(622) Bigge (later Selby-Bigge) of Benton Hall and Linden Hall

Bigge, later Selby-Bigge,
of Benton Hall and Linden Hall 

This family was probably distantly related to the Bigg (later Bigg-Wither) family of Haines Hill etc. who were the subject of a previous post, but the parentage of William Bigge (1638?-90), with whom the genealogy below begins, remains uncertain. William became a lawyer in London, but took as his wife a lady from County Durham whose father divided his estates in that county and Northumberland between his two daughters, and in about 1680 William moved north to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, presumably the better to manage the property he had inherited in her right. The couple had a large family, several of whom died young, and all the survivors were minors when William died in 1690. Three of his sons survived him, although one of them died just a few weeks later. John Bigge (1670-1728), the eldest son, inherited farms in Kent and Hampshire, and purchased house property in London, and it was the younger surviving son, Thomas Bigge (1677-1758), who inherited the lands in Northumberland. He is said to have gone to India as a sailor in the 1690s and was not heard of for so long that the family presumed his death and his sisters received the income from his estate. When he at length turned up, safe and sound, around 1705, there was some difficulty in recovering his property, but a settlement was eventually arrived at and confirmed by a private Act of Parliament in 1710. Thomas married in 1706 and had three sons and three daughters. The eldest son, William Bigge (1707-58), who was a lawyer and one of the 'Six Clerks in Chancery', died a few months before his father but through his marriage brought additional property into the family at Stannington and Ovingham (Northbld) which was said to be worth £25,000. Edward Bigge (1708-64), the second son, was also a lawyer in London, but purchased an estate at Brenkley in Dinnington. As he was unmarried, he left this to the second son of his brother William. Thomas's youngest son and namesake, Thomas Bigge (1716-91) became a mercer in London in partnership with his brother-in-law, Sir Robert Carr, but returned to the north-east around 1760 and built Benton Hall on part of the family's estate.

Although William Bigge (1707-58) was a London lawyer, he retained a base in Northumberland and was active in developing coal mining on his father's estates. In 1750-51, he was High Sheriff of Northumberland, clearly marking the family's acceptance as part of the county elite. When he died, he left three sons, the eldest of whom, Thomas Charles Bigge (1739-94), was educated as a gentleman and sent on the Grand Tour.

Carville Hall, Wallsend

The second son, William Edward Bigge (1742-74) was educated as a lawyer and found a position as a junior clerk in the Six Clerks Office. He succeeded his uncle Edward in the Brenkley estate in 1764, but like him died unmarried, whereupon Brenkley passed to his younger brother, John Bigge (1743-97), who had been apprenticed to his uncle Thomas, the London mercer. John was evidently sufficiently prosperous to also buy Carville Hall at Wallsend from his Carr relatives, although he ended his days back in London.

Thomas Charles Bigge (1739-94), who was sent to Oxford and made a Grand Tour in the 1760s, was High Sheriff of Northumberland in 1771-72 and stood unsuccessfully for Parliament in the Whig interest in 1774. Although the family was becoming richer through the exploitation of the coal on their estates, he still lived at the property called Benton House, which was essentially an extended farmhouse. T.C. Bigge had three surviving sons, of whom the eldest, Charles William Bigge (1773-1849) inherited his property, while John Thomas Bigge (1780-1843) was a lawyer and civil servant specialising in colonial affairs, and Thomas Hanway Bigge (1784-1824) became a banker in Newcastle, who bought Benton Hall from his cousin Thomas Bigge in about 1805. Charles William Bigge was arguably the most successful member of the family. After Oxford and the Grand Tour he became a partner in a Newcastle bank. He was active in local Whig politics and public affairs, and served as Lt-Col of the county militia from 1799 and as Chairman of Quarter Sessions, 1829-40, a position which clearly indicates his standing in the county gentry and their appreciation of his ability. He was a close friend of Earl Grey, the Whig leader, and of Sir Charles Monck of Belsay Hall, who in 1811-12 designed him a new house, Linden Hall at Longhorsley, which replaced Benton House as his chief seat. For the last ten years of his life he was president of the Newcastle 'Lit & Phil' Society. He might easily have been elected to Parliament, but resisted calls to stand on the grounds of cost, and in 1838 also turned down the offer of a baronetcy. He and his wife had an exceptionally large family of thirteen children, but his eldest son, Charles John Bigge (1803-46), a Newcastle banker, predeceased him, so at his death his property passed to his grandson, Charles Selby Bigge (1834-89).

When Charles Selby Bigge came of age in 1855, he inherited shares in the Northumberland & Durham District Bank and in 1856 he was invited to join his uncle, Matthew Robert Bigge, on the board of directors. This he did, but it proved to be a catastrophic decision, for in 1857 the bank was forced to suspend payment and he became liable for a share of the bank's debts. This required him to sell Linden Hall and much if not all of his land in Northumberland in 1861. He became a director of the Alliance Co-operative Coal Co. of Ruabon (Denbighs), and may have lived in Shropshire for a time.

Ightham Mote (Kent). Image: Katie Chan. Some rights reserved 

Happily, his financial difficulties were eased in 1867 when his maternal grandfather died and left him the 583-acre Ightham Mote estate in Kent, where he lived for the rest of his life. (An account of Ightham Mote is, however, reserved for a future post on the Selby family). After his death, Ightham Mote was sold, and his three sons, who all adopted the surname Selby-Bigge, pursued professional careers: Charles Prideaux Ogle Selby-Bigge (1857-1914) as a land agent; Sir (Lewis) Amherst Selby-Bigge (1860-1951), kt. and 1st bt., as a senior civil servant; and Lt-Col. Denys Leighton Selby-Bigge (1864-1945) as an electrical engineer. Sir Lewis achieved modest prosperity through his official appointments, and was able to retire to a farmhouse near Lewes (Sussex) in 1919, but none of the family prospered sufficiently to return to country house living. Sir Amherst's only surviving son, Sir John Amherst Selby-Bigge (1892-1973), 2nd bt. is best remembered today as an avant-garde artist (exhibiting surrealist works under the name John Bigge), but was variously a chicken farmer, estate agent, and an heroic Red Cross executive in post-Second World War Yugoslavia.

