(173) Arkwright of Mark Hall, Parndon Hall, Sanderstead Court and Knuston Hall

Arkwright of Mark Hall

The Mark Hall estate at Latton (Essex) was purchased by Richard Arkwright (1755-1843) of Willersley Castle (Derbys) as part of his policy of buying landed property as an investment, and the following year his sixth son, Rev. Joseph Arkwright (1791-1864) was appointed rector of Latton and took up occupation of the hall. When Joseph's elder brother, Richard Arkwright (1781-1832) died, Joseph also took over his father's estate at Normanton Turville in Leicestershire, and he became the owner of both properties on his father's death in 1843.  Mark Hall seems to have been regarded as the principal seat, and Joseph invested in further land to add to it, his most significant purchase being the adjoining Parndon Hall estate, which he acquired in 1860. At the time of his death he was described as 'one of the largest farmers in Essex'.

Joseph was a keen huntsman, and at the end of his life became Master of the Essex Hounds and built new kennels for the hunt at Harlow. This taste was passed on to succeeding generations. His eldest son, Robert Wigram Arkwright (1822-88), who inherited Normanton Turville, sold it shortly afterwards as he was living in Bedfordshire, where for 35 years he was Master of the Oakley Hunt: he lived first at Sharnbrook House and later at Goldington Hall, both of which he probably rented, but in 1865 he bought and remodelled Knuston Hall at Irchester, just over the county boundary in Northamptonshire. In 1878, Robert inherited Sanderstead Court (Surrey) from Col. Wigsell, and this became the home of his eldest son, Frank Wigsell Arkwright (1848-93), but Frank died only five years after his father. His heir was his son, Esme Francis Wigsell Arkwright (1882-1934), who seems to have been brought up at Sharnbrook House (which he altered in 1911) and followed in his grandfather's footsteps as Master of the Oakley Hunt, 1904-15 and 1921-1934. He sold Sanderstead Court in 1919 and lived later at Harrold Hall (Beds) and Lavendon Grange (Bucks), dying in the hunting field shortly after announcing his intention to resign the Mastership.

On the death of Robert Wigram Arkwright, his principal seat of Knuston Hall (Northants) passed to his second son, Herbert Robert Arkwright (1860-98), who like his brother died young. His heir was his son, Robert Oakley Wigram Arkwright (1894-1973), who was barely more than an infant and did not come of age until 1915. As soon as he came out of the army at the end of the First World War he sold Knuston Hall and he lived subsequently at Angeston Grange, Uley (Glos) and at various houses in Somerset.

The combined Mark Hall and Parndon Hall estates passed on the death of Joseph Arkwright to his fourth son, Loftus Wigram Arkwright (1829-89). Loftus married in 1864 and he and his wife Elizabeth built a new house on the Parndon estate, which Elizabeth - an artist of considerable ability - took a major role in decorating.  Thereafter Parndon was the main house on the estate, and Mark Hall was left to the occupation to Loftus' five unmarried sisters.  Like his father and brother, Loftus Arkwright was a keen huntsman, and he succeeded Joseph as Master of the Essex Hounds. In 1868, he was severely injured in a fall in the hunting field when his horse fell and stamped on him, which seems to have left him partially paralysed. Despite the fact that thereafter he could only ride a horse if strapped onto its back, he continued to be Master of the hunt for a further twenty-one years: an amazing tribute to his dedication to the sport!

Loftus' heir was his son, Loftus Joseph Wigram Arkwright (1866-1950), who established the Mark Hall Estate Co.  to manage the joint Mark Hall and Parndon estates. When Mark Hall was vacated by his aunts in the 1890s, the company let it to the Gilbey family who remained in occupation until the death of Newman Gilbey in 1942. The house then became a hostel for the Women's Land Army until it burned down in 1947; a small part of the house which survived the fire was used for educational purposes until the late 1950s, but was finally demolished in 1960; the stable block was converted into a veteran cycle museum by Harlow Council in 1981. 

