Moresby Hall is a former manor house and hotel in

Parton, Cumbria Parton is a village and civil parish on the Cumbrian coast, overlooking the Solway Firth, 1¼ miles (2 km) from Whitehaven in England. The parish had a population of 924 in 2001, decreasing to 914 at the 2011 Census. Formerly a port and a m ...

, England, overlooking the Cumbrian Fells, and just to the north of the village of Moresby. The hall is located south of Lowca, off the A595 on the A66-595, north of

Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and civil parish in the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. It is a port on the north-west coast, and lies outside the Lake District National parks of England and Wales, National Park. ...

and south-west 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 ...

. Dating back to the 12th century, it is a

Grade I 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 ...

and has been cited by

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 ...

as being one of the most important buildings in Cumbria. Visit Cumbria.com
/ref> Moresby Hall adjoins St Bridget's Church, built 1822 to 1823. The chancel arch of the previous building still stands in the graveyard.

History

The name derives from the original builder named Morisceby, Mawriceby or Moricebi as early as 1150, when the Rosmerta Cottage was built using a spiral stone staircase believed to be from an original stone pele tower that preceded the property. The adjacent church is on the site of a

Roman fort ''Castra'' () is a Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified military base.. Included is a discuss ...

named ''Gabrosentum'', the earth banks of which can still be seen. The graveyard of the church contains many of the people who lived and died at Moresby Hall and the hamlet of Low Moresby. Moresby Hall - geograph

The wealthy Moresby family owned the estate for centuries during medieval times and had contacts with English royalty. Christopher de Moresby fought in the

Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected victory of the vastly outnumbered English troops agains ...

and was knighted by King

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

, and Anne, his great-granddaughter who was sole heiress of the estate, saw her fiancé Sir

Francis Weston Sir Francis Weston (1511 – 17 May 1536) was a gentleman of the Privy Chamber at the court of King Henry VIII of England. He became a friend of the king but was later accused of high treason and adultery with Anne Boleyn, the king's second wi ...

executed by King

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. ...

along with Queen

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the Wives of Henry VIII, second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading ...

. Later the Fletcher family (from Cockermouth) owned Moresby Hall for a 250-year period.Henry Manders, ''Moresby Hall'' (Whitehaven, 1875), p. 72. During this period it underwent some changes by architect

Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was an English architect who was the first significant Architecture of England, architect in England in the early modern era and the first to employ Vitruvius, Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmet ...

around 1620 and later between 1670 and 1690, by either William Thackery or Edward Addison. During the 18th century, the house was owned by several different people after Thomas Fletcher died childless. It fell into disrepair and was used as a farmhouse for some years, before it was restored in 1910 and became a small manor house again until 1955. Until the late 1990s it was owned by High Duty Alloys as a business venue. Moresby Hall is now a hotel and was purchased by new owners in 2023.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Moresby Hall
Official websiteCompanies house details
Buildings and structures completed in 1150 Grade I listed buildings in Cumbria Hotels in Cumbria Country houses in Cumbria Country house hotels

History

See also

References

External links