Knight of the Ancestors

Sir Richard Houghton was born in 1569 on the estate of Hoghton Tower in Lancashire, England. He was the eldest son to Sir William Houghton and therefore was given the estate once his father had died. Sir Richard Houghton is accounted for many different things throughout his extravagant life. To name a few, I will be discussing some of his life at Hoghton Tower, his relationship with the king, and his downfall into bankruptcy.

Sir Richard Houghton 

His life at the estate was average yet extravagant depending on one's perspective. To the common people of the day, his life was exciting and grandiose but to someone who is in the same class as him, it would seem ordinary. He became friends with the king during his life and even invited him over for dinner in hopes that he would be redeemed for his growing debt with his alum mines.

As it is said, he put down half a mile of red carpet on the road leading to his estate in preparation for King James I who was to be staying there for three days. He invited many close friends to stay and had exciting entertainment ranging from theatre to hunting. The food was also another thing to mention. One fun story was that one night during a feast, the king was so impressed by a meat being served he withdrew his sword and knighted the meat "Sir Loin Steak", thus sirloin steak. The event was said to be a glorious time and gave him the chance to try and appeal to the king.

Unfortunately, though, his luck did not last long and he was imprisoned after his debt was no longer tolerated or avoided. He was given bail multiple times and was finally released before his death in 1630. I was unable to find what exactly he died of but he was buried on the Houghton Tower estate. I got a lot of my information from my late grandfather and online with ancestry.com as well as some the links provided.

Hoghton Tower, Lancashire, England

Hoghton Tower, Lancashire, England

The Mystery of Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson

Charleston is no stranger to mysteries due to its riveting and full history that has been taking place since the 17th century. One can imagine that there is an emphasis on burial grounds during this time which is one of the many things that Charleston is known for. Many famous historical people are buried in the Holy City including the mother of a United States president, Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson. Jackson supposedly died due to an illness while she was helping her nephews and others who were on a British prisoner ship. The mystery that surrounds her is the issue that no one has any idea where she was buried, even today. Her son, Andrew Jackson, tried multiple times to find the final resting place of his mother to no avail.

So the question is, why is the tombstone of Jackson on the College of Charleston campus? Well, during the 1970's former CofC president decided it would be a good idea to move the tombstone onto the campus after it was found to be mistreated and the campus has been it's home ever since. Although her body has never been able to been found, at least her tombstone is well taken care of and walked past by hundreds of people each day. To find the tombstone, simply go to Cougar Mall and in between the Honors College House and the RSS Building, the tombstone rests. Another way that she is commemorated is by a memorial statue in the Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Cemetery.

Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson
Tombstone

Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson
Memorial
strangehistory.com