through? And would that leave his forces depleted in any significant way that would impact the outcome of his battle with Richard?

Is Thomas Mytton responsible for the entire Tudor dynasty? What a subject to ponder.

Thomas had a son, William, who was born in 1465. He was said to own over two hundred houses, one of which is said to be Halston. But this sort of contradicts the mainstream opinion that William's son, Richard Mytton, was the first Mytton of Halston.

Richard Mytton was born in 1501, and at the age of twelve he became the steward to the 10th Earl of Arundel.

Most people strongly suspect that Richard Mytton's marriage was arranged by his parents, although his father didn't live to see it. In 1517 his mother Cecily contracted him to his first wife, Lady Agnes Grey, and got the Mytton mits on more land, as well as getting Cecily a load of money.

Despite the parents seemingly caring about what became of Richard Mytton, a least in their gambit for land and dosh, Richard Mytton was primarily raised by the Earl of Arundel. In 1525 he was a member of the Inner Temple, but this isn't nearly as exciting or secret-society as it sounds. The Inner Temple is one of four groups that govern court. They're call Inns. The Inns are responsible for training, regulating, and selecting barristers within England and Wales.

What's curious about the Inner Temple, and the similarly named Middle Temple is that they began under the Knights Templar but were taken over by the Knights Hospitalers. So with Richard being a member of the Inner Temple, it's probably not a huge coincidence that after the dissolution, he wanted Halston, a former Hospitaler property. He actually moved in to Halston in 1539, with a five-year lease that expected him to find a priest for this chapel. But sadly for him, the Hospitallers' properties were confiscated and given to Henry VIII around 1540, and ultimately Halston was given to someone else. Richard Mytton did shockingly well out of the dissolution though, taking control of several former monastic sites in Shropshire, with the help of the 12th Earl of Arundel. Eventually, through property trades, he was able to nab Halston and turn it into the family seat in 1551. It was a long road but he got there.

I have no images of Richard Mytton, but for the sake of breaking up the text, here's Henry Fitzalan, the 12th Earl of Arundel, who helped Richard nab this place.

(Image not mine, obviously)

Richard Mytton had a prominent political and military career. He was ordered to raise troops in Merioneth for the French war of 1544, but being a sheriff made him exempt from being sent overseas.

But then he was faced with scandal. In 1554, after Wyatt's Rebellion, Richard Mytton captured one of the rebel leaders, Lord Thomas Grey, in Oswestry and took him to London to be executed. But Richard ended up being trialled for the theft of Lord Grey's possessions, including about £200, denying the Crowns legal right to dispose of the belongings of traitors. Richard's defence was that the traitor was captured in Oswestry, which was a free town under the jurisdiction of the Earl of Arundel, and he was the earl's officer there.

The outcome is unknown, but Richard did live to a ripe old age, outliving all of his children. But he fell out of the public eye after this, and his parliamentary career also came to an end. He was buried at Old St Chads in Shrewsbury.

Richard had a stupid amount of children, but all of them were born before he came to live in Halston. And since he outlived them, none of them truly inherited it. But his son Edward was his heir, being born in 1527, and dying in 1568. Some of Edwards children were born at Halston. Eleanor Mytton was born here in 1555, Lewis Mytton was born here in 1559, Cassandra Mytton was born here in 1561, Margaret Mytton was born here in 1563, and Jane Mytton was born here in 1565. The heir to Halston was Edward's son, also Edward Mytton. He was born in 1547, and it seems to have spent most of his time in Stoke upon Tern, marrying Anne Corbett of Moreton Corbett Castle.

Edward outlived his grandfather Richard, by one year. Edward named his son Richard in 1578, and in adulthood this Richard was generally known as Richard of Halston, Sheriff of Shrewsbury.

This Richard had a son named Thomas, born in 1597, and he is pretty interesting.

Thomas Mytton had been born at Halston, along with his sister Sarah in 1604. He was historically significant as a parliamentarian during the Civil War. But it's said that for all his success in that area, he wasn't completely sold on Oliver Cromwell's beliefs. His mother and wife, however, were passionately opposed to Charles I, and no doubt pulled his strings a bit.

