Isel Hall is an ancient
Cumbrian
Cumbrian dialect or Cumberland dialect is a local dialect of Northern England in decline, spoken in Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands. Some parts of Cumbria have a more North-East English sound to them. Whilst clear ...
residence that sits on a steep rise on the northern banks of the
River Derwent, south of
Bassenthwaite Lake
Bassenthwaite Lake is a body of water in the Lake District in North West England, near the town of Keswick. It has an area of , making the fourth largest of the lakes in the region. The lake has a length of approximately long and maximum wid ...
, east-north-east of
Cockermouth
Cockermouth is a market town and civil parish in the Cumberland unitary authority area of Cumbria, England. The name refers to the town's position by the confluence of the River Cocker into the River Derwent. At the 2021 census, the built u ...
, with views over the
Lake District
The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...
fells and
Skiddaw
Skiddaw is a mountain in the Lake District National Park in England. Its summit is traditionally considered to be the List of Wainwrights, fourth-highest peak but depending on what topographic prominence is thought to be significant is also ...
. It was once the home of the
Lawson family and is a
Grade I
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.
History
Norman period
The recorded history of
Isel begins during the reign of
Henry II
Henry II may refer to:
Kings
* Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014
*Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154
*Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
when Alan, the son of
Waltheof, granted Randulph d'Engayne the
demesne
A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...
s of
Ishall,
Redmain and
Blencrake. Randulph's granddaughter and heiress Ada married Simon de Morville, lord of the barony of
Burgh by Sands
Burgh by Sands () is a village and civil parish in the Cumberland unitary authority area of Cumbria, England, situated near the Solway Firth. The parish includes the village of Burgh by Sands along with Longburgh, Dykesfield, Boustead Hill, Moor ...
, whose son Hugh left two daughters as coheirs, Ada and Joan. The manor of Isel fell to the elder sister's share. Ada married Richard de Lucy of
Egremont Egremont may refer to:
Places
* Egremont, Cumbria, England
* Egremont, Merseyside, England
* Egremont, Massachusetts, United States
* Egremont, Alberta, Canada
Other uses
* Earl of Egremont
Earl of Egremont was a title in the Peerage of Gr ...
; and later Thomas de Multon, to whom she had a son and heir, Thomas. In the reign of
Henry III this Thomas, entailed Isel and Blencrake on his younger son Hubert. Hubert Moulton enjoyed Isel for his lifetime, after which his son William entered the story.
The Leigh connection
In 1315, William's daughter Margaret married Sir William de Leigh and this brought Isel into the Leigh family for a period stretching from the reign of
Edward II
Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...
(1307–1327) until 1572. William died in 1354, leaving five sons and two daughters; he is buried beside his horse in Isel churchyard. In the year 1499, one Robert Leigh of Isel assisted Elizabeth Dykes to prosecute an appeal against Thomas Curwen and others for the murder of her husband Alexander Dykes. The award made by
Richard Redmain,
bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The current bishop is Mike Harrison (bishop), Mike Harrison, since 2024.
From the first bishop until the sixteent ...
; Master
Christopher Urswyk,
archdeacon of Richmond
The Archdeacon of Richmond and Craven is an archdeacon, archdiaconal post in the Church of England. It was created in about 1088 within the See of York and was moved in 1541 to the Bishopric of Chester, See of Chester, in 1836 to the Diocese of ...
; Edward Redmain and Sir Thomas Dykes; stated that:-
::“whereas the said parties were nigh of blood the said Elizabeth should no longer sue her appeal, but that the said Thomas Curwen and his partakers shall shew themselves meekly sorry for his death , and shall pay to the said Elizabeth four score pounds of lawful money, and further find one honest priest to sing for the soul of the said Alexander, in the church at Isel, by the space of two years, paying yearly for his salary seven marks of lawful money.”
In 1509, one Sir Edward Redmain possessed Isel, having married, in 1485, the lady Elizabeth, widow of Sir Thomas Leigh, and daughter of Sir John Huddlestone of
Millom
Millom is a town and civil parish on the north shore of the estuary of the River Duddon in southernmost Cumberland, Cumbria, England. It is situated just outside the Lake District National Park, about north of Barrow-in-Furness ( by road) and ...
. Elizabeth died in 1529, leaving Isel to Sir John Leigh. The
Patent Rolls
The patent rolls (Latin: ''Rotuli litterarum patentium'') are a series of administrative records compiled in the English, British and United Kingdom Chancery, running from 1201 to the present day.