In 1912, Loftus J.W. Arkwright was divorced by his wife, who claimed he was violent and had affairs with their servants; she took her sons with her, and Arkwright is said to have become reclusive. He continued to live in Parndon Hall to the end of his long life, but the condition of the house deteriorated markedly, especially during the war when it was hard to arrange for repairs.  When he died in 1950 his heir was his youngest son, Commander Godfrey Wigram Arkwright (1901-54), his two elder sons having been lost in mysterious circumstances in 1933 and killed in action in 1942. The Mark Hall estate having been included in the area designated for a 'satellite' new town at Harlow in 1947, the whole estate was purchased by the Harlow Development Corporation between 1947 and 1953. Parndon Hall became an independent boarding school until 1970 when it was bought by the Princess Alexandra Hospital, of which it now forms a part, although planning permission has been given for its division into nine apartments. In September 1953, on the eve of the family's final removal from Parndon Hall, Godfrey Arkwright wrote a remarkably generous letter to the general manager of the New Town:

As I sit at my desk tonight when all is quiet, writing... from my old home where my father and grandfather have lived before me and on the land which my family have owned for over 130 years, it is a very very sad moment for me... but I admit the necessity for these satellites and accept the fact that it was 'just too bad' for us around Harlow that this area was chosen. I can only wish you every possible success with the progress of the new town."

Mark Hall, Latton, Essex

A full account of Mark Hall can be found in my post on the Altham family of Mark Hall, Oxhey Place and Timbercombe.

Parndon Hall, Essex

The original Parndon Hall was a moated building which stood opposite Little Parndon church and close to the River Stort, and it was demolished in about 1840 when a railway was built through the site. It had, however, already been replaced as the manor house in the 17th century by a new house built about half a mile to the south, which was known as the Upper House and later as Parndon House. The Upper House had been built by 1646 and by 1687 it stood in a park of 105 acres; nothing is known of its appearance at this time, but in 1720 it had about seven main rooms on each floor. 

Parndon House, as altered c.1750, from an old engraving.

When Charles Turnor died in 1726 the estate which he bequeathed to his two daughters was heavily encumbered and ownership was disputed with his creditors; eventually it was sold by order of Chancery in 1742. It seems likely that at this time the house was unoccupied and fell into disrepair, and the purchaser, Edward Parson, who was a wealthy West India merchant, altered and enlarged the house, which was described in 1771 as 'a neat and elegant modern building'.  Parson also landscaped the park, adding lakes, a temple, and probably some artificial ruins which were recorded in the early 19th century; the park was enlarged to the west in 1794 for William Smith. Parndon House was demolished for unknown reasons in about 1830, and a replacement was not built until 1867, when a new site in the park was selected.

Parndon Hall, from the Ordnance Survey 6" map surveyed in 1873-74.

The new Parndon Hall is a rather grand and loosely Italianate two storey house, built in 1867 for Loftus Wigram Arkwright (1829-89), very possibly to the designs of Joseph Clarke, who rebuilt the church at the same time. 

Parndon Hall in 2011.

It has a broad front of three bays of tripartite windows, with the centre recessed to accommodate an arcaded loggia. Inside, the house has a remarkable group of painted doors and ceilings in an eclectic variety of styles, which are attributed to Elizabeth Arkwright, the wife of the owner.  The estate was included in the land acquired for building Harlow New Town after the Second World War, and the house became a boarding school before being acquired by the Princess Alexandra Hospital in 1970. The house survives as the hospital's Medical Education Centre.

Descent: Sir Henry Colte sold 1633 to John, Robert and Edward Hellam, who sold 1633 to Sir Humphrey Forster, bt.; sold 1638 to Matthew Gilly; sold 1651 to Sir Edward Turnor (d. 1676), later Speaker of the House of Commons; to son, Sir Edward Turnor (d. 1721), who gave it to his son, Charles Turnor (d. 1726); to daughters, who sold in 1742 under a Court order to Edward Parson (d. 1780); to widow and children who sold 1785 to William Smith MP (d. 1835); sold 1822 to William Kerril Amherst (d. 1835);... sold 1860 to Rev. Joseph Arkwright of Mark Hall; to son, Loftus Wigram Arkwright (1829-89) and his wife Elizabeth, who built a new house; to son, Loftus Joseph Wigram Arkwright (1866-1950); to son, Cmdr. Godfrey Wigram Arkwright (1901-54), who sold c.1953 to Harlow Development Corporation; leased to Mrs. Kitty Clare as a boarding school; sold 1970 to Princess Alexandra Hospital.

Sanderstead Court, Surrey

A full account of Sanderstead Court is given in my post on the Atwood family of Sanderstead Court.

Knuston Hall, Irchester, Northamptonshire

Knuston Hall: the west front.

