Barony of North Cadbury
Somerset, England                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Latest News & Blog 2024




1 MARCH 2024

Attic find: Antique Livery Buttons c. 1880's




It brings back memories of Downton Abbey or Upstairs, Downstairs.
There, the servants who served the nobility, the lords, ladies and gentlemen upstairs in large town houses, manor houses or stately homes, wore fine liveries with shiny buttons that were always polished to a high lustre. The rather large buttons were often decorated with heraldic symbols from the noble families coats of arms, aristocratic coronets or the initial letters of the family name or lordship title and were thus the distinctive mark of the noble household.
Even today, it is still customary for servants in respectable houses to wear livery with such magnificent buttons.




13 FEBRUARY 2024

Impression from the Baronial Home

 




Our collection of heirloom old British parade and ceremonial uniforms, on the left is a Scots Guards tunic and on the right a Welsh Guards tunic. 

These can also be seen at the daily changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace or at Trooping The Colour, the birthday parade in honour of the King.




5 FEBRUARY 2024

Announcement from Buckingham Palace



This evening Buckingham Palace has announcement that His Majesty the King has been diagnosed with cancer.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with His Majesty the King and we wish the King a speedy and full recovery.

God save the King.
Long live the King."

Jörg Hubert & Regina, Lord & Lady of North Cadbury




26 JANUARY 2024

 Baronial Family Coat of Arms Shields

 

We are very pleased to have these wonderful hand painted heraldic shields from 1066 Heraldic Shields in our collection. Such commissioned works are unfortunately no longer available and absolute rarities.




19 JANUARY 2024

Our Family Coat of Arms

 


Many years ago we had our Coat of Arms carved and coloured by one of Germany's best heraldic artists and master sculptor Manfred Gerlach.

This commissioned work took some time, if I remember correctly it took almost half a year to complete. We were kept up to date on every step with visual documentation.
Mr Gerlach's highly detailed artistic and craftsmanship skills led to this outstanding and impressive result, of which my wife Lady Regina and I are very proud. It has a fantastic old antique look.
Our family heraldry is placed in our living room above the fireplace, where it really comes into its own. Visitors and friends often admire it, especially as not many families have their own Coat of Arms and have not often seen a hand-carved one like this.

The detailed blazon of our Coat of Arms can be found here.



 4 JANUARY 2024

The Life of Servants in English Country Houses - let's also remember Downton Abbey





In Edwardian times in English Stately Homes or Country Houses the servants lived downstairs and would rarely seen by the upstairs owners of a manor house or stately home.
The most important of the downstairs people was the Butler. He kept the servants away from the owners - the aristocracy or gentry - and liaised between the two groups. He was responsible for the servants and answerable to the members of the noble family. The butler - in charge of the house, coachmen and footmen. He looked after the family and the wine cellar.

There were many other servants required to run a large property. Without the servants the house could not function. For more to read see here.