Whitfield Hall; Whitfield Parish; Northumberland, England
Whitfield Hall is thought by many to be the ancestral home of our family.
HISTORY OF WHITFIELD HALL
At the start of the Norman period Whitfield appears to have belonged to the Saxon Earls of Northumbria. The daughter of one of them, Maud, married King David I of Scotland and Whitfield became, as part of her dowry, hunting land for the Scottish Kings. We know that Maud’s daughter, who was called Countess Ada, had a house called Eade’s Hall which was situated on the hill above the present village, and the ruins of which still stood in the 18th century. Countess Ada was married to King Henry of Scotland and was mother to two of the Kings of Scotland, Malcolm IV and William the Lion (her husband’s great grandfather was the Duncan who was murdered by Macbeth).
Countess Ada had a chaplain or steward at Whitfield called Robert and her son William the Lion agreed in 1167 to give half the lands at Whitfield to Robert in recognition of his service to her. Robert then took on the name of the lands he had been given and became Robert de Whitfield. The other half of the land was given to Hexham Abbey who leased it to Robert and his descendants until some 500 years later the Abbey’s portion of the Estate was made over outright to Sir Matthew Whitfield in 1655 by Oliver Cromwell.
The fortunes of the Whitfields gradually declined and the Estate was up for sale in 1750.
It was bought by William Ord (c.1715-1768). Ord lived at Fenham Hall in Newcastle and initially bought Whitfield as a sporting estate, although he was probably looking to the future as well. He made his own fortune in coal mining (sinking England’s first ever deep shaft coal mine in Walker in 1762), and he would certainly have been aware of the potential at Whitfield for lead mining which did indeed subsequently take place. The Estate had become run down and Ord oversaw a significant amount of rebuilding and improvements, building many of the farmhouses still seen in the valley today.
William Ord’s grandson (also called William) was the first member of the family to live permanently at Whitfield in Whitfield Hall which by then had become a substantial Georgian house thought to have been modelled on the design of Palladio’s Villa Podjana which still stands near Vicenza (the Hall was remodelled in the mid-nineteenth century). William moved his residence to Whitfield some time after 1800, following significant improvements in the roads which made it feasible to live here. It was considered a little unusual to live so far outbye, as Sydney Smith wrote in a letter in 1825 to Lady Holland: “Ord lives in a very beautiful and inaccessible place at the end of the world - very comfortably”.
William was a prominent MP for Newcastle for very many years and his son William Henry looked destined to follow in his footsteps and achieve high office having been made a Lord of the Treasury in his early 30s. However he died soon afterwards and so the property passed to William’s niece, Anne Hamilton. In 1855 Anne married the Reverend John Blackett and their name was changed by royal decree to Blackett-Ord.
Four generations later, the Blackett-Ord family still look after the Estate and live at Whitfield Hall.
https://www.whitfieldestate.co.uk/page/history
PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE ULMERs' TRIP TO WHITFIELD HALL
Whitfield Charter
Original Whitfield charter, date 1167, granting the lands of Whitfield to Robert the Chaplain
Copy of the Whitfield Charter
Elks Head Pub, Whitfield Parish
Elks Head Pub, Whitfield Parish
This copy of the Whitfield charter, accompanied by a translation from the Norman Latin, hangs in the Elks Head Pub in Whitfield Parish.
Elks Head Pub, Whitfield Parish
Elks Head Pub, Whitfield Parish
Elks Head Pub, Whitfield Parish
The Elks Head Pub advertisement: "We have a menu with a wide range of options and we also provide a daily specials board. On Sunday we provide a set menu, this changes weekly but always contains traditional Sunday lunch favourites, as well as vegetarian and fish options. Most of our meat is sourced locally and we serve Whitfield Estate game as often as possible."
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Main Residence, Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Main Residence, Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Main Residence, Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Main Residence, Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Main Residence, Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
John Blackett-Ord (left), owner of Whitfield Hall, pictured with Dr. M. B. Ulmer
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
John Blackett-Ord pictured with Lewanna Ulmer on the grounds of Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Peel Tower separates old and new construction.
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Statuary in the gardens of Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Statuary in the gardens of Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Statuary in the gardens of Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Gardens at Whitfield Hall
Church of St. John, Whitfield Parish
Church of St. John, Whitfield Parish
Church of St. John, Whitfield Parish
The Church of St. John in Whitfield Parish was built circa 1790
Church of St. John, Whitfield Parish
Church of St. John, Whitfield Parish
Church of St. John, Whitfield Parish
The Church of St. John was rebuilt by Mr. William Ord on the site of a much more ancient church. Dr. M. B. Ulmer is pictured on the church grounds.
Church of St. John, Whitfield Parish
Church of St. John, Whitfield Parish
Church of St. John, Whitfield Parish
The Church of St. John served as the church for Whitfield Parish until the Church of the Holy Trinity was built in 1860.
Church of St. John, Whitfield Parish
Church of the Holy Trinity, Whitfield Parish
Church of St. John, Whitfield Parish
Robert de Quitfield was listed as the first rector in 1180 of the church that preceded the Church of St. John.
