(443) Bateman of Middleton Hall and Lomberdale Hall

Bateman of Middleton

In the last edition of Burke's Landed Gentry in which this family appeared, in 1894, it was straightforwardly stated that they were descendants of the Batemans of Hartington, and it is true that the earliest generations in the genealogy below were yeoman farmers at Hartington. But despite living in close proximity, the two families seem not to have intermarried as far back into the 16th century as surviving records allow one to trace with confidence, and some early genealogies are certainly at fault in seeking to make the Batemans of Middleton descendants of Robert Bateman (1561-1644) of London. For the purposes of this site, I have traced the family no further back than Richard Bateman (1677-1761), who seems to have had a very similar social status to his kinsmen at Hartington Hall, hovering on the border between yeoman and gentleman. When he died at an advanced age, he left only one surviving son, Richard Bateman (1727-74), who inherited his lands, but survived his father by little more than a decade. His widow, Elizabeth (1734-84) was left with a young family, none of whom had yet reached adulthood: indeed his youngest son was baptised just four days before he was buried. Perhaps with the help of relatives, Elizabeth steered her three sons into the burgeoning cotton industry in Manchester, and her eldest son, Thomas Bateman (1760-1847), seems to have been particularly successful. He became a Congregationalist in religion and by the time of his death was noted for his philanthropy and for his support of the Manchester Deaf and Dumb School in particular. He sold the family's land at Hartington in 1801, but in 1815, with a view to his future retirement from business, he purchased a substantial estate at Middleton-by-Youlgreave (Derbys), where the old manor house had recently burned down. The absence of a residence on the property no doubt made it more affordable, but it may have been an attraction to Thomas in its own right, for he promptly turned architect and designed not only a new house for himself, but also a Congregational chapel, a stable block, and several cottages and larger houses for the village.

Thomas Bateman outlived his wife and all three of his children. His elder son, William Bateman (1787-1835), may have been involved in his father's business, but his principal interest lay in antiquarian pursuits, and especially in the archaeological investigation of the many barrows which he found on the moorlands of Derbyshire, Staffordshire and south Yorkshire. William died in middle age, and his only son, Thomas Bateman (1821-61), was left an orphan in the care of his grandfather, who dismissed his private tutor and sent him to school at Bootle (Lancs), perhaps with a view to a career in business. Given the family's circumstances, he might reasonably have expected to be sent to University or to travel, but these opportunities were not offered or not taken, and once he came of age he quickly rebelled against his grandfather's religious beliefs and moral code. Impatient for his inheritance, he built a new house, Lomberdale Hall, where he could live separately from his grandfather and also house his father's antiquarian collections; and he took as a mistress Mary Ann Mason, the wife of a - presumably complaisant - Cromford boatman, with whom he lived openly. After several years, he added to this irregular household a seventeen year old girl called Fanny Walton, who was said to be Mary Ann's sister, in what (the tone of his grandfather's remonstrations implies) was a ménage-a-trois. All his grandfather's efforts to persuade him to give up immoral courses failed until he played his strongest card: when the will of Thomas senior was read in 1847 it made his grandson's inheritance of the Middleton estate conditional upon his severing all connection with Mary Ann and Fanny within four months. No doubt bitterly, Thomas junior complied, and in the following August he married the sister of his bailiff, William Parker, who was also his friend and companion in archaeological excavations. For Thomas had been bitten by his father's antiquarian passion. In 1847 he published his father's excavation notes, and he threw himself into the pursuit, working far more extensively than his father and making the collection of notes and artefacts that accumulated at Lomberdale Hall many times larger, so that it eventually filled five rooms. In 1861 he published his own researches, but later the same year he died suddenly, cocking a final snook at Victorian convention by directing that his body be buried in unconsecrated ground in 'a tomb with a view' on his own land. He left a son and four daughters, and despite their all being orphaned before coming of age when his widow died in 1866, sensible arrangements seem to have been made for their upbringing by his wife's family. The only son, Thomas William Bateman (1852-95), went to boarding school and then to Peterhouse, Cambridge. He comes across as a more conventional figure than his father, and was noted for his hospitality and his support of local sports clubs. At a time of falling agricultural incomes and rising taxes, however, he fell into debt, and he was obliged to sell off his father and grandfather's antiquarian collections in a series of sales completed after his death. His executors also sold both Lomberdale Hall and Middleton Hall before 1900, ending the family's role as landed gentry, although his youngest sister, who married Sir Harcourt Clare, kt., was the chatelaine of Bank Hall, Bretherton (Lancs) until her death in 1918.

Middleton Hall, Middleton-by-Youlgreave, Derbyshire

The present house is the latest in a succession of manorial centres on different sites which have existed over the centuries. The very first is said to have been near the present site, and possessed a chapel, the footings of which were found in 1870. In the late medieval period, a new house was built closer to the village, which was largely rebuilt in the 17th century but burned down in the 1810s. Part of the estate was sold in the 17th century to Sir George Fullwood, a Royalist, who began building a new house called Fullwood's Castle just north of the village, but this was damaged in the Civil War and abandoned, so that there is now nothing left of except some earthworks and a heap of stones in the fields near Castle Farm.

Middleton Hall, Middleton-by-Youlgreave: entrance front

Thus, when Thomas Bateman (1760-1847), a wealthy Manchester cotton manufacturer, bought the Middleton estate in 1815, it had no existing principal residence, and Thomas decided to design and construct the present house, which was built in 1824-27. It has a five bay, two-storey east-facing entrance front in a slightly old-fashioned Regency Gothick style, with a parapet concealing the roof and diminutive octagonal turrets projecting at the corners. The central bay is stepped slightly forward, with a Gothick loggia of tall narrow arches on the ground floor forming a porch. The windows are uniformly mullioned, with a single transom on the ground floor and none on the first floor, and they are all of two lights apart from a wider five-light window over the porch. To the north is a long seven-bay garden front with a stepped central gable and a canted bay to the left. The part with the gable and the bay alone have drip-moulds to the windows, suggesting they could represent a surviving part of the 17th century century farmhouse which previously stood on the site. The interior of the house is fairly plain but has been little altered except for the addition of a billiard room on the south side in 1939 and the replacement of several chimneypieces in the early 20th century. The staircase has an early cast iron handrail, decorated with a flowing vine motif, and the drawing room has an unusually pretty Gothick frieze.

Middleton Hall: stables and coach house. Image: Country Life.

Thomas Bateman's architectural enthusiasm did not content itself with building a new house. He also designed and built a new stable block and coach house, which keeps to a more rustic version of the Gothick style of the house, with crow-stepped gables, square castellated corner turrets, and arrow-slit windows; and a new Congregational Chapel, with two-light windows in the side walls and lancets either side of the porch. He also imposed his preferred architectural style on the village, rebuilding or remodelling many of the cottages to give it the feel of a planned estate village, including the former Bateman Arms inn and Rock Cottage, which sports castellated round turrets at the angles, Gothick glazing, and a castellated bay window.

Descent: sold 1815 to Thomas Bateman (1760-1847), who built a new house; to grandson, Thomas Bateman (1821-61); to son, Thomas William Bateman (1852-95); sold by 1899 to Mr. E. Melland; sold 1914 to Rt. Hon. Capt. Charles Waterhouse MP (1893-1978); to son, Maj. Charles Hugueonot Waterhouse (1918-2007); handed on to Michael Thomas Waterhouse (b. 1949), who sold 2004...; sold again 2019.

Lomberdale Hall, Middleton-by-Youlgreave, Derbyshire

Lomberdale Hall: the house in the late 19th century.

The house was designed and built for himself in 1844-45 by Thomas Bateman (1821-61), the grandson of the builder of Middleton Hall, who was an enthusiastic antiquary in the middle years of the 19th century. He built the house both to be a home for himself before he inherited Middleton Hall, and to house the collection of archaeological finds which he and his father had amassed from more than 200 excavations of burial mounds and other sites. The house is built of rock-faced stone and as first built had both regular sash windows and some large Gothic windows, later removed. There are pilasters at the angles which rise into cross-gabled pinnacles in an original but not wholly elegant way. The house incorporated some fragments of Bakewell church, removed at the time of a sweeping 'restoration' by Lewis Wyatt in the 1840s; more were built into a summer house in the garden, although most of them have since been sold or lost.

Lomberdale Hall: one of the museum rooms, recorded in an engraving made for Thomas Bateman in the 1850s. 

Bateman's collections continued to grow, and in 1856-57 he built a substantial addition to the original house. By now he was living at Middleton Hall, and Lomberdale became primarily a museum, with the rooms fitted out with display cases. Part of the collection was loaned and later sold to Sheffield Museums in the 1870s; the rest was dispersed at auction in the 1890s. The house was further altered for Mrs. Waterhouse in about 1920 and again in the 1980s for the Stephenson family.

Descent: built for Thomas Bateman (1821-61); to son, Thomas William Bateman (1852-95); sold after 1895 to Thomas Crompton Waterhouse (1851-1912) to widow (d. 1938); to son, Capt. Charles Waterhouse MC MP (1893-1978); sold 1970 to Timothy Stephenson; handed on 1999 to Oliver Stephenson (b. 1962). The house was let from 1877 to Mr F.C. Middleton (fl. 1879); Vernon Kirk Armitage, barrister (fl. 1880-83); Major Kell (fl. 1886-89); and Thomas S. Walker (d. 1895) (fl. 1889-95).

Bateman family of Middleton Hall

Bateman, Richard (1677-1761). Son of Thomas Bateman (1646-1713) and his wife Guaterick Cockayne, born 4 April and baptised at Hartington, 5 April 1677. Yeoman or gentleman farmer at Hartington. He married 1st, 8 March 1702 at Hartington, Dorothy (1670-1704), daughter of James Sleigh, and 2nd, 1 April 1713 at Hartington, Sarah (1689-1772), second daughter of William Gould of Crowdicote, Hartington, and had issue:

(1.1) Thomas Bateman (b. & d. 1703), baptised at Hartington, 24 February 1703; died in infancy;

(2.1) Guarterick alias Gertrude Bateman (1714-95), baptised at Hartington, 13 June 1714; married, 1 August 1736 at Hartington, William Edensor (d. 1757) of Hartington and had issue; lived latterly in Manchester; buried at Hartington, 26 June 1795;

(2.2) Mary Bateman (1716-1808), baptised at Hartington, 9 April 1716; married, 28 April 1735, Samuel Sleigh (d. 1760), and had issue; buried at Hartington, 15 March 1808;

(2.3) Sarah Bateman (1718-1803), baptised at Hartington, 17 September 1718; married, 27 May 1760, Mark Robinson (1720-1802), of York, cabinet maker, but had no issue; buried at St Martin, Coney St., York, 9 March 1803;

(2.4) Hannah Bateman (1720-51), baptised at Hartington, 31 December 1720; married, 19 July 1747 at Prestbury (Ches.), Joshua Ellis of Leek (Staffs), mercer, but had no issue; died 10 March and was buried at Hartington, 12 March 1750/1;

(2.5) Elizabeth Bateman (1722-55), baptised at Hartington, 21 March 1722; married, 24 June 1748 at Hartington, her cousin Ralph Sterndale (1721-96) of Pool Hall, Hartington (who m2, 12 January 1765 at Bakewell (Derbys), Elizabeth Turner (b. 1747)), and had issue; buried at Hartington, 16 May 1755;

(2.6) Dorothy Bateman (1725-52), baptised at Hartington, 5 April 1725; died unmarried and was buried at Hartington, 1 September 1752;

(2.7) Richard Bateman (1727-74) (q.v.);

(2.8) William Bateman (1733-38), baptised at Hartington, 20 June 1733; died young and was buried at Hartington, 3 February 1737/8;

(2.9) Anne Bateman (1736-77), baptised at Hartington, 17 October 1736; died unmarried and was buried at Hartington, 4 July 1777.

