Hunstanton Hall is the moated ancestral home of the le Strange Family in Norfolk.

Situated inside the grounds of the ancient domain the building has been described as having 15th Century Gatehouse with 14th Century cores.

The Estate dates back to 1086, when it the Family’s grandfather, Ralph fitz Herluin held two lands.

Drawing upon 12th Century documents (c.1146-1174) John[I] le Strange referenced his Grandfather, as Ralph of Hunstanton, alluding to his most valuable asset having a certain permanence. The current residence would likely have been pre-dated and repurposed.

The Hall in proximity to the parkland spring is a mile away on the flattest piece of land. Quality chalk spring water was produced onsite, an vital commodity for a health.

The local area enjoyed sea-food and fresh water fish and crabs, limpets, samphire and fresh watercress, and a medieval favourite - eels.

Situated on the coast, Hunstanton would have been automatically exempt from Medieval eel laws. This meant abundance of creatures which often replaced Medieval currency.

As generations came and went, the Family line has evolved into 32 generations (2025). There is no Heir on the Family tree who was not a grand-child of Ralph of Herluin.

A generation after Ralph fitz Herluin, came the ‘le Strange’ name. Ralph and his wife Helewisa experienced their fair share of trauma in the loss of their two sons, Simon and Reginald. So the Hunstanton Estate passed to their daughter, Matilda who married Roland le Strange.

It was through him that all subsequent male heirs adopted the surname.

Matilda and Roland le Strange inherited their Norfolk Estates c. 1138, and their son John [I] le Strange was their Heir, who settled in Shropshire on military service c.1150-1160.

Frequent travel around his Estates which were an enterprising production line would allow for a seasonal varied diet.

Throughout the Centuries the Family reputation was one that was known for their unwavering loyalty to King and Country. Notably, they carried a strong line of male Heirs that survived until today.

With regards to keeping the name in the Family, it was by permission of Queen Victoria, that it was reinstated after a female Heiress (Armine le Strange d.1768) had already assumed her husband’s surname of Styleman.

While some male Heirs played the field, and lost their lives in service, others lay low under Henry VIII’s rule while adhering to the policies and taking opportunities to acquire land.

Between 1086 and 1949 when the Hall was sold, the time card of history ticked away. The le Strange inhabitants of Hunstanton assumed various job titles aside from their Lordships; In simple terms they were military Knights who played pivotal roles in defending the Kingdom. Often the title of Sheriff came with the Lordship - as peace-keepers they would hold local court and jury inside the residence of Hunstanton Hall.

Two notable Family figureheads - and uncle and nephew - assumed the job titles ‘Esquire to the Body’ (of Monarchs) ie. Esq. to the Body of Henry VII and Henry VIII. This job entailed being part of a group of 6 men who were allowed in the most private areas of the Royal palaces - the King’s apartments - associating with the King on both a private and personal level. The most well known of these was Sir Thomas le Strange, who sat for Hans Holbein the Younger in his creation of a stipple engraving [see National Portrait Gallery]. I believe it is still owned by the Royal Family and kept with others in the Collection at Windsor Castle.

His uncle Sir Roger le Strange (d. 1509) first assumed the title before Thomas, as Esquire to the Body of Henry VII. He was laid to rest in his tomb inside St. Mary the Virgin Church, Hunstanton a stone’s throw away from The Hall. His tomb can be recognised for its monumental brass plate.

The Family fought throughout the centuries, and in times of peace Heir Duty took on new forms; the Lords emersed themselves with hands on farming, there have been members of the clergy, artists and architects, and entrepreneur, Henry Styleman le Strange, who created the Hunstanton seaside town from scratch on their private land. His statue now looks over the Town.

For a couple of generations afterwards, this development continued in the form of residential housing. In spring 1937 some housing plots were sold to builders, and again in summer 1949, becoming the Cliff Estate wherein the Road names reflect the Family in one way or another; Bernard Crescent, Austin Street, Astley and Hastings Crescent, Boston Square, and so forth.

From the Spring of 1496, the land of Hunstanton had been a closed community supported by the le Strange Lordship alone after Sir Roger le Strange mentioned above bought out the other Lord. It became a unique situation. In 1894 there the power transfer was initiated to local councils when the Local Government Act 1894 was passed. Following this, the Welfare system replaced the support of the Lord, and to raise funds for this system the Lloyd George Government was reliant upon the taxation of wealthy Estate owners. So together with the transfer of power, there came a transfer of money from the le Strange Family who were one of those landed Families that experienced crippling taxation demands.

We find thereafter, in the 20th and 21st Centuries, land from the Family being dispersed and sold as part of the evolving world in which Governments reclaim their powers. The council naturally relieved the Lord of their responsibility for peoples’ welfare.

It is a good example perhaps of incremental dissection of power over time, of an individual’s asset and it perhaps could happen to anyone.

After approx. 856 years the ancestral home had reached financial crisis. It was time to sell, and was sold by the 33rd Heir, Bernard le Strange in 1949 through Cruso and Wilkins Estate Agents in Hunstanton. Bernard is the 25th great-grandson of Ralph of Hunstanton, and married a little later in life, in October 1943, aged 46. He had lost both parents as a youth aged 19 his older brother Charles assumed ‘Heir Duty’. By the time Bernard married, he had by then served in two World Wars (I and II). In a housing Estate with a road named after him and other members of the family the Town of Hunstanton was further developed - following suit from his Grandfather, Henry Styleman le Strange who created the Hunstanton seaside resort and railway. It was in Henry’s time at Hunstanton Hall, when he found imported produce was high competition for his yields, His wheat and cornfields produced high quality ingredients, but this came at a price and local communities opted for cheaper imports instead. This was a turning point in the support of his closed Community.

Bernard’s aim in selling the ancestral home was to save the Estate from crippling Taxation rates under the Lloyd George Government. Upon selling, he and his wife Glwadys, the Marshioness of Townshend, went their separate ways. He retired in Jersey, while she went to live in London. A separation settlement figure would no doubt have been added to the equation upon is Sale, although I have no evidence of this.

The le Strange Family continue to own the Estate today, excluding the Ancestral Home, however, they did continue to have a foothold in the West Wing during the 1960’s-1980’s however the roof required expensive repair works making it no longer a feasible option.

The Family history is bound up with evidence housed in the Muniment Room at Hunstanton Hall until 20th Century. In this collection was the earliest document belonging to the 13th Century, indicating that it had remained onsite an earlier home.