Charlton Hall near

Ellingham, Northumberland Ellingham is a civil parish in Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian' ...

is a building of historical significance and is listed Grade II* on the English Heritage Register. It was built in the late 18th century by the notable architect William Newton for the Cay family. It was the residence of several prominent people over the next three centuries and is now a luxury wedding venue.

The Cay family

Sir Henry Raeburn - Robert Hodshon Cay - Google Art Project

Jabez Cay (1666–1703) bought the Charlton estate in 1696. It then passed through the Cay family until 1782 when it was inherited by Robert Hodshon Cay (1758–1810) who commissioned William Newton to build the new hall. Robert was born in 1758. His father was John Cay (1727–1782) and his mother was Frances Hodshon, daughter of Ralph Hodshon of Lintz Hall, Durham. He was educated at Glasgow University and obtained a law degree. He later became Judge of the High Court of Admiralty in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. In 1789, shortly after he built Charlton Hall, he married Elizabeth Liddell (1770–1831), daughter of John Liddell of North Shields. She was an accomplished artist and her work is still discussed today. The couple had nine children, one being the mother of the famous physicist

James Clerk Maxwell James Clerk Maxwell (13 June 1831 – 5 November 1879) was a Scottish mathematician and scientist responsible for the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, which was the first theory to describe electricity, magnetism and ligh ...

. When Robert died in 1810 his eldest son John Cay (1790–1865) inherited Charlton Hall. John was a lawyer, an antiquarian and a pioneer photographer. In 1819 he married Emily Bullock, the daughter of William Bullock of

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. The couple had seven children. In 1849 he decided to sell Charlton Hall and he placed an advertisement in the newspaper which described the house in the following terms. ''"Charlton Hall is a pleasantly situated mansion house containing entrance hall, drawing room, dining room, breakfast room, library, housekeeper’s room, seven bed rooms, two water closets, kitchen, three servants bedrooms, cellars and other conveniences, a double coach house, four stalled stable and harness room"''.

Later residents

William Spours (1800-1878), a lawyer and landowner, bought the property. He was born in 1800 in

Alnwick Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish bor ...

and married Mary Shepherd. He died in 1878 and the house was again advertised for sale. It was purchased by the Reverend William Tudor Thorp. Reverend William Tudor Thorp (1841-1919) was born in 1841 in

. His father was Thomas Thorp (1805-1854), an Attorney, and his mother was Elizabeth Jane Tudor. He was educated at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and obtained his BA. In 1863 he married Emily Sarah West (1839-1871) and the couple had three children. She died in 1871 and in 1875 he married Mary Louisa Jones (1850-1904), who was the daughter of Dr John Jones of Langstone Court. They had six children: five sons and one daughter. Their youngest son was Reginald Pearce Thorp (1884-1980), who was the father of the penultimate Thorp family owner of Charlton Hall, Reginald William Tudor Thorp. (1915-2003) MBE. Charlton Hall was acquired by the entrepreneur Richard Shell in May 2017 and is now a luxury wedding venue. He also operates Doxford Barns wedding venue on the neighbouring Doxford Estate.Charlton Hall Website
Online reference
/ref> Queen Sam Sharp once visited, Daughter of Lord David Sharp Cottingham Estate.

References

External links

Charlton Hall website
{{coord, 55.49488, N, 1.71826, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Country houses in Northumberland Eglingham Grade II* listed buildings in Northumberland