He lived at Hartington.

He was buried at Hartington, 9 April 1761. His first wife died 13 January 1704. His widow was buried at Hartington, 10 July 1772.

Bateman, Richard (1727-74). Elder son of Richard Bateman (1677-1761) and his second wife, Sarah, daughter of William Gould of Crowdicote, Hartington, baptised at Hartington, 14 December 1727. He married, 2 February 1758 at Cheddleton (Staffs), Elizabeth (1734-84), daughter of Ralph Leek of Heath House, Cheddleton, and had issue:

(1) Elizabeth Bateman (1758-64), baptised at Hartington, 1 January 1759; died young and was buried at Hartington, 11 August 1764;

(2) Thomas Bateman (1760-1847) (q.v.);

(3) Richard Bateman (1763-1808), baptised at Hope (Derbys), 11 May 1763; married 1st, 1786 (licence 20 November) at Manchester Collegiate Church, Mary, daughter of Samuel Birch, and 2nd, Ellen [surname unknown] (d. 1832?) (who m2, 2 November 1810 at Manchester Collegiate Church, John Stringer (d. 1839?), hat manufacturer), but had no issue; died 1808;

(4) Nancy alias Ann Bateman (1766-1847), baptised at Hartington, 25 October 1766; married 1st, 1790 (licence 22 July), Nathan Sutton of Leek (Staffs), grocer, and 2nd, 8 August 1814 at Leek, John Gibson (d. 1821) of Tattershall (Lincs), merchant; died 1 November and was buried at Tattershall, 4 November 1847; will proved 1848;

(5) William Bateman (1774-1817), baptised at Hartington, 16 January 1774; cotton merchant in Manchester; married, 10 October 1799 in Manchester, Mary, daughter of Samuel Swire of Ashton-under-Lyne (Lancs), merchant, and had issue five sons and three daughters; died at the Polygon, Ardwick, 14 July 1817, and was buried in St Luke's chapel, Chorlton Row, Manchester; will proved 27 August 1817.

He lived at Hartington.

He was buried at Hartington, 20 January 1774. His widow died 7 April 1784.

Bateman, Thomas (1760-1847). Eldest son of Richard Bateman (1727-74) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Ralph Leek of Heath House, Cheddleton (Staffs), born 27 September and baptised at Hartington, 28 September 1760. Cotton manufacturer in Manchester. High Sheriff of Derbyshire, 1823. He was a Congregationalist in religion, and built a chapel at Middleton for that denomination; he was noted as a supporter of charitable causes and of the Manchester Deaf and Dumb School in particular. An amateur architect, he designed his own house, a new Congregational chapel, and reconstructed much of the village. He married, 13 April 1786 at Manchester Cathedral, Rebekah (1766-97), daughter and co-heir of Arthur Clegg of Manchester, merchant, and had issue:

(1) William Bateman (1787-1835) (q.v.);

(2) Thomas Bateman (1792-1810), born 12 January 1792; died unmarried, 22 April 1810;

(3) Rebekah Bateman (1794-1838), born 12 April 1794; married, 17 September 1816 at St John, Manchester, Samuel Hope (1781-1837) of Liverpool, and had issue five sons and seven daughters; died 8 October 1838.

He sold the lands at Hartington which had descended to him in 1801, but in 1815 he bought  the Middleton estate, where he rebuilt the house.

He died 26 May and was buried at Hartington, 2 June 1847; his will was proved in the PCC, 19 October 1847. His wife died 16 June 1797 and was buried at the Protestant Dissenters' burial ground in Manchester.

Bateman, William (1787-1835). Elder son of Thomas Bateman (1760-1847) and his wife Rebekah, daughter and co-heir of Arthur Clegg of Manchester, merchant, born in Manchester, 25 July 1787. He had antiquarian interests, formed the library and museum of antiquities, which his son later expanded, and was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. His notes on barrow-digging were published posthumously by his son in 1847. He married, 19 June 1820, Mary (1799-1822), daughter of James Crompton of Breightmet, Bolton-le-Moors (Lancs), paper manufacturer, and had issue:

(1) Thomas Bateman (1821-61) (q.v.).

He lived in Manchester and later at Rowsley (Derbys).

He died in the lifetime of his father, 11 June, and was buried at Hartington, 18 June 1835. His wife died 29 July and was buried at Hartington, 3 August 1822.

Bateman, Thomas (1821-61). Only child of William Bateman (1787-1835) and his wife Mary, daughter of James Crompton of Brightmet (Lancs), born and baptised at Rowsley (Derbys), 8 November 1821. Educated by a private tutor at home, and after his father's death, at a private academy in Bootle (Lancs). He was an officer in the Derbyshire militia (Ensign, 1855). An enthusiastic antiquarian, who directed the excavation of over 200 burial mounds, chiefly in Yorkshire, Staffordshire and Derbyshire, and amassed a large collection of artefacts, which he displayed in a series of museum rooms at his house. His excavations were pioneering and he published two books detailing his work and that of his father: Vestiges of An Antiquarian (1847) and Ten Years' Diggings in Celtic and Saxon Grave Hills in the Counties of Derby, Stafford and York (1861), as the well as the first volume of a Catalogue of Antiquities and Miscellaneous Objects... at Lomberdale Hall (1855) and many articles in the learned journals. He was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and of the Ethnological Society, and a member of the British Archaeological Association. In the 1840s he lived openly with Mary Ann Mason, the wife of Thomas Mason of Cromford, boatman, and a girl called Fanny Walton who may have been her sister, to the distress of his grandfather, who attempted unsuccessfully 'to restraine him from his wicked and disgraceful course' until he made his inheritance of a life interest in the Middleton estate conditional on his ceasing permanently to cohabit with them. He then married, 2 August 1847 at Bakewell, Sarah (1824-66), second daughter of William Parker, and the sister of his bailiff and companion on archaeological expeditions, William Parker junior; they had issue:

(1) Sarah Bateman (1848-93), baptised at Youlgreave, 8 November 1848; married, 15 August 1876 at Youlgreave, Thomas Arnold (1851-1941) (who m2, 10 July 1894 at Ashton Keynes (Wilts), Etheldra (1864-1936), second daughter of Yarde Eastley of Paignton, solicitor) of Torquay and later of Tavistock (Devon), bank manager, son of Thomas Arnold of Ilchester (Som.), and had issue two daughters; died 31 May 1893;

(2) Thomas William Bateman (1852-95) (q.v.);

(3) Mary Crompton Bateman (1854-95), born Oct-Dec 1854; married, 9 November 1876 at Holy Trinity, Derby, William Jessop (1856-1905) of Endcliffe Grange, Sheffield (Yorks WR) (who m2, 1898, Frances Jane Fenwick (1857-1933), daughter of Duncan Livingstone McAllum and widow of William Joshua Watson (1842-96)), son of Thomas Jessop of Derby, and had issue one son and four daughters; died 15 July 1895; administration of goods granted to her husband, 26 August 1895 (effects £6,001);

(4) Eugenia Augusta Bateman (1856-1920), born 14 August 1856; married 1st, 27 August 1878, Henry Walker (1842-82), 2nd, 26 September 1883 at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster (Middx), John Thomas Dicks (d. 1886) of Brenchley (Kent), and 3rd, 12 June 1890 at St Marylebone (Middx), George Henry Smyth (1857-1940) of Wimbledon (Surrey), son of George Gould Smyth of Ross-on-Wye (Herefs), but had no issue; died 24 May 1920; will proved 9 August 1920 (effects £577);

(5) Clara Theodora Bateman (1858-1918), born 30 March 1858; married, 7 June 1883 at Youlgreave, Sir Harcourt Everard Clare (c.1855-1922), kt., of Bank Hall, Bretherton (Lancs), second son of William Harcourt Clare of Twycross (Leics), and had issue one daughter; died 31 August 1918; will proved 22 February 1919 (estate £10,206).

He built Lomberdale Hall at Middleton for himself in 1844-45 and enlarged it in 1856-57. He inherited Middleton Hall and its estate from his grandfather in 1847.

He died of a severe internal haemorrhage, 28 August 1861, and was buried as his will directed in unconsecrated ground on a hillside at Middleton, where an impressive tomb was erected; his will was proved 23 November 1861 (effects under £70,000). His widow died 17 July 1866 and was buried with her husband; her will was proved 21 November 1866 (effects under £5,000).

Bateman, Thomas William (1852-95). Only son of Thomas Bateman (1821-61) and his wife Sarah, second daughter of William Parker, born 9 March 1852. He was orphaned at the age of fourteen and brought up by his maternal relatives; he was educated privately and at Whitchurch Grammar School and Peterhouse, Cambridge (matriculated 1871). An officer in the 9th Derbyshire Rifle Volunteer Corps (Lt., retired 1875). He was a Conservative in politics and chairman of the Youlgreave Conservative Association, but had no interest in public office. He was noted for his liberal hospitality to friends and the poor, and for his support of local sports clubs. He ran into debt and first lent and later sold parts of his father's antiquarian collection to Sheffield Museums; the remainder was dispersed by auction in 1893 and after his death. He married, 3 February 1874, Jane (b. 1851), youngest daughter of John Hall of Baldingstone (Lancs), cotton spinner, but had no issue.

He inherited Middleton Hall and Lomberdale Hall from his father in 1861 and came of age in 1873. He sold his father's collections and let Lomberdale from 1877 onwards. It was sold after his death to T.C. Waterhouse (who later also purchased Middleton Hall). He occupied Middleton Hall until his death. It was twice offered at auction in 1895 but failed to sell and was then sold privately to Mr. E. Melland, who was resident by 1899.

He died 28 March 1895; his will was proved 15 June 1895 (effects £8,496). His widow married 2nd, 27 February 1897 at Llanbedr (Denbighs), William Roberts (b. 1867), of Caerfron, farmer, son of Hugh Jones Roberts, farmer; her date of death is unknown.

Principal sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, 1894, vol. 1, pp. 107-108; Burke's Landed Gentry, 1898, vol 1, pp. 81-82; Burke's Landed Gentry, 1925, p. 97; M. Craven & M. Stanley, The Derbyshire country house, 2001, pp. 113, 287, 291-93; C. Hartwell, Sir N. Pevsner and E. Williamson, The buildings of England: Derbyshire, 3rd edn., 2016, pp. 438, 521, 529;

https://www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk/lost_houses/lost-houses-of-derbyshire-breadsall-mount/

Location of archives

Bateman of Middleton Hall: estate accounts, 1831-47 [Derbyshire Record Office, D6755]

Bateman, William (1787-1835), antiquary: antiquarian correspondence and papers, 1801-34 [Sheffield City Museum, MS1834]; collections for a history of the Bateman family, early 19th cent. [Bodleian Library, Oxford, MS.top.Derbyshire d.1]; commonplace book, c.1833 [Derbyshire Record Office, D6942]

Coat of arms

Bateman of Middleton Hall: Or, three crescents, each surmounted by an estoile gules.

Can you help?

• I should be most grateful if anyone can provide photographs or portraits of people whose names appear in bold above, and who are not already illustrated. 
• Any additions or corrections to the text above will be gratefully received and incorporated. I am always particularly pleased to hear from descendants of the family who can supply information from their own research for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 14 January 2021.

