(107) Allgood of Nunwick Hall and The Hermitage

Allgood of Nunwick

The fortunes of the Allgood family were founded on their role as merchants and lawyers in Newcastle and Hexham in the 17th century, and on the decline of the Herons of Chipchase Castle, who were obliged to mortgage and then sell their estate between 1696 and 1727. Robert Allgood (b. 1653) bought the outlying portions of the estate in 1696 and his brother George Allgood (1659-1727) acquired Chipchase Castle in 1725-27, having already bought the nearby Seghill estate some years earlier. Since George had no surviving children, their original plan was probably for them to reunite the estate by bequeathing their respective shares to Robert's daughter by a late second marriage, Jane Allgood (1721-78), who would then have been a considerable heiress. Unfortunately, the brothers fell out over unpaid loans and other slights, and George (who died first) left a will in which he cut Robert off with the proverbial shilling, vested Chipchase in trustees for sale, and bequeathed his Seghill estate to his nephew, George Smith (d. 1749), on condition that he took the name Allgood.

Jane Allgood (1721-78) inherited her father's share of the estate and in fact in 1749 the operation of the remainders under George's will brought her the Seghill property also. All this property she carried in marriage to her third cousin once removed, Lancelot Allgood (1711-82). Sir Lancelot, as he became in 1760, was by far the most successful member of the family, and established the Allgoods as one of the leading gentry families in the county. His father, who died in 1725, seems to have lived a life of some dissipation with a wife and son in Northumberland and a mistress and family in London. (The only survivor of his illegitimate children was in fact the cookery writer, Hannah Glasse, whose The Art of Cookery was the most successful cookery book of the 18th century). Lancelot was orphaned at 14 and it is not clear which of his relations paid for his education, and paid handsomely as his schooling and education at Oxford and Grays Inn was topped off by a three year Grand Tour through France and Italy. Following his return and marriage to Jane he built a new and fashionable house at Nunwick, almost certainly to the designs of Daniel Garrett, in 1746-50. He was the first of his family to serve as High Sheriff of the county, and his year of office coincided with the Jacobite rebellion of 1745-46. Although he had numbered well-known Jacobites among his Grand Tour companions, he demonstrated loyalty to the Hanoverian dynasty so clearly that, two years later, when he stood for Parliament as a Tory, his Whig opponents were unable to portray him as a closet Jacobite, and he was elected for the county. In Parliament, he was an effective promoter of turnpiking and road-building schemes which benefited the county but also made his own estate much more accessible and valuable, and he improved the roads on the estate and laid out a park around the new house in the 1760s.

Nunwick descended from Sir Lancelot to his son James Allgood (1749-1807) and grandson Robert Lancelot Allgood (1794-1854). They both contracted marriages with the Reed family who had acquired Chipchase Castle from George Allgood, perhaps in the hope that the long-sought reunion of the estates would follow, but it never did. Robert's second wife instead brought him The Hermitage at St John Lee, near Hexham, which became the family's secondary seat until 1922, when it was leased to the Morant family, who remained there until 2013.  Nunwick itself descended in the male line to Lancelot Guy Allgood (1944-99) and is currently occupied by his widow.

Nunwick Hall, Northumberland

Nunwick Hall; south front, c.1936. Image: Northumberland Archives

A very fine stone-built L-plan house of two-and-a-half storeys, with five bay fronts to the south and east, built for Sir Lancelot Allgood MP in 1746-50. The house was almost certainly designed by Daniel Garrett (a protégé of Lord Burlington with an extensive practice in the north of England, to whom there are payments in the accounts), and is perhaps his finest design, with the severely plain Palladian exteriors concealing rich Rococo interiors. 

The servants' quarters and offices are set around a small court to the north and north-west of the house. The south front of the court has a low central section between two-storey end pavilions, and a central cupola and clock dated 1764. The east front of the service court is similar, except that here the centre range was raised an extra storey in the mid 19th century. The end pavilions have Venetian windows and the centre a tripartite doorway.

Nunwick Hall from the south, showing the facade of the service court, 1956. Image: Northumberland County Council.

