1775—2025

Olivia’s life in Brampton

Lady Olivia Bernard Sparrow (née Acheson) was an Anglo-Irish landowner and philanthropist who, after being widowed in 1805, poured her energy into Brampton and the surrounding region. She inherited estate interests (including Brampton Park) and used her position to champion education, welfare, and architecture. In 1821-22 she commissioned Thomas Steadman Whitwell to rebuild parts of Brampton Park House; further design work in 1825 was done by John Buonarotti Papworth, including creation of entrance lodges and a coach house. Olivia’s influence is visible in stone and structure throughout the village — her initials “O.B.S” mark schools, walls, and homes she helped establish or reform.

Family, faith, friendships & legacy

Born eldest daughter of Arthur Acheson, 1st Earl of Gosford, and Millicent Pole, Olivia was deeply religious and evangelical, supporting dozens of societies devoted to education, moral reform, and relief of the poor. Her daughter Millicent married Lord Mandeville, linking estates and influence, and Olivia engaged with noted reformers like Hannah More and William Wilberforce. She backed schools in Brampton and elsewhere, personally oversaw the staffing of instructors (notably Ridley Haim Herschell in 1835–36), and built cottages for those in need. Her legacy lives on not just in buildings and initials, but in a spirit of compassion, service, and belief in bettering lives — a presence people still feel walking through the village.