(428) Baskerville of Bayworth

Baskerville of Bayworth 

The Baskervilles of Bayworth were a cadet branch of the Baskervilles of Eardisley (for whom see my next post), who descended from John Baskerville, the second son of Sir James Baskerville (fl. 1499) of Eardisley. John's son, William (b. 1514?), with whom the genealogy below begins, lived in Hereford and had four sons, at least three of whom pursued military careers. The eldest, Sir Thomas Baskerville (d. 1597) was a military commander of some repute, who was almost continuously abroad in the service of Sir John Norris, the Earl of Leicester, Lord Willoughby and the Earl of Essex in the 1580s and 1590s. He was married Mary Throckmorton, apparently in 1595, but was almost immediately sent abroad again with Sir Francis Drake's final expedition to the Caribbean and Central America, of which he assumed command after the Admiral's death. On his return to England he concluded the purchase of Bayworth Manor in Berkshire, but after only a few months at home he set off for France again, accompanied by his pregnant wife. His son, Hannibal Baskerville (1597-1668) was born in April, but in June Sir Thomas died in Picardy, his body being sent home to England for burial in St Paul's Cathedral. His widow, Mary (d. 1632) made a disastrously acrimonious second marriage to Sir James Scudamore (1568-1619) of Holme Lacy (Herefs) in 1599, which still produced nine children in eight years before they separated in 1607. Mary then retreated to Bayworth, where she lived with the son of her first marriage.

Hannibal Baskerville, who came of age in 1618, made a vow the following year to devote a third or a quarter of his income to charitable purposes for the rest of his life, and in pursuance of this he built a large barn at the rear of his manor house at Bayworth as a shelter for the 'wandering beggars' so excoriated in Tudor welfare legislation. He married in about 1629 and had a large family, but only his eldest son survived him: his wife died in 1644 and six other sons and two daughters had followed her by 1661. Not surprisingly, when Anthony Wood visited him in his old age he met 'a melancholy retired man' albeit one who was still studious and charitable. Hannibal's studies have been called antiquarian, but his surviving notes suggest his interests focused on his own family. His son, Thomas Baskerville (c.1629-1700), however, made a series of tours through England in the 1670s and 1680s, and kept a journal of the interesting things, both antiquarian and contemporary, which he observed, which he intended for publication. He died, however, before his wish could be fulfilled, and his only son, Matthew Thomas Baskerville (1687-1721) did not see it through either. According to Thomas Hearne, the diarist and antiquary (who had harsh words for Matthew's father), the young man was charming and attractive, but dissipated. By 1720 he had run through his inheritance and sold the Bayworth estate to his neighbour, Sir John  Stonehouse of Radley Hall. He was building a new house at Radley, and allowed the old house at Bayworth to fall down, so that by 1727 it had 'almost gone to ruin'. Matthew received an annuity from Stonehouse of £80 a year, but did not live to enjoy it, being buried at Sunningwell in February 1720/1, the last of his line.

Bayworth Manor, Sunningwell, Berkshire 

Bayworth belonged until the Dissolution of the Monasteries to Abingdon Abbey, and it seems likely the house was first built by the abbey for the use of its officials. It is described by Anthony Wood as 'a private and lone house, in or near to Bagley Wood...an old house situated in a romancey place', so retired that it was ideally suited for a man devoted to learning and devotion. Wood mentions a chapel on the first floor, which was at that time 'well furnish'd with velvet cusheons and carpets' and an excellent organ. The 'painted windows' had been defaced by Commonwealth soldiers in the Civil War.  The house, which in 1720–1 was 'a brave old thing, full of all conveniences' was apparently abandoned after it was acquired by Sir John Stonehouse. In 1723 he enclosed the open fields of Bayworth and Sunningwell and in 1721-27 he built a new country house at nearby Radley. By the time he moved in to Radley, Bayworth  had 'almost gone to ruin'. It is not known when the ruins were finally pulled down, but only minor earthworks are apparent on the site today; aerial photographs suggest these may be consistent with the house having consisted of a central hall range with two cross-wings, standing behind a forecourt. No visual record of the house is known to exist.

Descent: Abingdon Abbey; to Crown, 1538; granted 1545 to Robert Browne, Christopher Edmondes and William Wenlowe; sold 1546 to Sir John Williams, afterwards Lord Williams (d. 1559); to widow, Margery Williams; sold 1583 to her daughter Isabel, wife of Richard Huddleston (d. by 1589); to mortgagee, Richard Martin, who sold c.1596 to Sir Thomas Baskerville (d. 1597); to son, Hannibal Baskerville (1597-1668); to son, Thomas Baskerville (c.1629-1700); to son, Matthew Thomas Baskerville (1687-1721), who sold to Sir John Stonehouse (d. 1733). 

Baskerville family of Bayworth

Baskerville, Henry (b. 1514?). Only recorded son of John Baskerville (second son of Sir James Baskerville of Eardisley (Herefs), for whom seem the next post) and his wife Anne, daughter and heiress of John Bridges of Hereford, said to have been born about 1514. He married Anne, daughter of John Ratford or Rufford of Gloucester, and had issue (perhaps among others):

(1) Sir Thomas Baskerville (c.1540-97) (q.v.);

(2) Capt. Nicholas Baskerville (d. c.1605); pursued a military career in the Netherlands, and succeeded his brother as governor of Rammekens Castle near Flushing; married, 25 July 1599, Constance (1583-1652) (who married 2nd, Sir John Sidney and had issue one son, and 3rd, Thomas Lyte (1568-1638), genealogist, by whom she had one son and two daughters), daughter of George Huntley of Boxwell Court (Glos), and had issue two daughters (the elder, Mary (1601-44), married first, John Morgan, and second, her cousin, Hannibal Baskerville (1597-1668) for whom see below); he died at Flushing between 1603 and 1608;

(3) John Baskerville; died without issue;

(4) Capt. Arnold Baskerville (d. 1596); pursued a military career and was a sergeant-major in Drake's last expedition under his brother's command; he died without issue at Nombre de Dios, Panama, January 1596.

He lived in Hereford.

His date of death is unknown. His wife's date of death is unknown.

Baskerville, Sir Thomas (c.1540-97). Eldest son of Henry Baskerville (b. 1514?) of Hereford, and his wife Anne, daughter of John Ratford or Rufford of Gloucester, born about 1540. JP for Herefordshire, 1569-85 and escheator for that county, 1580-81. His military career probably began as a mercenary under Sir John Norris in the Netherlands before 1585. From that year he was commissioned to serve under the Earl of Leicester and later Lord Willoughby d'Eresby, who knighted him after the capture of Bergen-op-Zoom in 1588, and mentioned him in despatches to Lord Burghley. He continued to serve under Lord Willoughby in France in 1589-90, in the service of Henri IV, and was promoted to Serjeant Major General. He was appointed governor of Rammekens Castle, near Flushing, in August 1591, and was commissioned as a sergeant-major of foot under the earl of Essex in the same year, being present at the siege of Rouen in November. Between 1592 and 1594 he was mostly engaged in military duties in Brittany and the Netherlands under Sir John Norris, with whom he had fallen out but had now mended his differences. In 1595, Baskerville was appointed colonel-general in command of the land forces accompanying Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins on their last expedition to the Indies. When Drake died he succeeded to the command of the expedition and brought it home. His final overseas expedition was to Picardy in France in 1597, where he died. He was MP for Carmarthen Boroughs, 1593-97. He married, c.1595, Mary (d. 1632), daughter of Sir Thomas Throckmorton of Tortworth (Glos), and had issue:

(1) Hannibal Baskerville (1597-1668) (q.v.).

He bought a lease of the semi-timbered Goodrest Manor House on the edge of Wedgnock Park, Warwick (Warks) in or after 1584; his widow sold the remainder of the lease in 1598. He bought Bayworth a few months before his death overseas, but it seems likely he never occupied it.

He died 'of a burning fever' at Picqueny in Picardy (France) 4 June 1597, and was buried in the new choir of St Paul's Cathedral under a monument destroyed in the Great Fire of London, but the inscription of which is preserved in a copy appended to his son's monument at Sunningwell. His widow married 2nd, 11 April 1599 at St James, Clerkenwell (Middx), as his second wife, Sir James Scudamore (1568-1619) of Holme Lacy (Herefs), and is said to have had further issue four sons and five daughters, but it was a tempestuous marriage and she was separated from him temporarily in 1607 and permanently in 1608, when he disowned her; she lived latterly at Bayworth and was buried at Sunningwell, 17 October 1632.

Baskerville, Hannibal (1597-1668). Only child of Sir Thomas Baskerville (c.1540-97), born at St. Valery in Picardy (France), 5 April 1597. Educated by Henry Peacham, author of the Compleat Gentleman, and at Brasenose College, Oxford (matriculated 1612). Supposedly an antiquarian, but his surviving papers 'amounted to little more than dabblings, predominantly relating to his own family'. He went to France in the train of an English ambassador in the reign of James I and made copies of inscriptions in the church at St. Denis. In old age he was described by Anthony Wood as 'a melancholy, retired man' and a 'great cherisher of wandring Beggars', having vowed in 1619 to give a proportion of his income (a third or a quarter) to alleviating the sufferings of those less fortunate than himself. He built for them a large barn, with a bell at his back door to pull if they wanted anything, conduct which saw him several times arraigned before the local magistrates charged with harbouring beggars. He married, 1629? (licence supposedly dated* 4 November), his cousin Mary (1601-44), daughter of Nicholas Baskerville and widow of John Morgan, and had issue**:

(1) Thomas Baskerville (c.1629-1700) (q.v.);

(2) Henry Baskerville (1631-56); buried at Sunningwell, 15 April 1656;

(3) Nicholas Baskerville (1632-56); buried at Sunningwell, 2 May 1656;

(4) William Baskerville (1633-65), baptised at St Cuthbert, Wells, 6 October 1633; buried in London, 1665;

(5) Gertrude Baskerville (1634-56); died unmarried and was buried at Sunningwell, 13 October 1656;

(6) Robert Baskerville (1635-54); died at sea, 1654;

(7) George*** Baskerville (1638-61); buried at Sunningwell, 10 November 1661;

(8) James Baskerville; died young and was buried at Wells (Som.);

(9) Constance Baskerville (b. 1640), baptised at St Cuthbert, Wells, 21 October 1640; died young and is said to have been buried at Somerton (Som.).

He inherited the Bayworth estate from his father and came of age in 1618. His stepfather disputed his right to the property, resulting in a court case in 1619, which he won.

He died 14 or 16 March, and 'nearly the whole value of his moveable goods was spent on his lavish funeral at Sunningwell church on 18 March' 1668, where he, his mother and his family are commemorated by a monument erected by his son in 1680.

* His eldest son recorded his date of birth as August 1629. If the licence is correctly dated November 1629 he may actually not have been born until 1630 as he is unlikely to have been illegitimate.

** Some sources state that he had sixteen sons and two daughters. This is due to a misreading of a correction on his monument in Sunningwell church.

*** There is also a baptism entry for a Hugh Baskerville, son of Hannibal and Mary, at St Cuthbert, Wells, 22 April 1638. Could this be an entry for this child, who became known as George later in life?