The four-column Roman Doric porch on the south front of the house is an addition of c.1829 by Ignatius Bonomi, who may also have been responsible for the broad swept architrave of the centre first-floor window, with ball finials at its feet, which would have made no sense before the addition of the porch.  On the east front Bonomi was presumably responsible for lowering the sills of the ground-floor windows when he added the two-storey canted dining room at the north end.

Nunwick Hall: east front in 2007. Image: Neil H, via Panoramio

The interior is unusually well preserved, with very fine original fireplaces and Rococo ceilings; the plasterer here was Philip Daniel.  The staircase opens off the entrance hall behind a Doric screen and is lit by a large Venetian window, which may be a later 18th century insertion.

In addition to building the house, Sir Lancelot Allgood laid out the estate. In 1769 it was said that "Sir Lancelot has given a new face, as it were, to the country about Nunwick, within the space of a very few years, by making plantations, enclosures and good roads", and nearer the house he laid out gardens: "a grove to the west, a grass-lawn to the south, and a terraced gravel-walk to the east, which commands a view to Chipchase at one end, and a variety of prospects on the other." A ha-ha was constructed to separate the lawns from the park and a drive was laid out to the south of the house, leading over Proctor's Burn. 

Watercolour by W. Beilby of the 'dog kennel' at Nunwick Hall, 1768

An old watermill in the grounds was given a Gothick makeover by1768 with Y-tracery in lancet windows as an eyecatcher from the house, and became the estate kennels. Simonburn Castle, a small medieval castle in the neighbouring village, was also rebuilt in 1766 as a Gothick eyecatcher, but the 18th century part collapsed in the 1940s.

Simonburn Castle as a Gothick eyecatcher for Nunwick Hall, c.1900. Image: Northumberland Archives

The Hermitage, St. John Lee, Northumberland

The Hermitage in 2013

The house stands on the reputed site of the 7th century hermitage of St. John of Beverley, and a building called the 'Armytage' is recorded in 1496.  The present house seems to date from two phases of work in the mid 18th century and was further altered about 1890. The seven bay two-storey south front has a projecting centre with a Diocletian window within an open pediment and a balustraded parapet to either side. The first floor windows all have rather heavy bracketed hoods, which may be a 19th century alteration. To the right is a late 19th century addition with a canted bay window facing east, and the entrance block on the west is also late 19th century.  Inside the house has some early and mid 18th century fireplaces and a good mid 18th century staircase.  The drawing room, within the canted bay, has a late 19th century coffered ceiling which is reminiscent of the woodwork in the church. It is therefore possible that the late 19th century alterations are the work of W.S. Hicks, who remodelled the church in 1886. The stable block, to the west of the house dates from c.1760 and has a central arched gateway and pyramid-roofed end pavilions.

The house was leased from 1922 until recently to Brig-Gen. Hubert Horatio Morant and his children, and on the death of the last of his daughters in 2013 was a remarkable time-capsule, but the contents have been dispersed by auction and the house itself is now for sale. Fortunately the appearance of the interiors was captured in a photo-shoot for the Daily Mail.

Descent: John Hunter (d. 1821); to daughter, Elizabeth Hunter (1792-1864), wife of Richard Lancelot Allgood (1794-1854); to younger son, Rev. William Isaac Allgood (1836-68); to sister, Ann Jane Allgood (1829-1922); leased 1922 to Brigadier General Hubert Horatio Morant; to son Maj. John Locke Straker Morant (d. 1971); to sisters, Alice Bettine Morant (d. 2008) and Doreen Shirley Morant (d. 2013); for sale in 2014.

Allgood family of Nunwick Hall

Allgood, Robert, of Bradley, Wolsingham (Durham). He married a daughter of Rev. Mr. Pye of Morpeth (Northbld) and had issue:
(1) Lancelot Allgood (d. 1652) (q.v.);
(2) George Allgood (d. 1669) (q.v.);
(3) Richard Allgood;
(4) Jane Allgood; married [forename unknown] Briggs;
(5) Margaret Allgood; married [forename unknown] Dodd.
His date of death is unknown.