The apparently Victorian house has much earlier and rather obscure origins, perhaps as a house called North Hall which belonged to the Page family in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The house contained eight hearths in 1670, and may then have recently been rebuilt, as late 17th century work seems to form the core of the present building: the south front has some courses of ironstone which suggest an early house.  The lower wing with a canted bay that extends to the east of the house is probably also 17th century, but was altered and refronted in the 18th century. Finally, the north wing, of limestone ashlar, although now apparently Georgian, has a datestone for 1666 in its pediment, which may represent the date of the 17th century house. 

Knuston Hall from the SW

Knuston Hall from the NW, from an old postcard

In 1769 the ancient hamlet of Knuston was swept away at enclosure and the area around the hall was laid out as parkland. In about 1775 the house was enlarged for Benjamin Kidney, a London merchant, who is said to have spent £10,000 on improvements. He was probably responsible for the three storey three-by-three block which forms the south, and part of the west, fronts today, and which is recorded in drawings of 1840 by George Clarke. There are survey drawings by J.B. Papworth of 1817 but it is not clear if he did any work on the building. After the house was bought by Robert Arkwright in 1865 he enlarged it further, building a new north range with Jacobethan style gables on the north and west fronts, adding bay windows to the ground floor of the existing house, and refenestrating the rest of the house.  The interior was also remodelled, and there are elaborate ceilings which incorporate some genuine 18th century work, some resited Jacobean panelling, and a new staircase. Corridors to improve access in the older parts of the building were formed in the space where the old staircase had stood. 

Knuston Hall, from the Ordnance Survey 6" map of 1884.

During the Second World War the house was used as a transport depot by the British and Canadian armies, and in 1949 it was acquired by the County Council for use as a residential college of adult education, a purpose it still fulfils.

Descent: Page family... Benjamin Kidney (fl. 1775); sold 1791 to Joseph Gulston; mainly let in early 19th century (tenants included William Dick (d. 1814) and Sir Peter Payne) but empty in 1834; to Alan James Gulston who leased 1849 to Edward John Sartoris; sold 1865 to Robert Wigram Arkwright (1822-88); to second son, Henry Robert Arkwright (1860-98); to son, Robert Oakley Wigram Arkwright (b. 1894), who sold 1920 to Charles Arthur Kersey Green; sold 1949 to Northamptonshire County Council.

Arkwright family of Mark Hall and Parndon Hall

Arkwright, Rev. Joseph (1791-1864) of Mark Hall and Normanton Turville. Sixth son of Richard Arkwright (1755-1843) of Willersley Castle (Derbys) and his wife Mary, daughter of Adam Simpson of Bonsall (Derbys), born 9 August and baptised at Bakewell (Derbys), 24 August 1791. Educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1810, BA 1814, MA 1817); Vicar of Latton (Essex), 1820-50; rector of Thurlaston (Leics), 1824-45; JP for Essex and Hertfordshire. He was a keen huntsman; Master of the Essex Hounds, 1861-64, in which capacity he built new kennels for the hunt at Harlow. He married, 19 October 1818 at Walthamstow (Essex), Anne (1796-1863), daughter of Sir Robert Wigram, 1st bt. and had issue:
(1) Eleanor Harriet Arkwright (1819-1907), baptised at Latton, 16 November 1819; married, 4 February 1851, Rear-Adm. Sir George Granville Randolph CB (1818-1907) and had issue two sons and two daughters; died 16 May 1907; administration of goods granted 8 May 1907 (effects £180);
(2) Anne Mary Arkwright (1820-54), baptised 20 December 1820; married, 16 September 1841 at Latton, Rev. George Edward Bruxner (1812-91), rector of Thurlaston (Leics); died 19 January 1854;
(3) Robert Wigram Arkwright (1822-88) (q.v.);
(4) Charles Arkwright (1823-92) of Ashlands (Leics), born 9 September and baptised 10 September 1823; educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1841); Lieutenant in 1st Dragoon Guards; married, 10 September 1864, Honoria (d. 1927), daughter of Edward Bourchier Hartopp of Dalby Hall (Leics) and had issue nine sons and two daughters; died in London, 1 December 1892 and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery;
(5) Rev. Julius Arkwright (1825-64), born 28 September and baptised 28 December 1825; educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1847; BA 1848); curate of Messing (Essex), 1850; succeeded his father as vicar of Latton (Essex), 1850-64; married, 5 September 1850, Laura Elisa, daughter of Alexander Greig of London and had issue four daughters; died 15 April 1864; will proved 6 May 1864 (effects under £14,000);
(6) Anna Frances Arkwright (1828-83), of Mark Hall, baptised 1 July 1828; died unmarried, 18 August 1883, apparently from heart failure after being stung by a wasp; will proved 1 November 1883 (effects £25,702);
(7) Loftus Wigram Arkwright (1829-89) (q.v.);
(8) Arthur Wigram Arkwright (1831-1903) of Broughton Astley (Leics), born 20 February and baptised (as Arthur William) 23 February 1831; JP and DL for Leicestershire; married, 3 April 1856, Emma (d. 1866), daughter of Rev. John Wolley of Beeston (Notts) and had issue two sons and two daughters; died 28 June 1903;
(9) Catherine Elizabeth Arkwright (1832-1916), baptised 11 September 1832; died unmarried, 21 January 1916; will proved 8 March 1916 (estate £19,844);
(10) Susan Ellen Arkwright (1835-73), baptised 25 January 1835; died unmarried, 5 March 1873; will proved 31 March 1873 (effects under £14,000);
(11) Gertrude Arkwright (1836-92), baptised 24 April 1836; died unmarried, 13 January 1892; will proved 19 February 1892 (estate £27,468);
(12) Agnes Isabella Arkwright (1838-1902), baptised 7 March 1838; died unmarried, 31 May 1892; will proved 11 July 1902 (estate £35,387).
His father bought the Mark Hall estate in 1819 and he moved to it in 1820. He inherited the estate in 1843. He inherited Normanton Turville on the death of his elder brother, Richard Arkwright, in 1832; it was let towards the end of his life and sold after his death to Richard Worswick.
He died 29 February and was buried at Latton, 5 March 1864; his will was proved 7 April 1864 (effects under £400,000). His wife died 21 May 1863.