In 1643, Thomas Mytton raised an infantry regiment, and took Wem, going down in history as the only human being who actually wanted it. He also managed to capture a Royalist group and their convoy of ammunition in Ellesmere. The following year he fought alongside Lord Denbigh and took Oswestry. Lord Denbigh left Thomas in charge of Oswestry while he pursued Prince Rupert, who made his escape. The Parliamentarians destroyed Oswestry Castle. If you go there today, it's literally just blocks of rubble, and it's all because of Thomas Mytton.

With Oswestry and Wem taken, Royalist Shrewsbury was completely cut off from Chester. Later that year, Thomas Mytton also took Montgomery Castle too, making that the delightful ruin that it is today.

The reason Thomas Mytton hated castles so much is pretty simple if you think about it. If they were ruined beyond function, they couldn't be reclaimed and reused by the enemy. And in addition to that, it reduced the number of places he'd have to leave defensive soldiers.

Because of his fame, images of Thomas Mytton do exist.

(Image not mine, obviously)

Thomas Mytton helped capture Shrewsbury in 1645, and as I've mentioned in my blogs before, Shrewsbury was betrayed by a chap named Benbow. Benbow let Mytton's forces in via St Mary's Water Lane, also infamously known as Traitors Gate. Taken by surprise, the people of Shrewsbury surrendered. Consequently this is surrender is the reason why Shrewsbury's Castle is in better condition than the neighbouring ones. It wasn't taken by force.

But it's said that Mytton was becoming bitter at this point, not 100% behind the cause. He hung twelve Irish Catholic prisoners as a show of "Look how evil we can be," so Prince Rupert did the same to some of his prisoners, at which point Mytton decided that it actually wasn't that fun when the shoe was on the other foot, so the practice of lynching prisoners came to an end. At least, it did for Mytton.

By the end of 1646, Thomas Mytton had taken whole chunks of Wales. He died in 1656 and he's buried in Old St Chads.

He still found the time to shoot his DNA into his wife, and some of his children were born here at Halston, including Mary Mytton in 1627, Christianne Mytton in 1638, and Richard Herbert Mytton in 1630.

Near the entrance of the chapel are some box pews, which feel adorably private and cosy, totally segregating the flock from those in here. Allegedly these were reserved for the Mytton's servants, with one box being for the male staff and the other being for the female staff.

I kinda want to marry my wide angle lens. How did I do this hobby for so long without it?

Richard Herbert Mytton is most notable, in my opinion, for marrying Rebecca Kynaston, a distant descendant of Humphrey Kynaston, the highway man of Nesscliffe. I will cover him in a later blog, you can be sure.

Robert and Rebecca had four children, Mary, Edward, Charles and Richard. Edward is commonly believed to be the original heir, but he died at Halston in 1688, only 26 years old, so Richard became the heir instead.

And if we look at the Hatchments on the wall of the chapel, we can see the black lion on its hind legs, which is the Kynastons coat of arms. I'm not sure what family the fidget spinner next to it represents.

It's Richards numerous crotchfruit whose names I rattled off earlier when I listed the recorded baptisms here. Arabella, John, William and their siblings are all the great-grandchildren of a parliamentarian hero. But only one of them is the great-grandfather of one of Shropshires most notorious eccentrics, and that honour belongs to John Mytton.

Although having said that, I can't help but wonder if his older brother, also called Richard, was the original heir, being born in 1688. He married Leticia Owen in 1719, and they had two daughters, Leticia and Anne Marie, who were both born here at Halston. But Richard died in 1731. With no male heir, Halston fell to his brother John.

(Image not mine, obviously)

This picture is often mistakenly said to be Mad Jack, but it was painted in 1738 by Enoch Seeman, so it can't be. This is his great-grandfather, John Mytton, who for the sake of keeping things easy, I have nicknamed Posh John. Here he is, completely unaware that in a few generations his entire legacy would be in tatters.

Both of Johns children, Barbara and John II were born here at Halston, but only John II stayed, having four children, John Fox Mytton in 1768, Rebecca Mytton in 1769 who died the same year, a second Rebecca Mytton in 1770, and Maria Mytton in 1773 who similarly died as a baby.