Allgood, George (d. 1669). Second son of Robert Allgood of Bradley and his wife, a daughter of Rev. Pye of Morpeth. Barrister-at-law. He married Isabel Robins (d. 1695) of Hexham (Northbld) and had issue:
(1) Alice Allgood (b. 1649); baptised 24 November 1669; married 29 May 1669, Sampson Hudspeth of Corbridge (Northbld) and had issue two sons and two daughters;
(2) Lancelot Allgood (1651-55), baptised 12 March 1651; died young and was buried at Hexham, 9 December 1655;
(3) Robert Allgood (b. 1653) (q.v.);
(4) Margaret Allgood; married [forename unknown] Smith of Seghill and had issue a son, George (d. 1749);
(5) Lancelot Allgood (b. 1657), baptised 26 August 1657; perhaps died 1707;
(6) George Allgood (1659-1727) (q.v.);
(7) Thomas Allgood (1662-1735), baptised 29 January 1661/2; educated at Inner Temple (admitted 1687; called to bar, 1692); barrister-at-law; buried at Hexham, 30 January 1735;
(8) John Allgood (b. 1664), baptised 4 February 1664.
He lived at Hexham.
He died and was buried at Hexham, 21 April 1669; his will was proved at York, 20 January 1669/70.

Allgood, Robert (b. 1653), of Nunwick Hall. Eldest surviving son of George Allgood (d. 1669) and his wife Isabel Robins of Hexham, baptised 3 May 1653. Educated at Inner Temple (admitted 1682; called to bar 1688); barrister-at-law in Newcastle-on-Tyne. He probably married (it is not quite clear that both these marriages relate to the same Robert Allgood) 1st, 28 February 1692, Susannah Heseltine, and 2nd, 1719, Jane Manner, and had issue:
(2.1) Jane Allgood (1721-78), born 13 December 1721; married, 22 February 1738, Sir Lancelot Allgood (1711-82) (q.v.) and had issue three sons and five daughters; died 25 and was buried 31 March 1778.
He purchased the outlying portions of the Chipchase Castle estate from the Heron family in 1696. At his death they passed to his daughter and her husband.
His date of death is unknown, but was after 1727.

Allgood, George (1659-1727), of Chipchase Castle. Third surviving son of George Allgood (d. 1669) and his wife Isabel Robins of Hexham, baptised 19 October 1659. Educated at Inner Temple (admitted 1687). Probably a merchant at Newcastle. He married about September 1696 Elizabeth Quintry of London, and had issue a daughter, who died young.
He purchased the Seghill estate from Robert Mitford in 1723 and Chipchase Castle from Sir Harry Heron in 1725-27. At his death Chipchase was sold in 1734 to John Reed and Seghill passed to his nephew, George Smith (later Allgood) (d. 1749) and then to his brother Robert's daughter, Jane (1721-78), wife of Sir Lancelot Allgood.
He died in 1727 or 1728; his will was proved 12 March 1727/8.

Allgood, Lancelot (d. 1652). Eldest son of Robert Allgood of Bradley and his wife, a daughter of Rev. Pye of Morpeth. Bailiff of Hexham, 1646-52. He married Alice (d. 1691), daughter of Thomas Lewen of Amble (Northbld) and had issue:
(1) Rev. Major Allgood (c.1637-96) (q.v.);
(2) Thomas Allgood (d. 1713) of Hexham, gent.; bailiff of Hexham, 1690-1713; married, 16 May 1667, Isabel, daughter of George Crow of Hexham and had issue six sons and three daughters; will proved at York, 17 June 1713;
(3) Lancelot Allgood (1644-1703) of Brandon, baptised 12 June 1644; married, 1668, Margaret (1651-1707), daughter and co-heir of Robert Lewen of Newcastle-on-Tyne, merchant adventurer, but died without issue, 8 October 1703, when his property at Brandon passed to his nephew, Isaac Allgood (1683-1725);
(4) Richard Allgood (1645-52), baptised 12 August 1645; died young and was buried at Hexham, 27 August 1652;
(5) William Allgood (b. 1647) of Wisbech (Cambs), baptised 5 January 1646/7; married and had issue;
(6) Catherine Allgood (b. 1649), baptised 19 January 1648/9; died in infancy;
(7) Dorothy Allgood (b. & d. 1650), baptised 9 March 1649/50; buried at Hexham, 26 November 1650;
(8) George Allgood (1651-54), baptised 12 October 1651; died young and was buried at Hexham, 31 May 1654;
(9) Rev. Bartholomew Allgood (1652/3-1716), baptised 7 March 1652/3; educated at Hexham and Christ's College, Cambridge (admitted 1673; BA 1676/7); ordained deacon, 1676 and priest, 1677; vicar of Wiggenhall St Germans, 1677-78; rector of Ashwicken 1680-1716; married 25 April 1677, Elizabeth Hunston and had issue; died about May 1716.
He lived at Hexham (Northbld.)
He died and was buried at Hexham, 26 August 1652. His widow was buried in the same place, 27 November 1691.