As noted above, Thomas Bigge (1716-91) was a younger son who joined his uncle's mercery business. In 1763 he married Elizabeth Rundell, who was the elder sister of the goldsmith and jeweller, Philip Rundell, and at much the same time he retired to the family lands at Longbenton (Northbld.), where he built a new house later known as Benton Hall. The couple's only surviving child was Thomas Bigge (1766-1849), who was educated at Oxford. In the 1790s he was active in the Newcastle area as a moderately radical Whig, but in about 1805 he sold Benton Hall to his kinsman, Thomas Hanway Bigge (1784-1824) and moved south to London, where he became a partner in Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, the large and important goldsmithing and jewellery business founded by his uncle, Philip Rundell. From 1830 he owned a quarter of the business and was one of the managing directors, which for many years had prestigious commissions (including a new crown for the coronation of Queen Victoria) and delivered large profits. However, in 1843 the firm ceased trading, and in 1845 the partnership was dissolved. Thomas and his wife Maria, who was also a niece of Philip Rundell, had a quite exceptional family of fifteen children, all but three of whom survived to adulthood. They had varied and interesting careers, but only the youngest, Fanny Cecilia Bigge (1815-1908), who married Matthew Bell (1817-1903) of Bourne Park (Kent), returned to country house living.

Benton Hall, Longbenton, Northumberland

Longbenton, north-east of the city of Newcastle, was developed in the 18th and early 19th century for coal-mining, but also became home to a number of large houses which were mostly built by the men who derived their wealth from the coal works. Benton Hall (otherwise known as Little Benton Hall or the White House) was a case in point. The initial building is said to have been erected about 1760 for Thomas Bigge (1716-91), who was in partnership with his brother-in-law, Sir Robert Carr, as a mercer in London, but also owned a share in the Bigge family's coal interests around Longbenton. He married in 1763 and the house may have been erected in anticipation of his marriage or shortly after it. 

Benton Hall: entrance front

As first built, the house probably consisted of the five bay, three-storey centre, although the lower two storeys of the wings, with their full-height canted bow windows on the garden front, may also have been part of the original scheme. The single-storey outer wings and the rather ill-proportioned third storeys added to the wings were probably put on in the 19th century and although it is tempting to associated these with the exceptionally large family of Thomas Bigge (1766-1849), who lived at Benton Hall until about 1805, they are probably rather later. The entrance front had an off-centre porch leading into a staircase hall lit by a Venetian window at mezzanine level, set below a Diocletian window in the top storey. It seems likely that this awkward situation arose because the entrance was originally on the other side of the house and was moved to this side in the 19th century.

Benton Hall, Longbenton: garden front

In 1902 the substantial accommodation offered by the house included a drawing room, dining room, library, billiard room and study, 25 bedrooms, as well as the service accommodation, and in 1871 there was an indoor staff of fifteen. The house was surrounded by lawns and gardens, which were of sufficient note to be opened to the public on a commercial basis as the Northumberland & Durham Botanical Gardens in a short-lived enterprise in 1854-58. The gardens were kept up to an extent even after the house ceased to be occupied at the beginning of the 20th century, for in 1913 it was noted that '[though the] forsaken mansion gives an air of sadness to the immediate surroundings... the adjacent vinery, conservatories, and gardens are under proper guardianship and are not allowed to become waste. And above all the trees remain as they were'. However, the end was in sight: in 1927 part of the grounds was turned over to public tennis courts, and in 1931 the whole estate was sold to the North Heaton Development Company for suburban development. The house was demolished in about 1934 and the resulting rubble was used to infill an old quarry.

Descent: built c.1760 for Thomas Bigge (1716-91); to son, Thomas Bigge (1766-1849); sold c.1805 to Thomas Hanway Bigge (1784-1824); sold after his death to William Losh (1770-1861); sold c.1854 to Northumberland & Durham Botanical Gardens; sold 1858 to John Anthony Woods (1816-1901); to son, James Edward Woods, who sold 1902 to William Henry Fitzpatrick Watson Armstrong (1863-1941), 1st Baron Armstrong of Bamburgh and Cragside, who sold 1931 to North Heaton Development Company.

Linden Hall, Longhorsley, Northumberland

Linden Hall, Longhorsley.  Image: Xooo.co.uk

A very plain and beautifully ashlared five bay two storey house designed in 1812 by Sir Charles Monck of Belsay for his friend, Charles William Bigge. Linden Hall is the only house which Sir Charles designed apart from his own, much more heavily Greek, mansion at Belsay. John Dobson of Newcastle probably provided some assistance, but the drawings seem to be entirely in Monck's hand. The central bay is much wider than the rest and has an extremely heavy and severe four-column porch with unfluted Greek Doric columns.  Inside there is an elegant rectangular top-lit central hall in which the staircase rises along three walls, under an oval roof lantern.  The house is now an hotel, and the stable block and outbuildings were converted to domestic accommodation in the 1980s by Ainsworth Spark.

Linden Hall, Longhorsley: the staircase hall today

Descent:  built for Charles William Bigge (1773-1849); to grandson, Charles Selby Bigge (1834-89), who sold 1861 to Henry Metcalf Ames (1820-74); to son, Louis Eric Ames (1855-1933), who sold 1903 to Lawrence William Adamson (1829-1911); to son, Lt-Col. John George Adamson (1855-1932); to daughters Muriel Adamson (1884-1963) and Eve Adamson (b. 1890), who sold 1963 to John M. Liddell; who sold 1978 for conversion to hotel.

Bigge (later Selby-Bigge) family of Linden Hall and Ightham Mote

Bigge, William (1638?-90). Parentage uncertain; Hodgson suggested that he might be the son of William Bigge of Shalford (Essex) and his wife Melior Roper, who was born about 1620, but Burke's Landed Gentry preferred the suggestion that he derived from the Bigg family of Kent (and thus shared a common origin with the Bigg family of Haines Hill). In view of the fact that he owned property at Hawkhurst, the latter suggestion seems more likely, and he is perhaps to be identified with the William, son of William and Sara Bigge baptised at Benenden (Kent), on 19 August 1638. Attorney with chambers in Furnival's Inn, Holborn (Middx) until c.1680 and later at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He married, 30 August 1666 at Seaham (Co. Durham), Isabel (1648-1707), daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Dent, and had issue:

(1) William Bigge (b. 1667), baptised at St Andrew, Holborn, 19 September 1667; died young, perhaps in infancy and certainly before 1686;

(2) Isabella Bigge (b. & d. 1669), baptised at St Andrew, Holborn, 20 April 1669; died in infancy at Furnival's Inn, 6 November 1669;