Thomas Baskerville (c.1629-1700) 
from an engraving by George Cruikshank, 1819 
[Image: National Portrait Gallery]

Baskerville, Thomas (c.1629-1700). Eldest son of Hannibal Baskerville (1597-1668) and his second wife, Mary, daughter of Nicholas Baskerville and widow of John Morgan, said to have been born in August 1629, but perhaps 1630. He referred to himself as 'the King of Jerusalem' after a religious experience on 11 January 1666. A 'whimsical antiquarian' according to Anthony Wood, but his volumes of notes and verse on his travels are concerned more with contemporary life than with antiquities. Thomas Hearne noted that he 'would ramble about all the Country and pick up all strange, odd Things, good and bad' and recorded 'many particulars of history, especially little matters, such as ballads, arches of bridges, &c.' but that he 'wanted both learning and judgment, and was not capable of writing any thing tolerable'. Baskerville contracted to have his writings printed, together with an engraving of himself and some of his verses, but died before this could proceed. He married, 30 May 1698 at Sunningwell, Mary Honey/Hunny (d. 1716), who was apparently his mistress for many years before that, and had issue:

(X1) Thomas Honey alias Baskerville (d. 1685); buried at Sunningwell, 13 April 1685;

(X2) Matthew Thomas Baskerville (1687-1721) (q.v.).

He inherited the Bayworth estate from his father in 1668, and Hearne says that he 'mightily improved' the estate.

He was buried at Sunningwell, 16 November 1700. His widow married 2nd, 10 June 1701 at Sunningwell, Edward West, and had issue at least one son and two daughters; she was buried at Sunningwell, 9 January 1715/6.

Baskerville, Matthew Thomas (1687-1721). An illegitimate son of Thomas Baskerville (c.1629-1700) and his later wife Mary Honey/Hunny, born 26 September and baptised at Clapham (Surrey), 14 October 1687. According to Thomas Hearne he was a young man of great personal attractiveness, who by his profligacy got into serious debt. He was unmarried and had no legitimate issue.

He inherited the Bayworth estate from his father in 1700 and came of age in 1710, but sold the estate to Sir John Stonehouse in return for an annuity of £80 after getting into debt.

He died, according to Hearne, of a broken heart, and was buried at Sunningwell, 11 February 1720/1. He left no will.

Principal sources

Victoria County History of Berkshire, vol. 4, 1924, pp. 423-27; A. Clark (ed.), The life and times of Anthony Wood, antiquary, of Oxford, 1632-95, described by himself, 1900, i, pp. 269-70; ii, pp. 152, 191; iii, pp. 492-93; ODNB entries on Sir Thomas Baskerville, Hannibal Baskerville and Thomas Baskerville.

Location of archives

Baskerville, Hannibal (1597-1668): correspondence, 1612-40 [Bodleian Library, MS. Rawl letters 41]

Baskerville, Sir Thomas (d. 1597): love letters to his wife, 1590s [British Library, Harleian MS. 4762]

Baskerville, Thomas (1629-1700): topographical notes and epitaphs, 17th cent. [British Library, Harleian MS. 4716]; account of his travels in the reign of Charles II [British Library, Add. MS. 70523]

Coat of arms

Argent a chevron gules between three roundels azure.

Can you help?

• Any additions or corrections to the account given above will be gratefully received and incorporated. 
• I should be most grateful if anyone can provide portraits of people whose names appear in bold above, and who are not already illustrated.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 24 August 2020 and updated 9 January 2023. I am grateful to Charles Wrench for additional information.

(203) Ashby of Quenby Hall and Naseby Hall

Ashby of Quenby

The tomb of George Ashby (d. 1653) in Hungarton church asserts that his family had 'flourished at Quenby in a perpetual descent' for 480 years, but the earliest member of the family on record is Richard de Asheby (d. 1304), who died seised of a large estate in Quenby, Baggrave, Barsby, Howes and South Crofton. Despite the best efforts of 19th century antiquarians, the genealogy of the family remains very uncertain down to the 16th century, and is complicated by the fact that there were two distinct branches of the family: the Ashbys of Lowesby and those of Quenby, who tended to use the same restricted palette of forenames, although their coats of arms were distinct. Since the story of Quenby Hall begins only in the 17th century I have traced the genealogy only from the 16th century, when the survival of original records begins to give it greater certainty and credibility.

George Ashby (1539-1618) inherited the Quenby estate from his father in 1557 and united the two branches of the family when he also inherited the Lowesby estate from his cousin, Thomas Ashby, in 1604. George sent all four of his sons to Trinity College, Cambridge, and one of them, William Ashby (c.1587-1635), went on to become a Fellow of the college. George's heir was his eldest son, George Ashby (c.1581-1653), who was High Sheriff in 1627 and who sold the Lowesby estate and was responsible for building the Jacobean house at Quenby Hall in the 1620s. The latest date on the house seems to be 1631, although family tradition asserted that building continued until 1636. During the Civil War, George appears to have been a moderate Parliamentarian, but there is no record of him or any of his sons being involved in the fighting. His younger sons seem to have been sent into trade as London or overseas merchants, but not even his heir, George Ashby (1629-72) seems to have been sent to university or the inns of court, and this was perhaps a reflection of the disruption of the times.

In 1652, the year before he inherited Quenby, George Ashby (1629-72) married Mary, the daughter and heiress of Euseby Shuckburgh of Naseby (Northants), and through her he acquired an estate at Naseby. At his death he left both estates to his eldest son, George Ashby (1656-1728) but both his second son, Shuckburgh Ashby (1660-1750) and his third son, Euseby Ashby (1662-1741), who was a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, also bought land in Leicestershire. As Euseby proved to be childless he left his property to Shuckburgh's son, Shuckburgh Ashby (1690-1752), so that by the mid 18th century there were once again two branches of the family settled on separate estates, centered on Quenby and Blaby.

George Ashby (1656-1728), who was twice High Sheriff of Leicestershire and twice MP for the city of Leicester, was remembered for his honesty in politics and his tree-planting on the Quenby estate. Like his father he married an heiress, Hannah Waring, who brought him a portion of £9,000. At his death, George had three surviving sons, but it would seem that he had fallen out with the elder two, as Quenby and Naseby were left to his youngest son, Waring Ashby (1697-1770), and there were only bitter words in his will for John (1687-1756) and Edmund (1690-1775). John subsequently inherited his mother's jointure property, The Lynches, near Shrewsbury, which descended in turn to his son, Edmund Ashby (1729-85) and then one of the latter's daughters.

Waring Ashby (1697-1770), as we have seen, inherited both Quenby and Naseby, but in 1759 he sold Quenby to his cousin, Shuckburgh Ashby (1724-92), who had previously sold his father's Blaby estate, and who modernised the house at Quenby. In return, Shuckburgh leased Haselbech Hall to Waring's son, George Ashby (1725-1802) from 1769 onwards. Thus in the late 18th century there were three branches of the family: George Ashby at Haselbech and Naseby; Shuckburgh Ashby at Quenby; and Edmund Ashby at The Lynches. This represented the apogee of the family fortunes. When George died in 1802, Haselbech was given up (and later sold), and the Naseby estate passed to his cousin, Rev. George Ashby (1724-1808), a bachelor antiquarian with a living in Suffolk, and from him to Edmund Ashby's younger daughter, Hannah Maria Maddock (1763-1830). Shuckburgh Ashby (1724-92) died without sons, so Quenby passed first to his childless younger brother, Nathaniel Ashby (1730-1801) and then back to Shuckburgh's elder daughter, Mary Elizabeth Latham (1747-1815), who resumed her maiden name of Ashby in 1807. Her son and heir, William Ashby Latham (1775-1848) also changed his name back to Ashby, and so Quenby continued to be held by Ashbys through the 19th century, passing to William's childless sons, Shuckburgh Ashby (1798-1857) and the Rev. Edward Quenby Ashby (1805-71) and then to their niece, Anne Ashby (1837-86), who married a Cambridge don called Nicholas Hermann Bernard (1825-90) but changed her name back to Ashby on inheriting the estate. They leased Quenby and never occupied the house, and their son, George Ashby Hermann Ashby (1866-1947), who was an undischarged bankrupt when he inherited, leased the estate until he finally sold it in 1904.

Hannah Maria Maddock (1763-1830) inherited the Naseby estate in 1808 but lived at a house called Greenfields in Shrewsbury. Her only son, the Rev. George Ashby Maddock (1788-1836) inherited Naseby but survived his mother by only six years, and also lived at Greenfields. After he died, his widow and his only son and heir, George Ashby Maddock (1834-90), who took the name Ashby in 1857, seem to have moved to Northamptonshire. In the year George came of age he married and bought a fairly new late Georgian house called Woolleys adjoining his Naseby estate as the property he inherited did not include a house of any consequence. George remodelled the house to designs of E.F. Law and settled down to a life of farming, but in 1887 he was bankrupted by the Agricultural Depression (and perhaps by the cost of raising his enormous family of thirteen children). 

Plas Dolguog, Machynlleth

Because the estate was entailed, George was only a life tenant and the freehold of the estate was protected from his bankruptcy, but his life interest was sold and he moved to a more modest house near Machynlleth in Wales, Plas Dolguog. When he did three years later, his son, Col. George Ashby Ashby (1856-1937) inherited the Naseby estate but he was a career soldier and the estate remained let. When he retired from the army in 1904 he sold the estate and bought a small house at Hassocks (Sussex). Thus coincidentally the interest of the Ashby family in both the Quenby and Naseby estates ended in the same year, 1904.

Quenby Hall, Hungarton, Leicestershire

Nothing survives of the pre-Jacobean house at Quenby apart from a single wide-arched fireplace in the basement of the south-east wing. The present house was built in 1620-31 for George Ashby and remodelled internally for Shuckburgh Ashby (d. 1792) after he acquired it in a dilapidated condition in 1759. His Georgian interiors were all swept away by Bodley, c.1905-07 and J.A. Gotch, c.1907-13, who installed new Jacobean interiors for Mrs. Greaves (later Lady Henry Grosvenor); Gotch's work in particular is informed by his detailed study of the period, and is a mixture of his own designs, genuine Jacobean features brought in from elsewhere, and features copied from other houses.

Quenby Hall: west front of 1620-31. Image: © Jez Taylor/Pictures of England

The symmetrical H-shaped Jacobean house of brick with stone dressings stands on a gentle rise, surrounded by a broad terrace made by Shuckburgh Ashby. It is tall, severe and undecorated, with a straight parapet reminiscent of Doddington Hall (Lincs), which gives it a rather old-fashioned look. On the west (entrance) front, the brickwork is given some variety by diapering with vitrified blue bricks. The entrance is in a projecting central porch which is square on the ground floor but has chamfered corners above, and which rises above the roof in a short blunt flat-topped tower with a rather nominal bit of strapwork cresting above the entrance. To either side of this is a single two light window on each floor, then a full-height canted bay window, and then the short projecting wings which again have full-height canted bay windows in their ends.

Quenby Hall: east front.

The east front is even plainer, with just a single canted bay in the centre of the house and intruded angles between the hall range and the wings, which form garderobe turrets. The north elevation to the service court is irregular; the south return elevation is symmetrical but severely plain. The roof was renewed and some of the parapet rebuilt by Shuckburgh Ashby in 1767.

Rather little is known about the internal alterations 'in a style of great propriety' of the 1760s because they were largely unpicked in the early 20th century by Bodley and Gotch, but one key development was to remove the floor between the single-storey great hall and the great chamber above, and to move the great chamber fireplace down to the ground floor. This, and the fact that the Jacobean exterior was not significantly altered, makes it possible that some of Shuckburgh Ashby's alterations were in a neo-Jacobean style, which, although not common at this period, is known from houses such as Audley End (Essex) and Chavenage (Glos). The porch leads into a screens passage in the traditional way, and the wooden screen is thought to be original, but with fluted columns and strapwork cresting added by Gotch. Bodley reinstated the floor between the hall and great chamber, and moved the fireplace back to the upper room. The hall now has a stone chimneypiece with an overmantel brought here by the de Lisles when Garendon Park was demolished in 1964. 