Allgood, Rev. Major (c.1637-96). Son of Lancelot Allgood (d. 1652) of Bradley (Durham) and Hexham (Northbld), bailiff of Hexham, and his wife Alice, daughter of Thomas Lewen of Amble (Northbld), born about 1637. Educated at Hexham and Christ's College, Cambridge (BA 1662/3; MA 1667)  Rector of Simonsburn (Northbld), 1666-96. Married 1st, 6 June 1666, Ann (fl. 1669), widow of Capt. Downs, and 2nd, 4 March 1678/9, Mary (d. 1712/3), daughter of Rev. John Pye of Morpeth and had issue:
(1.1) Catherine Allgood; married Wilfrid Dykes of Hexham (Northbld), excise officer;
(1.2) Frances Allgood (d. 1732/3); married c.1706, Ralph Brandling esq. (d. 1717) of Hoppen (Northbld); buried at Alnwick, 15 February 1732/3;
(2.1) Isaac Allgood (1683-1725) (q.v.);
(2.2) Major Allgood (1685-1749) of Brandon White House, baptised 10 March 1684/5; married 18 February 1723/4, Martha, daughter of Rev. Charles Stoddart and had issue three sons and four daughters; buried at Eglingham (Northbld), 2 May 1749;
(2.3) Mary Allgood (1689-1746), born 16 April 1689; died unmarried and was buried at Hexham, 3 February 1746;
(2.4) Lancelot Allgood (1691-1735), baptised 1 May 1691; attorney at Hexham; bailiff of Hexham, 1725-34; married 1st, 1714/5, Ann Cook and 2nd, 13 February 1728/9, Esther (c.1696-1763), daughter and heir of William Varey of Newcastle-on-Tyne, notary public and widow of Thomas Teasdale of Steel Hall, Slaley (Northbld), and had issue two daughters; died 1734/5 and was buried at All Saints, Newcastle; will proved at York, 27 February 1734/5;
(2.5) Margaret Allgood (1693-1777); married, July 1726 at Chipchase, Henry Widdrington (d. 1727/8) of Colt Park, East Ritton (Northbld); died at Newcastle-on-Tyne, 7 December 1777, aged 85.
He was probably responsible for rebuilding Simonburn rectory in 1666; it was largely rebuilt again in 1725.
He died in 1696 and was buried at Simonburn, where he is commemorated by a mural monument in the chancel.

Allgood, Isaac (1683-1725). Son of Rev. Major Allgood (c.1637-96) and his second wife, Mary, daughter of Rev. John Pye of Morpeth, baptised 29 March 1683. Educated at Newcastle and St. John's College, Cambridge (admitted 1703); He married Hannah (d. 1724), daughter of Isaac Clark of London, vintner, and had issue:
(1) Sir Lancelot Allgood (1711-82), kt. (q.v.);
He also had a mistress, Hannah Reynolds, with whom he lived when in London, and by whom he had issue:
(X1) Hannah Allgood (1708-70), born in London, 24 March 1707/8; married secretly, 1724, John Glasse (d. 1747), a half-pay officer in the army and had issue four sons and six daughters of whom five children died in infancy; despite not being a professional cook, she published as Hannah Glasse, The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy (London, 1747); The Compleat Confectioner (c.1760) and The Servant's Directory or Household Companion (London, 1760), all reprinted many times; after her husband died she established herself as a costumier in Covent Garden and numbered the Princess of Wales among her customers; however she borrowed money heavily and was bankrupted in 1754, only being discharged in 1755 after selling the copyright in The Art of Cookery to a group of publishers; she was briefly imprisoned for debt in 1757; she died in Newcastle, 1 September 1770 and was buried at Broomfield (Essex) where her husband had been estate steward;
(X2) Mary Allgood (1709-17), baptised 18 November 1709; died young and was buried at Morpeth, 13 November 1717;