I'm not sure how I feel about the practice of naming a child after their dead sibling. It feels like replacing them, or disregarding the first loss for a do-over.

Both the babies are said to be in the family crypt here. Maria is said to have been baptised here, but of the Rebecca's, only the second who lived to adulthood was baptised here, which makes me wonder if her namesake was stillborn.

John Fox Mytton was the father of Harriet Rebecca Mytton in 1798, and Mad Jack Mytton in 1796. And this is where things take a crazy turn.

But first, it's important to mention the family crypt. According to some records, a Thomas Mytton was put down there in 1730, although I have no idea where he belongs on the family tree.

One of Posh John's brothers, Henry Mytton, was also buried here in 1735.

Posh John's wife, Mary Elizabeth was also buried here in 1740. I have an image of her too, albeit one that has been decapitated!

(Image not mine, obviously)

Posh John joined her in the chapels crypt in 1756.

Records also show that a Rebecca Mytton was buried here in 1762, having been born in 1697. I think she may have been Posh John's sister.

In 1768, Posh John's son, John II was baptised here in the Saxon font. The following year, Posh John's daughter Rebecca was buried here, having died as an infant. Maria would soon follow.

But its not all doom, gloom and dying babies. The chapel did hold regular services here, and people did get married here. The earliest records of weddings that I can find are in the 1750s, but they were probably happening for as long as the chapel has stood here. A few of the weddings in the 1750s through to the 1770s involved Myttons who I haven't been able to place on the family tree, possibly cousins, spawns from all of the various siblings of the estates various big cheeses. It's impossible to track all of these descendants.

In 1778, a man named John Kynaston married Mary Elizabeth Corbett, two prominent names in Shropshire aristocracy who also had familial minglings with the Myttons. Together their family tree is more like a family bush.

Mad Jack Mytton also married here but it seems that he was perhaps the last one to do so. A document from 1791 describes the chapel as having been closed for seven years, mentioning that usually the big cheese of the Halston estate appointed someone to be the chaplain, but for some reason had neglected to do so for quite some time.

But the thing is, the big cheese at the time was John Fox Mytton, and he died in 1798. I cant find an explanation for his death, but given that he was thirty, I have to wonder if perhaps he had some long lasting health issues that affected his life, and put running the chapel quite low on his list of priorities.

His son, John "Mad Jack" Mytton was born in 1796 and his daughter Harriet Rebecca Mytton was born mere months before his death. The two siblings would grow up fatherless.

The pulpit dates back to 1725, and even that is painted. In fact it has the same coat of arms that I pointed out earlier, with the Kynaston's black lion on one side and the black fidget spinner on the other.

Here we have the tip of the chapel, where Mad Jack Mytton stood when he married his first and second wives in 1818 and 1821. And as a lovely treat I was able to find a sketch of this from the good old days.

(Image not mine, obviously)

This drawing dates back to 1914 and as we can see, it remains remarkably unchanged. The chapel as we see it today is pretty much exactly as people saw it then.

So onto Mad Jack!

Many regard him as a zany eccentric, whose wealth allowed him to be unashamedly himself in a way that would have had a poorer man institutionalised. Many even say that they envy his freedom of character and his ability to just be who he wants to be.

And I was very much one of those people. But then the more I read up on him, the more I started to see him as a more tragic character.

He was born in 1796, and baptised in this chapel, as was his sister.

Growing up fatherless, he was spoiled somewhat by his mother, and he grew up with a sense of the world being his playground. But he struggled in education, finding it boring and getting into fights with his teachers. Attempts were made to privately tutor him but many a tutor failed to cope with the onslaught of pranks. Mad Jack even left a horse in one tutors bedroom. Somehow he made it to university but he struggled there too, coping with it through ridiculous amounts of alcohol. He ended up doing some military service and was sent to France shortly after the fall of Napoleon. With the enemy defeated, Mad Jack mostly spent his time there getting drunk. But on top of that, he was also a prolific gambler. The family fortune, unfortunately, was not safe in his hands.

(Image not mine, obviously)

He married Harriet Emma Jones in 1818 in a marriage that was doomed to fail. In fact I get the distinct impression that Mad Jack got absolutely nothing out of marriage. To him, his marriage was to facilitate one thing- an heir. And he allegedly wept like a baby when Harriet gave him a daughter in 1819, threatening to smother it.