Arkwright, Loftus Wigram (1829-89) of Parndon Hall. Fourth son of Rev. Joseph Arkwright (1791-1864) of Mark Hall and his wife Anne, daughter of Sir Robert Wigram, 1st bt., born 29 September 1829 and baptised 30 May 1830. Educated at Eton. Captain of the Epping Volunteer Rifle Corps, 1860-69; Master of the Essex Hounds, 1864-89, despite a spinal injury in 1868 which prevented him riding horseback in a regular way and meant he had to be strapped into his saddle; his wife was also keen on the sport and rode to hounds regularly. He married, Jan-Mar 1862, Elizabeth (1833-90), daughter of Rowland John Reynolds of London, stable keeper, and had issue:
(1) Loftus Joseph Wigram Arkwright (1866-1950) (q.v.).
In the 1860s he rented Gladwins (Herts). He inherited the Mark Hall and Parndon Hall estates from his father in 1864 but leased Mark Hall to his five unmarried sisters and built a new house at Parndon Hall.
He died 4 May 1889; his will was proved 31 May 1889 (effects £68,706). His widow died 2 May 1890; her will was proved 14 July 1890 (effects £1,917).

Arkwright, Loftus Joseph Wigram (1866-1950) of Parndon Hall. Only son of Loftus Wigram Arkwright (1829-89) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Rowland John Reynolds of London, born 14 October and baptised 18 November 1866. Educated at Eton, Charterhouse and Trinity College, Cambridge (admitted 1885). He was a keen huntsman and steeplechaser, and suffered a severe concussion and temporary paralysis following an accident in a steeplechase in 1893, after which he devoted himself to shooting. After his divorce he was estranged from his children, and in old age, he became an eccentric recluse, living latterly in a decayed and neglected Parndon Hall with a housekeeper and sole companion. He married, 6 June 1894 (div. 1915), Julia Smith (d. 1933), daughter of J. Caldwell and had issue:
(1) Loftus Arkwright (b. 1895), born 20 June 1895; educated at Charterhouse; owned a garage in Kensal Road, London; said to have disappeared in 1933, being last heard of driving recklessly and over the speed limit late at night in London;
(2) twin, Lt-Cmdr. John Joseph Arkwright DSO (1901-42), born 10 June 1901; educated at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth; served in Royal Navy, 1931-42 (Lt-Cmdr); killed in action on HMS Avenger, 15 November 1942;
(3) twin, Cmdr. Godfrey Wigram Arkwright DSC (1901-54) (q.v.).
He inherited the Mark Hall and Parndon Hall estates from his father in 1889 and further extended the estate in the 1900s. He established the Mark Hall Estate Co. in 1930 to manage the estates. 
He died 20 July 1950; his will was proved 24 November 1950 (estate £93,424). His ex-wife died 28 August 1933.