Description
The patent rolls comprise a regis ...
for 1530 confirm the title. In 1544 John Leigh held the manor of Isel and Blencrake of the King by the service of one knight's fee and the cornage of 46s. 8d. (£2 33p). He was
High Sheriff of Cumberland
The sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere o ...
in 1548 and again in 1557; he died in 1563. Thomas Leigh, the last of the name, gave Isel to his second wife, Maud Redmain, who afterwards married for her third husband
Wilfred Lawson, who conveyed the inheritance over to him.
The Lawson era
The Lawsons can trace their descent to John Lawson, lord of Fawkegrave,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
to the early part of the 13th century. Through a long line of eminent ancestors we arrive at
Sir Wilfrid Lawson (1545–1632), son of Thomas Lawson (died 1559) of Little
Usworth, County Durham, and his wife Elizabeth Darrell, daughter of Constantine Darrell of
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
. He was educated at
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...
in 1562 and at
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...
in 1564. In 1591 the
Earl of Northumberland
The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the Peerage of England and of Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders are the House of Percy (''alias'' Perci), who were the most po ...
made him Lieutenant of the Honour of
Cockermouth
Cockermouth is a market town and civil parish in the Cumberland unitary authority area of Cumbria, England. The name refers to the town's position by the confluence of the River Cocker into the River Derwent. At the 2021 census, the built u ...
(Grand Steward of all his estates) and the Conveyor of the
Commissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...
s of the
Marches
In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland, as opposed to a state's "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which diffe ...
. He was
High Sheriff of Cumberland
The sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere o ...
in 1583. In 1593 he was elected Member of Parliament for
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...
. He was High Sheriff of Cumberland again in 1597. In 1604, he was elected MP for Cumberland again. He was
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
ed in 1604 and in 1605 was appointed convener to the
royal commission
A royal commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue in some monarchies. They have been held in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, Mauritius and Saudi Arabia. In republics an equi ...
set up to govern the
Anglo-Scottish border
The Anglo-Scottish border runs for between Marshall Meadows Bay on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west, separating Scotland and England.
The Firth of Forth was the border between the Picto- Gaelic Kingdom of Alba and the Angli ...
. He was High Sheriff again in 1606 and in 1612. In 1614 he was elected MP for Cumberland again.
[ History of Parliament Online – Wilfred Lawson]
/ref> Lawson died childless in 1632 at the age of 87 years and was succeeded by his great nephew Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 1st Baronet, of Isell
Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 1st Baronet, of Isel Hall, Cumberland (c. 1610–1688) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679.
Life
Lawson was born in 1610, the son of William Lawson, and his wife J ...
.
Sir Wilfred Lawson was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
from 1660 to 1679. Lawson was born in 1610, the son of William Lawson, and his wife Judith Bewley, daughter of William Bewley of Hesket. He matriculated at Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...
on 21 November 1628, aged 17. He was knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
ed by Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
on 28 February 1641.[ History of Parliament Online – Lawson, Sir Wilfred]
/ref> In 1688, shortly before his death he purchased a baronets
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 1 ...
patent from James II. He also purchased Brayton from the Salkeld family and settled the family estate at Isel on his grandson Wilfrid (son of his first son William), who subsequently became Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 2nd Baronet; and to Wilfrid his second son he conferred the estate of Brayton, so founding the line of 'Brayton' Lawsons.
Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 2nd Baronet (31 October 1664 – November 1704) was an English politician. He was the son of William Lawson and inherited his title on the death of his grandfather Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 1st Baronet, of Isell
Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 1st Baronet, of Isel Hall, Cumberland (c. 1610–1688) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679.
Life
Lawson was born in 1610, the son of William Lawson, and his wife J ...
in 1688. He married Elizabeth daughter and heir to George Preston of Holker Hall
Holker Hall (pronounced Hooker by some) is a privately owned country house located about 2 km to the southwest of the village of Cartmel in the ceremonial county of Cumbria and historic county of Lancashire, England. It is "the grandest ...
, Lancashire. They had three sons; Wilfrid, William and John. Lawson was High Sheriff of Cumberland
The sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere o ...
in 1689, and elected to represent Cockermouth
Cockermouth is a market town and civil parish in the Cumberland unitary authority area of Cumbria, England. The name refers to the town's position by the confluence of the River Cocker into the River Derwent. At the 2021 census, the built u ...
in 1690. On 11 November 1704, Lawson died. He was succeeded by his eldest son Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 3rd Baronet, of Isell
Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 3rd Baronet of Isell FRS (1697 – 13 July 1737) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1718 to 1737.
