In 1225 Sir Thomas de Clinton of Coleshill married Mazera, the daughter of James Bisege of Baddesley, a marriage that produced five sons. Sir Thomas died around 1277. The manor of Baddesley Clinton then passed to James de Clinton who was the fourth son of Sir Thomas de Clinton.
Baddesley Clinton Hall was built as a semi-fortified manor house surrounded by a moat. The hall was approached by a drawbridge, now a footbridge, and was named Baddesley Clinton in order to distinguish it from Baddesley Ensor. The earliest parts of the hall date to the 14th century when the manor was held by the de Clinton family. James de Clinton who died after March 1323, settled the manor on his son, Thomas de Clinton, although in 1316 the name of the lord of Baddesley Clinton is given as his kinsman, John de Clinton, heir to Sir Thomas de Clinton of Coleshill. Thomas de Clinton of Baddesley Clinton was dead by 1336 and for a while the manor was controlled by both his mother and his widow. Thomas de Clinton's son, Leonard, died without issue before 1349. The manor then passed into the hands of the two daughter's of Thomas de Clinton, Joan and Parnel.
Much of what can be seen of the hall today dates from the mid 15th to the late 16th century.
One of the most striking features of Baddesley Clinton Hall it its magnificent chimney-stacks which were probably commissioned by Henry Ferrers, the antiquary, in the late 16th or early 17th century.
Illustrations
1. Main entrance of Baddesley Clinton Hall
2. A view of the moat and bridge at Baddesley Clinton
3. Side and rear elevation of Baddesley Clinton Hall