Quenby Hall: staircase. Image: Historic England/NMR

At the upper end of the hall, in the middle of the cross-wing, is the main staircase, lit by a lantern copied from one at Knole (Kent). It has fairly slim balusters of a vertically symmetrical shape and a deep handrail, but later (1767?) Doric newel posts and finials. On either side of the staircase in the cross-wing is a single room. One is fitted out as a library, with a rich 17th century style ceiling copied by Gotch from one originally in the Reindeer Inn at Banbury and a fireplace by E.W. Pugin from Garendon. The other room, the so-called Brown Parlour, has a slightly coarser 17th-century style plaster ceiling, elaborate panelling with tiers of arcading and pilasters with strapwork, and a stone fireplace with strapwork, pilasters and niches which could be original.

Quenby Hall: Brown Parlour

Quenby Hall: dining room

At the service end of the hall, Gotch threw two service rooms into one to form a dining room, with panelling taken from some of the upper rooms in the house and a chimneypiece copied from one at Wraxall Manor (Wilts). To one side of this is the 18th century dining room, with a classical cornice and chimneypiece, and beyond that is the kitchen, which preserves Gibbs rustication around the fireplace and two additional arches.

Quenby Hall: Great Chamber in the early 20th century.

Over the hall is the Great Chamber recreated by Bodley, with a ceiling copied from the ballroom at Knole and panelling moved from the upper rooms. The great chimneypiece here has the richest Jacobean decoration in the house, with coupled tapering pilasters flanking the fireplace and on the overmantel paired fluted Corinthian columns carried on big brackets. The centrepiece of the overmantel is an achievement of the Ashby arms, with lush foliage mantling, and rich strapwork in high and low relief.

Quenby Hall: the bedroom with a frieze of pomegranates copied from Chastleton.

A bedroom in the southern cross-wing has 17th century panelling with lozenges, articulated by pilasters with angels carved in low relief on the pedestals, but the elements do not belong together or indeed to the room. The frieze with winged grotesques is copied from one at Sizergh. The other bedrooms are also largely early 20th century recreations, and one has a frieze of pomegranates copied form Chastleton (Oxon). The top floor no doubt originally had a long gallery, but it was subdivided in the 18th century; another room at this level is painted with pilasters in grisaille.

In the grounds, the stable court is fundamentally 17th century but altered later; a room at the south-east corner was fitted out as a Roman Catholic chapel for the de Lisles. When the Hall was built, the remains of the deserted village of Quenby seem to have been adapted as formal garden features. These continue the line of the modern axial path down the centre of the south lawn with, successively, a terrace, a moat, a linear pond or canal and finally a second moat, and adjoining the west side of the terrace is a further level area, on the west side of which is what has been interpreted as a prospect mound.

Quenby Hall, painted in the 1740s, showing a double avenue of trees on the main western axis.

These features were no doubt removed when formal gardens were created for George Ashby (d. 1728) in the early 18th century, or when his gardens were in turn removed to make way for a more open landscaped setting by Shuckburgh Ashby in the 1760s. A series of fine early 18th century wrought-iron gates which he donated to Leicester Infirmary are now at the Newarke Houses Museum. Gotch recreated a formal forecourt with diapered brick walls, but these have since been removed again except on the south side. Formal gardens were laid out south and east of the hall in the early 20th century, and Harold Peto was consulted on their design, although it is not clear how much input he had into the scheme as executed. These in turn have now largely gone, although the formal layout in the former kitchen garden survives. 

Descent: George Ashby (1539-1618); to son, George Ashby (c.1581-1653); to son, George Ashby (1629-72); to son, George Ashby (1656-1728); to son, Waring Ashby (1697-1770), who sold 1659 to Shuckburgh Ashby (1724-92); to brother, Nathaniel Ashby (1730-1801); to niece, Mary Elizabeth (1747-1815), wife of William Latham (1742-1807), who resumed her maiden name of Ashby in 1808; to son, William Ashby Latham (later Ashby) (1775-1848); to son, Shuckburgh Ashby (1798-1857); to brother, Rev. Edward Quenby Ashby (1805-71); to niece, Anne (1837-86), wife of Nicholas Hermann Bernard (later Ashby) (1825-90); to son, George Ashby Hermann Ashby (1866-1947) who sold 1904 to Rosamond Seymour-Greaves (d. 1941), later wife of Lord Henry Grosvenor (1861-1914); estate broken up 1920 and sold mainly to tenants; house sold with 423 acres in 1923 to Sir Harold Nutting (1882-1972); sold 1972 to De Lisle Family Trust, which sold c.2014. The house was usually let in the early and later 19th century (tenants included Rev. P.L. Story, 1820).

Naseby Hall (alias Woolleys), Northamptonshire

Naseby Hall in  c.1929.

The house, originally called Woolleys, was first built in 1818 for the Fitzgerald family, but was sold c.1850 to Viscount Clifden of Holdenby. He sold it in 1855 to George Ashby Maddocks (later Ashby) who remodelled it to the design of E.F. Law. In 1907 it was enlarged again for Leslie Renton, who probably added the two-storey block with a bay window on the end elevation. 

Naseby Hall, after the fire of 1948.

The main part of the house was gutted by fire in 1948 and the surviving service wing was remodelled and extended to form a much smaller neo-Georgian house in the early 1950s by R.J. Page for Sir Roland Findlay, 3rd bt. It was again restored after 1972 for Sir Charles Rowley, 7th bt. and is now the property of his son.

Descent: Edward Shuckburgh; to son, Euseby Shuckburgh; to daughter Mary (c.1628-1721), wife of George Ashby of Quenby Hall (1629-72); to son, George Ashby (1656-1728); to son, Waring Ashby (1697-1770); to son, George Ashby (1725-1802); to cousin, Rev. George Ashby (1724-1808); to first cousin once removed, Hannah Maria (1763-1830), wife of John Maddock (d. 1823); to son, Rev. George Ashby Maddock (1788-1836); to son, George Ashby Maddock (later Ashby) (c.1834-90), who bought Woolleys House from Viscount Clifden of Holdenby; when he was bankrupted in 1887 he moved to Machynlleth and his life interest in Naseby was sold to Capt. Stanley Munday; freehold passed to his son, Col. George Ashby Ashby (1856-1937), who sold 1904 to Leslie Alexander Renton who renamed the house Naseby Hall; sold 1934 to Capt. (later Sir) Ronald Findlay, bt.; sold 1964 to Mr. Davies, who let to Capt. Strong; sold c.1966 to Rex Kursley of United Dairies; sold 1972 to Sir Charles Robert Rowley (1926-2008), 7th & 8th bt., who restored it; to son, Sir Richard Charles Rowley (b. 1959), 8th & 9th bt. The house was let 1922-34 including to the Duke & Duchess of York for the hunting seasons of 1928-9 and 1929-30.

Ashby family of Naseby Hall and Quenby Hall

Ashby, George (1539-1618). Only son of Robert Ashby (1517-57) and his wife Barbara, daughter of George Ashby, born 17 October 1539. High Sheriff of Leicestershire, 1601. He married Mary (b. 1555), daughter of Andrew Gedney of Enderby (Lincs), and had issue:
(1) George Ashby (c.1581-1653) (q.v.);
(2) Henry Ashby (b. c.1582; fl. 1638); educated at Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1598; BA 1602/3; MA 1606); living in 1638;
(2) William Ashby (c.1587-1635); educated at Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1604; BA 1608/9; MA 1612); Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge; will proved 1635;
(4) Thomas Ashby (c.1589-1639); educated at Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1604); farmer at Billesdon (Leics); died unmarried; will proved 9 July 1639;
(5) Anne Ashby; married Gervase Teverey (c.1574-1639) of Stapleford (Notts) and had issue one son and three daughters; commemorated with her husband by an elaborate monument at Stapleford;
(6) Dorothy Ashby; probably died unmarried;
(7) Bridget Ashby; probably died unmarried.
He inherited the Quenby estate from his father in 1557 and the Lowesby estate from his cousin, Thomas Ashby in 1604.
He died at Quenby, 5 April 1618. His wife's date of death is unknown: the assertion in some sources that she died in 1667 is untenable and she was almost certainly dead by 1638 as she is not mentioned in her son Thomas' will.

Ashby, George (c.1581-1653). Only son of George Ashby (1539-1618) and his wife Mary, daughter of Andrew Gedney of Enderby (Lincs), born at Quenby about 1581. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge (admitted 1598) and Inner Temple (admitted 1601). High Sheriff of Leicestershire, 1627; JP for Leicestershire. He married, c.1622, Elizabeth (1606-80), daughter of George Bennett of Welby (Lincs), and had issue:
(1) Elizabeth Ashby (1624-55), born 30 October 1624; married, 8 July 1641 at Asfordby (Leics), William Inge of Thorpe Constantine (Staffs); buried 28 March 1655 at Thorpe Constantine;
(2) George Ashby (1629-72) (q.v.);
(3) Bennet Ashby (d. 1643); died young and was buried at Hungarton, 22 March 1643;
(4) John Ashby (1630-99); merchant of London; married Elizabeth (c.1651-1746), daughter of Benjamin Thorowgood and had issue two sons and two daughters; died in London, 1 September 1699;
(5) Mary Ashby (d. 1669); died unmarried and was buried 20 August 1669;
(6) Sarah Ashby (d. by 1681); died unmarried before 1681;
(7) Anne Ashby (d. by 1681); married Robert Cotton of London; died before 1681;
(8) William Ashby (1637-1702), born 10 October 1637; Turkey merchant; married Mary Brittan (d. 1723) of Thorpe Satchville and had issue one son and two daughters; died 26 March 1702 and was buried at Twyford (Leics), where he is commemorated by a monument;
(9) Mabel Ashby (d. by 1675); married, 1/2 September 1658 at Lowesby or Hinckley (Leics), Sir John Oneby (d. c.1676) of Hinckley (Leics) (who m2, Mercy Dudson); died before 1675 and was buried at Hungarton.
He inherited the Quenby and Lowesby estates from his father in 1618. He sold Lowesby and rebuilt the house at Quenby, c.1620-31.
He died 1 July and was buried at Hungarton, 2 July 1653, where he is commemorated by a monument. His widow died 26 January 1680/1 and was buried at Hungarton (Leics) where she is commemorated by a monument; her will was proved 27 March 1681.

Ashby, George (1629-72). Elder son of George Ashby (1598-1653) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of George Bennett of Welby (Lincs), born 29 July 1629. His education may have been disrupted by the Civil War as he does not appear to have attended either of the universities or any of the inns of court. He married, 24 June 1652, Mary (c.1628-1721), daughter and heiress of Euseby Shuckburgh of Naseby (Northants) and had issue:
(1) Mary Ashby (1653-1730), born 13 May and baptised 25 December 1653; married, 28 September 1676 at Hungarton, Thomas Eakins (d. 1711/2?) of Rushden (Northants); buried at Rushden, 9 July 1730;
(2) Elizabeth Ashby (1654-1705), born 18 October 1654; married, 6 July 1676 at St Andrew, Holborn, Rt. Hon. Sir Nathan Wright (1653-1721), kt., Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, and had issue one son and two daughters; died 21 July 1705 at Caldecote (Warks);
(3) George Ashby (1656-1728) (q.v.);
(4) Dorothy Ashby (1657-81), born 18 December 1657; died unmarried, 11 September and was buried 22 September 1681; will proved at Leicester, 1681;
(5) Lucy Ashby (b. 1659), born 7 April 1659; died young in the lifetime of her father;
(6) Shuckburgh Ashby (1660-1750) (q.v.);
(7) Euseby Ashby (1662-1741), born 15 July 1662; educated at St. Albans and Trinity College, Cambridge (admitted 1679; BA 1683/4; MA 1687); Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge; bought the manor of Blaby from George Saville and an estate at Little Ashby and Bitteswell from William Vincent and others; married Mary (1660-1726), daughter of William Major of Leicester but had no issue; died 29 December 1741 and was buried at Blaby (Leics), 1 January 1741/2, where he is commemorated by a monument; bequeathed his property to his nephew, Shuckburgh Ashby (1690-1752);
(8) Margaret Ashby (1663-1737); married, 18 August 1687 at Great Stretton (Leics), William Boothby of Potters Marston (Leics); died 14 February and was buried at Potters Marston, 17 February 1737, where she is commemorated by a monument.
He inherited the Quenby estate from his father in 1653, and acquired the Naseby estate in Northamptonshire through his marriage.
He died 29 May 1672 and was buried at Hungarton, where he is commemorated by a monument. His widow married 2nd, 9 June 1675 at St. Andrew Holborn, London, George Hewett of Rotherby (Leics), barrister-at-law, and died 15 April 1721, aged 93; she is commemorated by a monument at Hungarton.