Lawson was the son and heir of Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 2nd Baronet, of Isell, Cumbria, and his wife El ...
.[History of Parliament Online – Sir Wilfred Lawson]
/ref>
Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 3rd Baronet, of Isell
Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 3rd Baronet of Isell FRS (1697 – 13 July 1737) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1718 to 1737.
Lawson was the son and heir of Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 2nd Baronet, of Isell, Cumbria, and his wife El ...
FRS (1697 – 13 July 1737), was a British politician. He was educated Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...
, graduating in 1713; and was admitted to the Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...
in 1715. He was Groom of the Bedchamber
Groom of the Chamber was a position in the Royal Household, Household of the monarch in early modern Kingdom of England, England. Other ''Ancien Régime'' royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles. In King ...
to George I George I or 1 may refer to:
People
* Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631)
* George I of Constantinople (d. 686)
* George of Beltan (d. 790)
* George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9)
* George I of Georgia (d. 1027)
* Yuri Dolgoruk ...
from 1720 to 1725; and was elected as Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
in 1718. He married Elizabeth Lucy, daughter of the Hon. Harry Mordaunt
Lieutenant-General Harry Mordaunt (29 March 1663 – 4 January 1720) was an English Army officer and Whig politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1692 and 1720.
Early life
Mordaunt was born at Parsons Green, Fulham ...
MP and niece of the Earl of Peterborough
Earl of Peterborough was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for John Mordaunt, 5th Baron Mordaunt (see Baron Mordaunt for earlier history of the family). He was succeeded by his eldest son, Henry, the second Earl. He was ...
. The marriage produced two sons Wilfrid and Mordaunt and two daughters Elizabeth and Charlotte. He was one of the Lawson Baronets, the son and heir of Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 2nd Baronet, of Isell
Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 2nd Baronet (31 October 1664 – November 1704) of Isel Hall, Cumberland, Isel was an English politician.
Family
He was the son of William Lawson and inherited his title on the death in 1688 of his grandfather Sir Wilfrid La ...
. In 1718, Lawson became Member of Parliament for the Boroughbridge
Boroughbridge ( ) is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is north-west of York. Until a bypass was built the town lay on the main A1 road from London to Edinburgh, which c ...
constituency. In 1722, Lawson was returned for Cockermouth, which he represented until his death. Upon his death at Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...
in 1737, he was succeeded by his eldest son, Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 4th Baronet (1731–39). However, he died in infancy. He was succeeded by his brother Sir Mordaunt Lawson, 5th Baronet (1735–43) who also died in infancy; so ending the supremacy of the Isel Lawson's.[History of Parliament Online – Sir Wilfred Lawson]
/ref>
The residency at Isel after 1743, becomes rather sketchy. We can, with a degree of confidence, assume that branches of the Lawson family continued to live there until the arrival of the Wybergh family in 1806. After this date various members of the Wybergh family are recorded. In 1856, William Wybergh of Isel Hall died; the new owner was his brother John, who in turn was followed by his son, also called John. At the time of her Royal highness the Princess Louise Princess Louise may refer to:
People
* Louise of Denmark (disambiguation), various princesses
* Louise of Prussia (disambiguation), various princesses
* Louise of Saxe-Meiningen (disambiguation), various princesses
* Princess Louise of Schleswig-H ...
and her husband the Marquis of Lorne stayed at Isel on their way to open a bazaar
A bazaar or souk is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Asia, North Africa and South Asia. They are traditionally located in vaulted or covered streets th ...
at Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England.
Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...
in aid of the Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...
Infirmary
Infirmary may refer to:
*Historically, a hospital, especially a small hospital
*A first aid room in a school, prison, or other institution
*A dispensary (an office that dispenses medications)
*A clinic
A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambul ...
in September 1877, they were the guests of Percy S Wyndham MP.
In 1891 Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 3rd Baronet, of Brayton
Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 3rd Baronet, of Brayton (21 October 1862 – 28 August 1937) was an English Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons from 1910 to 1916. He was also a keen ...
(21 October 1862 – 28 August 1937), an English Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1910 to 1916 took over the estate. He remained at Isel until his death in 1937, when he was succeeded by his nephew Sir Hilton Lawson, 4th Baronet.
