Several texts adorn the walls of Soulton Hall, reflecting Sir Rowland Hill’s philosophy, learning, and the broader poetic and historical tapestry of the manor. These inscriptions include Greek, Latin, and English. Today, we focus on the intriguing runes displayed in the Hall Hall.
These runes spell out the name “Ashton,” a Saxon name carried by the Soulton family for nearly 200 years. This lineage began when Lydia Grace of the Deakin family (via whom the links to Old Sir Rowland run) married William Thomas Ashton, who was of the Lancashire Ashtons.
Sir Thomas de Ashton or Assheton, a court alchemist to King Henry VI, also belonged to this same family.
The runes are inscribed according to the advice of the Theigns of Mercia, replicating the style used in the earliest Anglo-Saxon writings from the mid-first millennium CE:
ᚨᛋᚳᛏᚢᚾ
(ASHTON)
Old Sir Rowland’s house is interested in Anglo-Saxon revival and this is another reason why this part of the culture of England is represented in this way in that room.
Runes above a door in Soulton Hall