George Ashby 1656-1728

Ashby, George (1656-1728). Eldest son of George Ashby (1629-72) and his wife Mary, daughter of Euseby Shuckburgh of Naseby (Northants), born 16 July 1656. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge (admitted 1673; MA 1675) and Grays Inn (admitted 1674). High Sheriff of Leicestershire, 1688-89, 1698-99; MP for Leicester, 1695-98 and 1707-08, in which capacity he claimed to have saved the county £5,000 a year; he also stood unsuccessfully in 1698 and 1715. His monument describes him as 'honest George Ashby, the planter' because of his interest in tree planting on the Quenby estate. He married, 7 November 1682 at Albrighton (Shropshire), Hannah (1664-1733), daughter and co-heir of Maj. Edward Waring MP of Umphriston and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John Ashe of Freshford (Somerset), and had issue, with other children who died without issue:
(1) Elizabeth Ashby (1684-1764), born 6 January and baptised 22 January 1683/4; married 1st, 17 February 1705/6 at Hungarton, John Freeman of Wellingborough (Northants) and had issue two daughters; married 2nd, [forename unknown] Boddington of Turville; died 5 February 1764;
(2) twin, George Ashby (1685-1721), born 14 February 1684/5; died unmarried and was buried 6 December 1721;
(3) twin, Waring Ashby (b. & d. 1685), born 14 February 1684/5; died in infancy and was buried 29 March 1685;
(4) Richard Ashby (b. 1686), born 20 October and was baptised 5 November 1686; a Captain in the Welsh Fusiliers; his date of death has not been traced but was probably before 1728;
(5) John Ashby (1687-1756) (q.v.);
(6) Mary Ashby (b. 1689), born 24 May and baptised 7 June 1689; married, 6 February 1714 at Hungarton, Henry Hall of London and had issue one son; apparently died before 1728;
(7) Edmund Ashby (1690-1775) (q.v.); 
(8) Hannah Ashby (1692-1781), born 2 March and baptised 15 March 1692; married, 13 April 1721 at Hungarton, George Cheseldon MD of Leicester but had no issue; died 4 November 1781;
(9) Anne Ashby (1694-1777), baptised 20 December 1694; married Robert Norton (d. 1738) of Leicester and had issue two sons and four daughters; died 11 March 1777;
(10) Waring Ashby (1697-1770) (q.v.);
(11) William Ashby (b. & d. 1701), born 12 and baptised 31 October 1701; died in infancy and was buried 30 November 1701.
He inherited the Quenby estate from his father in 1672 and laid out the estate with extensive woodlands. His wife brought him a portion of about £9,000. At his death he left his property to his youngest surviving son, Waring Ashby (1697-1770), excluding his older siblings.
He was buried at Quenby, 11 February 1727/8, where he is commemorated by a monument; his will was proved 9 March 1727/8. His widow was buried at Hungarton, 30 May 1733.

Ashby, John (1687-1756). Fourth but eldest surviving son of George Ashby (1656-1728) and his wife Hannah, daughter of Maj. Edward Waring MP of Umphriston (Shropshire), born 17/27 November and baptised 10 December 1687. He married, c.1712, Hannah (d. 1781), daughter of [forename unknown] Johnson of Hull and issue:
(1) George Ashby (b. & d. 1714);
(2) Hannah Ashby (b. 1715; fl. 1738), born 17 November and baptised at St Sepulchre, London, 28 November 1715; married, 21 May 1738 at Wellingborough (Northants), Charles Stamford esq. and had issue one son; date of death not traced;
(3) George Ashby (b. & d. 1716);

(4) John Ashby (1722-79), born 9 May and baptised at Hungarton, 22 May 1722; esquire to Lord Clive on his installation as KB, 1754; married, 13 December 1763, Jane (1735-98), daughter of Borlase Wingfield and widow of Anthony Kinnersley of Leighton (Shropshire) but had no issue; died 29 January 1779;

(5) Elizabeth Ashby (b. 1723), born 14 August and baptised 25 August 1723; married, 29 January 1749 at Holy Cross, Shrewsbury, John Downs; date of death not traced;
(6) Richard Ashby (1725-34), baptised at Westbury, 6 May 1725; died young, 4 October 1734;
(7) William Ashby (1726-42), baptised at Westbury, 21 June 1726; died young and was buried at Westbury, 30 July 1742;
(8) Edmund Ashby (1729-85) (q.v.);
He was disinherited by his father, but inherited The Lynches near Shrewsbury (Salop) which was his mother's jointure estate, in 1733.
He died 20 July and was buried at Westbury, 23/27 July 1756. His widow was buried at Minsterley, 18 November 1781.

Ashby, Edmund (1729-85). Youngest son of John Ashby (1687-1756) of The Lynches, near Shrewsbury and his wife Hannah Johnson, born 26 December 1729 and baptised at Westbury (Shropshire), 15 January 1729/30. He married, 28 March 1758 at Westbury (Shropshire), Elizabeth (1736-1815?), third daughter and co-heiress of William Ash of Paston near Peterborough (Hunts) and had issue:
(1) Elizabeth Freeman Ashby (1759-1832), baptised 28 May 1759; married, 4 September 1783 at Westbury, Robert Hale (1753-1830), and had issue four daughters; buried at Meole Brace (Shropshire), 28 December 1832;
(2) Hannah Maria Ashby (1763-1830) (q.v.).
He inherited The Lynches near Shrewsbury from his father in 1756.
He died 20 November and was buried at Westbury (Shropshire), 25 November 1785; his will was proved 3 January 1786 and a further grant of administration was made 11 April 1863 of effects still unadministered. His widow married 2nd, 28 December 1788 at St. Alkmund, Shrewsbury (Shropshire), Æmilian Holbeach (d. 1797) of Sloley Hill (Warks); she may have been the Elizabeth Holbeach who was buried at St Peter, Wolverhampton, 5 December 1815.

Ashby, Hannah Maria (1763-1830). Younger daughter of Edmund Ashby (d. 1785) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of William Ash of Paston near Peterborough (Hunts), baptised at Westbury (Shropshire), 18 September 1763. She married, 9 January 1787 at Westbury, John Maddock (d. 1823) of Shrewsbury, attorney, and had issue:
(1) Rev. George Ashby Maddock (1788-1836) (q.v.).
She inherited the Naseby estate from her cousin, Rev. George Ashby, in 1808, but lived at Greenfields in the parish of St. Julian, Shrewsbury.
She died 25 November and was buried at St. Alkmund, Shrewsbury, 1 December 1830. Her husband was buried 21 February 1823; his will was proved 6 October 1823.

Maddock, Rev. George Ashby (1788-1836). Son of John Maddock of Greenfields, Shrewsbury and his wife Hannah Maria, daughter of Edmund Ashby, baptised 1 January 1789. Educated at Shrewsbury School (admitted 1801) and Brasenose College, Oxford (matriculated 1807; BA 1811; MA 1814).  Ordained deacon, 1812; stipendiary curate of Berrington (Herefs), 1812. He married, 22 July 1833, Anne (1813-93), daughter of George Procter of Cairn Cottage (Argylls) and had issue:
(1) George Ashby Maddock (later Ashby) (1834-90) (q.v.).
He inherited the Naseby (Northants) estate from his mother and lived at Greenfields, Shrewsbury.
He died 5 January and was buried at St. Alkmund, Shrewsbury, 19 January 1836; his will was proved 4 July 1836. His widow died 6 January 1893 at Plas Dolguog, Machynlleth; her will was proved 16 February 1893 (estate £1,285).

Maddock (later Ashby), George Ashby (1834-90). Only child of Rev. George Ashby Maddock (d. 1836) and his wife Anne, daughter of George Procter of Cairn Cottage (Argylls), born 3 June and privately baptised 7 June 1834. Perhaps travelled abroad as he was issued with a passport, 10 August 1852. A Lieutenant in the Northamptonshire militia, 1852, and an officer in the 11th Hussars (Cornet, 1852; Lt., 1854; Capt., 1856); JP for Northamptonshire and Leicestershire; DL for Northamptonshire; High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, 1863-64. He assumed by royal licence the name and arms of Ashby, 21 August 1857. He was bankrupted in 1887, blaming losses from farming over more than 13 years. He married, 5 June 1855, Helen (c.1836-1906), daughter of Lt-Gen. John Charles Hope Gibsone of Pentland (Midlothian) and had issue:
(1) Maj. George Ashby Maddock (later Ashby) (1856-1937) (q.v.);
(2) Lt-Col. John Shuckburgh Ashby (1858-1938), born 29 January 1858; officer in the Indian Staff Corps (Lt., 1876; Capt., 1887; Major, 1896; Lt-Col., 1902; retired, 1904); Assistant Political Agent, Bombay Presidency; married 1st, 9 September 1879 in India, Sarah Fanny Eliza, daughter of P.W. Hewitt; married 2nd, Apr-Jun 1918 in Kensington (Middx), Rachel Emma Evans (d. 1945); lived in retirement at Maescurnog Cray (Brecons); died 5 July 1938; will proved 18 October 1938 (estate £206);
(3) Louisa Jane Ashby (1859-1910), born 20 September at Colmonell (Ayrs) and baptised 7 October 1859; deaf, probably from birth; lived at Cheltenham with her youngest sister; died unmarried, Apr-Jun 1910;
(4) Helen Anne Ashby (b. 1861), born 11 May and baptised 7 June 1861; married, 24 April 1890, Gerald Townley Parker (1858-92), second son of Capt. Robert Townley Parker of Cuerden (Lancs), and had issue a daughter; as a widow lived at Dawlish (Devon); her date of death has not been traced;
(5) Edward Waring Ashby (1863-72), born 1 January and baptised 25 January 1863; died young, 5 December 1872;
(6) Mary Shuckburgh Ashby (1864-1931), born Apr-Jun 1864; married, 10 January 1889 at Bombay (India), Capt. William Aves, R.I.M, and had issue four children, of whom two died young; died 10 February 1931 and was buried (as Lucy Shuckburgh Aves), 13 February 1931 in Cheltenham; administration of her goods (with will annexed) granted 15 May 1931 (estate £496);
(7) Hugh Gibsone Ashby (1865-1924), born 23 August 1865; emigrated to Canada, 1884; married, 30 December 1909 in Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada), Henrietta Ann Nelson (b. c.1882); died 29 November 1924;
(8) Frances Catherine Ashby (1867-96), baptised 28 April 1867; lived in Cheltenham (Glos); died unmarried, 8 July and was buried at Cheltenham, 11 July 1896;
(9) Henrietta Alice Ashby (1868-1944), baptised 27 September 1868; married, 19 September 1901 (sep. 1911) at Christ Church, Cheltenham (Glos), John Alfred Hope, ironmaster, of Derwent House, Workington (Cumbld) and had issue one son and three daughters; her husband was bankrupted 1902 and was still undischarged at the time of their separation; died 1 February 1944; administration of goods granted 30 March 1944 (estate £156);
(10) Henry Whitfeild Ashby (1870-1922?), born 5 January 1870; possibly the Henry W. Ashby who died in Chelsea (Middx), Oct-Dec 1922;
(11) Ann Elizabeth Ashby (1874-97); married, 11 March 1895, George Wilfrid Collins Jackson (1865-1901) of Manor House, Dawlish (Devon) and had issue one son and one daughter; died 28 July 1897; administration of goods granted February 1898 and 10 June 1902 (effects £1,011);
(12) Amy Laura Ashby (1876-1948), born Apr-Jun 1876; married, Apr-Jun 1897, William Parker; died at Salisbury, 11 March 1948; administration of goods was granted 12 February 1949 (estate £1,109);
(13) Emily Winifred Ashby (1878-1953), born Jan-Mar 1878; lived with her deaf older sister at Cheltenham; married, 25 September 1907 at St. Stephen, Hammersmith (Middx), Robert Earl Marshall (1874-1913), engineer, of Cheltenham, and had issue one daughter; died at Salisbury, 28 November and was buried at St Peter, Leckhampton (Glos), 2 December 1953; will proved 2 February 1954 (estate £5,254).
He inherited property the Naseby (Northants) estate from his father in 1855 and purchased the house known as Woolleys as a centre for the estate. After he was bankrupted he moved to Plas Dalguog, Machynlleth and his life interest in the estate was sold.
He died 8 March 1890. His widow died on 20 October 1906; her will was proved in December 1906 (estate £1,213).