Modern day
After the death of Sir Hilton Lawson, 4th Baronet, Isel Hall was sold by private sale to Margaret Austin-Leigh of Fareham
Fareham ( ) is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in south east Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Fareham. It was historically an important manufac ...
, Hampshire, a first cousin of the previous owner.[West Cumberland Times, 30 July 1960] Margaret was the daughter of Lucy Thurston and granddaughter to Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 2nd Baronet, of Brayton
Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 2nd Baronet (4 September 18291 July 1906) was an English Temperance movement, temperance campaigner and Radicalism (historical), radical, Anti-imperialism, anti-imperialist Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician who sa ...
. In 1941, Margaret married Richard Austen-Leigh, the great nephew of Jane Austen
Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...
through her brother, Henry's marriage. He was a publisher, printer
Printer may refer to:
Technology
* Printer (publishing), a person
* Printer (computing), a hardware device
* Optical printer for motion picture films
People
* Nariman Printer (fl. c. 1940), Indian journalist and activist
* James Printer (1640 ...
and writer, who had revised the edited works of Jane Austen. He died in 1961. During Margaret's time at Isel she bred Shetland ponies
The Shetland pony or Sheltie is a Scottish list of horse breeds, breed of pony originating in the Shetland Islands in the north of Scotland. It may stand up to at the withers. It has a heavy Coat (animal), coat and short legs, is strong for ...
and large poodle
The Poodle, called the in German () and the in French, is a breed of water dog. The breed is divided into four varieties based on size, the Standard Poodle, Medium Poodle, Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle, although the Medium Poodle is no ...
dogs.
Margaret had no children and upon her death in 1986 she left Isel to her friend and distant relative Mary Burkett OBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
. Mary had recently retired from a distinguished career as director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
of Abbot Hall Art gallery and Museum, Kendal
Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness, England. It lies within the River Kent's dale, from which its name is derived, just outside the boundary of t ...
. At Abbot Hall she won the first award for Best museum of the Year, had served on committees of the Arts Council
An arts council is a government or private non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts; mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing arts events. They often operate at arms-length from the government to prevent pol ...
and Crafts Council
The Crafts Council is the national development agency for contemporary craft in the United Kingdom, and is funded by Arts Council England.
History
The Crafts Advisory Committee was formed in 1971 to advise the Minister for the Arts, David Eccle ...
and served as member of a visiting team of Museum Directors
A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private collections that are used by researchers ...
who had visited the United States in 1981 in an advisory role. Mary compiled a memoir of a former parlour maid
A maid, housemaid, or maidservant is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era, domestic service was the second-largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids a ...
at Isel Hall, Miss May Moore (I Was Only A Maid – the life of a remarkable woman, Firpress Ltd., Workington), who also featured in a Border TV documentary filmed at the Hall in 1997. Mary carried out, with the help of English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
many improvements to the fabric of the building, with special attention to the Pele Tower, the terrace and the sunken garden. Miss Burkett passed away in late 2014, leaving the house to its current owners.
The Site
The edifice stands on a curious, almost unique, site on the north side of the River Derwent. Such a position at first sight appears contrary to all precedents, for whenever there is a stream in the vicinity we invariably find an English Pele tower
Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and about 1600. They were free-standing ...
placed on the southern bank, so as to interpose the river between it and the northern enemy. However, the geography of the region today is somewhat different from that of the medieval period. There existed at that time a dense impenetrable forest between Isel, Uldale
Uldale is a small village and former civil parish in the Cumberland district, in the ceremonial county of Cumbria, England. It is about from Caldbeck, from Ireby with which it now forms the civil parish of Ireby and Uldale together with Aug ...
and Wigton
Wigton is a market town in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. It lies just outside the Lake District. Wigton is at the centre of the Solway Plain, between the Caldbeck Fells and the Solway coast. It is served by Wigton railway st ...
with no roads through for the marauding Scots to descend. Their only way would be by the old Roman road
Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...
from Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England.
Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...
and Wigton to Cockermouth
Cockermouth is a market town and civil parish in the Cumberland unitary authority area of Cumbria, England. The name refers to the town's position by the confluence of the River Cocker into the River Derwent. At the 2021 census, the built u ...
