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) north of the town of Whitehaven in England. The parish had a population of 924 in 2001, decreasing to 914 at the 2011 Census. Formerl ...

, England, overlooking the Cumbrian Fells, and just to the north of the village of Moresby. The hall is located south of

Lowca Lowca is a village and civil parish in the English county of Cumbria, just to the north of the village of Moresby. It had a population of 773 in 2001, increasing to 888 at the 2011 Census. It was formerly a mining area but is now noted for its ...

, off the

A595 The A595 is a primary route in Cumbria, in Northern England that starts in Carlisle, passes through Whitehaven and goes close to Workington, Cockermouth and Wigton. It passes Sellafield and Ravenglass before ending at the Dalton-in-Furness by ...

on the A66-595, north of

Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and port on the English north west coast and near to the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies by road south-west of Carlisle and to the north of Barrow-in-Furness. It is th ...

and south-west of

Cockermouth Cockermouth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England, so named because it is at the confluence of the River Cocker as it flows into the River Derwent. The mid-2010 census estimates state that Cocke ...

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

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, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

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 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 ...

that preceded the property. The adjacent church is on the site of a

Roman fort In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term. In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...

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 ( ; french: Azincourt ) 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 English victory against the numerica ...

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 (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

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

Francis Weston Sir Francis Weston KB (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 ...

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 best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

along with Queen

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

. 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 the first significant architect in England and Wales in the early modern period, and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmetry in his buildings. As the most notable archit ...

around 1620 and later between 1670 and 1690, by either

William Thackery William Makepeace Thackeray (; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was a British novelist, author and illustrator. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1848 novel ''Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portrait of British society, and th ...

Edward Addison Air Vice Marshal Edward Barker Addison, (4 October 1898 – 4 July 1987) was a senior Royal Air Force (RAF) officer who served as Air Officer Commanding No. 100 Group from 1943 to 1945 during the Second World War. The group jammed Axis radar ...

. 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