Church of St. John, Whitfield Parish
Church of the Holy Trinity, Whitfield Parish
Church of the Holy Trinity, Whitfield Parish
Grave stone of Todd Burn Whitfield in the cemetery of the Church of St. John. Todd died in 1284 at the age of 45. His wife, Elizabeth, is also listed on the stone.
Church of the Holy Trinity, Whitfield Parish
Church of the Holy Trinity, Whitfield Parish
Church of the Holy Trinity, Whitfield Parish
The Church of the Holy Trinity was built in 1859-1860 to replace the Church of St. John as the place of worship i n Whitfield Parish.
Church of the Holy Trinity, Whitfield Parish
Church of the Holy Trinity, Whitfield Parish
Church of the Holy Trinity, Whitfield Parish
The Church of the Holy Trinity was built by Reverend and Mrs. J. A. Blackett-Ord, in memory of her uncle, William Ord, from whom she inherited the Whitfield estate.
Church of the Holy Trinity, Whitfield Parish
Church of the Holy Trinity, Whitfield Parish
Church of the Holy Trinity, Whitfield Parish
The interior of the Church of the Holy Trinity
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
The grounds of the Whitfield estate are pictured.
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
The grounds of the Whitfield estate are pictured.
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
The grounds of the Whitfield estate are pictured.
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
A sheep grazing on the grounds of the Whitfield estate
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
The grounds of the Whitfield estate are pictured.
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
Whitfield Hall
The last virgin forest in England is pictured
another family visitor to whitfield hall
Penny Short is one of our members and she advised not long ago that she remembered that a cousin of hers had visited Whitfield Hall in the past. Penny's cousin wrote the following account of her trip, and we are reprinting it here with her permission.
We did indeed go to Whitfield Hall. It's in Northumberland, right on the edge of what I think I remember was Whitfield Moor. We used only trains on that trip. Left London; went to York; then took smaller and smaller trains until we reached the little town of Hexham in Northumberland. The last train was a small steam train. Great fun! Whitfield Hall is outside the town, so we took a cab from Hexham. The cabbie was a hoot. He said his mother was the cook at the Hall during WWII, and he remembered having played all over the grounds when he was a child. I had called the Hall the night before and identified myself and received an invitation to come out. This was WAY before cell phones, by the way.
The owners were away, but the groundskeeper showed us around the outside, giving us a history lesson as to when different sections of the house were added. There was what was once a pool house just outside the garden, walls of beautiful mottled brick. The gardens were smallish, but very pretty. The grounds of the estate, in rolling hill country, extended into the distance, with green grass interrupted by stands of huge trees (don't know what kind; didn't get close enough to see any). I also cannot remember the number of acres, but the property went further than the eye could see in all directions! There was an ancient chapel near the entrance gate and a small gatehouse, in which I believe the groundskeeper lives. Whitfield Hall itself was, as I recall, a warm, dirty golden dressed stone. One of the additions (perhaps 17th century) may have been a more granite color; not quite sure. The courtyard off the kitchen area was what I would call a mews, where horses were once housed. The courtyard now accommodates both horses and cars. The house itself appeared very spare from outside--very little exterior decoration. Just sort of a big old rectangular block.
At some point during our visit, the owner, Mr. Blackett-Ord, arrived and invited us into the house itself. He pointed out to us that his family (I think it was his wife's family that actually owned the estate) were "newcomers" to Whitfield Hall, as they had been there for only 200 years! The Whitfields had owned it for the preceding 700 (I think I have that number right).
He had on the wall of the central hallway the original grant from the then-king giving the estate and house to the Whitfields. And, of course, he had his own copy of the Whitfield/Bryan/Smith book. I showed him the photo of our house in Dunn, and he was fascinated. We didn't get much beyond the central entry hall, so didn't really get a look at the interior. However, the layout was exactly like my home in NC, much grander scale of course, with massive rooms. But you entered into a central hall, and there were sitting rooms on either side. A curved stairway went up from that central hall to the next floor. And, as in Dunn, the ceilings were very high. I really have this comparison bass-ackwards; it should be that our house in Dunn is very like a miniature of Whitfield Hall in Hexham, Northumberland!
One other tidbit, when London decided to do a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre in London, they requested wood from various estates around the country. Whitfield Hall contributed 1000s of board feet of oak. We subsequently went to the new Globe, but we couldn't know which bits came from which estate. I did buy a doorstop made of some of the donated wood, and am pretending it came from Whitfield Hall.
We also met the heir apparent, Master Blackett-Ord, who was four at the time.
As to the NC Whitfield society, that doesn't surprise me at all. There was a time when I thought the areas around Goldsboro and Kinston were occupied only by Whitfields!!! Several pieces of lovely furniture I have here came, by way of Mom, from two great-great aunt Whitfields in Goldsboro. Also, the huge four-poster bed I have here came from the Goldsboro Whitfields. My great-grandmother was actually born in that bed.