, or else by galley
A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...
s from Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...
to Allonby
Allonby is a village on the coast of Cumberland in Cumbria, England. The village is on the B5300 road north of Maryport and south of Silloth. The village of Mawbray is to the north, and to the east is the village of Westnewton, Carlisle ...
or Flimby
Flimby is a coastal village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Maryport, in the Cumberland district, in the ceremonial county of Cumbria, England. It was historically in Cumberland. It is included in the Maryport South county divisio ...
, and then up the Derwent valley. Isel, therefore could only be reached from the south, hence the Hall is situated in the correct position. The site is further protected by a woodland stream running around the north and the west sides. It is called the Bloomer Beck, which suggests that it may have been the site a forge
A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to the ...
or iron smelter.
Description
Pele tower
The most striking feature of Isel Hall is the Pele Tower, which together with the Great Hall is one of the oldest parts of the building. The exact age remains unclear. We know that in the year 1387 an army of Scots under the banners of the dukes of Douglas and Fife raided and captured Cockermouth Castle
Cockermouth Castle () is in the town of Cockermouth in Cumbria on a site by the junction of the Rivers Cocker and Derwent. It is a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument.
History
The first castle on this site was built by the Normans ...
, and laid waste to the surrounding countryside. The present building most probably dates to a time shortly after this occurrence. Unfortunately there are no records to authenticate the date of erection of the Pele Tower. Although both the Crown
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...
and the Warden of the Marches
The Lord Warden of the Marches was an office in the governments of Scotland and England. The holders were responsible for the security of the border between the two nations, and often took part in military action. They were also responsible, al ...
granted such licenses, no public records relating to the proceedings of the latter are available for collaboration. There is however one architectural
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...
feature to offer a clue to the period. This is a Carnarvon arched doorway in the basement of the tower. It is a wide doorway writes Curwen, so it could be a late example and places the tower in the early fifteenth century. The tower consists of the customary vaulted basement with three stories over. It is rectangular shaped and of medium size, measuring externally 13 metres by 7.75 metres on a north–south axis. The masonry is of freestone rubble with red sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
dressings to the sixteenth century windows. There is no plinth
A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...
or offset of any kind, although the parapet
A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...
ejects beyond the face of the wall. The height is 13 metres and the walls are 2 metres thick. The basement is barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...
ed, and divided by a cross wall, in which is the previously mentioned Carnarvon arched doorway. The three floors above are reached by short flights of stairs and passages. On the top floor are two light windows with square heads and drip stones in common with the period of Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
. To this tower, but not in axis, the owner added a domestic range. This addition has no windows.
The Grand Hall
The later wing, also started in the 16th century, protruding in a westerly direction, is about 38 metres in length. It has a gable-roof and a plain parapet relieved on both fronts at intervals by small open stone arches surmounted by short pinnacles and having the form of a prick spur. The wing is lighted by rows of square mullion
A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...
ed windows which have red sandstone dressed quoins
Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th-century encyclopedia, ...
, and above the windows over the doorway is a square tablet enclosing a weather-worn coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
. Projecting from this wing was a further wing, now gone, balancing the Pele Tower to form an open courtyard.
The owner built the earliest part of this extended wing in the early part of the 16th century; it comprised a banqueting hall
An assembly hall is a hall to hold public meetings or meetings of an organization such as a school, church, or deliberative assembly. An example of the last case is the Assembly Hall (Washington, Mississippi) where the general assembly of the s ...
, looking towards the south, together with a new entrance hall with bedrooms over. The banqueting hall, occupied the space of the present dining room, study, and passage, and measured 12.2 metres by 7.3 metres. Four very wide and richly moulded beams span the ceiling, while laid across these are smaller moulded ribs to support the above floors. The beautiful Tudor panelling surrounding this block of rooms is one of the most interesting features of the hall. We find the Lawson arms, inlaid, above the doorway of the present study; while the adjoining panels are ornamented in colour with different devices and figures.
The Façade
The façade of the Hall is another peculiar feature which calls for attention. The line of the eaves
The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural sty ...
is broken at regular intervals by a form of ornament superimposed upon the top of the wall and of which only one parallel example exists, that is at Hardwick Hall
Hardwick Hall is an architecturally significant Elizabethan architecture, Elizabethan-era country house in Derbyshire, England. A leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house, the Renaissance architecture, Renaissance style home was bu ...
in Derbyshire. The principal ornament consists of an open arch rib with the feet sunk lightly below the eaves but which rise up clear of the slates being surmounted on the crown by a terminal. At intermediate distances somewhat smaller ones occur, but in these the arch is not pierced, neither do the feet penetrate into the wall.