Arkwright, Cmdr. Godfrey Wigram (1901-54) of Parndon Hall and Youngsbury (Herts).  Youngest but only surviving son of Loftus Joseph Wigram Arkwright (1866-1950) and his wife Julia Smith, daughter of J. Caldwell, born 10 June 1901. Educated at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.  Officer in Royal Navy (Sub-Lt., 1921; Lt., 1922; Cmdr, 1923); served in WW2 (DSC 1940; mentioned in despatches, 1943). After his parents' divorce he had little contact with his father. He married, 30 March 1927, Margaret (1900-83?), only daughter of Sir Henry Hollingdrake of The Cleeve, Porlock (Somerset) and had issue:
(1) Esther Wigram Arkwright (1928-97), born 12 August 1928; married 1st, 6 May 1950 (div.), Dr. (Herbert) Keith (Norton) Lister (1922-2013) of Porlock, younger son of Herbert Victor Lister of Saxton Lodge, Seaford (Sussex) and had issue two sons and two daughters; married 2nd, 20 September 1985 at Droxford (Hants), Thomas William Moncrieffe Steele (1925-2003), son of Robert Steele; died 19 September 1997; will proved 10 September 1998;
(2) John Loftus Henry Arkwright (1931-2017), born 27 March 1931; educated at Charterhouse; farmer at Ebberly House (Devon) but later emigrated to Mount Eymard, Bowral, New South Wales (Australia); married 1st, Jul-Sept 1960, Margaret Ann, eldest daughter of Cyril James Johnstone of Dairy House, Maresfield (Sussex) and had issue one son; married 2nd, Oct-Dec 1981, Juliet Niel (div.) and had issue one son and one daughter; died 1 October 2017.
He lived in Hampshire until he inherited the Mark Hall and Parndon Hall estate from his father in 1950, but sold it to Harlow Development Corporation in 1953. He lived subsequently at Youngsbury, Wadesmill (Herts).
He died 29 November 1954; his will was proved 2 February 1955 (estate £242,428).

Arkwright family of Knuston Hall and Sanderstead Court

Arkwright, Robert Wigram (1822-88) of Knuston Hall and Sanderstead Court. Eldest son of Rev. Joseph Arkwright (1791-1864) and his wife Anne, daughter of Sir Robert Wigram, 1st bt., born 5 April and baptised 6 April 1822. Served as officer in 7th Dragoon Guards, 1840-46 (Cornet, 1840; Lt., 1842; Capt.); officer in the Leicestershire Yeomanry Cavalry (Cornet, 1848; Lt., 1850); officer in Duke of Manchester's Mounted Volunteer Corps (Lt., 1860). JP for Northamptonshire; Master of Oakley Hunt, 1850-85. He married, 30 December 1847 at St George's, Hanover Square, London, Sophia Julia (1826-98), eldest daughter of Alexander Greig of London, and had issue:
(1) Capt. Frank Wigsell Arkwright (1848-93) (q.v.);
(2) Herbert Robert Arkwright (1860-98) (q.v.); 
(3) Mary Sophia Clare Arkwright (1861-1945), born 14 October 1861; married, 1 July 1901, Charles Alfred Browne Lawder (1853-1925), fourth son of Gen. Edward James Lawder; died without issue, 1 July 1945; will proved 11 December 1945 (estate £18,939);
(4) Diana Laura Arkwright (1863-92), baptised at St Stephen, Paddington (Middx), 19 May 1863; received into the Roman Catholic church against the wishes of her father; died unmarried, 10 April 1892; administration of goods granted 6 May 1892 (effects £693);
(5) Julius Arkwright (1865-1926) of Stonely Grange, St. Neots (Hunts), born 9 January 1865; educated at Radley and Jesus College, Cambridge (matriculated 1884); married, 17 January 1899 at St George's, Hanover Square, London, Lillian Browning (1877-1963), but had no issue; died 17 December 1926; will proved 24 February 1927 (effects £348);
(6) Isabel Gertrude Arkwright (1867-1941), born 20 March and baptised 19 April 1867; married Apr-Jun 1898, Capt. Frederick Alexander Hedley, son of Robert Hedley of London; died 5 April 1941; will proved 23 June 1941 (estate £264).
He lived first at Normanton Turville (Leics) and then at Sharnbrook House and Goldington Hall (Beds) before purchasing Knuston Hall in 1865 and remodelling the house there. He inherited the Sanderstead Court estate from Col. Wigsell (d. 1878), but never lived there.  
He died suddenly at Aix-les-Bains (France), 1 December, and was buried at Wellingborough, 6 December 1888; his will was proved 18 January 1889 (estate £31,524; later resworn as £Nil).

Arkwright, Capt. Frank Wigsell (1848-93) of Sanderstead Court. Eldest son of Robert Wigram Arkwright (1822-88) and his wife Sophia Julia, daughter of Alexander Greig of London, born 29 September 1848. Captain in the Coldstream Guards. He married, 29 August 1878 at West Tytherley (Hants) (div. 1885), Rosa Frederica (1854-1927), youngest daughter of William Baring of Normancourt (Hants) (who m2, 25 November 1885 in Paris, Lt-Col. G.W.A. FitzGeorge, cited as co-respondent in her divorce proceedings, and had further issue one son and two daughters) and had issue:
(1) Esme Francis Wigsell Arkwright (1882-1934) (q.v.);
(2) Vera Nina Arkwright (1883-1947), born 11 August 1883; married 1st, 1 May 1916 in Paris (France) (div. 1929), Frederick Blantford Bate (1886-1970) of Chicago (USA) and had issue one daughter; married 2nd, 1929, Alberto Lombardi; died in Rome (Italy), 22 May 1947; administration of estate in England granted 21 March 1949 (estate in England £4,444).
He inherited the Sanderstead Court estate from his father in 1888.
He died 12 March 1893. His ex-wife died in Florence (Italy), 10 March 1927; administration of her goods in England was granted 27 May 1927 (estate £547).

Arkwright, Esme Francis Wigsell (1882-1934) of Sanderstead Court and later of Lavendon Grange. Only son of Capt. Frank Wigsell Arkwright (1848-93) of Sanderstead Court and his wife Rosa Frederica, daughter of William Baring of Normancourt (Hants), born 7 May 1882. Served in the Army (Lt. in 5th Lancers; Capt. in Scots Greys); Master of the Oakley Hounds, 1904-15 and 1921-34. Described as "boozy" by Adm. Sir Geoffrey Barnard in his memoirs; he was co-respondent in his second wife's divorce from her first husband. He married, 1st, 6 July 1909 (div. 1920), Audrey Violet Hatfeild, only child of James Francis Hatfeild Harter of Cranfield Court (Beds) and 2nd, August 1920, Violet Eveleen (d. 1948), daughter of Maj. Francis Richard Hugh Seymour Sutton and formerly wife of Albemarle Bertie Edward Cater (div. 1920), and had issue:
(1.1) Charles Hatfeild Arkwright (b. 1916), born 15 January 1916; solicitor with Peacock & Goddard of London; married, 2 April 1960, Gwynne Mary Venn (née Rillstone); author, with S.C. Woolmer, of Pewter in the Channel Islands, 1973.
He inherited the Sanderstead Court estate from his father in 1893, but sold it in 1919. He lived at Sharnbrook House (Beds), which he altered in 1911 and later at Harrold Hall and Lavendon Grange.
He died in the hunting field, 10 November 1934; his will proved 14 December 1934 (estate £26,390). His widow died 7 May 1948; a grant of administration of her goods was made 13 September 1948 (estate £19,674).

Arkwright, Herbert Robert (1860-98) of Knuston Hall. Second son of Robert Wigram Arkwright (1822-88) of Knuston Hall and Sanderstead Court, and his wife Sophia Julia, daughter of Alexander Greig of London, born 15 November 1860. Educated at Radley and Jesus College, Cambridge (admitted 1879). JP for Northamptonshire; High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, 1891; at one time a partner in the Leamington Brewery. He married, 3 January 1894, Evelyn Frances (1870-1946), daughter of Col. Charles Edward Foster and had issue: 
(1) Robert Oakley Wigram Arkwright (1894-1973) (q.v.);
(2) Angela Mary Millicent Arkwright (1896-1968) of Whaddon House, Spaxton (Somerset), born 20 December 1896; married 1st, 28 April 1923, Capt. William Selby-Lowndes (d. 1940), son of Maj. William Selby-Lowndes OBE of Whaddon Hall (Bucks), and had issue one child (died young); married 2nd, 9 July 1946, Air Vice-Marshal Sir Charles Laverock Lambe KCB CMG DSO (d. 1953), son of Frederick Charles Lambe of Flushing (Cornwall); died 13 March 1968; will proved 31 May 1968 (estate £98,956).
He inherited Knuston Hall from his father in 1888.
He died 5 January and was buried at Wellingborough (Northants), 10 January 1898; will proved 27 April 1898 (estate £64,228). His widow died in Battersea (London), 2 February 1946; her will was proved 22 February 1947 (estate £553).

Arkwright, Robert Oakley Wigram (1894-1973) of Knuston Hall. Only son of Henry Robert Arkwright (1860-98) of Knuston Hall and his wife Evelyn Frances, daughter of Col. Charles Edward Foster, born October 1894. Educated at Radley and Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1913) and RMC Sandhurst. Served in 4th Queens Own Hussars, 1914-20 (wounded), and as Capt. in Dorsetshire Regiment in WW2. JP for Gloucestershire, 1925. He married, 7 April 1921 at St George's, Hanover Square, London, Millicent Anwyl (1895-1973), only child of Brig-Gen. Thomas Andrew Wight-Boycott DSO of Rudge Hall (Shropshire) and had issue:
(1) Priscilla Jane Boycott Arkwright (b. 1922), born 6 March 1922; said to have married 1st, 1943, Capt. James Greenwood (d. 1944) and had issue one son, but actually she changed her name to Greenwood by deed poll in 1945; married, 29 April 1955, Ian Alexander Fielden Asher of St Michaels, Farnborough (Hants), son of Col. W.A. Asher of Esher (Surrey) and had issue two daughters;
(2) Robert Andrew Boycott Arkwright (1924-2001), born 16 November 1924; educated at Radley; served in the army, 1943-47; married, 11 July 1957, Rosabelle Jenefer, younger daughter of Sir Alexander Theodore Newboult KCB CMG MC ED of Bodmin (Cornwall) and had issue two sons and one daughter; died 27 December 2001; will proved 11 April 2002.
He inherited Knuston Hall from his father in 1898 and came of age in 1915. He sold the Knuston estate in 1920 and lived subsequently in Angeston Court (Glos) and in Somerset; he died at Cridlands, Fitzhead, Taunton, Somerset.
He died 21 September 1973; his will was proved 8 November 1973 (estate £176,594). His widow died 26 October 1973; her will was proved 25 January 1974 (estate £80,899).

Sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, 1965, pp. 21-22; VCH Surrey, vol. 4, 1912, pp. 237-43; VCH Northamptonshire, vol. 4, 1937, pp. 21-27; I. Nairn, Sir N. Pevsner & B. Cherry, The buildings of England: Surrey, 2nd edn., 1971, pp. 447-48; VCH Essex, vol. 8, 1983, pp. 223-27; H. Lake, The Arkwrights and Harlow, 1996; C. Beale, Champagne and Shambles, 2006, pp. 219-20; J. Bettley & Sir N. Pevsner, The buildings of England: Essex, 2007, p. 459; B. Bailey & Sir N. Pevsner, The buildings of England: Northamptonshire, 2013, p. 344; 
http://www.knustonhall.org.uk/history.jspx; 

Location of archives

Arkwright family of Mark Hall: deeds, manorial records, family and estate papers, c.1583-1879 [Essex Record Office, D/DAr]; maps, 1869-78 [Essex Record Office, D/DU 2084]

Coat of arms

Argent, on a mount vert, a cotton tree, fructed proper, on a chief azure between two bezants, an escutcheon of the field, charge with a bee volant proper.

Can you help?

Here are a few notes about information and images which would help to improve the account above. If you can help with any of these or with other additions or corrections, please use the contact form in the sidebar to get in touch.

• Can anyone supply a date of death for Charles Hatfeild Arkwright (b. 1916) or his wife, which may have taken place in the Channel Islands?
• Can anyone supply more details about the mysterious disappearance of Loftus Arkwright (b. 1895) in 1933 (some versions of the story say 'late 1920s').

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published on 26 June 2015 and updated 30 June and 12 July 2015, 19 & 27 January 2017, 26 March and 19 May 2019 and 5 December 2023. I am grateful to Mark Heath for additional information.