(3) John Bigge (1670-1728), baptised at Holborn, 16 February 1670; placed in the custody of his father's 'cozen', John Bowles of Shaftesbury (Dorset) and settled at East Knoyle (Wilts); educated at Middle Temple (admitted 1691); inherited a farm at Hawkhurst (Kent) and a copyhold farm at Rotherwick (Hants) from his father; purchased one-sixth of Spital Square, London in 1696; said to have married, 1701 in Chester, Anne Jackson, but the marriage has not been traced; later declared a lunatic; died without issue at Bedlington (Northbld), and was buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 19 January 1727/8;

(4) James Bigge (1672-90), baptised at St Andrew, Holborn, 20 June 1672; inherited houses in the Great Market, Newcastle, and £1000 under his father's will; died unmarried and without issue just a few weeks after his father, and was buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 13 April 1690;

(5) Mary Bigge (1674-1727), baptised at St Andrew, Holborn, 27 January 1674/5; married, 14 October 1701 at St Andrew, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Edward Collingwood of Byker, Newcastle-upon-Tyne; buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 15 October 1727;

(6) Roger Bigge (1676-77), baptised at St Andrew, Holborn, 29 April 1676; died in infancy at Furnival's Inn, 22 October 1677;

(7) Thomas Bigge (1677-1758) (q.v.);

(8) Anne Bigge (b. 1684), baptised at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 11 September 1684; married, 12 February 1701/2 at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Edward Ward (d. 1717); death not traced.

He lived latterly at Newcastle-on-Tyne. His father-in-law divided his estates at Heddon-on-the-Wall, Darras Hall, Caistron, and East, West and North Coldcoats (all Northbld) between his two daughters (the other being Julian, wife of John Hindmarsh of Little Benton). She also inherited a moiety of Willington, which his mother-in-law bought after her husband's death from Sir Francis Anderson. She settled her lands upon her sons in succession, with remainder to her daughters.

He was buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 18 March 1690, where he and John Hindmarch had erected a monument for their families in 1684; his will was proved in the PCC, 4 July 1690. His widow was buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 15 July 1707.

Bigge, Thomas (1677-1758). Fifth and youngest son of William Bigge (d. 1690) and his wife Isabel, daughter and heiress of Thomas Dent, baptised at St Andrew, Holborn (Middx), 21 June 1677. He is said to have gone to India as a sailor and not been heard of for a long time, whereupon his death was presumed and his sisters gained control of his and his brother John's property; at length he returned and a settlement was arrived at between Thomas and his sisters in 1709, which was confirmed by a private Act of Parliament in 1710. He married, 12 May 1706 at Longbenton (Northbld), Elizabeth (d. 1752), daughter and co-heiress of Edward Hindmarsh of the Six Clerks' Office, London, and had issue:

(1) William Bigge (1707-58) (q.v.);

(2) Edward Bigge (1708-64), baptised at Longbenton, 22 June 1708; attorney in Grays Inn, London; lived in London and at Jesmond, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Northbld); purchased Brenkley estate in Dinnington (Northbld); died unmarried and was buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 5 April 1764; will proved in the PCC, 11 May 1764;

(3) Grace Bigge (1710-64), baptised at Longbenton, 30 March 1710; married Sir Robert Carr (1707-91) (who m2, 1765, Mary Little, and had further issue one daughter), mercer, of London and Hampton (Middx), who claimed the baronetcy of Kerr of Greenhead (Roxb.), and had issue one daughter; buried at Ewell (Surrey), 27 May 1764;

(4) Mary Bigge (1712-90), baptised at Longbenton, 10 April 1712; died unmarried at Ripon in December 1790 and was buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 7 December 1790; will proved in the PCC, 16 June 1791;

(5) Elizabeth Bigge (1714-71), baptised at Longbenton, 24 May 1714; died unmarried and was buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 12 September 1771;

(6) Thomas Bigge (1716-91) [for whom see below, Bigge of Benton Hall].

He lived at Byker, Newcastle-on-Tyne and Benton House, Longbenton, which he enlarged.

He was buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 28 December 1758; his will was proved 17 March 1759. His wife was buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 23 June 1752.

Bigge, William (1707-58). Eldest son of Thomas Bigge (1677-1759) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter and co-heiress of Edward Hindmarsh of Benton (Northbld), baptised at Longbenton, 25 March 1707. Attorney and one of the Six Clerks in Chancery. Colliery owner in Northumberland and was involved inthe development of collieries elsewhere in Northumberland, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire (WR). High Sheriff of Northumberland, 1750-51. He married, 29 January 1736 at St Nicholas, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Mary (d. 1780), daughter and heiress of Charles Clarke of Ovingham (Northbld), attorney, and had issue:

(1) Thomas Charles Bigge (1739-94) (q.v.);

(2) William Edward Bigge (1740-74), born 6 January, and baptised at St Giles-in-the-Fields, Holborn (Middx), 1 February 1739/40; lawyer and one of the sworn clerks to the Six Clerks in Chancery by 1769, succeeded to the estate of his uncle Edward Bigge at Brenkley in Dinnington (Northbld), 1764; died unmarried at Bedlington (Northbld) and was buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 7 June 1774; will proved in the PCC, 20 June 1774;

(3) Charles Clarke Bigge (1741-43), born at Little Benton, 8 July 1741; died in infancy of measles, 3 February. and was buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 4 February 1742/3;

(4) John Bigge (1743-97), born in Newcastle, 14 January, and was baptised at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 22 February 1742/3; apprenticed to his uncle, Thomas Bigge, 1757; mercer in London in the same firm in which his uncles Thomas Bigge and Sir Robert Carr had been partners; inherited his brother William's estate at Brenkley in 1774 and purchased Carville Hall, Wallsend, where he lived for some years before retiring to chambers in King's Bench Walk, London; a Tory in politics, unlike most of this family; died unmarried, 11 March, and was buried at St Bride, Fleet St., London, 15 March 1797.

He lived at Benton (Northbld), where he had colliery interests, and inherited property at Stannington and Ovingham in right of his wife which was reputedly worth £25,000.

He died in the lifetime of his father, 30 June 1758 and was buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. His widow died 5 May 1780 and was buried at Ovingham.

