December 7 - 1924 All Blacks visit Althorp House

After a decisive 31 – 7 win over East Midlands in Northampton, and a very enjoyable post match banquet hosted by the Mayor of Northampton, the All Blacks on SundayDecember 7 visited the home of the Earl of Spencer and a church dating back to Saxon times.

From “With the All Blacks in Great Britain, France, Canada and Australia 1924-25” by Read Masters. Pub. 1928 by Christchurch Press Co. Ltd p.95.

On Sunday afternoon we motored to Great Brington, and were shown through Althorp House, which is occupied by the seventh Earl of Spencer. This beautiful mansion contains a wonderful collection of valuable paintings of ancient Kings and Queens, etc., which had recently been assessed at over one million pounds. We also visited Brington Church, which dates back to Saxon times. In this church we saw the tomb of Lawrence Washington, an ancester of George Washington; I was told that a replica of this tomb is in the Doric Hall at Washington, U.S.A. Tradition asserts that the head of Mary Queen of Scots, who was beheaded in 1587, was buried beneath the altar, where there is a stone engraved with the Scottish Lion.

Althorp House. Credit Wikipedia