Sale of interior property
In July 1960 the auction
An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...
eers erected an enormous marquee
Marquee may refer to:
* Marquee (overhang), a secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building
* Marquee (structure), a structure placed over the entrance to a hotel, theater, casino, train station, or similar building.
* Pole marquee ...
on the terrace lawn outside of the front door of Isel Hall, overlooking the River Derwent. The three-day sale, comprising 1,071 lots, filled 30 pages of the sale catalogue. There were 20 lots of metal ware, 37 of plated ware, 109 of silver, 264 of furniture, 34 of carpets
A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of Pile (textile), pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fiber, synthetic fibres such as polyprop ...
and rugs
A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of Pile (textile), pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fiber, synthetic fibres such as polyprop ...
, 66 of china
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
and glass, and many more of paintings
Painting is a visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or " support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush. Other implements, ...
, curtain
A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or (in the case of a shower curtain) water.
Curtains are often hung on the inside of a building's windows to block the passage of light. For instan ...
s, books
A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, mo ...
and linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...
. One may gain an understanding of the work of the linen maids in the great country houses
300px, Oxfordshire.html" ;"title="Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire">Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a To ...
by studying the content of the catalogue. Almost 300 lots of linen came under the hammer, including 31 tablecloths, 60 linen sheets, 90 table napkins
A napkin, serviette or face towelette is a square of cloth or paper tissue used at the table for wiping the mouth and fingers while eating. It is also sometimes used as a bib by tucking it into a shirt collar. It is usually small and folded, s ...
, and over 200 towels
A towel () is a piece of absorbent cloth or paper used for drying or wiping a surface. Towels draw moisture through direct contact.
Bathing towels and hand towels are usually made of cotton, linen, bamboo and synthetic microfibers.
In househo ...
.
Although dealers attended from all over the country and from abroad the majority of the items went to local people. The highest price paid was £300 for an inlaid
Inlay covers a range of techniques in sculpture and the decorative arts for inserting pieces of contrasting, often colored materials into depressions in a base object to form Ornament (art), ornament or pictures that normally are flush with th ...
mahogany
Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...
Hepplewhite
George Hepplewhite (1727? – 21 June 1786) was a cabinetmaker. He is regarded as having been one of the "big three" English furniture makers of the 18th century, along with Thomas Sheraton and Thomas Chippendale. There are no pieces of furn ...
break front bookcase
A bookcase, or bookshelf, is a piece of furniture with horizontal shelf (storage), shelves, often in a cabinetry, cabinet, used to store books or other printed materials. Bookcases are used in private homes, public and university libraries, off ...
, the top enclosed by two central and two side astragal
An astragal is a Moulding (decorative), moulding profile composed of a half-round surface surrounded by two flat planes (Annulet (architecture), fillets). An astragal is sometimes referred to as a miniature torus. It can be an architecture, a ...
glass doors. Other interesting prices are:- £10, a pair of Georgian salt cellar
A salt cellar (also called a salt, salt-box) is an article of tableware for holding and dispensing salt. In British English, the term can be used for what in North American English are called salt shakers. Salt cellars can be either lidded or op ...
s with spoons; £32, a Georgian lidded tankard
A tankard is a form of drinkware consisting of a large, roughly cylindrical, drinking cup with a single handle. In recent centuries tankards were typically made of silver or pewter, but can be made of other materials, for example glass, wood, ...
; £60, a Georgian coffee pot and spirit lamp
An alcohol burner or spirit lamp is a piece of laboratory equipment used to produce an open flame. It can be made from brass, glass, stainless steel or aluminium.
Uses
Alcohol burners are preferred for some uses over Bunsen burners for safety pu ...
; £50, a Georgian snuff box
A decorative box is a form of packaging that is generally more than just functional, but also intended to be decorative and artistic. Many such boxes are used for promotional packaging, both commercially and privately. Historical objects are u ...
with musical box
A music box (American English) or musical box (British English) is an automatic musical instrument in a box that produces Musical note, musical notes by using a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder (geometry), cylinder or disc to pluck ...
fitting; £85, a Georgian three bottle inkstand
An inkstand is a stand, tray, or casket used to house writing instruments. They were generally portable objects, intended to sit on the table or desk where the person was writing. They were useful household objects when quill pens and dip pens ...
