The Standish family

The Standish family seat was at Standish Hall; the rather grand hall that was unfortunately raised to the ground long before we became guardians of this place. And this is why our Lancashire farm is named Standish Hall Farm. There are still some beautiful buildings that we’re restoring, and we’ve lovingly nursed the land back to life. We’ve also introduced grey partridge and encouraged bees and other wildlife.

There are Standishes round this way from way back when – their family crest shows an owl holding onto a rat. Perhaps the barn owl nesting in one of our outbuildings is a descendant of the wise old bird on the Standish family crest?

Myles Standish

Captain Myles Standish was an English military ocer as well as a bit of an enigma. Nobody’s quite sure when or where he came into the world, but it’s thought Cap’n Standish was born in 1584 in Lancashire (Duxbury Hall in Chorley, to be precise).

Headstrong Myles

While we like to see ourselves as gentle farmers, in touch with our sensitive sides, Cap’n Standish appears to have been a different kettle of fish altogether, according to Cheryl Harness’ The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish…

‘Captaine Shrimpe’

Myles Standish was short, tough, and when he got mad, which was often, his face turned as red as his hair. These things earned him a nickname: “Captaine Shrimpe.”

The ferocious C’pn Standish was a leader of men among the colonial pioneers. He accompanied the Pilgrims on the Mayflower – the ship that transported the first Pilgrims from Plymouth to the New World in 1620. They sailed across the North Atlantic; a journey that lasted more than two months. He was also one of the first settlers and founders of the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts.