Landed families of Britain and Ireland

This site, which was short-listed for the Society of Architectural Historians (GB) Colvin Prize in 2019, presents my research into the landowning families of the British Isles and the country houses which they owned. Comments, especially in the form of corrections, additional information or new illustrations, are very welcome. Please use the Contact Form in the right hand side bar to contact me privately or the comments facility at the bottom of the page to make a public comment.

Tuesday, 4 November 2025

(616) Biddulph of Ledbury Park and Rodmarton Manor, Barons Biddulph - part 2

This post has been divided into two parts. Part 1 gives an introduction to the family and describes the houses which they have owned over several centuries. This second part provides detailed genealogical information about the family.

Biddulph of Ledbury

Biddulph, Anthony (1585-1651). Fifth son of Simon Biddulph (d. 1632) of Elmhurst Hall, Lichfield (Staffs) and his wife Joyce Floyer, baptised at Lichfield (Staffs), 23 January 1584/5. Citizen and haberdasher of London, and a member of the Company of Merchant Adventurers and East India Company. He supported the parliamentary side in the Civil War and was a member of the Committee of Accounts of the Kingdom, 1644. Alderman of the City of London, July 1651, but died soon afterwards. He married, c.1616, Elizabeth (b. 1599), daughter of Robert Palmer, alderman of London, and had issue including:

(1) Elizabeth Biddulph (c.1617-90), born about 1617; married 1st, Henry Crisp (d. 1654), citizen and haberdasher of London, and had issue three sons and two daughters; married 2nd, Alderman Sir James Edwards (d. 1691), grocer, Lord Mayor of London in 1678-79, son of John Edwards of Garton (Yorks), yeoman, and had issue one daughter; buried at St Michael Bassishaw, London, 23 December 1690;
(2) Robert Biddulph (c.1618-78) (q.v.);
(3) Joyce Biddulph (b. c.1619), born about 1619; married, 1642 (licence 16 January), Richard Wynn (d. 1688), and had issue seven sons and one daughter; living in 1651 but evidently died in or before 1687 as she is not mentioned in her husband's will written in that year;
(4) Michael Biddulph (fl. 1661), born about 1620; married, 19 July 1655 at Sibson (Leics), Frances Kingston; living in 1661;
(5) Mary Biddulph (b. 1621), baptised at St Alban, Wood St., London, 23 October 1621; married, 1st, by 1646, Richard Burren (1616-56), son of Richard Burren of Reading (Berks), and had issue two sons and one daughter; married 2nd, as his second wife, Alderman Richard Chiverton (1616-79), Lord Mayor of London, 1657-58; death not traced;
(6) Sarah Biddulph (d. 1660?); married, 1654, as his second wife, Sir John Musters (1623-89) of London and Colwick Hall (Notts), and had issue one son; probably the woman of this name buried in the chancel at Hornsey (Middx), 14 August 1660.

He lived in London.

He died in September or October 1651; his will was proved 28 October 1651. His wife's date of death is unknown.

Biddulph, Robert (c.1618-78). Elder son of Anthony Biddulph (1585-1651) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Palmer, alderman of London, born c.1618. Citizen and merchant of London. He married, 3 August 1652 at Stoke Newington (Middx), Mary (1631-86?), daughter of Sir Abraham Cullen (c.1624-68), 1st bt., of East Sheen (Surrey), MP for Evesham, 1661-68, and had issue including:

(1) Mary Biddulph (1655-64), baptised at St Alban, Wood St., London, 29 May 1655; died young and was buried at St Alban, Wood St., London, 30 December 1664;
(2) William Biddulph (b. 1657), baptised at St Alban, Wood St., London, 13 November 1657; died young;
(3) Anthony Biddulph (1659-1718) (q.v.);
(4) Elizabeth Biddulph (1660-64), born 5 November and baptised at St Alban, Wood St., London, 20 November 1660; died young and was buried at St Alban, Wood St., London, 30 May 1664;
(5) Robert Biddulph (d. 1663); died young and was buried at St Alban, Wood St., London, 13 June 1663;
(6) Jane Biddulph (1662-1715?), baptised at St Alban, Wood St., London, 28 August 1662; married, 1681 (licence 1 November), Anthony Tournay (1648-1726), citizen and skinner of London, and had issue eight sons and five daughters; said to have died 20 May 1715;
(7) Robert Biddulph (b. & d. 1664), baptised at St Alban, Wood St., London, 26 January 1663/4; died in infancy and was buried at St Alban, Wood St., London, 1 November 1664;
(8) Michael Biddulph (1664-83), baptised at St Alban, Wood St., London, 9 March 1664/5; died unmarried, 26 August and was buried at St Alban, Wood St., London, 29 August 1683.

He lived in London, but also owned property at Essondon (Herts).

He died 26 May, and was buried at St Alban, Wood St., London 4 June 1678; his will was proved in the PCC, 15 June 1678. His widow married 2nd, 1680 (licence 27 January), Dr. Thomas Tymme, physician, and is said to have died in 1686/7; her will was proved in the PCC, 22 October 1687.

Biddulph, Anthony (1659-1718). Eldest surviving son of Robert Biddulph (c.1618-78) and his wife Mary, daughter of Sir Abraham Cullen, 1st bt., of East Sheen (Surrey), born in London, 24 February 1658/9. Merchant in London. High Sheriff of Herefordshire, 1695-96. He married, 15 June 1680 at Ledbury, Constance (1650-1706), daughter and co-heir of Francis Hall of New House, Ledbury, and had issue:

(1) Anthony Biddulph (1681-89), baptised at Ledbury, 30 June 1681; died young, 20 December and was buried at Ledbury, 28 December 1689;
(2) Robert Biddulph (1682-1772) (q.v.);
(3) Francis Biddulph (1683-1744), baptised at Ledbury, 22 November 1683; married, 28 July 1715 at Newent (Glos), Mary (1682-1720), daughter of William Rogers of Okle, Newent (Glos), and had issue two daughters; married 2nd, 13 June 1723 in the chapel of St Oswald's Hospital, Worcester, Anne (1699-1732), daughter of Dr John Bagley of Worcester, and had further issue two sons and three daughters; married 3rd, 1 July 1733 at Madresfield (Worcs), Margaret (d. 1736), daughter of William Lygon of Madresfield Court (Worcs) and widow of Rev. Reginald Pyndar; buried at Ledbury, 22 October 1744, where he is commemorated by a floor slab and his three wives by a mural monument;
(4) Michael Biddulph (1685-1758), baptised at Ledbury, 20 August 1685; educated at Brasenose College, Oxford (matriculated 1700) and Lincolns Inn (called 1711; bencher, 1740; treasurer, 1750); barrister-at-law; married, 31 July 1738 at St George-the-Martyr, Bloomsbury, Mary (c.1682-1764), daughter of George Jarvis and widow of Gilbert Browne of Shimpans, North Mimms (Herts), but had no issue; died 15 October and was buried at North Mimms (Herts), 23 July 1758, where he is commemorated by a monument; will proved in the PCC, 25 October 1758.

He purchased New House, Ledbury (later Ledbury Park) from his father-in-law in 1688.

He died 10 May 1718 and was buried at Ledbury, where he is commemorated by a monument; his will was proved in the PCC, 5 July 1718. His wife's date of death is unknown.

Biddulph, Robert (1682-1772). Second, but eldest surviving, son of Anthony Biddulph (1659-1718) and his wife Constance, daughter of Francis Hall of New House, Ledbury, baptised at Ledbury, 12 October 1682. He married, 26 May 1715 at Cofton Hackett (Worcs), Anne (1690-1760), daughter of Benjamin Jolliffe (1645-1719) of Cofton Hall (Worcs), and had issue:

(1) Anthony Biddulph (1717-18), baptised at Ledbury, 25 April 1717; died in infancy and was buried at Ledbury, 15 May 1718;
(2) Robert Biddulph (1718-49), baptised at Ledbury, 20 February 1718/9; educated at Worcester College, Oxford (matriculated 1737); died unmarried and was buried at Ledbury, 9 May 1749;
(3) Thomas Biddulph (1720-21), baptised at Ledbury, 22 September 1720; died in infancy and was buried at Ledbury, 3 February 1720/21;
(4) Anthony Biddulph (c.1722-24), born about 1722; buried at Ledbury, 11 October 1724/5;
(5) Michael Biddulph (1725-1800) (q.v.);
(6) Rev. Benjamin Biddulph (1727-76), baptised at Ledbury, 20 October 1727; educated at St John's College, Oxford (matriculated 1745; BA 1748; MA 1751); ordained deacon, 1750, and priest by 1753; rector of Corringham (Essex), 1753-76; married 1st, 11 February 1762 at St Chad, Shrewsbury (Shrops.), Mary Bennett (1740-63), and 2nd, 13 January 1767 at Ludlow (Shrops.), Mary Poole (1741-1821)*, (who m2, 3 July 1794 at Bishops Frome (Herefs), as his second wife, Rev. Ralph Cope Hopton (1726-97) of Canon Frome (Herefs)), and had issue one son (who settled at Burghill (Herefs)) and two daughters (who died in infancy); buried at Burghill, 27 March 1776;
(7) Mary Biddulph (b. & d. 1731), baptised at Ledbury, 28 September 1731; died in infancy and was buried at Ledbury, 13 October 1731;
(8) Francis Biddulph (1733-1800), baptised at Ledbury, 3 March 1733; banker, who founded Cocks, Biddulph & Co. in 1757; died unmarried and intestate at Brighton (Sussex), 24 October 1800, when 'a considerable part of his immense fortune' devolved upon his brother Michael, to whom administration of his goods was granted 13 November 1800, but who died soon afterwards.

He inherited Ledbury Park from his father in 1718.

He died 10 March and was buried at Ledbury, 14 March 1772; his will was proved in the PCC, 5 June 1772. His wife was buried at Ledbury, 25 February 1760.

* His second wife appears as a witness to his first marriage and was presumably a friend or relation of his first wife.

Biddulph, Michael (1725-1800). Fifth, but eldest surviving, son of Robert Biddulph (1682-1772) and his wife Anne, daughter of Benjamin Jolliffe of Cofton Hall (Worcs), born 24 January 1724/5. Educated at Worcester College, Oxford (matriculated 1742) and Lincoln's Inn (admitted 1742; called 1749). Barrister-at-law. Steward of the Hereford Infirmary. He married, 14 September 1757 at Great Malvern (Worcs), Penelope (1735-1818), daughter of John Dandridge of Balden's Green, Malvern (Worcs), and had issue:

(1) Penelope Biddulph (b. & d. 1759), baptised at Colwall (Herefs.), 8 January 1759; died in infancy and was buried at Ledbury, 19 January 1759;
(2) Thomas Biddulph (1759-93), born 9 December and baptised at Colwall, 14 December 1759; lived at Cofton Hall (Worcs) from 1791; an officer in the Herefordshire militia (Capt.); died unmarried, 3 August, and was buried at Cofton Hackett, 6 August 1793;
(3) Robert Biddulph (later Myddleton-Biddulph) (1761-1814), baptised at Colwall, 29 March 1761; as a young man he went to India, where he worked very profitably as a merchant in Calcutta before returning to England in 1795; succeeded his uncle Francis as a partner in Cocks, Biddulph & Co., 1800; Recorder of Denbigh, 1795-96, 1802-14; Whig MP for Herefordshire, 1796-1802 and Independent MP for Denbighshire Boroughs, 1806-12; officer commanding Chirk Volunteers (Lt-Col., 1803); took the additional surname Myddleton, 1801; was given Cofton Hall by his father but sold it in 1812; married, 24 December 1801, Charlotte (d. 1843), daughter of Richard Myddleton (d. 1795) of Chirk Castle (Denbighs) and co-heir of her brother, Richard Myddleton (d. 1796) of Chirk, and had issue two sons (from the elder of whom subsequent owners of Chirk Castle descended) and one daughter; died 30 August 1814 and was buried at Ledbury; will proved in the PCC, 1 October 1814;
(4) Michael Biddulph (1762-68), baptised at Colwall, 7 November 1762; died young and was buried at Ledbury, 3 August 1768;
(5) Penelope Biddulph (1764-1851), born 11 May and baptised at Colwall, 20 May 1764; married, 2 April 1793 at St Andrew Undershaft, London, Adam Gordon (1758-1800) of Dulwich Hill House (Surrey), ironfounder and shipbuilder, and had issue one son (William Gordon (1794-1836), later of Haffield House (Herefs.); died in Cheltenham (Glos), 16 December 1851, and was buried at Ledbury, where she is commemorated on a headstone; will proved in the PCC, 15 November 1852;
(6) Francis Biddulph (1766-94), baptised at Colwall, 28 January 1766; educated at Rugby and St. John's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1784; MB 1790); physician at St Bartholomew's Hospital; died unmarried of a violent fever, 20 January 1794;
(7) John Biddulph (1768-1845) (q.v.);
(8) Mary Anne Biddulph (1769-1839), baptised at Coddington (Herefs), 17 December 1769; married, 18 September 1794 at Chislehurst (Kent), Robert Phillips (1749-1822), barrister-at-law, MP for Hereford, 1784-85, of Longworth Hall, Lugwardine (Herefs), and had issue two sons and four daughters; died at Cheltenham, 27 December 1839; will proved in the PCC, 12 May 1840;
(9) Anne Biddulph (1772-1841), baptised at Claines (Worcs), 29 March 1762; married, 15 June 1789 at Ledbury, David Gordon (1753-1831) of Abergeldie and Dulwich Hill House (Surrey), banker and later ironfounder and shipbuilder, and had issue four sons and three daughters; died at the Manor House, Sevenoaks (Kent), 26 February and was buried at Camberwell, 5 March 1841; will proved in the PCC, 11 March 1841;
(10) Harriet Biddulph (1775-1863), born 20 April and baptised at Claines, 30 April 1775; married, 22 September 1818 at Great Malvern, Thomas Woodyatt (1791-1841) of Worcester (Worcs), son of Dr George Woodyatt of Ledbury, and had issue one son; lived at Holly Mount House*, Great Malvern; died 31 January and was buried at Great Malvern, 5 February 1863; will proved 18 March 1863 (effects under £4,000).

He inherited Ledbury Park from his father in 1772 and Cofton Hall from his mother's family in 1791. He commissioned designs for rebuilding Cofton Hall from George Byfield in 1796, which were not executed, although the house was partly rebuilt more simply around that time. He settled Cofton on his elder son, Robert Biddulph (1761-1814), who sold it to the Earl of Plymouth in 1812.

He died 6 December 1800 and was buried at Ledbury; his will was proved in the PCC, 24 December 1800. His widow died in 1818; her will was proved in the PCC, 17 March 1818.

* Which they loaned to the Duchess of Kent and her daughter, Princess Victoria, when they visited Malvern in 1830.

Biddulph, John (1768-1845). Fifth son of Michael Biddulph (1725-1800) and his wife Penelope, daughter of John Dandridge of Balden's Green, Malvern (Worcs), born 17 March 1768. Banker with Cocks, Biddulph & Co. in London. High Sheriff of Herefordshire, 1821-22. He married, 9 September 1797 at Ledbury, Augusta Roberts (1775-1854), and had issue:

(1) Anne Penelope Biddulph (1798-1874), born 5 July 1798; lived with her unmarried younger sister at Round House, Ross Rd., Ledbury; died unmarried, 31 January and was buried at Donnington-by-Ledbury (Herefs), 5 February 1874; will proved 9 March 1874 (effects under £9,000);
(2) Michael Francis Biddulph (1799-1801), born 28 June and baptised at St Giles, Camberwell, 25 July 1799; died in infancy and was buried at St Giles, Camberwell, 17 February 1801;
(3) Robert Biddulph (1801-64) (q.v.);
(4) Katherine Biddulph (1802-88), born 22 October and baptised at St Giles, Camberwell, 16 November 1802; lived at Park Cottage, Ledbury; died unmarried 18 January 1888, and was buried at Great Malvern (Worcs), but commemorated by a monument at Ledbury; will proved 5 March 1888 (effects £11,211);
(5) Augusta Eleanor Biddulph (1804-74), born 19 April and baptised at St Giles, Camberwell, 10 May 1804; married, 20 May 1830 at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster (Middx), Edmund John Jones (1805-50) of Kings Caple (Herefs), and had issue five sons and four daughters; lived latterly at Manorbier House (Pembs) and Llyswen House (Brecons.); died 20 November 1874 and was buried at Kings Caple; will proved 15 March 1875 (effects under £4,000);
(6) John Biddulph (1806-81), born 14 January and baptised at St Giles, Camberwell, 8 February 1806; educated at Harrow and Clare College, Cambridge (matriculated 1822; BA 1828); banker with his brothers Robert and Francis Thomas until 1838, and later iron and tinplate manufacturer in Swansea (Glam.); had houses in London and Great Malvern (Worcs); married, 7 September 1836, Emma Maria (1816-1903), only daughter of William Chambers (1774-1855) of Bicknor (Kent) and Llanelly House (Glam.), and had issue one daughter; died in London, 20 July, and was buried at Donnington-by-Ledbury (Herefs), 25 July 1881; will proved 18 November 1881 (effects £31,870);
(7) Mary Anne Biddulph (1807-92), born 19 May and baptised at St Giles, Camberwell, 25 June 1807; married, 20 April 1837 at Ledbury, Robert Martin (1808-97) of Overbury Court (Worcs), chairman of Martin & Co., bankers, and had issue two sons and two daughters; died 24 November and was buried at Overbury, 29 November 1892;
(8) Penelope Biddulph (1809-88), born 15 September and baptised at St Giles, Camberwell (Surrey), 24 October 1809; married, 14 July 1838 at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster, Rev. Thomas Phillipps (1800-83), vicar of Dewsall (Herefs), 1838-76, and had issue four sons and three daughters; died at Cheltenham (Glos), 17 August 1888; will proved 7 November 1888 (effects £1,184);
(9) Francis Thomas Biddulph (1812-76), born 10 January and baptised at St Giles, Camberwell (Surrey), 13 February 1812; partner in Biddulph Bros. & Co. of Pembroke, bankers; married*, 16 September 1846 at Monkton (Pembs.), Catharine (b. c.1820), daughter of John Lewis, gent., and had issue at least two sons and two daughters; became eccentric in his later years and lived apart from his family in lodgings in London; died suddenly, 27 October and was buried at Highgate Cemetery East, 31 October 1876; his death was the subject of an inquest which found he died of natural causes;
(10) Ormus Biddulph (1813-87), born 6 January 1813; banker with Biddulph, Cocks & Co. of London; a director of Weber & Biddulph, merchants (failed 1864) and the Westminster Brewery Co.; married, March 1846 at St John the Evangelist, Clifton (Glos), Caroline Margaret (1822-96), daughter of Sir John Godfrey Thomas, and had issue three sons and seven daughters; lived in Chester and later at Exton (Hants); died 25 August 1887; will proved 11 November 1887 (effects £1,703);
(11) Constance Petronella Biddulph (1816-81), baptised at St Giles, Camberwell, 22 February 1816; lived with her eldest sister at Ledbury; died unmarried, 12 January, and was buried at Donnington-by-Ledbury, 17 January 1881; will proved 18 February 1881 (effects under £7,000).

He lived at Champion Hill, Camberwell (Surrey). He inherited Ledbury Park from his father in 1800, and added the north wing in 1818-19 to the designs of H.H. Seward.

He died 25 November 1845 and was buried in the family vault at Ledbury, where he and his wife are commemorated by a monument, 3 December 1845; his will was proved in the PCC, 12 February 1846. His widow died 9 May 1854 and was buried at Ledbury.

* There may have been an earlier marriage which proved to be irregular in some respect, as the couple were living together as husband and wife by 1841 and their first child was baptised in 1843, with no suggestion that he was illegitimate.

Biddulph, Robert (1801-64). Second, but eldest surviving, son of John Biddulph (1768-1845) and his wife Augusta Roberts, born 3 March and baptised at St Giles, Camberwell (Surrey), 8 April 1801. Educated at Harrow, 1813-18, and Brasenose College, Oxford (matriculated 1818). Banker in London with Cocks, Biddulph & Co., Chairman of the Economic Insurance Society, and a governor of the Canada Company. Whig MP for Hereford, 1832-37; JP and DL for Herefordshire; High Sheriff of Herefordshire, 1857-58. He was interested in improvements in farming methods, and a keen promoter of proven techniques. He was also a Fellow and Vice-President of the Royal Geographical Society. He married, 25 February 1830, Elizabeth (1805-99), daughter of George Palmer MP (1772-1853) of Nazeing Park (Essex), and had issue:

(1) Augusta Biddulph (1830-34), born 29 November 1830 and baptised at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster, 4 January 1831; died young, 10 October, and was buried at Ledbury, 15 October 1834;
(2) Elizabeth Biddulph (1832-82), baptised at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster, 8 March 1832; died unmarried and was buried at Brompton Cemetery (Middx), 10 June 1882; will proved 5 July 1882 (estate £1,324);
(3) Michael Biddulph (1834-1923), 1st Baron Biddulph (q.v.);
(4) Gen. Sir Robert Biddulph (1835-1918), GCB GCMG, born 26 August and baptised at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster, 22 October 1835; educated at Twyford and Royal Military Academy, Woolwich; an officer in the army (2nd Lt., 1853; Lt., 1854; Capt., 1860; Maj., 1861; Lt-Col., 1864; Col., 1872; Maj-Gen., 1883; Lt-Gen., 1887; Gen., 1892); High Commissioner to Cyprus, 1879-86; Inspector General of Recruiting, 1886; Quartermaster General to Forces, 1887 and 1893; Director-General of Military Education, 1888-93; Governor of Gibraltar, 1893-1900; Army Purchase Commissioner, 1904 (in which capacity he abolished the purchase of commissions); Master Gunner of St James' Park, 1914; appointed KCMG, 1880; GCMG, 1886, and GCB, 1899; married, 11 August 1864, Sophia (1835-1905), daughter of Rev. Anthony Lewis Lambert, rector of Chilbolton (Hants) and widow of Richard Stuart Palmer (1821-62) of Calcutta (India), and had issue four sons and six daughters; died 18 November 1918 and was buried in Charlton Cemetery, Woolwich (Kent); will proved 28 December 1918 (estate £34,192);
(5) George Biddulph (b. & d. 1836), baptised at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster, 9 November 1836; died in infancy and was buried at St Martin-in-the-Fields, 11 November 1836;
(6) Anna Maria Biddulph (1838-90), born 1 February and at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster, 14 March 1838; became a Sister of Mercy between 1871 and 1881; died unmarried at St Mary's Home, Wantage, 19 December 1890; will proved 5 January 1891 (estate under £500);
(7) John Biddulph (1840-1921), born 25 July and baptised at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster, 5 August 1840; educated at Twyford and Westminster, 1853-58; an officer in the Indian army (Cadet, 1858; Cornet, 1858; Lt., 1858; Capt., 1871; Maj., 1877; Lt-Col., 1884; Col. 1888; retired 1895), who was ADC to the Viceroy, 1873-77 and thereafter held posts in the political department of the Indian administration; returned to England in 1897; JP for Surrey; author of The tribes of the Hindu Kush (1880), and other works; married, 1882, Julia Errington (1844-1933), daughter of Sir James Ranald Martin (1796-1874), kt., surgeon, but had no issue; died 31 December 1921 and was buried at St Andrew, Ham (Surrey), 3 January 1922; will proved 4 March 1922 (estate £16,664);
(8) Georgiana Joyce Biddulph (1842-1920), born 19 March and baptised at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster, 16 March 1842; married, 12 July 1866 at Ledbury, Rev. William Henry Lambert, rector of Stoke Edith (Herefs.), and had issue one son; died 14 March 1920; will proved 23 April 1920 (estate £445);
(9) Anthony Biddulph (1843-1911), born and baptised at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster, 2 March 1843; educated at Winchester; articled clerk to Arthur Walker of Grays Inn, solicitor, but was later a secretary and a manufacturing brassfounder; lived in a boarding house in Edgbaston, Birmingham; died 20 February 1911; adminstration of goods granted to his eldest brother, 21 March 1911 (estate £2,684);
(10) George Tournay Biddulph (1844-1929), of Douglas House, Petersham (Surrey), born 23 May and baptised at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster, 13 July 1844; banker with Cocks Biddulph & Co.; treasurer of House of Charity, Soho, Westminster, 1867-1907 and of Church House, Westminster; and a trustee of the Dysart estates; married, 3 October 1883 at Blackmoor (Hants), his second cousin, Lady Sarah Wilfreda Palmer (1854-1910), daughter of Roundell Palmer (1812-95), 1st Earl of Selborne, and had issue one son; died 8 July and was buried at Petersham (Surrey), 11 July 1929; will proved 22 August 1929 (estate £128,925);
(11) Louisa Biddulph (1845-1926), born 4 December 1845 and baptised at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster, 11 February 1846; died unmarried and was buried at Brompton Cemetery, 1 July 1926.

He inherited Ledbury Park from his father and acquired a town house at 31 Eaton Square, Westminster.

He died 28 February 1864 and was buried at Ledbury; his will was proved 27 May 1864 (effects under £20,000). His widow died 25 January 1899 and was buried at Ledbury; her will was proved 20 February 1899 (estate £7,197).

Biddulph, Michael (1834-1923), 1st Baron Biddulph. Eldest son of Robert Biddulph (1801-64) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of George Palmer MP of Nazeing Park (Essex), born 17 February and baptised at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster (Middx), 22 March 1834. Educated at Harrow. Banker; partner in Cocks, Biddulph & Co, which was sold to Martin's Bank in 1919; a director of Economic Life Assurance Ltd. Liberal MP for Herefordshire, 1865-85 and South Herefordshire, 1885-86; Liberal Unionist MP for Ross-on-Wye division of Herefordshire, 1886-1900; JP and DL for Herefordshire; JP for Gloucestershire. He funded the building of Ledbury Cottage Hospital in 1891 to mark the coming of age of his eldest son. He married 1st, 9 August 1864 at St James, Piccadilly, Westminster, Adelaide Georgiana (1836-72), daughter of Gen. Rt. Hon. Jonathan Peel MP, and 2nd, 16 July 1877, Lady Elizabeth Philippa (1834-1916), Woman of the Bedchamber to HM Queen Victoria and author of a biography of her father, daughter of Charles Philip Yorke (1799-1873), 4th Earl of Hardwicke and widow of Henry John Adeane MP (1833-70) of Babraham (Cambs), and had issue:

(1.1) Hon. Adela Margaret Mary Biddulph (1865-76), baptised at St Michael, Chester Sq., Westminster (Middx), 2 December 1865; died young and was buried at Donnington-by-Ledbury (Herefs), 22 September 1876;
(1.2) Hon. Edith Mary Biddulph (1867-1939), born 14 February and baptised at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster, 27 March 1867*; married, 31 March 1891 at All Saints, Ennismore Gardens, Knightsbridge (Middx), Charles Wentworth Bell (1857-1929)** of Bronsil Castle, Eastnor (Herefs), only son of Charles Bell of Chapel Allerton, Leeds (Yorks WR), and had issue four sons (of whom one died in infancy); died 16 November 1939 and was buried at Eastnor; will proved 2 March 1940 (estate £8,342);
(1.3) Hon. Violet Maud Biddulph (1868-1960), born 31 May and baptised at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster, 4 July 1868; artist; lived at Ewen House (Glos); died unmarried, 7 March 1960; will proved 30 December 1960 (estate £47,331);
(1.4) John Michael Gordon Biddulph (1869-1949), 2nd Baron Biddulph (q.v.);
(1.5) Hon. Claud William Biddulph (1871-1954) [for whom see below, Biddulph of Rodmarton Manor].

He inherited Ledbury Park and 31 Eaton Square from his father in 1864, and the Kemble estate from his cousin, Anna Gordon, in 1884. The latter included 600a. at Rodmarton, which he gave to his second son in 1894.

He died 6 April 1923 and was buried at Ledbury; his will was proved 9 August 1923 (estate £211,320). His first wife died 22 May and was buried at Donnington-by-Ledbury (Herefs), 29 May 1872. His second wife died 13 January and was buried at Babraham (Cambs), 18 January 1916.

* The parish register gives her date of birth as 14 February 1866, but a delay of over a year in baptism would be unusual, and the press reported the birth of a daughter on 14 February 1867, so the register is likely to be incorrect.

** Bell suffered for five years with a terminal illness, but in that time had an affair with his nurse, as a result of which a child was born (who grew up to be the noted photographer, Jane Bown (1925-2014))

2nd Baron Biddulph
Biddulph, John Michael Gordon (1869-1949), 2nd Baron Biddulph. Elder son of Michael Biddulph (1834-1923), 1st Baron Biddulph, and his first wife, Adelaide Georgiana, daughter of Gen. Rt. Hon. Jonathan Peel MP, born 19 November and baptised at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster (Middx), 29 December 1869. Educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1888; BA 1892). Banker; partner in Cocks, Biddulph & Co. and from 1919 a director of Martin's Bank, which had acquired the family bank. A Governor of Guy's Hospital, London. He married, 10 November 1896 at Holy Trinity, Chelsea (Middx), Marjorie Caroline Susan (1874-1961), daughter of Lt-Col. William Mure of Caldwell, and had issue:

(1) Michael William John Biddulph (1898-1972), 3rd Baron Biddulph (q.v.);
(2) Hon. Adelaide Mary (k/a 'Dig') Biddulph (1901-85), born 9 December 1901 and baptised at St Peter, Cranley Gardens, Kensington (Middx), 23 January 1902; married, 25 July 1929 at St Margaret, Westminster, her second cousin, Henry Vincent Yorke (1905-73), better known as the novelist 'Henry Green', son of Vincent Woodhouse Yorke of Forthampton Court (Glos), and had issue one son; died 25 June 1985 and was buried at Forthampton; will proved 7 January 1986 (estate £243,841);
(3) Hon. Rupert Arthur Biddulph (1904-75), born 1 July 1904; educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford; a member of the Mercers' Company, made a freeman of the city of London, 1930; suffered from mental illness and was a patient at Old Cannon House, Hailsham in 1939 and later at Ticehurst House (Sussex); died unmarried, 26 January 1975; administration of goods granted 25 April 1975 (estate £3,671);
(4) Hon. Mary Constance Biddulph (1907-91); married, 9 July 1929 at Royal Military Chapel, Wellington Barracks, Westminster (div. 1938), Capt. Montagu William Lowry-Corry (1907-77), only son of Gen. Noel Armar Lowry-Corry DSO, and had issue one daughter (Josephine, later the wife of Prince Rupert zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg); died 2 January 1991 and was buried at Kemble (Glos).

He inherited Ledbury Park and Kemble House from his father in 1923. He leased Ledbury Park from 1941 to a stationery manufacturer and moved to Underdown House. He sold Kemble House in 1948 to S.J. Phillips.

He died 17 December 1949; his will was proved 13 March and 3 June 1950 (estate £147,758). His widow died 9 November 1961; her will was proved 27 March 1962 (estate £17,920).

Biddulph, Michael William John (1898-1972), 3rd Baron Biddulph. Elder son of John Michael Gordon Biddulph (1869-1949), 2nd Baron Biddulph, and his wife Marjorie Caroline Susan, daughter of Col. William Mure of Caldwell, born 6 March and baptised at St Peter, Cranley Gardens, Kensington (Middx), 31 March 1898. Educated at Eton and Royal Military College, Sandhurst. An officer in the Coldstream Guards (2nd Lt., 1916; Lt., 1916; retired on half-pay due to illness caused by wounds, 1920; fully retired 1925). He married, 21 October 1925 at Ellingham (Hants), Lady Amy Louise (1905-83), daughter of Sidney James Agar (1865-1933), 4th Earl of Normanton, and had issue:

(1) Hon. Marjorie Amy (k/a Molly) Biddulph (1927-2014), born 17 December 1927; married, 15 January 1947 at Holy Trinity, Brompton (Middx), Thomas Ian Michael Walker-Munro (1922-65), eldest son of Major Ian Charles Ronald Walker-Munro, and had issue one son and one daughter; died at Easter Logie (Perths.), 22 June 2014;
(2) Hon. Susan Louise Biddulph (1929-2009), born 24 August 1929; died unmarried at Teignmouth (Devon), 23 September 2009; will proved 31 December 2009;
(3) Robert Michael Christian Biddulph (1931-88), 4th Baron Biddulph (q.v.);
(4) Hon. Edward Sidney Biddulph (1934-2001), born 18 November 1934; educated at Eton; an officer in the Royal Horse Guards (Lt.); inherited the Ledbury Park estate from his father in 1972, and lived at Much Marcle (Herefs); sold Underdown House after the fire there in 1983; died unmarried and intestate, 25 October 2001; administration of goods granted 2002 (estate £1,187,518).

He inherited Ledbury Park and Underdown House from his father in 1949, but sold Ledbury Park House to the tenant in 1952. The remainder of the estate passed to his younger son at his death.

He died 20 July and was buried at Donnington by Ledbury (Glos), 25 July 1972; his will was proved 22 October 1972 (estate £146,756). His widow died following the fire at Underdown House, 11 November 1983; her will was proved 15 January 1986 (estate £109,915) and was further administered, 28 July 2005.

Biddulph, Robert Michael Christian (1931-88), 4th Baron Biddulph. Elder son of Michael William John Biddulph (1898-1972), 3rd Baron Biddulph, and his wife Lady Amy Louise, daughter of Sidney James Agar, 4th Earl of Normanton, born 6 January 1931. Educated at Canford School and Royal Military College, Sandhurst. An officer in the army (Lt.). Member of Roxburghshire County Council, 1961-70. An underwriting member of Lloyds. A liveryman of the Armourers and Braziers Co., City of London. He married, 9 April 1958 at St Margaret, Westminster (Middx), Lady Mary Helena (1938-2023), a Tweed Commissioner, 1988-2000, eldest daughter of Ivor Colin James Maitland, Viscount Maitland, and granddaughter and co-heir of Ian Colin Maitland, 15th Earl of Lauderdale, and had issue:

(1) (Anthony) Nicholas Colin Biddulph (later Maitland-Biddulph) (b. 1959), 5th Baron Biddulph (q.v.);
(2) Fiona Mary Biddulph (later Maitland-Biddulph) (b. 1961), born 28 August 1961; educated at Cortauld Institute; took the additional name of Maitland in 1981; freeman of the city of London; author of Metropolitan: a portrait of Paris (1994); married, 16 April 1994 at St Andrew, Kelso (Roxb.), Anthony Henry Joseph Fraser (b. 1959), and had issue one son and two daughters;
(3) William Ian Robert Biddulph (later Maitland-Biddulph) (b. 1963), of Greatridge Hall, Makerstoun (Roxb.), born 27 March 1963; educated at Loretto School, Edinburgh; wine merchant with Berry Bros. to 1999 and subsequently winemaker and viticulturist; freeman of City of London; took the additional name of Maitland in 1978.

His wife and her sisters inherited Makerstoun House (Roxburghs.) from their grandfather in 1953, and he and his wife occupied it from 1960. The house burned down in 1970 and was rebuilt in 1973-74.

He died 3 November 1988; his will was proved 16 March 1989 (estate £435,326). His widow died 16 September 2023.

Biddulph (later Maitland-Biddulph), (Anthony) Nicholas Colin (b. 1959), 5th Baron Biddulph. Elder son of Robert Michael Christian Biddulph (1931-88), 4th Baron Biddulph, and his wife Lady Mary Helena, daughter of Ivor Colin James Maitland, Viscount Maitland, and granddaughter of 15th Earl of Lauderdale, born 8 April 1959. Educated at Cheltenham College and Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. Interior designer and sporting manager. A liveryman of the Armourers and Braziers Co., city of London, since 1995. He took the additional name of Maitland, 1978. He married, 28 August 1993 (div. 2001), Hon. Siân Diana (b. 1961), younger daughter of Rt. Hon. James David Gibson-Watt (1918-2002), Baron Gibson-Watt, and had issue:

(1) Hon. Robert Julian Watt Maitland-Biddulph (b. 1994), born 8 July 1994; educated at Fettes College, Edinburgh and Imperial College, London (MSci); land surveyor;
(2) Hon. David Michael William Maitland-Biddulph (b. 1997), born 20 October 1997; educated at Fettes College, Edinburgh and Exeter University.

He inherited Makerstoun House from his mother.

Now living. His ex-wife is now living.

Biddulph of Rodmarton Manor

Biddulph, Hon. Claud William (1871-1954). Younger son of Michael Biddulph (1834-1923), 1st Baron Biddulph, and his first wife, Adelaide Georgiana, daughter of Gen. Rt. Hon. Jonathan Peel MP, born 8 February and baptised at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster, 17 March 1871. Educated at Harrow and Trinity Hall, Cambridge (matriculated 1889). A stockbroker in London with Steer Lawford & Co., 1899-1903, and later with other firms. He married, 12 December 1906 at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster, Margaret (1880-1970), only daughter of Alfred John Howard (1848-1916), and had issue:

(1) Anthony Biddulph (1910-84) (q.v.);
(2) Marjory Mary Biddulph (1915-95), born 8 January and was baptised at St Paul, Knightsbridge (Middx), 18 February 1915; married 1st, 15 February 1936 at St Ethelburga, Bishopsgate, London (div. 1962), Maj. Philip Wilfred Cripps (1902-65), second son of Maj. Sir Frederick William Beresford Cripps (1873-1961) of Ampney Park (Glos), and had issue one son and two daughters; married 2nd, 28 October 1964, Lt-Col. Sir Roland Lewis Findlay (1903-79), 3rd bt.; died 8 June 1995; will proved 19 October 1995 (estate £190,359).

He was given the Rodmarton Manor estate in 1894, and built a new manor house, c.1909-29. During the Second World War the house was occupied by an evacuated London school.

He died 6 August 1954 and was buried at Rodmarton; his will was proved 11 November 1954 (estate £169,665). His widow died 21 June 1970; her will was proved 13 October 1970 (estate £18,975).

Biddulph, Anthony (1910-84). Only son of Hon. Claud William Biddulph (1871-1954) and his wife Margaret, only daughter of Alfred John Howard, born 18 August and baptised at St Paul, Wilton Place, Knightsbridge (Middx), 29 September 1910. Educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford (MA). An officer in the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars (2nd Lt., 1934; Lt., 1937; Capt., 1945; Maj., 1950). High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, 1960-61. He married, 4 August 1938 at Cirencester (Glos), Mary Dearman (1909-91), daughter of Maj. Sir John Dearman Birchall MP (1875-1941) of Cotswold Farm (Glos), and had issue:

(1) Clarissa Mary Biddulph (1939-2011), born 16 July 1939; married, 21 July 1962 (div. 1987), James Robert Ferard (b. 1938), only son of Lt-Col. Richard Ferard of Tredean, Chepstow (Mon.), and had issue two sons and one daughter; died 28 November 2011;
(2) Simon Biddulph (b. 1942) (q.v.);
(3) (Anthony) Jasper Biddulph (b. 1946), of Manor Farm, Tarlton (Glos), born 19 August 1946; educated at Eton and Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester; farmer; married, 18 October 1975, Louise Perrett, daughter of William Sandeman Cox, of Coffs Harbour, New South Wales (Australia), and had issue one son and one daughter.

He inherited Rodmarton Manor from his father in 1954 and converted the service wing into flats.

He died 22 August 1984; his will was proved 15 April 1985 (estate £379,449). His widow died 17 August 1991; her will was proved 22 April 1992 (estate £2,437,350).

Biddulph, Simon (b. 1942). Elder son of Anthony Biddulph (1910-84) and his wife Mary Dearman, daughter of Maj. Sir John Dearman Birchall MP of Cotswold Farm (Glos), born 23 November 1942. Educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. He married, 3 December 1970, Christina (d. 2011), daughter of George McCorquadale, and had issue:

(1) John Biddulph (b. 1971) (q.v.);
(2) (Anthony) George Biddulph (b. 1973), born 4 December 1973; educated at Eton and Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst; an officer in the army (Capt.); married, 2001, Annabel Georgina, only da of Walter Simpson, of Glendevon, Perthshire, and had issue two sons and three daughters;
(3) Sarah Rose Biddulph (b. 1980), born Oct-Dec 1980; married, 7 October 2006 at Rodmarton, William James Pope (b. 1978) of Malmesbury (Wilts), son of James Pope of Didmarton (Glos), and had issue two daughters.

He inherited Rodmarton Manor from his father in 1984, and handed it over to his son in 2013.

Now living. His wife died 27 July 2011; her will was proved 21 May 2012.

Biddulph, John Simon (b. 1971). Elder son of Simon Biddulph (b. 1942) and his wife Christina, daughter of George McCorquadale, born 1 September 1971. Educated at Eton. Farmer. Director of Haresdown Property Ltd. from 2007 and of A. & R. Farming Ltd. since 2018. He married, 3 July 1999 at Melton Mowbray (Leics), Hon. Sarah Margaret (b. 1971), only daughter of John Henrik Gretton (1941-89), 3rd Baron Gretton of Somerby (Leics), and had issue:

(1) Alice Emily Christina Biddulph (b. 2002), born 8 July 2002; educated at Marlborough and Newcastle University (BSc, 2025);
(2) Thomas George Henrik Biddulph (b. 2003), born 14 October 2003;
(3) Frederick Jack Lysander Biddulph (b. 2006), born 16 November 2006; educated at Cheltenham College.

His father handed over Rodmarton Manor to him in 2013.

Now living. His wife is now living.

Principal sources

Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 2003, pp. 372-73; S. Lysons, A collection of Gloucestershire Antiquities, 1804, pl. 33; P.F. Robinson, Designs for ornamental villas, 1827, plates for 'design 11'; VCH Gloucestershire, vol. 11, 1976, pp. 236-37; C. Aslet, 'Rodmarton Manor', Country Life, 19-26 October 1978; N.W. Kingsley, 'The work of Anthony Keck', Country Life, 20-27 October 1988; J. Allibone, George Devey, 1991, pp. 100-03; P. Davey, Arts and Crafts Architecture, 1995, p.22; D. Ottewill, The Edwardian garden, 1989, pp. 132-34; N.W. Kingsley & M. Hill, The country houses of Gloucestershire 1830-2000, 2001, pp. 214-17; T. Mowl, Historic gardens of Gloucestershire, 2002, pp. 149-51; K. Cruft, J. Dunbar & R. Fawcett, The buildings of Scotland: Borders, 2006, pp. 512-13; S. Pinches, Ledbury: a market town and its Tudor heritage, 2009; A. Brooks & Sir N. Pevsner, The buildings of England: Herefordshire, 2012, pp. 429-30, 434; B. Byrom, The country houses, castles and mansions of Roxburghshire, 2015, pp. 63-64;

https://www.martinsbank.co.uk/The Banks that Built Martins, accessed 3 November 2025.

Location of archives

Biddulph family, Barons Biddulph: deeds and estate papers, 15th-20th cents; diaries and journals of John Biddulph, banker, 1787-1841 [Herefordshire Archive and Records Centre, D51, G2, D2/3]; Gloucestershire estate deeds, manorial records, estate and family papers, 16th-20th cents [Gloucestershire Archives, D1332, D1348, D5112]

Coat of arms

Biddulph (later Maitland-Biddulph), Barons Biddulph: Vert an eagle displayed argent armed and langued gules, a canton of the second. [The present baron quarters his arms with those of Maitland: or a lion rampant gules couped at all his joints of the field within a double tressure flory counterflory azure]

Can you help?

Can anyone provide photographs or portraits of the people whose names appear in bold above, for whom no image is currently shown?
If anyone can offer further information or corrections to any part of this article I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from current owners or the descendants of families associated with a property who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 4 November 2025.

(616) Biddulph of Ledbury and Rodmarton, Barons Biddulph - part 1

Biddulph, Barons Biddulph

This post has been divided into two parts. This first part provides an introduction to the family and a description of the houses they have occupied at different times. Part 2 provides the detailed genealogical information.

The Biddulphs of Ledbury descend ultimately from the Biddulphs of Biddulph Old Hall and Burton Park, the subject of my previous article, and are in fact a junior branch of the Biddulphs of Elmhurst Hall and Westcombe Park, baronets, who will be the subject of a future post. By achieving a peerage and through the wealth provided by banking they eventually surpassed the achievements of both these more senior lines. The genealogy in part two of this post begins with Anthony Biddulph (1585-1651), who was the fifth son of Simon Biddulph (d. 1632) of Elmhurst Hall (Staffs). Anthony was a London merchant who took the Parliamentarian side in the Civil War and appears to have held moderate Puritan views in religion. His children married well, either into the city élite (two of his daughters married Lord Mayors), or into the county gentry. His elder son, Robert Biddulph (c.1618-78) followed in his father's footsteps as a city merchant, but also acquired land at Essendon (Herts), although he seems to have remained resident in London. Many of his children died young, and he was succeeded by his son Anthony Biddulph (1659-1718), who made the decisive step into the county gentry when he bought his father-in-law's seat of New House (later Ledbury Park) at Ledbury (Herefs) in 1688, which remained the property of his descendants until the 1950s. His eldest son, the long-lived Robert Biddulph (1682-1772), married Anne Jolliffe of Cofton Hall (Worcs), and through her the family inherited that estate in the next generation. Robert and Anne lost several of their older children in infancy, and the heir apparent, Robert Biddulph (1718-49) died unmarried in the prime of his life. The ultimate heir was therefore his fifth son, Michael Biddulph (1725-1800), who had pursued a career as a barrister, while his younger brothers went into the church and banking.

Cofton Hall, Cofton Hackett, as remodelled c.1800

Michael came into possession of Cofton Hall in 1791 and handed it over to his eldest son, Thomas Biddulph (1759-93), who died soon afterwards. In 1796, Michael commissioned designs for rebuilding Cofton Hall from George Byfield, but these were apparently shelved in favour of a simpler remodelling. He then settled Cofton on his next surviving son, Robert Biddulph (later Myddleton-Biddulph) (1761-1814), who sold it in 1812.

In 1757, Michael's brother, Francis Biddulph (1733-1800), who was only twenty-four but apparently already in business as a banker in London, asked Sir Charles Cocks of Eastnor (Herefs), to send someone to help him. Sir Charles sent his sons, James and Thomas Somers Cocks, and a new partnership was formed. The name of the new firm - Cocks, Cocks and Biddulph - may imply that Sir Charles also contributed capital. In 1759 the firm relocated to premises at 43 Charing Cross (later 16 Whitehall), which remained its home for over 150 years. Changes in the partnership saw the firm become Biddulph, Cocks, Eliot and Praed in 1776 and Biddulph, Cocks and Ridge in 1792. As Francis was unmarried and without issue, he brought into the firm two of the sons of his brother Michael (1725-1800): Robert Biddulph (later Myddleton-Biddulph) (1761-1814) and John Biddulph (1768-1845). From this time onwards the business remained in the Cocks and Biddulph families, although the style of the firm was altered from time to time, finally settling on Cocks, Biddulph & Co. in 1865. The bank did well to navigate the treacherous financial waters of the 19th century, when so many private banks failed, and they gradually began to expand, buying the assets of Codd & Co. of Westminster in 1886, who had many army clients, and taking over a good deal of the business of Hallett & Co., navy agents, in 1893. The bank had many wealthy and socially prominent customers, and acted for both the Duchy of Cornwall and the Duchess of Kent (Queen Victoria's mother); King Edward VII kept his private account with them.

When Francis Biddulph died in 1800, many of his assets passed to his elder brother, Michael Biddulph (1725-1800), who was himself in the last few weeks of his life. Michael at once wrote a codicil to his will, in which his excitement at this 'great access of fortune' is palpable. The principal beneficiary was his second surviving son, John Biddulph (1768-1845), for the eldest, Robert, had already made 'a fortune' in India before returning home in 1795 and becoming an MP as well as a partner in the bank. In 1801 he married the heiress to the Chirk Castle estate in Denbighshire, which his descendants inherited; his story will be told more fully in a future post on the Myddleton family. John Biddulph had a large family, of whom his son Robert Biddulph (1801-64) became a partner in Cocks, Biddulph & Co but also founded a separate bank with his brothers John junior (1806-81) and Francis Thomas Biddulph (1812-76) at Pembroke in west Wales. This was evidently not a success and was perhaps eventually taken over by Cocks, Biddulph & Co. in about 1838, after which John junior had a second career as an iron and tinplate manufacturer in Swansea.

Robert Biddulph (1801-64) belonged to the early Victorian generation which took the responsibilities attaching to their position in society very seriously. He was MP for Hereford for five years in the 1830s and after inheriting the Ledbury estate was an enthusiastic promoter of agricultural improvement. He combined his partnership in the bank with other commercial activities, and - perhaps because of his Canadian business interests - became a Fellow (and eventually Vice-President) of the Royal Geographical Society. Like his father, he had a large family, and two of his sons went into the army: General Sir Robert Biddulph (1835-1918) and Col. John Biddulph (1840-1921). Sir Robert held various senior roles in the army and took the step of abolishing the purchase of commissions, a measure which significantly increased the professionalism of the army over time.

The head office building of Cocks, Biddulph & Co.,
designed by Richard Coad, 1874.

The oldest and youngest sons went into the family bank: Michael Biddulph (1834-1923) and George Tournay Biddulph (1844-1929). Michael, who also inherited the Ledbury estate, served as a Liberal MP for thirty-five years, and was raised to a peerage, as 1st Baron Biddulph, soon after retiring from the House of Commons. He brought his elder son, John Michael Gordon Biddulph (1869-1949), 2nd Baron Biddulph, into the bank, but in 1919 the partners decided to sell the firm to the Bank of Liverpool and Martins Bank. At that date the partners' capital and reserves totalled £200,000 and the current and deposit balances £1,124,911. The 2nd Lord Biddulph joined the board of Martin's Bank, and held this position until his death.

In 1884, Michael Biddulph inherited the Kemble estate on the Gloucestershire-Wiltshire border from a distant kinswoman, Anna Gordon. With the estate came Kemble House, which had been remodelled in neo-Tudor style in the 1850s, but which he appears to have altered again. He may perhaps have used the same architects (James MacLaren and Richard Coad) as he employed to remodel Ledbury Park at much the same time; Coad had earlier been responsible for rebuilding the headquarters of the family bank at Charing Cross. The Kemble estate also included 600 acres in the parish of Rodmarton, which Lord Biddulph made over to his second son, the Hon. Claud Biddulph (1871-1954), a stockbroker. In 1906, Claud married, and soon afterwards he and his wife began building a large new mansion on the Rodmarton estate. The couple set aside £5,000 a year for work on the project, and chose to fully embrace Arts & Crafts principles in the design, for both aesthetic and social reasons: the project was designed to provide meaningful and rewarding work for as many local craftsmen as possible at a time of high unemployment. Work continued for some 20 years and was only finally finished in 1929. The result is one of the most thoroughgoing Arts and Crafts ensembles in Britain, and both an important and a delightful house. It has been passed from father to son through Claud's descendants, and is now the property of John Biddulph (b. 1971).

The 2nd Baron Biddulph inherited Ledbury Park and Kemble House from his father in 1923, but preferred to live at the smaller Underdown House, just south of Ledbury, which his great-grandfather had added to the estate when it came on the market in about 1818. In 1941 he let Ledbury Park to a stationery manufacturing company from Coventry which wished to relocate its workforce away from the wartime blitz, and in 1948 he sold the Kemble estate to a farmer, S.J. Phillips, who restored and modernised the house. At his death in 1949, the estate passed to his son, Michael William John Biddulph (1898-1972), 3rd Baron Biddulph, who sold the freehold of Ledbury Park to the tenant in 1952, but retained the rest of the Ledbury estate. When he died, his home at Underdown passed to his widow for life, while the rest of the estate went to his younger son, Hon. Edward Sidney Biddulph (1934-2001), who made his home at Much Marcle (Herefs). Tragically, in 1983 Lady Biddulph died in a fire at Underdown which left the house in ruins, and it was eventually sold and restored, but converted into apartments.

The 3rd Baron left the Ledbury estate as he did because his elder son, Robert Michael Christian Biddulph (1931-88), 4th Baron Biddulph, had married in 1958 Lady Mary Helena Maitland (1938-2023), one of the co-heirs of the Scottish estates of the Earls of Lauderdale, and settled at Makerstoun House in Roxburghshire. Makerstoun also suffered a disastrous fire in 1970, but was reconstructed to a modified version of the original plans by William Adam, of 1725, and this rebuilt house is now the centre of the estate owned by (Anthony) Nicholas Colin Maitland-Biddulph (b. 1959), 5th Baron Biddulph, who has two sons to succeed him in the title and estates.

Ledbury Park, Herefordshire

The historic town of Ledbury is formed of four streets (High St., New St., Worcester St., and The Southend) which meet at a crossroads. Ledbury Park occupies the south-east corner of the crossroads, with its two main wings fronting the east side of The Southend and the south side of Worcester St. It thus appears at first as a relatively modest town house, and only from the rear, where the rambling later additions are apparent and where it can be seen that the grounds and deer park occupy the whole south-east quadrant of the town, does its alternative character as a substantial country house become apparent.

Ledbury Park: the house at the crossroads, with Worcester St. to the left and The Southend to the right. Image: Crown Copyright.

Ledbury Park is indeed the grandest semi-timbered house in Herefordshire. It was built by a clothier, Edward Skynner, in the late 16th century, probably on the site of a palace of the bishops of Hereford. The ground and first floors of the close-studded west front seem to have been built first, with the oversailing top floor with its array of five gables with moulded bargeboards and finials, added in the early 17th century. The gable-end to the north matches the west front. The windows below, on both floors, have projecting sills placed between stop-chamfered posts, but while those on the ground floor are mullioned and transomed windows, those above were replaced with double-hung sashes with side-lights in the 18th century. The fenestration is now more regular than it was at the time of the bird's eye view below in 1733, and was presumably altered in the 19th century. Inside, the north room has panelling dated 1590, while the south room has some 17th century details. The principal staircase seems to have been replaced in the early 18th century, and is a massively engineered dog-leg with vase-shaped balusters and a moulded string.

Ledbury Park: vignette of the house from an estate map of 1733. Note the differences in fenestration from the later view above.

In 1818-20, H.H. Seward designed a new four-bay range fronting onto Worcester Street and attached to the north end of the west range for John Biddulph; this was evidently a replacement for an earlier building on the site shown on a 1733 estate map. The new wing was very obviously designed to keep in keeping with the main block of the house, for it has square-panelled timber-framing on the first floor, with six pedimented oriel windows, although the ground floor is a plain roughcast wall with four simple windows.

Ledbury Park: view of the additions to the house by MacLaren and Coad in 1886, from The Builder.

A further extension to the house was made by James MacLaren and Richard Coad (who had designed a new head office building for the family bank, Cocks Biddulph & Co. at Charing Cross in 1874) in 1886 and illustrated in The Builder. It continues Seward's range to the east, starting with an octagonal turret with an ogee lead dome, and terminating in a pair of richly decorated gables above oriel windows. The rear of this extension faces onto a courtyard and has a similar turret. Beyond the McLaren range is an entrance to the courtyard, marked by gatepiers with heraldic beasts, and an early 18th century brick lodge with a pyramidal roof, which was first built as a dovecote. The L-shaped brick stable block in the courtyard behind was built in 1818-20 and altered c.1886, when a shaped gable with a Venetian window as added to the north-east corner.

Ledbury Park: south front of the house in the early 20th century, from an old postcard.

Finally, a larger range joins the south end of the main block to the stables. This is again fully semi-timbered, and it has gables of different sizes and steps forward irregularly as it runs east. It is dated 1897, and was presumably again by James MacLaren, although it may incorporate some earlier work, as a bird's eye view of 1733 shows an earlier range on this site.

In 1941 the house was leased to a stationery manufacturer who moved his business from war-torn Coventry to the quieter surroundings of Ledbury, and it remained in commercial use until the 1990s, when it was converted into eleven dwellings, with six further new houses being built on the site as 'enabling development'; it remains in multiple occupation.

Descent: built for Edward Skynner (c.1544-1631); to son, John Skynner; to daughter, Constance, wife of Francis Hall, who sold 1688 to his son-in-law, Anthony Biddulph (1659-1718); to son, Robert Biddulph (1682-1772); to son, Michael Biddulph (1725-1800); to son, John Biddulph (1768-1845); to son, Robert Bidduloh (1801-64); to son, Michael Biddulph (1834-1923), 1st Baron Biddulph; to son, John Michael Gordon Biddulph (1869-1949), 2nd Baron Biddulph, leased 1941 to H.J. Chapman, stationery manufacturer, who bought the freehold in 1952; sold 1972 to Inveresk Paper Co.; sold 1984 to Georgia Pacific; sold 1989 to W.H. Smith plc.

Ledbury Park and Underdown: the relative locations of the two houses from the 1st edn. 6" Ordnance Survey map of 1886.

Underdown, Ledbury, Herefordshire

A property just south of the little deer park attached to Ledbury Park, which - like Ledbury Park - belonged in the 17th century to the Skinner family. Nothing is known about the house they presumably had here, and in 1765 they sold the estate to John Miles of Bristol, whose wife was the granddaughter of a previous Skinner owner. The Miles family became rich in Bristol's notorious 'triangular trade', taking metalwares to Africa, slaves from Africa to the Carribean and America, and bringing sugar from the plantations in those places back to England. In the next generation they built Leigh Court at Abbots Leigh (Somerset) with gardens by Humphry Repton, and bought and altered Kings Weston House (Glos). Underdown was the Miles' first country house, and modest enough by comparison with what came later. It is one of a group of late 18th century houses with paired full-height bow windows, tripartite doorcases, and a common repertoire of decorative details including feathered capitals which I have identified as being by Anthony Keck (1726-97). There is no documentary evidence but the architect's style is so distinctive that my attribution has been generally accepted.

Underdown, Ledbury: the original entrance front in 1979. Image: Peter Reid/Historic England

From the 1760s Anthony Keck built up a large practice across the whole of the south west Midlands and south Wales. He lived at Kings Stanley near Stroud, and seems to have been a joiner by his original trade. He was born at Prestbury near Cheltenham to a family of yeomen farmers with land both there and at Temple Guiting in the north Cotswolds, and he had a number of relatives in the building trades, including John Keck of Moreton-in-Marsh, carpenter. He first appears in the historical record in about 1764, when he was living in Gloucestershire, but he also had strong connections with Worcester and may have been apprenticed there. A study of his career demonstrates the crucial importance of patronage to the 18th century architect, for almost all his clients were friends or relations of people for whom he had already worked. His practice grew, and by the time he died, in 1797, he was 'The celebrated architect, Mr Anthony Keck'. His architecture relied heavily on a small number of design formulae which, once they had proved successful, he repeated time and again with only minor variations. His houses were restrained, well finished and yet quite cheap; at their best his exteriors were handsome, and his interiors models of balanced elegance. It is a great pity that Fate has singled out so many of the houses on which he worked for fires, remodelling or demolition.

Underdown: the side elevation with the new entrance and water tower created in the late 19th century. Image: Peter Reid/Historic England.

Underdown is no exception to this. After John Miles' death the house was acquired by the Biddulph family of Ledbury Park and although they regularly let the house it was altered in the 19th century, when a four-storey water tower was added north-east of the house with triple round-arched windows in the top floor and a pyramidal roof, and a five-bay round-arched arcade was made in front of a new entrance in the side of the house. At the same time the stables were rebuilt and a new lodge constructed. The main rooms of the Keck house were not much affected by these changes, but in 1983 there was a disastrous fire which burned out the older part of the house. For some years the house stood as an empty shell, but in the late 1980s it was restored and subdivided into apartments. Unfortunately I never got to see the house before the fire, and as far as I know the pre-fire interiors are not recorded.

Descent: built c.1780 for John Miles (d. 1812) of Bristol, banker; sold after his death to John Biddulph (1768-1845); to son, Robert Biddulph (1801-64); to son, Michael Biddulph (1834-1923), 1st Baron Biddulph; to son, John Michael Gordon Biddulph (1869-1949), 2nd Baron Biddulph; to son, Michael William John Biddulph (1898-1972), 3rd Baron Biddulph; to widow (d. 1983) for life; to son, Hon. Edward Sidney Biddulph (1934-2001), who sold for restoration and conversion to flats. The house was let to tenants in the 19th and early 20th centuries, including Richard Webb (fl. 1818), John Murray Aynsley (fl. 1850-78) and Spencer H. Bickham (fl. 1893-1923).

Kemble House, Gloucestershire

A large stone manor house of two storeys with gables and attics, originally built as a highly conservative double pile with two cross-wings in the late 17th century, probably for Henry Poole, who came of age in 1694.

Kemble House: unexecuted design by P.F. Robinson for a large new mansion, c.1826, from his Designs for Ornamental Villas (1836).

In the 1820s, Robert Gordon employed P.F. Robinson, who made unexecuted designs for a new Tudor mansion. Although his designs for this house were not realised, he is known to have built a garden house c.1826, and may have done more to alter the existing building. The garden house may be the simple Tudor-style cottage with ornamental chimneys which lies to the east of the house.

Kemble House: aerial view of the house, 1928, showing it as altered by R.W. Billings in the 1850s. Image: Britain from Above.

Kemble House: sketch by R.W. Billings for the hall screen. Image: National Trust, Stourhead

In about 1850-55, R.W. Billings was responsible for loosely Tudor alterations and additions to the house for Miss Anna Gordon. He added the two bay windows on the south, and introduced octagonal glazing into the mullioned and transomed windows. A painting attributed to Billings, which is now among the National Trust's collections at Stourhead, depicts the hall screen which he installed in the house, but which does not survive.

Further additions and alterations seem to have taken place in the late 19th century, perhaps after Miss Anna Gordon bequeathed the house in 1884 to her father’s great friend Michael Biddulph, later 1st Lord Biddulph (d.1923). He employed James MacLaren and Richard Coad to make substantial alterations and additions to Ledbury Park at this time and they may have worked here too.

Kemble House: the house as reduced and restored in the mid 20th century.

By the time the 2nd Lord Biddulph sold the estate to Mr. S.J. Phillips in 1946, Kemble House had been unoccupied for many years, but instead of suffering the fate of so many empty country houses sold to farmers, Kemble was slightly reduced in size by the truncation of the service wing, and restored in 1954.

Descent: built for Henry Poole (1673-1726); sold on his death to Sir Robert Westley (c.1670-1745); to son John Westley (1709-48); to sister, Elizabeth, wife of Charles Coxe (fl. 1792); to son, Charles Westley Coxe MP (c.1754-1806); to daughter, Elizabeth Anne Coxe (d. 1865), wife of Robert Gordon (d. 1864); to daughter, Anna Gordon (c.1811-84); to cousin, Michael Biddulph (1834-1923), 1st Baron Biddulph; to son, John Michael Gordon Biddulph (1869-1949), 2nd Baron Biddulph, who sold 1946 to Samuel John Phillips (1887-1965); to son, Gregory James Phillips (1918-97); sold 1996 to Michael Jonathan Fish (b. 1952); sold 2011 to Martin Kingston (b. 1949) and his wife Jill.

Makerstoun House, Roxburghshire

A house in a fine position on the high north bank of the river Tweed, which has a long and complicated history, although the present building is largely the result of rebuilding after a fire in 1970. The medieval house, originally a pele tower, was destroyed in Hertford's invasion of Scotland of 1545, and eventually replaced by a new house in 1590. At the east end of the present house are two vaulted rooms on the ground floor, one of which has a segmental-arched kitchen fireplace, which are thought to date from the 16th century phase of the house.

In the early 18th century, Alexander McGill was consulted on the remodelling of the house and reported that the north-west end of the existing building 'being very Crazy is to be taken down', but it is not clear whether anything was done to his designs. In 1725 William Adam drew up a scheme for a new house, incorporating much of the fabric of its predecessor, which appears to have been carried out, although there seem to be no views of it in this form. The retention of older fabric constrained the design by giving it a low ground floor with taller upper storeys.

Makerstoun House: the house from the south in 1920, showing the building of 1725 as altered in 1828.

A press report of 1920, when the house was for sale, refers to Adam-style decoration of about 1790 in the house, but there seems to be no other record of this, and it may perhaps have been rather later, for in 1828 further additions, attributed to Archibald Elliot the younger (d. 1843), were made to give the house a castellated appearance. The main south front, overlooking the river, was of three storeys and five wide bays, with small square turrets giving the elevation a 1-3-1 rhythm. The entrance front had similar turrets, but had two windows either side of the centre and a Gothic porte-cochère.

Makerstoun House: partial demolition after the fire, in preparation for reconstruction, 1973. Image: RCAHMS

The fire in 1970 left the external walls intact but took out the roof and did considerable damage to the internal structure, and the decision was taken to remodel it rather than simply to repair it. The reconstruction was undertaken by John H. Reid and Crichton Lang of Ian Lindsay & Partners, and was based on William Adam's original classical design of 1725. The overall proportions of the main block were not altered, but the crenellations and turrets were removed, the big pediment over the central three bays was re-created (triangular on the entrance front and curved on the south front), and the walls were given quoins at the angles and white harling.

Makerstoun House: the entrance front of the house as rebuilt in 1973-74.

Descent: Thomas Macdougall (d. c.1575); to son, James Macodwel (d. c.1585); to son, Thomas Macdowell (d. by 1604); to son, James Macdougal (d. 1613?); to brother, Sir William Macdougall (d. c.1655); to son, Henry Makdougall (d. 1671); to son, Thomas Makdougall; to son, Henry Makdougall; to daughter Barbara, wife of Sir George Hay (later Hay-Makdougall) (d. 1777), 3rd bt.; to son, Sir Henry Hay-Makdougall (1750-1825), 4th bt.; to daughter, Anna Maria (d. 1862), wife of General Sir Thomas Brisbane (later Makdougall-Brisbane) (1773-1860); to Miss Scott-Makdougall (d. 1890); to kinsman, Hugh J.E. Scott (later Scott-Makdougall); sold 1921 to James Jardine Bell-Irving; to daughter, wife of Ian Colin Maitland, 15th Earl of Lauderdale; to granddaughter, Lady Mary Helena (1938-2023), later wife of Robert Michael Christian Biddulph (1931-88), 4th Baron Biddulph; to son, Anthony Nicholas Colin Biddulph (later Maitland-Biddulph) (b. 1959), 5th Baron Biddulph.

Rodmarton Manor, Gloucestershire

A substantial manor house was built at Rodmarton in the early 15th century, perhaps by Robert Burdon, and was known by the 18th century as Rodmarton Place. It lay south-east of the church, and was extended in the 16th and 17th centuries to occupy three sides of a quadrangle.

Rodmarton Place: the old manor house, demolished in the 19th century, from Samuel Lysons, A collection of Gloucestershire Antiquities (1804), pl. 33.

Unusually for Gloucestershire, the hall lay on the first floor, and was approached by an external staircase. The cellar underneath was apparently used as a prison. Owners of the manor were apparently non-resident from the late 16th century onwards, and by 1785 the house was clearly ruinous. In 1796 the tenant was ordered to demolish the Great Hall, chapel, and most of the rest of the house, and to repair the remaining part, but this was not done and the house was still standing in the 1820s and perhaps as late as 1872, when it was partly used as cottages which were rebuilt in the early 20th century.

Rodmarton Manor: the entrance front in 2017. Image: Trip Advisor

In the early 20th century, a new manor house was built on a different site at the west end of the village, which is a treasure house of the Cotswold Arts and Crafts with one of the finest contemporary formal gardens in England. It was built for the Hon. Claud Biddulph, in preparation for his retirement from business in London, as the new centre of the Rodmarton estate which he had been given by his father, Lord Biddulph, in 1894. Biddulph commissioned a scheme from Ernest Barnsley (1861-1926), the ‘proper’ architect member of the Sapperton Arts and Crafts group, and intended the building to be an essay in traditional Cotswold manor house design. With the Great War looming, and high rural unemployment, he also had a social aim: by constructing the house using as many labour-intensive hand-crafted methods as possible, the work would involve many estate craftsmen over a long period, thus providing them with employment. Indeed, the project succeeded as work took 20 years, from 1909 to 1929, costing £5,000 a year.

Rodmarton Manor: garden front in 2017. Image: Trip Advisor.

Rodmarton is particularly significant in the history of the Arts and Crafts movement, and especially for the Sapperton group. Never before (with the notable exception of Ernest Gimson’s work at Bedales School in Sussex, the building of which started in 1910) had a house on this scale been attempted, most previous work having been in designing and building cottages or small-scale extensions. Rodmarton gave Barnsley the opportunity to operate on a much larger scale, while retaining the principle of utilizing traditional hand craftsmanship, an approach that also allowed the design to evolve, somewhat, as building work took place. In his obituary for Barnsley in 1926, F.W. Troup likened Rodmarton to a medieval palace, in that it was “a school of art and a university of the crafts”.

The house was designed to suggest that it was the result of progressive accretion and remodelling over time. A variety of subtle stylistic devices were used to create this impression of gradual change. In particular, the character of the service wing to the left of the entrance front suggests an earlier construction date than the main range. ‘Could it be’, we are meant to ask, ‘that an earlier main house (of a medieval date) was replaced by a later construction, perhaps in the 1680s?’ The notion of implied growth, previously pioneered by George Devey in his picturesque cottages at Penshurst, Kent (c.1850), and at St Alban’s Court, Nonnington, Kent (c.1875-9), fails at one level because the house is so clamantly of its time to modern eyes.

Rodmarton Manor: ground plan.

The house consists of a series of distinct architectural units, each externally complete in themselves. To the east there is a rectangular kitchen court, the first part to be constructed. This almost belongs to the architectural scale and character of Barnsley and Gimson’s cottage designs. The linking angled family wing has the appearance of a small manor house in its own right, with a central doorway and symmetrical, three-gabled elevation. Next comes the taller main block, with the otherwise awkward junction with the family wing disguised by a polygonal bay window, this being matched at the other end at the junction with the chapel wing. The main block is again symmetrical and centred on a gabled two-storey porch. The Builder was not enthusiastic about the design of the main range, comparing its five gables to 'an upturned and magnified saw'. The internal planning is complex and occasionally ingenious, although retaining the one-room-and-a-corridor width of a cottage. While the main block is symmetrical on its entrance and garden elevations, the central axes do not match. Most curious is the slight of hand in the planning of the chapel, where the external axis of the chapel wing is at 45 degrees to the alignment of the internal space.

Rodmarton Manor: the hall (now library).

Ever-changing hand-crafted masonry detailing, particularly on the chimneys and gable vents, the use of traditionally-decorated lead guttering, and large numbers of iron casements with leaded quarries, illustrate the range of crafts employed. Internally, there is an extensive use of hand-sawn oak beams and joists, panelling and oak floor boards. In all, it is cottage architecture writ large. Ashbee was impressed by the hand-made methods of construction used at Rodmarton. He wrote, after visiting the works in 1914, ‘I’ve seen no modern work to equal it, nothing I know of Lutyens or Baker comes up to it. And when I ask why, I find the answer in the system, the method rather than the man. It is a house built on the basis not of contract but of confidence, and Barnsley has been allowed a free hand to put all his personal knowledge and technique into the work. The Eng[lish] Arts and Crafts Movement at its best is here – so are the vanishing traditions of the Cotswolds’. Work was not complete when Ernest Barnsley died in 1926. Initially, the project was taken over by his brother Sidney until his death later the same year, after which Norman Jewson saw work through to a conclusion in 1929.

Rodmarton Manor: the drawing room. Image: Andrew Tierney/Daily Telegraph.

Perhaps it is at Rodmarton that the handicraft philosophy was taken to its limits, with the idea of a house being built from estate-produced materials. Stone was quarried nearby, the timber had been grown at Rodmarton, and everything was hand-fashioned, all of the floor joists and roof rafters being sawn in a saw-pit, a method which had long since been superseded by mechanised equipment. The logic of hand-crafted work, developed for furniture and the decorative arts, (and well exhibited in the extensive collection of contemporary furniture in the house, mostly made in the Daneway workshops) was extended here to building, but this, inevitably, could not provide a way forward for architecture in general. In some ways, architecturally, the Arts and Crafts movement died in the back-breaking labour of the saw-pits at Rodmarton.

Rodmarton Manor: 'The Troughery' in the garden. Image: Nicholas Kingsley. Some rights reserved.

The fine gardens represent another strand of Arts and Crafts design. Ernest Barnsley convinced Mrs. Biddulph to lay out the gardens at the same time as work was carried out on the house. William Scrubey was responsible for the design and planting. He is credited, together with the foreman, in a Latin inscription over a doorway through a wall into the garden. It follows the compartment form, made fashionable at this time by the influential books by J.D. Sedding, Reginald Blomfield and H. Inigo Triggs; Barnsley himself trained in J.D. Sedding’s office. The garden compartments are to the south of the main range of the manor, arranged axially on the elevation, with an east-west cross axis. To the west of this is the ‘Long Garden’, flanked by yew hedges and leading to a hipped roofed garden pavilion. The garden has developed somewhat in the 20th century, with some replanting and new paving to reduce the workload, and the creation of a tennis court, swimming pool and croquet lawn. One of the most successful areas is now ‘The Troughery’ where three generations of the family have accumulated ancient stone farm troughs set on staddle stones, and the adjacent topiary garden. Generally, due to the confining nature of the garden rooms, it is almost impossible to appreciate the extent of the house, unlike the full unfolding available from the entrance court. From the south west there is, however, a well-contrived picturesque view of the loggias at the chapel end of the house.

Today, the masonry has mellowed, and Rodmarton almost appears, at a casual glance, to be the 17th-century manor house Biddulph and Barnsley intended. Both house and garden are well maintained by their present owners, and the gardens are regularly open to the public. By arrangement, the house interior, with its fine collection of furniture, can also be seen.

Descent: Michael Biddulph (1834-1923), 1st Baron Biddulph; to son, Hon. Claud Biddulph (1871-1954); to son, Anthony Biddulph (1910-84); to son, Simon Biddulph (b. 1942); handed over 2013 to son, John Biddulph (b. 1971).

Continue to Part 2 of the post.