Bigge, Thomas Charles (1739-94). Eldest son of William Bigge (1707-58) and his wife Mary, daughter and heiress of Charles Clarke of Ovingham (Northbld), born in Lincoln's Inn Fields, Holborn (Middx), 24 January and baptised at St Giles-in-the-Fields, Holborn (Middx), 22 February 1738/9. Educated at Westminster, Lincolns Inn (admitted 1755) and Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1757). He travelled abroad, possibly partly for health reasons, in 1759 and 1763-66, and visited Turin, Florence, Rome, Naples and Parma in 1764-65. Colliery owner in Northumberland. JP for Northumberland; High Sheriff of Northumberland, 1771-72. He stood unsuccessfully for parliament in the Morpeth constituency in 1774. He was a member of the 'Roman Club' founded by Edward Gibbon in 1765. He married, 6 November 1772 at St Andrew, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Northbld), Jemima* (1748-1806), daughter of William Ord of Fenham (Northbld), and had issue:

(1) Charles William Bigge (1773-1849) (q.v.);

(2) Jemima Bigge (1776-79), born 17 February and baptised at Longbenton, 18 March 1776; died young and was buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 30 August 1779;

(3) Mary Anne Bigge (1777-1805), baptised at Longbenton, 26 August 1777; died unmarried and was buried at Weston, Bath (Som.), 18 June 1805;

(4) William Edward Bigge (1778-91), born 28 October 1778 and baptised at Longbenton, 6 January 1779; educated at Westminster School, where he died and was buried at St Margaret, Westminster (Middx), 28 October 1791;

(5) John Thomas Bigge (1780-1843), born 8 March and baptised at Longbenton, 10 April 1780; educated at Newcastle GS, Westminster, Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1797; BA 1801; MA 1804) and Inner Temple (admitted 1801; called 1806); barrister-at-law; Chief Justice of Trinidad, 1814-18; Commissioner of Inquiry into Colony of New South Wales, 1819-23 and also conducted an inquiry into the conduct of William Sorrell as governor of Tasmania, 1820-23; Chairman of Commission of Enquiry into the administration and finance of the Cape of Good Hope, Mauritius and Ceylon, 1832-39; his reports on colonial administration in New South Wales led to the resignation of the progressive governor, Macquarie, and reduced the status of convict transportees to near slavery; he lived latterly at Dover (Kent); died unmarried at the Grosvenor Hotel, London, 22 December, and was buried at Fulham (Middx), 28 December 1843; his will was proved in the PCC 26 February 1845 (effects under £46,000);

(6) Charlotte Eleanor Bigge (1781-1800), born 13 February and baptised at Longbenton, 13 March 1781; died unmarried at Clifton (Glos), 29 June, and was buried at Weston, Bath (Som.), 3 July 1800;

(7) Eliza Bigge (1782-1819), baptised at Longbenton, 23 April 1782; died unmarried, 19 May 1819 and was buried at Fulham (Middx), 24 May 1819; her will was proved in the PCC, 8 June 1819;

(8) Thomas Hanway Bigge (1784-1824), baptised at Longbenton, 2 October 1784; educated at Westminster; partner in Old Bank, Newcastle from 1806; inherited estates at Brinkley and Carville from his uncle John Bigge and purchased Benton Hall c.1805, all of  which were sold after his death; married, 26 March 1814 at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster (Middx), Charlotte (d. 1874), daughter of Rev. James Scott, rector of St Lawrence, Southampton (Hants) and vicar of Itchenstoke (Hants), and had issue four sons and two daughters; buried at Ovingham (Northbld), 21 December 1824;

(9) Jemima Susannah Bigge (1788-1809), baptised at Longbenton, 4 September 1788; died unmarried, 9 March, and was buried at Ovingham, 13 March 1809;

(10) Grace Julia Bigge (1791-1872), baptised at Longbenton, 15 April 1791; married 1st, 24 March 1817 at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster, her cousin, Thomas Christopher Glyn (1789-1827), of Gaunts House (Dorset), son of Richard Carr Glyn, and had issue three sons; married 2nd, 20 June 1836 at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster, Henry Barne Sawbridge (c.1778-1851) of East Haddon Hall (Northants), but had no further issue; died 30 September 1872.

He lived at Benton House.

He died 10 October 1794 and was buried at All Saints, Weston, Bath (Som.); his will was proved in the PCC, 6 November 1794. His widow died 25 November 1806 and was buried at Fulham (Middx).

* Her portrait by Angelica Kauffman was sold at auction in 2006.

Charles William Bigge (1773-1849) 

Bigge, Charles William (1773-1849). Eldest son of Thomas Charles Bigge (1739-94) and his wife Jemima, daughter of William Ord of Fenham (Northbld), born at Benton House, 28 October and baptised at Longbenton (Northbld), 18 November 1773. Educated at Westminster (admitted 1784), Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1791; BA 1795; MA 1798) and Middle Temple (admitted 1795), after which he undertook a grand tour of Germany and Italy, 1800-02. Partner in Ridley, Bigge, Gibson & Co. of Newcastle, bankers, later taken over by the Northumberland & Durham District Bank in Newcastle-on-Tyne, of which he became a director. JP (Chairman of Quarter Sessions, 1829-40) and DL for Northumberland; High Sheriff of Northumberland, 1802-03; Chairman of Morpeth Poor Law Union, 1836-41. An officer in the Northumberland Militia (Lt-Col., 1799). He was a prominent figure in Whig politics in Northumberland, but declined to stand for parliament on grounds of cost; he also declined the offer of a baronetcy in 1838. He was President of the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Literary and Philosophical Society, 1838-49 and of the Mechanics Institute, and Vice-President of the Newcastle Society of Antiquaries and of the Newcastle Natural History Society. He married, 27 January 1802, Alicia (1780-1848), only daughter of Christopher Wilkinson of Thorpe (Yorks) and Newcastle-on-Tyne, and had issue:

(1) Charles John Bigge (1803-46) (q.v.);

(2) Charles James Bigge (1805-06?), born 22 January and baptised at Whittingham (Northbld), 20 November 1805; probably the child of these parents who died 26 December and was buried (as 'William James Bigge') at Fulham (Middx), 30 December 1806;

(3) Henry Lancelot Bigge (1806-44), born 10 May and baptised at Whittingham, 14 June 1806; educated at Westminster (admitted 1818; Kings Scholar, 1820) and University College, Oxford (matriculated 1824); an officer in the 66th Bengal Native Infantry (Cadet, 1827; Ensign, 1828; Lt., 1834; Capt., 1844), who served as principal assistant to the Governor of the North-East Frontier, 1838-43; died unmarried and without issue at Barrisal in Assam, 9 December 1844 and is commemorated by a monument at Ovingham (Northbld); will proved 31 December 1844;

(4) Ven. Edward Thomas Bigge (1807-44), born 19 October and baptised at Whittingham, 18 November 1807; educated at Westminster (admitted 1821) and University College, Oxford (matriculated 1828; BA 1832; MA 1835); ordained deacon, 1834, and priest, 1835; Fellow of Merton College, Oxford, c.1834-42; vicar of Eglingham (Northbld), 1837-44 and archdeacon of Lindisfarne, 1842-44; died unmarried and without issue, 3 April 1844, and was buried at Ovingham (Northbld), where he is commemorated by a monument;