(X3) Isaac Allgood (b. 1712); baptised 31 July 1712; died young while at Durham School.

He lived in London and at Brandon White House near Powburn (Northbld). When he was ‘in liquor’ on 10 February 1714 he signed a deed transferring most of his London property to Mrs Reynolds. When he realized what he had done he turned her out, but it was too late, and his foolish act was to trouble the family for many years to come; it was not until 1740 that it was finally settled by his son and Hannah was provided with annuities as well as some capital.
He died 29 July 1725 and was buried at Simonburn. 

Allgood, Sir Lancelot (1711-82), kt of Nunwick Hall. Son of Isaac Allgood of Brandon White House, born 11 February 1711. Educated at Brasenose College, Oxford (admitted 1730) and Grays Inn (admitted 1731); undertook a Grand Tour through France and Italy, 1736-38, visiting Rome, Padua and Turin in 1738. High Sheriff of Northumberland, 1746-47; Tory MP for Northumberland, 1748-54; while an MP he promoted bills for turnpiking roads in Northumberland, much to the benefit of his own estates as well as of the county in general; knighted, 9 December 1760. He is known to have had Jacobite contacts (part of his Grand Tour was undertaken with Robert Forster), but during the '45 rebellion he demonstrated manifest loyalty to the Hanoverian dynasty, and attempts during the 1748 election campaign to portray him as a closet Jacobite were unsuccessful. He married, 22 February 1738/9, his distant cousin Jane (1721-78), daughter and heir of Robert Allgood of Lambley, Nunwick and Simonburn (Northbld) and had issue:
(1) Robert Allgood (1740-56), born 1 March 1739/40 and baptised 8 April 1740; educated at Eton but drowned there while bathing, 1 July 1756; buried at Eton, 10 July 1756;
(2) Jane Allgood (1743-47), born 30 July and baptised 31 August 1743; died young, 26 September 1747 and was buried at Hexham, 29 September 1747;
(3) Lancelot Allgood (1744-47), born 29 November 1744 and baptised 1 January 1744/5; died young, 6 September 1747 and was buried at Simonburn;
(4) Margaret Allgood (1746-47), born 26 February 1745/6 and baptised 1 April 1746; died young 28 September 1747 and was buried at Hexham, 2 October 1747;
(5) James Allgood (1749-1807) (q.v.);
(6) Jane Allgood (1751-76), born 26 August and baptised 4 October 1751; died unmarried at Bath (Somerset), 14 February 1776;
(7) Hannah Allgood (1753-97), born 3 January 1753; married 19 October 1778, Sir William Loraine (1749-1809), 4th bt. of Kirkharle Hall (Northbld) and had issue; died 5 June 1797 and was buried at Kirkharle (Northbld), 11 June 1797, where she is commemorated by a monumental inscription;
(8) Isabella Allgood (b. 1754), born 13 May 1754; married, 19 October 1776, Rev. Lambton Loraine (1752-1821), rector of Milton Keynes (Bucks), and had issue one son and four daughters.
He inherited Brandon White House from his father in 1725 and acquired Nunwick through his marriage, building the present house there in 1748-52, probably to the designs of Daniel Garrett. He inherited further property from his wife's cousin, George Allgood of Seghill (Northbld.) in 1749 and Colt Park, East Ritton and the associated lands of Birkheads and Coldrife from his great-aunt in 1777, but later sold them.
He died 26 April 1782 and was buried at Simonburn (Northbld). His wife died 25 March 1778.

