Courage & Confidence

History

The Davenports were a family of landowners in the North-West of England whose ancestors can be traced back to the Norman Conquest. In 1160, the family became responsible for looking after Macclesfield Forest and, in the early 1200s, Vivian Davenport became its Grand Sergeant.

The family's coat of arms includes a man's head with a rope around the neck, which is said to represent the family's power over life and death during this time.

The Davenports owned land throughout the area, notably at Henbury, Woodford and at Bramhall .

The Davenports were Lords of the Manor for around 500 years, and it is likely that they built Bramall Hall. It is possible that Lord Davenport was involved in the final battle of the Wars of the Roses at Bosworth and that he helped Henry VII to become King. He was rewarded with a pension of 20 marks per year payable for his lifetime which helped pay for the Hall.  Bramall Hall may have been vandalised when a thief called Randle Hassall, stole most of the timber and so the Hall had to be rebuilt.