(5) Mary Bigge (1809-21), born 26 July and baptised at Whittingham, 1 October 1809; died young, 3 February, and was buried at Longhorsley, 7 February 1821;

(6) Charlotte Eliza Bigge (1810-84), born 1 November and baptised at Whittingham, 2 December 1810; married, 22 February 1849 at Longhorsley, David Smith (c.1804-80) of Edinburgh, son of Alexander Smith; died 11 February 1884 and is commemorated by a monument at Ovingham;

(7) William Matthew Bigge (1812-89), born 9 October and baptised at Whittingham, 26 November 1812; an officer in the 70th Foot (Ensign, 1831; Lt., 1836; Capt. 1839; Maj., 1845; Lt-Col., 1847; retired 1849); died unmarried, 2 January 1889; will proved 2 February 1889 (effects £2,107);

(8) Rev. John Frederick Bigge (1814-85), born 12 July and baptised at Longhorsley (Northbld), 29 December 1814; educated at Durham University (BA 1840; MA 1843); ordained deacon and priest, 1840; vicar of Ovingham, 1841-47 and of Stamfordham (Northbld), 1847-85; President of Tyneside Naturalists' Club, 1847; married, 14 December 1843, Caroline Mary, daughter of Nathaniel Ellison, and had issue five sons and six daughters (including Arthur John Bigge (1849-1931), 1st and last Baron Stamfordham); died 28 February 1885; will proved 2 May 1885 (effects £17,664);

(9) Julia Katherina Bigge (1816-1843), born 21 January 1816 and baptised at Longhorsley, 18 November 1817; married, 13 February 1840, as his first wife, Rev. Henry Joseph Maltby (c.1814-63) (who m2, 13 April 1847, Elizabeth Mary Bradford (1824-1906) and had further issue three sons and one daughter), son of Rt. Rev. Edward Maltby, bishop of Durham, and had issue one son and one daughter; died 27 April 1843;

(10) Arthur Bigge (1818-85), born 18 May and baptised at Longhorsley, 17 June 1818; educated at University College, Oxford (matriculated 1836; BA 1840; MA 1843), and the Inner Temple (admitted 1839; called 1844); barrister-at-law; Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, 1843-58; stipendiary magistrate at Brighton (Sussex), 1855-84; married, 24 September 1857, Elizabeth (d. 1882), daughter of James Henry Sclater of Newick Park (Sussex), and had issue one daughter; died 28 August 1885; will proved 27 November 1885 (effects £4,512);

(11) Jemima Bigge (1820-35), born 25 May and baptised at Longhorsley, 22 June 1820; died young, 23 May 1835, and was buried at Longhorsley;

(12) Matthew Robert Bigge (1822-1906), born 30 March and baptised at Longhorsley, 27 April 1822; JP for Northamptonshire; a director of the Northumberland & Durham District Bank, which became insolvent in 1858; sheriff of Newcastle, 1846; married 1st, 21 September 1848 at St Andrew, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Mildreda Eliza (d. 1850), daughter of Col. Robert Bell (1772-1851) of Fenham Hall, Newcastle (Northbld), and had issue one daughter; married 2nd, 1 November 1854 at Stanhope (Co. Durham), Elizabeth Jane (c.1822-96), daughter of Rev. William Nicholas Darnell (1776-1865), rector of Stanhope (Co. Durham), and had issue one son and two daughters; died at Stamford (Lincs), 17 July 1906; will proved 15 October 1906 (estate £1,739);

(13) Rev. George Richard Bigge (1825-86), born 2 October and baptised at Longhorsley, 27 December 1825; educated at Durham University (BA 1847; MA 1850); ordained deacon, 1847 and priest, 1850; curate of Huntspill (Som.), 1848-50; vicar of Ovingham, 1850-69, Stanton and Snowshill (Glos), 1872-74, and Ingestre (Staffs), 1874-77; and rector of Bolam (Northbld), 1880-86; married, 18 June 1850 at Congresbury (Som.), Annette Henriette Wolff (1829-1913), daughter of Capt. Richard Francis Gibson Poore, and had issue four sons and five daughters; died 17 January 1886; will proved 26 March 1886 (effects £2,698).

He inherited estates and collieries at Benton, Heddon-on-the-Wall, Ponteland and Gosforth (all Northbld) from his father in 1794 and lived at Benton House until he built Linden Hall in 1811-12 to the designs of  Sir Charles Monck of Belsay.

He died 8 December, and was buried at Longhorsley, 13 December 1849; his will was proved in the PCC, 29 July 1850. His wife died 19 February 1848 and was buried at Longhorsley.

Bigge, Charles John (1803-46). Eldest son of Charles William Bigge (1773-1849) and his wife Alicia, only daughter of Christopher Wilkinson of Thorpe (Yorks) and Newcastle-on-Tyne, born 11 April and baptised at Whittingham (Northbld.), 20 April 1803. Educated at Westminster (admitted 1814) and Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1821). Partner in the Northumberland & Durham District Bank at Newcastle-on-Tyne. Alderman of Newcastle (Mayor, 1832-37). He married, 29 May 1833 at Bamburgh (Northbld.), Lewis Marianne (1812-90), daughter and co-heir of Prideaux John Selby (1788-1867) of Twizell House (Northbld) and Ightham Mote (Kent), and had issue:

(1) Charles Selby Bigge (1834-89) (q.v.);

(2) Mary Lewis Bigge (1836-89), baptised at Whickham, 27 May 1836; married, 3 June 1863 at Ightham (Kent), Rev. John Clere Scott Darby (1830-1901) of Markby (Sussex), rector of Machen (Mon.) (who m2, 23 February 1892 at Machen, Emily Mary Potter (1866-1942)), son of George Darby, gent., and had issue seven sons; buried at Machen, 18 December 1889;

(3) Henry Bertram Bigge (1837-38), born December 1837 and baptised at Whickham (Co. Durham), 2 January 1838; died in infancy and was buried at Whickham, 4 January 1838;

(4) Fanny Alice Bigge (1839-1912), baptised at Whickham, 13 July 1839; married, 6 June 1867 at Ightham, Thomas St Leger Blaauw (1839-93), of Beechland (Sussex), son of William Henry Blaauw (1793-1870), and had issue two sons and three daughters; died 20 November and was buried at Newick, 26 November 1912; will proved 20 January 1913 (estate £3,323);

(5) Louisa Charlotte Bigge (1842-1915), born 11 March and baptised at Whickham, 28 March 1842; married, 8 August 1865 at Ightham, Charles Francis Massingberd-Mundy (1839-1913) of Ormsby Hall (Lincs), and had issue four sons and two daughters; died 12 March and was buried at South Ormsby (Lincs), 17 March 1915; will proved 12 April 1916 (estate £2,736);

(6) Sybil Constance Bigge (1846-1913), born posthumously, 6 April, and baptised at St Mary, Bryanston Square, Marylebone (Middx), 26 May 1846; married, 14 July 1875 at Ightham, Sir William Selby Church (1837-1928), 1st bt., and had issue two sons and one daughter; died 4 February 1913 and was buried at Hatfield (Herts); will proved 14 March 1913 (estate £4,425).