Allgood, James (1749-1807) of Nunwick Hall. Only surviving son of Sir Lancelot Allgood (1711-82) and his wife Jane, daughter and heir of Robert Allgood of Nunwick and Simonburn, born 31 August and baptised 12 October 1749. Educated at Brasenose College, Oxford (matriculated 1768; MA 1771; DCL 1773; LLD). High Sheriff of Northumberland, 1786. He married, 2 October 1790, Martha (1767-1802), daughter of Christopher Reed of Chipchase Castle (Northbld) and had issue:
(1) Sarah Allgood (1792-1868), born 30 and baptised 31 March 1792; died unmarried at Lincoln Hill (Northbld), and was buried 1 August 1868; will proved 24 October 1868 (estate under £8,000);
(2) Jane Allgood (1793-1874), born 27 June and baptised 6 July 1793; died unmarried at Lincoln Hill (Northbld), 1 November and was buried at Humshaugh (Northbld), 5 November 1874; will proved 14 December 1874 (estate under £10,000);
(3) Robert Lancelot Allgood (1794-1854) (q.v.);
(4) Rev. James Allgood (1796-1850), born 29 January and baptised 8 April 1796; educated at University College and St Mary's Hall, Oxford (matriculated, 1813; BA 1819; MA 1821); ordained deacon, 1819 and priest, 1821; curate in Dorset, 1821-27; vicar of Felton, 1827-50 and rector of Ingram (Northbld), 1829-50; domestic chaplain to Viscount O'Neill, 1829-41; died unmarried at Felton, 28 April 1850 and was buried there 4 May 1850;
(5) Margaret Hannah Allgood (1800-62), born 27 and baptised 31 May 1800; died unmarried at Lincoln Hill (Northbld), 16 and was buried at Felton 22 March 1862; will proved 23 April 1862 (estate under £6,000).
He inherited Nunwick Hall from his father in 1782.
He died 14 May 1807 and was buried at Simonburn, 18 May 1807; his will was proved 21 August 1807. His wife was buried at Simonburn, 26 December 1802.

Allgood, Robert Lancelot (1794-1854) of Nunwick Hall. Elder son of James Allgood (1749-1807) and his wife Martha, daughter of Christopher Reed of Chipchase Castle (Northbld), born 17 September and baptised 19 September 1794. Educated at Oakham and Christ's College, Cambridge (admitted 1812). DL for Northumberland; High Sheriff of Northumberland, 1818. He married 1st, 2 May 1816, Mary Neville (1791-1816),  eldest daughter of John Reed of Chipchase Castle (Northbld) and 2nd, 26 August 1820, Elizabeth (1792-1864), second daughter and co-heiress of John Hunter of The Hermitage (Northbld) and had issue:
(2.1) Elizabeth Martha Allgood (1821-1892), born and baptised 5 July 1821; married, 26 August 1840, Gen. Henry Eyre (d. 1889) of Middleton Tyas (Yorks); died 8 June and was buried at Middleton Tyas, 14 June 1892; will proved 25 October 1892 (estate £4,071);
(2.2) Lancelot John Hunter Allgood (1823-85) (q.v.);
(2.3) Robert James Allgood (1825-42), born 18 March 1825; served as ensign in 98th Regiment; died unmarried and was buried at Simonburn, 2 August 1842;
(2.4) Rev. James Allgood (1826-1910) (q.v.);
(2.5) Maj-Gen. George Allgood (1827-1900) of Blindburn, Wark-on-Tyne (Northbld), born 1 November 1827; educated at Rugby; served in Bengal Staff Corps and with Bengal Native Infantry, 1857-69 (Maj-Gen., 1866); appointed CB 1864; married, 1862, Elizabeth (d. 1874), daughter of Rev. Richard Clayton and had issue two sons and one daughter; died 18 October 1900;
(2.6) Ann Jane Allgood (1829-1922) of The Hermitage (Northbld), born 22 February 1829; died 11 March 1922, aged 93; will proved 25 July 1922 (estate £29,890);
(2.7) Isabella Allgood (1831-96), born 1 February 1831; married, 26 or 29 June 1849, Henry Baker Baker (1822-71) of Elemore Hall (Durham) and had issue; died 2 March and was buried at Pittington (Durham), 5 March 1896; will proved 27 April 1896 (estate £34,781);
(2.8) Mary Frances Allgood (1835-41), born 10 July 1835; died young, 26 December 1841 and was buried 4 January 1842;
(2.9) Rev. William Isaac Allgood (1836-68) of The Hermitage (Northbld), born 1 November and baptised 7 November 1836; educated at Brasenose College, Oxford (matriculated 1856; BA 1861; MA 1863); died 20 April and was buried at Simonburn, 25 April 1868; will proved 5 June 1868 (estate under £10,000).
He inherited Nunwick Hall from his father in 1807 and employed Ignatius Bonomi to alter it in 1829. He also rebuilt Brandon Farm near Ingram in 1831.
He died at Brighton (Sussex), 25 May 1854 and was buried at Simonburn, 1 June 1854. His first wife was buried at Chollerton, 11 September 1816. His widow died 7 September 1864 (will proved 15 December 1864 (estate under £16,000)) and was also buried at Simonburn, where they are commemorated by a mural monument by Matthew Noble, 1866.