Maddock (later Ashby), Col. George Ashby (1856-1937) CB. Eldest son of George Ashby Maddock (later Ashby) (1834-90) and his wife Helen, daughter of Lt-Gen. John Charles Hope Gibsone of Pentland, born in Istanbul (Turkey), 26 March and baptised there 5 April 1856. His father changed his name from Maddock to Ashby by royal licence in 1857. An officer in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, 1875-1904 (Capt. 1886; Major 1893; Lt-Col., 1901; Col., 1904) and served in the Egyptian Campaign, 1882 (despatches), the Nile Expedition, 1884-85 (despatches), and the Boer War (CB, 1900); Commandant of Discharge Depot, 1904-08; retired 1908 but returned to the colours in the First World War. JP for Northamptonshire and Leicestershire. He listed his interests as hunting, shooting and cricket, and was a member of the MCC. He married, 28 August 1888 at St George, Kensington (Middx), Mabel Cecilia (1867-1938), daughter of Lt-Col. P.C. Anderson of the Royal Bengal Artillery, and had issue:
(1) George Waring Ashby (1897-1989), born in Newry (Armagh), 6 June 1897; Capt. in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry who served in the First World War (MC, 1918), but later worked as a chauffeur; in 1933 he admitted the paternity of an illegitimate child by Esther E. Lowther of Keymer (Sussex); married, Apr-June 1940, Sylvia Irene MacIver (1912-2001); died Oct-Dec 1989 and was buried at Keymer.
He inherited the reversionary interest in the Naseby estate from his father in 1890 but sold it in 1904. He lived latterly at Hassocks (Sussex)
He died at Hassocks, 16 June 1937; his will was proved 9 October 1937 (estate £7,059). His widow died 24 February 1938; her will was proved 11 November 1938 (estate £1,020).

Ashby, Edmund (1690-1775). Fifth son of George Ashby (1656-1728) of Quenby and his wife Hannah, daughter and co-heir of Maj. Edward Waring MP of Umphriston (Shropshire), born 1 June and baptised 7 June 1690. Citizen and merchant taylor of London. He married, 15 May 1720 at St Mary Abchurch, London, Elizabeth Judith (1702-87), daughter and heiress of Robert Lock of Berwick St. Leonards and Dinton (Wilts) and had issue:
(1) Elizabeth Ashby (1721-55), born 20 August 1721; died unmarried, 29 January 1755 and was buried at Melton Mowbray (Leics);
(2) Rev. George Ashby (1724-1808) (q.v.);
(3) Hannah Ashby (1726-1808), born 20 October 1726; lived with her brother George; died unmarried, 1 May 1808 and was buried with her brother at Barrow (Suffk);
(4) Edmund Ashby (1730-35), born 24 November 1730; died young, 24 June 1735;
(5) Mary Ashby (1738-99), born 29 August 1738; married, 14 January 1788 at Tamworth (Staffs), Benjamin Mather of Wellingborough (Northants), grocer, but had no issue; died 1799;
(6) Letitia Ashby (b. & d. 1743), born 17 February 1743; died in infancy, November 1743.
He died 9 January 1775 and was buried at Wellingborough (Northants); his will was proved 1 February 1775. His widow died 5 March 1787; her will was proved 27 March 1787.

Ashby, Rev. George (1724-1808). Elder and only surviving son of Edmund Ashby and his wife Elizabeth Judith, daughter of Robert Lock of Berwick St. Leonards & Dinton (Wilts), born in Clerkenwell, 5 December 1724. Educated at Westminster School and St. John's College, Cambridge (admitted 1740; BA 1744/5; MA 1748; BD 1756); Fellow of St. John's College, 1748-75 (President or Vice-Master, 1768-75). Ordained deacon, 1746 and priest, 1752. Curate of Halesworth and Chediston (Suffk); Rector of Hungarton, 1757-69, Twyford 1757-66, Barrow (Suffolk), 1774-1808 and Stansfield (Suffk), 1780-1808. He was known to contemporaries as an antiquary and was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, 1775-1808. He had very catholic tastes and made notes on old plays, ornithology, coins, literature, topography, and genealogy among many other subjects; his collections are preserved in the British Library, Bodleian Library and Suffolk Record Office. He also encouraged the publication of Rev. John Mastin's History and Antiquities of Naseby, 1792. He was a close friend of the poet, Thomas Gray, and had a wide circle of antiquarian acquaintances, including his 'constant companion and amanuensis', Thomas Lyus of Barrow, to whom he left his library and personal estate. Contemporaries recorded him as ‘a very able scholar, and lively and talkative to a degree; but immensely vain and fond of admiration’ and ‘as entertaining a companion as any can be’, with an extraordinary memory. He became blind in old age. He was unmarried and without issue, and lived with his younger sister, whom he survived by only a few weeks.
He inherited the Naseby estate from his cousin, George Ashby (1725-1802) in 1802. At his death it passed to his first cousin once removed, Hannah Maria Maddock (d. 1830). 
He died at Barrow, 12 June 1808, and he is commemorated by a monument in the church there erected at the expense of Thomas Lyus. His will was proved 12 November 1808.

Ashby, Waring (1697-1770). Third son of George Ashby (1656-1728) and his wife Hannah, daughter and co-heir of Maj. Edward Waring MP of Humperstone, born 22 November and baptised at Hungarton, 9 December 1697. Educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge (admitted 1717/8). High Sheriff of Leicestershire, 1733. He married 1st, Elizabeth (c.1705-25), daughter of Ven. Richard Cumberland, Archdeacon of Northampton, and sister of Rt. Rev. Dennis Cumberland, Bishop of Kilmore; 2nd, 13 December 1726 at St Olave Marygate, York, Anne (c.1702-57), daughter of Thomas Metcalfe of Yorkshire; and 3rd, [name unknown] (d. 1778) and had issue:
(1) George Ashby (1725-1802) (q.v.).
He inherited the Quenby and Naseby estates from his father in 1728 but sold the former to Shuckburgh Ashby (1724-92) in 1759. 
He died 25 October and was buried at Hungarton, 31 October 1770. His first wife died 22 May and was buried 25 May 1725. His second wife died 17 March 1757 and was buried at Hungarton. His widow died in 1778.

Ashby, George (1725-1802) of Haselbech Hall. Only son of Waring Ashby (1697-1770) and his first wife Elizabeth Cumberland, born 3 March 1724/5 and baptised at St Martin-in-the-Fields (Middx), 20 March 1724/5. Educated at Bury St. Edmunds Grammar School) (admitted 1738) and Exeter College, Oxford (matriculated 1743/4). He married, 24 June 1749 at St Benet, Paul's Wharf, London, Deborah (c.1729-1802), daughter of John Sparke of Cambridge, but had no issue.
He inherited the Naseby estate from his father in 1770, and bequeathed it to his cousin, Rev. George Ashby (1724-1808) with remainder to his first cousin once removed, Hannah Maria Ashby (1763-1830). He leased Haselbech Hall from his cousin, Shuckburgh Ashby, from 1769 until his death.
He died at Haselbech Hall in 24 February and was buried at Haselbech, 8 March 1802, where he and his wife are commemorated by a monument; his will was proved 29 October 1802. His widow died 14 August and was buried at Haselbech, 21 August 1802; her will was proved 18 March 1803.

Ashby, Shuckburgh (1660-1750). Second son of George Ashby (1629-72) and his wife Mary, daughter of Euseby Shuckburgh of Naseby (Northants), born 10 April 1660. He married, 28 October 1689 at Dunton Bassett (Leics), Mary (1666-1743), daughter of Nele Hewett of Dunton, and had issue:
(1) Shuckburgh Ashby (1690-1752) (q.v.);
(2) Neale Ashby (1693-1765), born 4 August 1693 and baptised 16 April 1694; educated at Lincoln's Inn (admitted 1719); attorney; died without issue, 1765 and was buried under the chapel of Lincoln's Inn;
(3) Edward Ashby (b. 1695), born 26 May and baptised at Rotherby (Leics), 5 June 1695.
He purchased an estate at Eye Kettleby and Hambleton, 1699.
He died aged 90, 4 May 1750. His wife died 30 November 1743 and was buried at Melton Mowbray, where she is commemorated by a monument.

Ashby, Shuckburgh (1690-1752) of Blaby. Eldest son of Shuckburgh Ashby (1660-1750) and his wife Mary, born 14 September 1690. He married, 12 December 1723 at St Michael Queenhithe, London, Mary (c.1697-1760), daughter of Nathaniel Cradock of Cossington (Leics) and had issue:
(1) Shuckburgh Ashby (1724-92) (q.v.);
(2) Mary Ashby (1732-64); married, 17 November 1753 at St Margaret, Leicester, Rev. William Brecknock Wragge (b. 1728), vicar of Frisby-on-the-Wreake (Leics) (who in 1790 was convicted of performing an unlicensed marriage* and sentenced to be transported for 14 years, although he was allowed to resign the living and go abroad; the living was put in sequestration for the benefit of his family) and had issue one daughter; died 10 January 1764 and was buried at Blaby, where she is commemorated by a monument;
(3) Nathaniel Ashby (1730-1801) of Sawley (Derbys), born 9 December 1730; educated at Balliol College, Oxford (matriculated 1751); lived with a housekeeper, Mary Bower, who inherited his house at Sawley; succeeded his brother in the Quenby estates, 1792 and was also lord of the manor of Twyford (Leics); died unmarried 1801; will proved 23 July 1801;
(4) Dorothy Ashby (1731-1811), born 25 November 1731; married Rev. Thomas Myddelton (c.1709-73), vicar of Melton Mowbray (Leics) and had issue one son (who died young); died 16 February 1811;
(5) George Ashby (1738-60); educated at Bosworth Grammar School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (matriculated 1759); died there unmarried, 7 August 1760, and was buried at St. Edward, Cambridge, where he is commemorated by a monument.
He inherited the manor of Blaby (Leics) in 1741 and purchased property at Aston Flamville and Cotes Deville.
He died 14 January 1752 and was buried at Blaby, where he is commemorated by a monument. His widow died 19 May and was buried at Blaby, 26 May 1760.
* The conviction related to the marriage of two servants of Mr. Hudson of Wanlip (Leics), but the Frisby registers suggest he had for years married all comers with no questions asked!