He died in the lifetime of his father, 16 March, and was buried at All Saints, Fulham (Middx), 23 March 1846. His widow married 2nd, 17 October 1850 at Ightham, Maj. Robert Luard (later Luard-Selby) (1800-80); she was buried at Ightham, 22 March 1890; administration of her goods (with will annexed) was granted 17 June 1890 (effects £6,869).

Bigge, Charles Selby (1834-89). Elder and only surviving son of Charles John Bigge (1803-46) and his wife Lewis Marianne, daughter and co-heir of Prideaux John Selby of Twizell House (Northbld) and Ightham Mote (Kent), born 21 July and baptised at Whickham (Co. Durham), 2 August 1834. Educated at Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1853). JP for Northumberland from 1856. A freemason from 1854. He became a director of the Northumberland & Durham District Bank on achieving his majority, but the bank soon afterwards became insolvent and he found himself liable for a share of the debts, which forced him to sell Linden Hall. He was later a director of the Alliance Co-operative Coal Co. of Ruabon (Denbighs). He married, 24 July 1856 at Beckenham (Kent), Katharina (d. 1918), daughter of John Scott Ogle of Oakwood House, Beckenham, and had issue:

(1) Charles Prideaux Ogle Selby-Bigge (1857-1914) (q.v.);

(2) Sir Lewis Amherst Selby-Bigge (1860-1951), 1st bt. (q.v.);

(3) Lt-Col. Denys Leighton Selby Bigge (1864-1945), born 11 September and baptised at Bourton (Shrops.), 9 October 1864; educated at Marlborough, Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1882), and the University of Liège; a Member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers; consulting electrical engineer with his own firm, D. Selby-Bigge & Co., from which he retired in 1942; before and during the First World War he was an officer in the Northumberland Hussars (2nd Lt., 1898; Lt., 1899; Capt., 1902; Maj., 1905; Temp. Lt-Col., 1915); DL for Northumberland; lived latterly at Ripon (Yorks WR); married, 25 July 1905 at Chillingham (Northbld), Marianne Mildred (1878-1944), daughter of Sir Jacob Wilson KCVO of Chillingham Barns, and had issue three daughters; died 22 January 1945.

He inherited Linden Hall from his grandfather in 1849 and Ightham Mote in 1867. He sold Linden Hall in 1861, and the 583 acre Ightham Mote estate was sold by auction after his death.

He died 16 January 1889; his will was proved 5 March 1889 (effects £12,327). His widow died 15 January, and was buried at Brompton Cemetery (Middx), 19 January 1918; her will was proved 18 April 1918 (estate £8,238).

Selby-Bigge, Charles Prideaux Ogle (1857-1914). Eldest son of Charles Selby Bigge (1834-89) and his wife Katharina, daughter of John Scott Ogle of Oakwood (Kent), born in Edinburgh, 25 July 1857. Land agent to the Norfolk estates of William Amherst Tyssen-Amherst (1835-1909), 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney. A freemason from 1907. He married, 14 August 1902 at St Mark, North Audley St., Westminster (Middx), Joan (1881-1949), second daughter of Seymour Pleydell-Bouverie of Whissendine House (Rut.), banker, and had issue:

(1) Arthur Charles Selby-Bigge (1903-37), born 1 September and baptised at Holy Trinity, Chelsea, 7 October 1903; clerk to Jackson Vinley & Co., chartered accountants; died unmarried, 31 July and was buried at Triberg, Baden-Wurttemberg (Germany), 2 August 1937; administration of goods granted to his sister, 22 October 1937 (estate £175);

(2) Bridget Joan Selby-Bigge (1905-84), born 30 June 1905; educated at Farlington House School, Haywards Heath (Sussex); lived at Brookhill, Fethard (Co. Tipperary); died unmarried, 13 September 1984; will proved in London, 12 March 1986 (estate in England & Wales, £243,020);

(3) Frances Grace Selby-Bigge (1909-14), born 25 August and baptised at Oakham, 25 September 1909; died young, about July 1914.

He lived at Foulden Hall (Norfk) while acting as agent to the Norfolk estates of Lord Amherst of Hackney, and later at The Limes, Oakham (Rut.).

He died 6 January 1914; his will was proved 2 April 1914 (estate £11,056). His widow died 9 July 1949; her will was proved 29 April 1950 (estate £5,228).

Sir Amherst Selby-Bigge,  (1860-1951), 1st bt. 
Image: Nat. Portrait Gallery.
Some rights reserved. 

Selby-Bigge, Sir (Lewis) Amherst (1860-1951), kt. & 1st bt. Second son of Charles Selby Bigge (1834-89) and his wife Katharina,  daughter of John Scott Ogle of Oakwood (Kent), born at Oakwood House, Beckenham (Kent), 3 April and was baptised at Beckenham, 8 May 1860. He was known by his second forename and took the name Selby-Bigge by deed poll in 1887. Educated at Winchester and Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1879; BA 1883; MA 1886) and Inner Temple (called 1891). Fellow of University College, Oxford and tutor in philosophy, 1883-94 (University proctor, 1891; Hon. Fellow, 1930). Barrister-at-law; Assistant Charity Commissioner, 1894-1902; with Board of Education, 1903-25 (Asst Sec, 1903-07; Principal Asst. Sec., 1907-11; Permanent Secretary, 1911-25). In retirement he became a member of the East Sussex County Education Committee. He was appointed CB, 1905; KCB, 1913; and raised to a baronetcy, 14 February 1919. In 1929 he stood unsuccessfully for Parliament as a Unionist candidate for the Combined Universities seat. His published works include British Moralists (1897) and editions of two works by David Hume. He married, 15 September 1885 at Underriver (Kent), Edith Lindsay OBE (1865-1939), daughter of Rt. Hon. John Robert Davison QC MP of Underriver House, and had issue:

(1) Evelyn Mary Selby-Bigge (1887-1984), born 16 October and baptised at St Philip & St James, Oxford, 18 November 1887; married, 22 June 1908 at Holy Trinity, Chelsea (Middx), Henry Cecil Pember (1879-1917), stockbroker, second son of Henry George Pember of Fair Oak Park (Hants), and had issue one son and one daughter; lived latterly at Rodmell Hill Cottage, Rodmell (Sussex); died aged 96 on 1 April 1984; will proved 2 August 1984 (estate £15,573);

(2) Edith Katharine Selby-Bigge (1889-1971), born 31 March and baptised at St Philip & St James, Oxford, 3 May 1889; married, 31 October 1914, Capt. Geoffrey Francis Bowes-Lyon (1886-1951) of Vale Court, Colerne (Wilts), colliery owner and company director, son of the Hon. Francis Bowes-Lyon DL, and had issue one son and two daughters; lived latterly at Lewes (Sussex); died 19 September 1971; will proved 7 January 1972 (estate £28,521);

(3) Sir John Amherst Selby-Bigge (1892-1973), 2nd bt. (q.v.);

(4) Arthur Jeffrey Selby-Bigge (1894-95), born 14 March and baptised 15 April 1894; died in infancy, 20 September 1895 and was buried at Underriver.

He lived at Kings Sutton (Northants) and in London until he purchased a farmhouse called Kingston Manor, Lewes (Sussex) in 1919, to which he retired.

He died aged 91 on 24 May 1951, and was buried at Kingston (Sussex); his will was proved 10 August 1951 (estate £26,479). His wife died 28 May and was buried at Kingston, 31 May 1939; her will was proved 21 August 1939 (estate £14,655).

Sir John Amherst Selby-Bigge, 2nd bt.
Image: Nat. Portrait Gallery.
Some rights reserved.  

Selby-Bigge, Sir John Amherst (1892-1973), 2nd bt. Elder and only surviving son of Sir Lewis Amherst Selby-Bigge (1860-1951) and his wife Edith Lindsay OBE, daughter of Rt. Hon. John Robert Davison QC MP of Underriver House (Kent), born 20 June and baptised at St Philip & St James, Oxford, 22 July 1892. Educated at Winchester, Christ Church, Oxford, University College, London (matriculated 1913) and Slade School of Art (admitted 1914). He served in the First World War, 1914-19, with Royal Army Service Corps (T/Lt.) and Military Intelligence. After the First World War he worked as a chicken farmer at Chiddingly (Sussex) and as an estate agent, but continued to paint in his spare time, and in the 1930s he exhibited (as John Bigge) a number of modernist and surrealist works at exhibitions; he was a founder member of the 'Unit One' coterie of artists led by Paul Nash. During the Second World War he worked first as sub-editor of BBC European News service, 1942-43 and then as Assistant Commissioner for Civilian Relief with the British Red Cross in Austria, where he was instrumental in preventing the massacre of 6,000 Slovenian civilian refugees by the forces of Marshal Tito. He was appointed OBE, 1946, and succeeded his father as 2nd baronet, 24 May 1951. He married 1st, 6 July 1914 (div. 1944), Ruth (1892-1962), eldest daughter of Edward Walter Humphries of Bradford (Yorks WR), and 2nd, 3 January 1946, Marija (c.1905-55), eldest daughter of Judge Martin Bacik of Vienna (Austria), and had issue:

(1.1) Annabella Joanna Lewis Selby-Bigge (1915-19), born 13 October and baptised at St Simon Zelotes, Chelsea (Middx), 24 November 1915; died young, 7 July 1919;

(1.2) Lydia Jane Selby-Bigge (1920-79), born 11 June 1920; married, 1941 (div. 1946), Gilbert Morand of Chambery, and had issue; died at Quartier le Ferrage, Tourrette sur Loup, Alpes Maritimes (France), 20 February 1979; will proved 22 May 1981 (estate in England, £1,417);

(1.3) Cornelia Diana Selby-Bigge (1922-88), born 14 August 1922; married, 10 August 1947, as his second wife, Hugh Max Bowden (1909-90) of Sheriff Mount, Low Fell (Northbld) and Port Douglas, Queensland (Australia), son of Hugh Hunter Bowden, and had issue two daughters; died 5 October 1988 and was buried at Port Douglas Cemetery, Queensland;

(1.4) Mary Elizabeth Selby-Bigge (1924-2023), born 8 April 1924; married 1st, 1951, John Sheals Pratt, MB BChir (d. 1956), and 2nd, 1967, Gp-Capt. Richard Irwin Knight Edwards DFC AFC (d. 1967); died aged 98 on 20 March 2023.

He lived in Sussex in the early 1920s and later in Chelsea (Middx), but latterly at Limeuil, Dordogne (France).

He died 3 October 1973, when the baronetcy became extinct; his will was proved 3 July 1974 (estate in England, £1,748). His first wife died 12 December 1962; administration of her goods was granted 8 May 1963 (estate £1,967). His second wife died 6 December 1955.

Bigge of Benton Hall

Bigge, Thomas (1716-91).  Third and youngest son of Thomas Bigge (1677-1758) [for whom see above] and his wife Elizabeth, daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Hindmarsh of Longbenton, baptised at Longbenton, 27 December 1716. Mercer on Ludgate Hill, London, in partnership with his brother-in-law, Robert (later Sir Robert) Carr. He married, 4 August 1763 at Bath, Elizabeth (1730-1812), daughter of Richard Rundell of Norton St Philip (Som.) and elder sister of the jeweller and goldsmith, Philip Rundell, and had issue:

(1) Thomas Benton (1766-1851) (q.v.);

(2) Elizabeth Benton (1767-71), baptised at Longbenton, 23 April 1767; died young and was buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 12 September 1771. 

He inherited lands at Longbenton from his father, on which he built Benton Hall c.1760.

He was buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 8 May 1791. His widow was buried at Hendon (Middx), 24 April 1812; her will was proved in the PCC, 4 May 1812.

