William Hickman bought the Old Hall from Thomas 5th Lord Burgh, lord of the manor of Gainsborough, in 1596. He immediately began interfering in town’s affairs with enthusiasm, unfortunately making bitter enemies.
He used the cut and thrust attitude from his merchant trade in London to exploit his manorial rights in such an aggressive way that the townspeople were shocked.
He enclosed the town’s common fields and then encouraged a shanty town on it. He gained extra income from rents on these shanty houses but it cost the town more in Poor Rates. He spent the money destined for the maintenance of the streets. He claimed he owned all the houses in Gainsborough. He levied tolls from passing grain ships. He pocketed charity money. He demolished shopkeepers’ stalls in the market place. The extended the thrice yearly fairs and encouraged outside merchants to undercut local traders’ prices. He pulled down parts of the Parish Church and refused to provide money for the upkeep for the remainder. His henchmen assaulted protestors and he abused his authority as Justice of the Peace by bringing dubious law suits and counter law suits against his opponents.
His startling acts did begin to boost the town’s trade and in the long term the income from the tolls rose to 3250 a year instead of the 310 when he had arrived in 1596.
He supported John Smyth and his Separatists by allowing them to meet secretly in the Old Hall. The Separatists were being pushed to conform. Sir William Hickman found himself under pressure from the Bishop of Lincoln for permitting John Smyth to preach. Unable to emigrate legally without permits, and unable to obtain permits, John Smyth and at least forty of his Gainsborough followers slipped away quietly and disappeared from Gainsborough in late 1607 or early 1608. They were next heard of in Amsterdam where they joined some 300 other English Separatists in exile.
The Manor of Gainsborough remained in the possession of the Hickman family until the death of Dame Francis Hickman in 1827 when it passed to the Bacon family, the present owners.