But you see, here's the fallacy in the story: what good is an heir to someone who quite vocally doesn't give a fuck about the family estate?

The more I think about it, the more I think Mad Jack was just frustrated with having to jump through hoops. He regarded marriage and producing an heir the same way as he regarded work and education. He didn't want to do it, he just felt he had to. In light of that, it's easy to view his tears as frustration that he would be judged for his failings, just as he had been throughout his formative years. But that is speculatory on my part.

But as we know, when someone is judged for their failings over and over again, eventually they just hit "Fuck It." Mytton hit it hard.

In 1818 he spent about £10,000 paying people to vote for him to become Shrewsbury's MP, but he ended up spending about thirty minutes in parliament, finding it boring and confusing. His reason for resignation was that he wanted to devote more time to life, and that night he went duck hunting on a freezing cold lake wearing only a shirt.

(Mad Jack's antics were posthumously illustrated by Henry Alken in 1837)

His wife Harriet died in 1820, and while he didn't cause her death, its generally believed that his behaviour and neglect certainly exacerbated her condition. There is one report that he tried to drown her in the lake at Halston but witnesses say that he just pushed her over in the shallow end on a sunny day.

Still a bit of a dick move, but it's not the last time I've spotted an inconsistency. There was a rumour that he threw his wife's lapdog onto the fire, but a servant later clarified that he was just throwing it up into the air, but stopped when the servant pointed out that the dog might die.

It's said that he became even more extravagant after her death, but now that we know that some of his antics are embellished, I am inclined to take them all with a pinch of salt.

On the other hand, it's also possible that his crueller antics, particularly towards his wives, were covered up.

He married Caroline Giffard in 1821, and actually had a number of children with her, none of which ever get mentioned when people talk about him. That's not to say he didn't love his sons and daughters, but he's certainly not famous for his fatherly ways, nor was he famous for being a loving husband. Among the jobs he had, he was High Sheriff of Shropshire from 1823 to 1824, mayor of Oswestry from 1824 to 1825, and a treasurer of Salop Infirmary in 1822. He also held innocent contests for the local kids, offering money to whoever could role down a hill fastest. Certainly not the actions of a malicious person, just one who didn't give a shit about money. Unfortunately, we live in a world where caring about happiness more than money gets you labelled mad.

But as far as Mad Jack's concerned, that's not what got him labelled mad.

Here's an image of Caroline, kindly given to me by someone who claims to have worked for Caroline's family and knows all the juicy news that the traditional narrative doesn't mention.

(Image credit: C.Dolman)

Of his children with Caroline, Barbara Mytton was born in 1822 although some sources say 1824. John Fox Mytton, his heir, was born in 1823, and Charles Orville Mytton was born in 1825, but sadly didn't make it to adulthood, and died in 1835. He was buried here in the family crypt.

Also in 1825, Mad Jack's horse, Euphrates, won a prize in a race. Mad Jack decided that the best way to celebrate was to name his next son Euphrates in 1826, named after his father's horse. Euphrates also died in 1834 and was buried here in the family crypt. The boy, not the horse. Although if the horse was down there too it would not surprise me. The last son, William, was born in 1827. He went to Hong Kong, where nobody knew anything about his family.

In 1830 Caroline ran away. She left a note saying "I cant help loving him, with all his faults."

The truth is, being married to Mad Jack Mytton was Hell for the poor woman. Following her departure, she sought a divorce, claiming abuse, rampant adultery described as not even being attempted to be hidden, and perhaps worst of all, rape.

He suddenly stops being the cuddly eccentric when you drop the R-word into the narrative.

And personally I can believe it. A man like Mad Jack Mytton is used to getting away with whatever he wants. That sort of mindset makes one incredibly deaf to the word "No." And as for the adultery, I said before that I don't think he really wanted a wife.

Caroline's mother had allegedly had misgivings about the union, particularly since Caroline herself was only a teenager when they married, and Mad Jack already had a reputation. But both liked outdoor pursuits, and Caroline's brothers were friends with Jack, so it was generally hoped that her calmer nature might rub off on him. It really backfired for the young lady, although she's said to be of strong character, putting up with him for as long as she could, for the sake of her children.

She presumably had some influence of restraint on Mad Jack because it's said that with her gone, he just became more bonkers. To some it might look like embracing freedom, but to me it looks like a breakdown at best, and at worst a hissy fit because he can't get his own way.

Mad Jacks eccentricities seem to stem from a love of danger and a hatred of clothing. But I also suspect he loved animals too, because he had 2000 dogs, 60 cats, and a load of horses. One horse, "Sportsman" allegedly died after Mad Jack fed it a bottle of wine. Euphrates was one confirmed horse, but a 1927 article named another "Devil," and another source names one "Mad Tom." In 1826 he actually rode Mad Tom into a hotel, up the grand staircase, and then leaped over the balcony onto tables below where people were dining, before galloping off and leaping out of the hotels window, all apparently for a bet.

His favourite was a horse called Baronet who allegedly had free range of Halston Hall, and even slept in front of the fireplace with Mad Jack.

Some of Mad Jack's dogs were fighting dogs, and he would teach them to fight by fighting them himself, often biting them.

(Mad Jack's antics, illustrated posthumously by Henry Alken in 1837)

It's said that he frequently went duck hunting naked at night, even in winter, and I suspect that he kept this to night time just so that he could be naked, because Mad Jack hated clothes. He would wear only the thinnest of fabric, and even had the inner lining removed from his hunting breeches. He refused to wear underwear, and his feet were often soaking because he refused to wear anything but really thin socks.

From a modern perspective, it would seem that he had some sensory issues, which reframes everything else rather spectacularly. I suspect Mad Jack was neuro-diverse, particularly with ADHD. Of course, without actually knowing the guy, who can be sure? But from the evidence at hand, we have a chap who failed academically due to behavioural issues, failed in his career because of boredom, failed in relationships because of an inability to regulate his emotions, had obvious sensory issues, and self medicated. The signs are all there. Even today, you would be surprised how many people in the prison system have untreated ADHD, who failed academically and grew up without prospects, and turned to crime, drugs and alcohol. The only difference between them and Mad Jack Mytton is Mad Jack was rich.

His life could really be described as a series of suicide attempts, or at the very least, total apathy for his own mortality. He would lie between the legs of his horses, he would ride his carriages recklessly and actively try to tip them up, and he once decided to see if he could get a horse and carriage to jump over a tollgate, and failed miserably. An article from 1838 talks about how he went to a ball, got drunk, and rode his horse, fell asleep, and was dragged some distance by his stirrup. It says:

"The next morning there was a meet at Atcham, and any other person than Mytton, who was ordered to keep to his bed for a week by his medical advisor, would certainly not have thought about going to such a place. Mytton arrived on horseback, plastered and bandaged, with an arm in a sling. He rode his horse on a racetrack and made several jumps."

Mad Jack Mytton was indestructible. Or at least, he seemed to think so.

(Mad Jack's life was illustrated posthumously by Henry Alken in 1837)

But he also loved entertaining people. Mad Jack had a bear named Nell who he once rode into a dinner party, seemingly because he thought it would be funny. One of the spurs on his boot irritated Nell, who promptly chomped on his leg. Nell still roamed the house and was treated like an ordinary pet. Guests would even report waking up to find Nell in their beds.

But she was eventually put down for attacking a servant, and was allegedly buried with Mad Jack in this crypt.

(Mad Jack's antics were posthumously illustrated by Henry Alken in 1837)

Mad Jack also loved playing pranks and taking people by surprise. One of my absolute favourite Mad Jack pranks is he would host dinner parties, and then when his guests set off home in the evening, he would dress up as a highwayman and ambush them, allegedly sometimes chasing them as far as Oswestry.

(Mad Jack's antics were posthumously illustrated by Henry Alken in 1837)

Another time he met a homeless man in town, and asked to swap clothes with him. Presumably also concealing his identity, Mad Jack then went home dressed as the tramp, entered Halston Hall, and tried to beg for money from his servants. The servants, believing him to be an actual tramp, tried to get him to leave, at which point Mad Jack started fighting them.

He seems to love dressing up and assuming other identities. Escapism, perhaps?

