Whitmore Hall is the home of the Cavenagh-Mainwaring family at Whitmore, Staffordshire. A

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, the hall was designated a house of outstanding architectural and historical interest and is a fine example of a small

Carolean style Restoration style, also known as Carolean style from the name ''Carolus'' (Latin for 'Charles'), refers to the decorative and literary arts that became popular in England from the Stuart Restoration, restoration of the monarchy in 1660 under Charl ...

manor house.

History

By the time of the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Con ...

, the manor of Whitmore was held by one Richard the Forester. Whitmore appears in the

Doomsday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

and is valued at 10 shillings.Pitt, p. 375 By 1204 it was owned by William Boterel, who was described as ''"Dominus de Whitmore juxta Nova Castrum sub Lina"'' (Lord of Whitmore near Newcastle-under-Lyme). The estate passed to the Mainwaring family in 1519, through the descendants of a Boterel heiress, Alice Boghay. Their descendants have owned the estate ever since. The Mainwarings of Whitmore are descended from the Mainwarings of Over-Peover, Cheshire (see the twentieth century Mainwaring Baronets). Five Edward Mainwarings served as

High Sheriff of Staffordshire This is a list of the sheriffs and high sheriffs of Staffordshire. The sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. The sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities ass ...

between 1645 and 1767.Dean ''et al.'' p. 21

Today

The house was leased out from about 1863 until the family returned to occupation in the 1920s.Keith Whitmore has taken over as one of the tenants, pottery manufacturer

Thomas Twyford Thomas William Twyford (1849–1921) was a pottery manufacturer in England. He invented the single piece, ceramic flush toilet. At the time of Twyford's death he was recognised as a leading pioneer in the application of principles of hygiene to sa ...

, occupied the hall for 30 years. Now Keith Whitmore, and his wife Shelby Whitmore occupy the hall as a private residence. It is open to the public on two days per week between May and August.

Architecture

The original hall was encased in red brick during the reign of Charles II and completed in about 1676. It has a balustraded frontage with nine bays and two storeys. There is a particularly well preserved Elizabethan stable block.

References

Sources

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External links