The Chase in

Ross-on-Wye Ross-on-Wye (Welsh: ''Rhosan ar Wy'') is a market town in England, near the border with Wales. It had a population of 10,582 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 11,309 in 2019. It lies in south-eastern Herefordshire, on the River Wye and ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

is a house of historical significance. It was built in 1818 by an attorney and was a private residence of several notable people until it was sold in 1927. After that time it was converted to a hotel and was used for this purpose until September 2019. As a hotel, it had accommodation and restaurant facilities and catered for special events, particularly weddings. In January 2019 the owners held a pre-planning consultation for a proposal in which the original house would be restored and converted into flats and the grounds developed for housing. The proposal was controversial, and resulted in significant changes to the Ross on Wye Neighbourhood Plan, then being drawn up by Ross Town Council. A local campaign group, Save the Chase 2020, is opposed to any building on the green space, and would prefer the hotel to remain as a hotel and community leisure facility, if a suitable buyer can be found.

John and Sarah Cooke

John Cooke built this substantial house in 1818. He called it 'The Chase' and lived at the property until his death in 1867. John was born in 1781 in

. In 1802 he married Sarah Hardwick who also had been born here. She was the daughter of John and Jane Hardwick. George Strong circa 1860

In 1805 John became an Article Clerk to Thomas Harvey of Ross who was a lawyer. After this he became an Attorney. The couple had a son in 1807 who they called John but unfortunately he died in 1820. Their daughter Charlotte was born in 1812 and she was their only surviving child. In 1844 Sarah died and John continued to live in the house with his daughter Charlotte and her husband Dr George Strong until his death in 1867 at the age of 86.

George and Charlotte Strong

George Strong married Charlotte Cooke in 1839 and they lived with her father John Cooke at the Chase until the 1870s. George was born in 1812 in

Brampton Abbotts Brampton Abbotts is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. It is located 2 km north of Ross-on-Wye and 16 km south east of Hereford. The village lies near the western terminus of M50 motorway. The parish had a popula ...

. His father was the Reverend Robert Strong who was the rector of this town for many years. In 1835 he obtained his medical degree from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. After he married Charlotte he practiced as a physician in Ross and also became a magistrate. George was an historian and wrote ''The Heraldry of Herefordshire'' in 1848, and ''The Handbook to Ross and Archenfield'' published in 1863. George and Charlotte had four daughters two of whom died in childhood and are buried in Ross Churchyard. The other two Beatrice and Joan remained single and lived with their parents until they died. In about 1876 the family moved from the Chase to another house in Ross called Ashfield. Charlotte died there in 1892 and is buried in the local churchyard. George moved to Bath in about 1902 and died there in 1904 at the age of 93.

General Sir James Fitzmayer and Lady Lucy Fitzmayer

General Sir James Fitzmayer and his wife Lucy lived at the Chase from about 1880 until his death in 1895. James Fitzmayer was born in 1813 at

Demerara Demerara ( nl, Demerary, ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state fro ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. His father was Major Charles Howard Fitzmayer who died when he was only eight years old. He was sent to the Woolwich Military Academy and entered the army when he was seventeen. He served in many fields of war and was present at the

Battle of Alma The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) was a battle in the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Septemb ...

in the

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

. He received the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

and several other awards. In 1871 he was knighted. He was married twice. His first wife was Jane Louisa Lane whom he married in 1841 but she died in 1859. In 1863 he married Lucy Sivewright who was twenty one years his junior. He had no children. He died at the Chase in 1895 and was buried in St Mary's churchyard in Ross. A detailed description of the life of Sir General James William Fitzwilliam and the awards that he received has been written by Brett Payne.

Colonel Oswald Robert Middleton and Maria Christine Middleton

Colonel Oswald Robert Middleton bought the Chase in 1897 after he retired from the army, and lived there until his death in 1927. Middleton was born in 1840 in

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. His father was Charles John Middleton, who was the Registrar of the Probate Court in London. He was educated at the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry a ...

and graduated in 1857. He joined the

King's Own Royal Regiment The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army. It served under various titles and fought in many wars and conflicts, including both the World War I, First and the World War II, Second World Wars, from 1 ...

, and remained there for many years. Some of his personal belongings, including his mess uniform, were donated by relatives to the

King's Own Royal Regiment Museum The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army. It served under various titles and fought in many wars and conflicts, including both the First and the Second World Wars, from 1680 to 1959. In 1959, the ...

, Lancaster in 1949. He fought in the

Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coup ...

and was awarded a medal. In 1881, at the age of 41, he married Maria Christine Kerr, who was the daughter of Admiral Robert Kerr of

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

. The couple had no children. After he retired to the Chase, Oswald immersed himself in local affairs, and was a very prominent member of the community.Cheltenham Chronicle and Gloucestershire Graphic, 7 May 1927, p. 7.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chase Hotel, Ross-On-Wye Ross-on-Wye Hotels in Herefordshire Houses completed in 1818 Hotels established in 1927