While some say that his pranks had no malice, I don't think that's 100% true. He did once drop a red-hot lump of coal into someone's pocket because they wouldn't stop talking. If someone irritated him, he would find a way to lightly smite them. But rumours of malicious pranks are very few and far between. For the most part, he just wanted to entertain, and more than likely mask his crueller side behind charisma and good character.

And really, isn't that a common sight in someone who is struggling, too? They try to inject a bit more joy into the world because to them, there isn't much of it. Wasn't it Robin Williams who said that the saddest people always try the hardest to make other people happy? And look what happened to him.

Mad Jack spent the family fortune on gambling, on drinking, throwing it at random people, sometimes literally. He allegedly coined the term "Easy come, Easy go," but that's unverified.

He was told to spend less money or he'd have to sell his estate, but he didn't care.

Predictably, he did eventually end up in debt, and in 1831 he fled to France to escape the authorities.

His antics in France weren't any saner, and his attitude to money didn't get any less frivolous. He met a man who was struggling to sell a silver watch, finding that the local jewellers were trying to underpay him. Mad Jack purchased the watch for the correct amount, and then gifted it back to the man, alongside his own watch!

But his drinking continued, his mood worsened, and he would yell hysterically that he wanted to win his wife back. And then one night he got the hiccups so decided to set himself on fire. His servants beat the flames out, and Mad Jack announced that his cure had worked, before flopping down naked on his bed, burned but showing no signs of pain.

(Mad Jack's life, illustrated posthumously by Henry Alken in 1837)

There is a rumour that he met a woman in Calais named Susan who he paid to be his companion. But according to most documents of the era, he spent most of his time in France bedridden, his health deteriorating and his alcohol consumption skyrocketing. He was told that he would die if he didn't stop drinking, but he just said that he was ready to die.

But then his health improved, and he seemed to be a changed man. He would wander the countryside finding joy in everything. This was a man who had spent a fortune seeking what the world had been insufficient to provide, suddenly finding joy in the little things, just appreciating what was around him.

In 1833 he returned to England and was confined to Shrewsbury prison for his debt before being moved to another one in Southwark. He died in prison in 1834.

The chapels organ is still here, doubtlessly still functional.

A news article from the time described Mad Jack's funeral. His body was conveyed from London to Shrewsbury, with four horses pulling the funeral carriage. Upon reaching Shrewsbury, shops closed and crowds gathered. For all his flaws, he was a hugely popular man, but also, there have been some suggestions that the attitude of the onlookers was really more celebratory than mournful. In a crowd, numbers mean nothing without the context of what's going on in people's heads.

The North Shropshire Cavalry met them at the Queens Head near Whittington, and escorted the funeral procession to Halston, to this chapel. His coffin was covered in black velvet. Bells were rung at Oswestry, Shrewsbury, Ellesmere, Whittington and here at Halston.

Around three thousand people gathered here as Mad Jack Mytton was placed in the vault alongside his family members.

Interestingly that same article mentions the former religious building here, noting that it was demolished a century earlier. A bit random, but good for research.

His sons, Euphrates and Charles were also buried next to him when they died a few months later. His Aunt Rebecca joined him in 1840, the last Mytton to be interred in the family crypt, but not the last person. Poor Caroline, who had fled her abusive husband, died in 1841 and she was buried here, next to the man she had sought to escape in life. That kinda sucks for her, and it must be heartbreaking for her family.

Mad Jack was described: "endowed with abilities of no normal description, Mr Mytton unhappily lacked in an extraordinary degree that one that one great qualification-without which the most unbounded means are insignificant and the finest talents worthless- Prudence."

In other words, his talents and ambitions were wasted because he lacked the means to govern himself.

Rumour has it Mad Jack was buried with his bear, Nell. This is unverified, but a few years ago the TV show "Time Team" did knock a hole in the floor and shove a camera down. They found the crypt actually exceeds the chapel by about three meters.

Seriously, I would give my limbs for a chance to get down there.

Here is the entrance to the crypt, with hooks in the floor to remove the stone.

Alas, we couldn't go down there.

But Time Team stuck a camera onto a stick and shoved it down through a crack, and I will be posting a few screenshots.