Bigge, Thomas (1766-1849). Only son of Thomas Bigge (1716-91) and his wife Elizabeth Rundell, born at Longbenton, 8 January and baptised at Longbenton, 25 February 1766. Educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford* (matriculated 1783; BA 1787; MA 1791). A Whig in politics, he became a writer of political tracts in the 1790s, occupying a position somewhere between the moderate Whigs and the radicals; he was also active in local political meetings and supported a monthly periodical, The Oeconomist, in 1798-99. In later life he became a partner in the family firm of Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, which was one of the leading goldsmiths in London; from 1830 he owned 25% of the business but the firm ceased trading in 1843 and the partnership was dissolved two years later. He married, 16 July 1792 at St Swithin, Walcot, Bath (Som.), Maria (d. 1846), daughter of Thomas Rundell of Bath, surgeon, and niece of Philip Rundell, and had issue:

(1) Elizabeth Bigge (1793-1869), born 28 October 1793 and baptised at Longbenton, 14 January 1794; married, 8 April 1817 at Kensington (Middx), Lt-Col. Sir Alexander Anderson, KB CB KTS (c.1787-1842) of Palmers Cross, Elgin (Morays), and had issue at least two sons and two daughters; died 18 March 1869 and was buried at Brackley (Inverness), where she is commemorated by a tombstone in the kirkyard;

(2) Maria Bigge (1795-97), baptised at Longbenton, 14 September 1795; died in infancy and was buried at All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 24 May 1797;

(3) Jane Eleanor Bigge (1796-1812), baptised at Longbenton, 5 September 1796; died unmarried and was buried at Hendon (Middx), 12 April 1812;

(4) Thomas Charles Bigge (b. 1796), baptised at Longbenton, 29 December 1796; probably died in infancy;

(5) Augusta Bigge (1797-1866), baptised at Longbenton, 20 December 1797; married, May 1835, as his second wife, Ven. Edward Pope (1793-1855), of St Catherine's (Surrey), formerly Archdeacon of Jamaica, and had issue two sons and one daughter; died 19 June and was buried buried at Puttenham (Surrey), 25 June 1866; will proved 20 July 1866 (effects under £10,000);

(6) Emily Maria Bigge (1799-1806), born 28 September, and baptised at Longbenton, 6 December 1799; died young and was buried at Hendon (Middx), 7 January 1806;

(7) Thomas Edward Bigge (1801-80), born 20 January and baptised at Longbenton, 27 March 1801; army officer (2nd Lt., 1819; Lt., 1825; Capt., 1826); a director of railway companies; commanding officer of 'The Railway Rifles', 1859; married, 13 June 1850 at St James, Paddington (Middx), Ellen Fanny (1822-1912), daughter of George O'Brien; died 29 December 1880; will proved 25 January 1881 (effects under £45,000);

(8) Maria Bigge (1802-29), born 20 May and baptised at Longbenton, 30 June 1802; died unmarried and was buried at Edmonton (Middx), 9 May 1829; will proved in the PCC, 14 May 1829;

(9) Philip Edmund Bigge (1803-23), born 21 November 1803 and baptised at Longbenton, 5 January 1804; educated at University College, Oxford (matriculated 1821); died in Madeira (Portugal), 17 August, and was buried there, 19 August 1823;

(10) Georgiana Bigge (1805-76), born 16 March and baptised at Longbenton, 18 August 1805; married, 28 April 1835 at Beddington (Surrey), George Scovell (1803-90) of Carshalton (Surrey), and had issue four sons and three daughters; buried at Brompton Cemetery (Middx), 25 July 1876;

(11) James Rundell Bigge (1806-53), born 3 March and baptised at St James, Paddington (Middx), 6 April 1806; an officer in the HEICS Bengal army (Cadet, 1821; Ensign, 1822; Lt., 1823; on sick leave, 1830-32 when he retired); married, 7 October 1845 at St Mary-le-Bow, Durham, Margaret (1818-53), daughter of Calverley Bewicke (1780-1865) of Coulby Manor, Hemlington (Yorks NR); died 10 July and was buried at Torquay (Devon), 16 July 1853; administration of his goods (with will annexed) granted in the PCC, 1 November 1853;

(12) Charles Richard Bigge (1808-74), baptised at St Mary Abbotts, Kensington (Middx), 21 January 1809; educated at Westminster School (admitted 1818); partner in Rundell, Bridge & Rundell until the firm was dissolved in 1845; married, 19 May 1835 at Carshalton (Surrey), Kate Sarah (1810-37), daughter of John Thomas Scovell (1776-1854), and had issue one son and one daughter; died 21 April and was buried at Brompton Cemetery, 25 April 1874; will proved 8 May 1874 (effects under £4,000);

(13) Emily Jane Bigge (1811-89), born 25 November 1811 and baptised at Kensington, 21 June 1812; died unmarried, 13 October 1889 and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery; will proved 13 November 1889 (effects £30,727);

(14) John Francis Bigge (1813-56), born 17 September 1813 and baptised at Kensington, 13 April 1814; admitted to Hayes Mental Asylum, 1852; died unmarried and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery, 6 March 1856;

(15) Frances Cecilia Bigge (1815-1908), baptised at Chislehurst (Kent), 7 January 1816; married, 13 June 1839 at St Mary, Bryanston Sq., Marylebone (Middx), Matthew Bell (1817-1903) of Bourne Park (Kent), son of John Bell (1764-1836), and had issue five sons and six daughters; died at Bordighera (Italy), 17 December 1908 but was buried at Bishopsbourne, where she is also commemorated by a brass plaque; her will was proved 4 February 1909 (estate £3,906).

He inherited Benton Hall from his father in 1791 but sold it to his kinsman, Thomas Hanway Bigge (1784-1824) in c.1805, and lived subsequently at various addresses in and around London.

He died 31 October, and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery, 3 November 1849. His wife died 30 March and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery, 4 April 1846.

* Though the Alumni Oxoniensis confuses him with Thomas Hanway Bigge (1784-1824).

Principal sources

Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 1967, p. 247; J. Hodgson, A history of Northumberland, vol 2, part 2, 1858, pp. 97-99; Sir N. Pevsner, I. Richmond, J. Grundy, G. McCombie, P. Ryder and H. Welfare, The buildings of England: Northumberland, 2nd edn., 1992, p. 377; J. Davidson, Northumberland's Lost Houses, 3rd edn., 2022, p.18;

https://kingssutton-pc.gov.uk/the-parish/parish-history/

https://heatonhistorygroup.org/2025/10/23/benton-hall-a-lost-mansion/

Location of archives

No significant accumulation is known to survive.

Coat of arms

Ermine, on a fesse engrailed gules, between three martlets sable, a mullet between two crescents or.

Can you help?

• If anyone can conclusively demonstrate the parentage of William Bigge (1638?-90) or prove the connection of this family to the Bigges of Benenden, I should be very pleased to hear from them.
• 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 5 January 2026.