Ashby, Shuckburgh (1724-92) of Great Stretton and Quenby Hall. Only son of Shuckburgh Ashby (1690-1752) and his wife Mary, born 6 October 1724. Educated at Balliol College, Oxford (matriculated 1742). High Sheriff of Leicestershire, 1758-59. He contributed £300 to the Leicester Infirmary at its establishment in 1767 and later gave the wrought iron gates from Quenby Hall to the infirmary. MP for Leicester, Feb-Mar 1784 but did not stand again as he did not wish to fight a contested election. Fellow of the Royal Society. He married, 1745, Elizabeth (1723-95), daughter and heiress of Richard Hinde of Cold Ashby, and had issue:
(1) Mary Elizabeth Ashby (1747-1815) (q.v.);
(2) Catherine Ashby (b. & d. 1748), baptised 25 August 1748; died in infancy, 28 August and was buried at Great Glen (Leics), 31 August 1748 where she is commemorated by a monument;
(2) Dorothea Ashby (1750-1822), born at York, 18 January 1750; married, 15 April 1771 at Westminster, Sir Thomas Hussey Apreece (1744-1833), 1st bt. of Washingley Hall (Hunts) and had issue two sons and one daughter;  they were separated from about 1774 but meeting accidentally at an inn at Oakham (Rutland) were reconciled for one night and parted forever the following morning; died 26 December 1822.
He inherited the manor of Blaby and property at Aston Flamville and Cotes Deville from his father in 1752 but sold Aston Flamville the same year and Blaby and Cotes Deville in 1760. He purchased Quenby Hall from his kinsman, Waring Ashby (d. 1770) in 1759 and remodelled it, and pursuing 'a principle laudable and truly disinterested' as he put it on his monument, rebuilt a large part of Hungarton village between 1766 and 1775. At his death the Quenby estate passed first to his younger brother and then to his eldest daughter. In 1765 he inherited Haselbech Hall in right of his wife and from 1769 this was leased to his cousin, George Ashby.
He died 27 January and was buried 6 February 1792 at Hungarton, where he is commemorated by a monument designed by Thomas Banks. His widow died 8 November and was buried at Hungarton, 19 November 1795.

Ashby, Mary Elizabeth (1747-1815). Elder daughter of Shuckburgh Ashby (1724-92) of Quenby Hall and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Hinde, born 23 April and baptised 13 May 1747. She resumed her maiden name by royal licence after the death of her husband. She married, 18 October 1770 at Eltham (Kent), William Latham (1742-1807), surgeon and apothecary, of Eltham (Kent), FRS FSA, and had issue:
(1) Maria Elizabeth Latham (1772-1839), born 1 May and baptised 28 May 1772; married, 13 October 1800 at St Marylebone (Middx), Rev. George Osborne (c.1765-1839), vicar of Hungarton and later rector of Haselbech (Northants); buried at Haselbech, 14 August 1839;
(2) Harriet Latham (1773-1848?), born 10 November and baptised 1 December 1773; married, April 1798, as his second wife, Thomas Byron (c.1738-1821); possibly the person of this name who died in Warwick, Jan-Mar 1848;
(3) William Ashby Latham (later Ashby) (1775-1848) (q.v.);
(4) Dorothea Hinde Latham (1779-1858), born 3 May and baptised 1 June 1779; died unmarried in Warwick, Jul-Sep 1858.
She inherited Quenby Hall from her uncle in 1801 but never lived there and let it.
She died 25 July 1815; her will was proved 31 August 1815 and a further grant of administration of the unadministered part of the estate was made to her grandson, Rev. Edward Quenby Ashby, 10 November 1869. Her husband died 7 February 1807.

Latham (later Ashby), William Ashby (1775-1848). Only child of William Latham and his wife Mary Elizabeth Ashby (1747-1815), baptised 22 March 1775 at Eltham (Kent). Educated at Charterhouse, Trinity Hall, Cambridge (matriculated 1793; LLB 1799) and Lincolns Inn (admitted 1795). He assumed the name of Ashby in place of Latham in 1808. He married, 15 July 1797 at St George, Hanover Square, London, Mary (d. 1835), daughter of Michael Miller and had issue:
(1) twin, Shuckburgh Ashby (1798-1857) of Quenby Hall, born 29 December 1798; educated at Merton College, Oxford (matriculated 1819); JP for Leicestershire and Derbyshire; died unmarried in Edinburgh, 21 August 1857;
(2) twin, William George Ashby (1798-1850) (q.v.);
(3) Rev. Edward Quenby Ashby (1805-71), born 1805; educated at Eton and Christchurch, Oxford (matriculated 1822; BA 1826; MA 1833). Rector of Dunton (Bucks), 1842-71; inherited Quenby Hall from his brother, 1857, but sold the furniture and most of the contents in October that year and let the house (tenants included W. Angerstein), although he was living in it at the time of his death; married 1st, 26 May 1842 at Carlton Curlieu (Leics), Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. Henry Palmer of Withcote (Leics) and 2nd, 4 January 1855 at St Martin-in-the-Fields (Middx), Ellen Dorothea (d. 1855), daughter of Rev. Edward Hatch Hoare, vicar of Barkby (Leics), but had no issue; died 7 March 1871; will proved 3 June 1871 (effects under £8,000);
(4) Agnes Eliza Ashby (1806-82), born 6 June and baptised at Hampstead (Middx), 21 July 1806; married, 1 May 1841 at Hungarton, William Ann Pochin (1820-1901) of Edmondthorpe Hall and Barkby Hall (Leics) and had issue three sons; died 21 August 1882; administration of goods granted 22 September 1882 (estate £515).
He inherited Quenby Hall from his mother in 1815 (when he was described as of Lismore Castle (Co. Waterford), but the estate was let in the early years of his ownership.
He died at Quenby, 23/24 June 1848. His wife died at Ashfield Hall (Derbys), 12 December 1835.

Ashby, William George (1798-1850). Second son of William Ashby Latham (later Ashby) and his wife Mary, daughter of Michael Miller, born 29 December 1798. An officer in the Royal Navy (Lt., 1826). He married, 25 June 1832 at Alverstoke (Hants), Anne, daughter of Richard Brower of Fareham (Hants), and had issue:
(1) Anne Ashby (1837-86) (q.v.);
(2) Agnes Eliza Ashby (1846-1941), baptised 10 May 1846 at Fareham (Hants); married 1st, 13 April 1871 at Stainby (Leics), Ashby Pochin (d. 1880) of Toft (Lincs), son of William Ann Pochin of Barkby (Leics) and had issue four daughters; married 2nd, 5 July 1881 at Hove (Sussex), Rev. Wilfred Nevill Leeson (1847-1909), vicar of Wytham-on-the-Hill (Leics) and had issue one son and three daughters; died 4 March 1941 aged 94.
He died at Southsea, 3 February 1850. His wife's date of death has not been traced.

Ashby, Anne (1837-86). Elder daughter of William George Ashby (d. 1850) and his wife, baptised at Portsea (Hants), 5 May 1837. She and her husband took the surname Ashby in lieu of Bernard by royal licence, 24 July 1871. She married, 27 January 1866 at Chesham (Bucks), Nicholas Hermann Bernard (later Ashby) (1825-90) of Queen's College, Cambridge, and had issue:
(1) George Ashby Hermann Bernard (later Ashby) (1866-1947) (q.v.).
She and her husband lived at Bickley (Kent). When they inherited the Quenby Hall estate from her uncle in 1871, the contents of the house were sold immediately and the house leased to tenants (including Lord Downe, Lord Manners and the Marquess of Waterford) until 1890, when her husband's executors organised a further sale of contents.
She died 30 June 1886. Her husband died 12 November 1890; his will was proved 5 March 1891 (effects £3,885).

George Ashby Herman Ashby

Bernard (later Ashby), George Ashby Herman (1866-1947). Only child of Nicholas Hermann Bernard (later Ashby) (1825-90) and his wife Annie, daughter of William George Ashby, born 18 December 1866. Educated at St John's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1886). In August 1891 he was made bankrupt and three months later he was prosecuted for obtaining credit while an undischarged bankrupt.

Press report of the prosecution, 1891

He married, February 1899 at St Jude, Kensington (Middx) (sep. 1912), Frances Jane (b. 1870), daughter of Thomas William Heath, builder, and had issue:
(1) Edith Ashby Annie Ashby (1900-67) of Putney, London SW15, baptised 24 May 1900; married, Oct-Dec 1924, Charles Thomas Harington Groves (1901-74), surveyor; died 16 June 1967; will proved 16 August 1967 (estate £3,846);
(2) George Frederick Ashby (b. & d. 1901), born 24 June and baptised 4 August 1901; buried 9 August 1901;
(2) Cecil George Ashby (1903-87) of Twickenham (Middx), born 1 January 1903; married, 18 November 1933 at St Stephen, South Dulwich, London, Irene Lilian Cicely Eagle (1902-87) and had issue one son; died 27 April 1987; will proved 25 January 1988 (estate £86,338).
He inherited the Quenby Hall estate from his father in 1890 but it was let to tenants (including J.P. Trew and Alfred Donisthorpe (d. 1906)) until he sold it in 1904.
He died 25 August 1947; administration of his goods granted 20 October 1947 (estate £242). His estranged wife died 8 December 1944; her will was proved 12 March 1945 (estate £679).

Sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, 1876, vol. 1, pp. 46-47; Burke's Landed Gentry, 1898, vol. 1, p.33; W.G.D. Fletcher, Leicestershire pedigrees and royal descents, 1887; pp. 111-17; Sir N. Pevsner & E. Williamson, The buildings of England: Leicestershire, 2nd edn, 1984, pp. 351-53; L. Cantor & A. Squires, The historic parks and gardens of Leicestershire & Rutland, 1997, pp. 42, 52; Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry on Rev. George Ashby (1724-1808).

Location of archives

Ashby family of Naseby: estate accounts and papers, 1858-1905 [Northamptonshire Record Office, FS 1/1-58]
Ashby, Rev. George (1724-1808): antiquarian collections relating to Suffolk, 18th century [Suffolk Record Office, Ipswich, HD 1538/63-65; HD 663]; papers, 18th cent. [St. John's College, Cambridge]

Coat of arms

Ashby of Quenby: Azure, a chevron ermine between three leopards' heads or.
Ashby of Naseby: Quarterly, 1st and 4th, azure, a chevron ermine between three leopards' heads or for Ashby; 2nd and 3rd, per pale azure and gules three pheons in fesse between a lion passant in chief and another in base or, for Maddock.

Can you help?

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

• Can anyone provide better photographs of Naseby Hall, and particularly a view of the house in its current neo-Georgian form?
• I should be interested to hear from anyone who has done work on the Ashby family in 15th and 16th century Leicestershire and is in a position to clarify the descent of the Quenby estate to George Ashby (1539-1618).

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 15th January 2016 and was updated 4 August 2020 and 14 February 2023.