Years

We cannot scientifically date the graffiti, but they must postdate Tuesday 19^th February 1684*, when the steward and bailiff James Thompson began his accounts ledger at the start of work on Belton House. William Stanton reused material from the demolished, possibly Jacobean, Belton manor house and Ringstone Hall, Rippingale. Could the graffiti on the Jacobean-style west front pre-date 1684? The Mansion has re-used, moulded stone probably from the latter two manor houses. The same likely applies to the Stables. However, thirty-five 4 digit years proffer the peak periods of graffiti production, e.g. as in figure 1.

*Julian calendar, New Style

Figure 1 BSE4.1.4 JT 1811, TP 1814 Square cartouches formed from dots. Two of only three 19th century whole years.

The median year value is 1778, minimum 1688 (figure 3) & maximum 1984. In figure 2, the central 50% of years, the blue box, falls between 1769 and 1803. This period is when Brownlow Cust, 1^st Baron Brownlow inherited the estate from his father Sir John Cust, Speaker of the House of Commons, who died in 1770. The blue lines either side of the box depict the range of years, 25% above and 25% below the box.

Figure 2 candlestick plot of 35 whole year inscriptions recorded on Belton Stables.

Combining 4 digit years with incomplete years which only indicate their century, the distribution of 42 dates across the centuries is illustrated in figure 4.

Figure 3 BSE6.1.2 Tho, 1688, undecipherable. The earliest datable graffiti.

Figure 4 Distribution of 42 dates according to their century.

The reason for this 18th century peak period for graffiti is unclear. Belton's owners may have spent more time at their other houses leaving the Stables devoid of staff. This is certainly possible with the 2nd Baron Brownlow (from 1807) later 1st Earl (1815). He was active in the House of Lords and participated in various London-based societies. With his second wife, he lived at 1 Cavendish Square (opens pdf) and had its stables rebuilt by Jeffrey Wyatville in 1823. Brownlow had Sir Robert Smirke construct 12 Belgrave Square in the 1830s at a time when his third wife, Emma was lady in waiting to Queen Adelaide. Emma continued royal duties for the Queen Dowager after Queen Victoria's accession. The Earl, Countess and their children are recorded living in Belgrave Square in the 1841 census. When John, Viscount Alford, the Earl's son, inherited the Ashridge estates in 1849, subsequent generations spent much of their time there. Documents record interchange of stables' personnel between the two sites.

An alternative is that the descendants of Brownlow Cust may simply not have tolerated servants continuing to deface their property.

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