; £22, a Georgian oval fluted teapot
A teapot is a vessel used for steeping tea leaves or a herbal mix in boiling or near-boiling water and serving the resulting infusion called tea; usually put in a teacup. It is one of the core components of teaware.
Teapots usually have an ...
; £27, a Georgian oval matching tea caddy
A tea caddy is a box, jar, canister, or other receptacle used to store tea. When first introduced to Europe from Asia, tea was extremely expensive, and kept under lock and key. The containers used were often expensive and decorative, to fit in w ...
; £100, six Georgian shell pattern butter dish
Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment ...
es; £92, a pair of Adam
Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam).
According to Christianity, Adam ...
design Georgian design sauce boat
A sauce boat, gravy boat, or saucière is a low jug or pitcher with a handle in which sauce or gravy is served. The typical shape is considered boat-like, hence the name. It often sits on a matching saucer, sometimes attached to the pitcher, ...
s. Furniture:- £52, a pair of Chinese
Chinese may refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China.
**'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
Chippendale mahogany chairs; £70, a longcase clock in seaweed marquetry
Marquetry (also spelled as marqueterie; from the French ''marqueter'', to variegate) is the art and craft of applying pieces of wood veneer, veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns or designs. The technique may be applied to case furn ...
and walnut
A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...
; £50, a Regency
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
mahogany sideboard
A sideboard, also called a buffet, is an item of furniture traditionally used in the dining room for serving food, for displaying serving dishes, and for storage. It usually consists of a set of cabinets, or cupboards, and one or more drawers ...
; £240, a rosewood
Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...
writing table; £75, antique walnut chest of drawers
A chest of drawers, also called (especially in North American English) a dresser or a bureau, or informally a Chester Draws, is a type of cabinet (a piece of furniture) that has multiple parallel, horizontal drawers generally stacked one above a ...
; £80, pair of Hepplewhite mahogany armchairs; £140, antique rosewood sofa table; £180 antique mahogany Sheraton card table
A folding table is a type of folding furniture, a table (furniture), table with legs that fold up against the table top. This is intended to make storage more convenient and to make the table more portable. Many folding tables are made of lightwei ...
; £125, Georgian partners mahogany desk. Carpets:- £180, a Persian carpet
A Persian carpet ( ), Persian rug ( ),Savory, R., ''Carpets'',(Encyclopaedia Iranica); accessed 30 January 2007. or Iranian carpet is a heavy textile made for a wide variety of utilitarian and symbolic purposes and produced in Iran (histo ...
; £135, another Persian carpet. China:- £40, part of Early English dinner service
Tableware items are the dishware and utensils used for setting a table, serving food, and dining. The term includes cutlery, glassware, serving dishes, serving utensils, and other items used for practical as well as decorative purposes. The q ...
; £95, 168 piece Minton dinner service; £40, 45 piece Copenhagen part tea and coffee service.
However, the bargain of the day went unnoticed, that of an Italian renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
painting which had hung in the Dining room at Isel for over two hundred years. The painting, considered a copy of an almost identical painting hanging in the pitti Palace
The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...
in Florence
Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025.
Florence ...
, known as the Three Ages of Man
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...
is arguably the work of Italian painter Giorgione
Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco (; 1470s – 17 September 1510), known as Giorgione, was an Italian painter of the Venetian school during the High Renaissance, who died in his thirties. He is known for the elusive poetic quality of his work, ...
. The unnamed buyer paid the paltry sum of £200. Within a year, John Harrington, an American multi millionaire art collector
A private collection is a privately owned collection of works (usually artworks) or valuable items. In a museum or art gallery context, the term signifies that a certain work is not owned by that institution, but is on loan from an individual ...
, had purchased the painting from an Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
auction saleroom. Harrington would dedicate the next 30 years of his life travelling the art houses of the world trying to prove that the painting is an authentic masterpiece.[West Cumberland Times, 14 October 1988]
See also
* Listed buildings in Blindcrake
Blindbothel is a civil parish in the Cumberland district in Cumbria, England. It contains 31 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, two are listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grade ...
References
Bibliography
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{{Refend
Houses completed in the 15th century
Towers completed in the 15th century
English Heritage sites in Cumbria
Peel towers in Cumbria
Country houses in Cumbria
Tourist attractions in Cumbria
History of Cumbria
Grade I listed buildings in Cumbria
Grade I listed houses