Allgood, (Lancelot John) Hunter (1823-85) of Nunwick Hall. Eldest son of Robert Lancelot Allgood (1794-1854) and his second wife, Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of John Hunter of The Hermitage (Northbld), born 22 February 1823. Served as an officer in 13th Light Dragoons; JP and DL for Northumberland; High Sheriff of Northumberland, 1858. He married, 17 May 1845, Louisa Charlotte (d. 1899), daughter of Col. Sir Thomas Noel Hill KCB, but had no issue.
He inherited Nunwick Hall from his father in 1864. At his death the estate passed to his oldest surviving brother.
He died 23 January and was buried at Simonburn, 28 January 1885; his will was proved 17 March 1885 (estate £37,402). His widow died 26 December and was buried at Simonburn, 30 December 1899; her will was proved 10 March 1900 (estate £17,073).

Allgood, Rev. James (1826-1910) of Nunwick Hall.  Third son of Robert Lancelot Allgood (1794-1854) and his second wife, Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of John Hunter of The Hermitage (Northbld), born 30 June 1826. Educated at Brasenose College, Oxford (matriculated 1846; BA 1850; MA 1852). Ordained deacon, 1851 and priest, 1852; rector of Ingram near Alnwick (Northbld), 1852-87. He married, 4 April 1854, Isabella (d. 1876), daughter of Charles Alexander Williamson of Balgray (Dumfriess) and had issue:
(1) Robert Lancelot Allgood (1855-1916) (q.v.);
(2) George Guy Hunter Allgood (1857-90), born 6 November and baptised 27 December 1857; educated at Wellington College; Capt. in King's Royal Rifle Corps; died unmarried by being accidentally killed at Allahabad (India), 22 March 1890; administration of goods granted, 11 February 1891 (estate £618);
(3) Alice Whittingham Allgood OBE (1859-1949), born 6 June and baptised 22 June 1859; JP for Northumberland; married, 2 October 1884, John Coppin Straker (1847-1937) of Stagshaw House (Northbld) and had issue; died 31 December 1949, aged 90; will proved 13 June 1950 (estate £14,518);
(4) Elaine Elizabeth Allgood (1861-65), born 10 February 1861; died young, 2 September 1865; buried at Ingram, 4 September 1865;
(5) James Charles Allgood (1862-76), born 21 July 1862; killed in a railway accident at Abbots Ripton (Hunts), 21 January 1876; buried at Ingram, 29 January 1876;
(6) David Williamson Allgood (1864-76), born 19 April 1864; killed in a railway accident at Abbots Ripton (Hunts), 21 January 1876; buried at Ingram, 29 January 1876;
(7) Alfred Major Allgood (1866-1949) of Walwick Grange, born 15 August and baptised 28 September 1866; educated at Eton and Trinity Hall, Cambridge (matriculated 1885; BA 1893); land agent; married, July 1910, Margaretta (d. 1952), daughter of W. Murray MD of Scourbank, Longtown (Cumbld) but died without issue, 13 March 1949; will proved 20 May 1949 (estate £17,567);
(8) Brig-Gen. William Henry Loraine Allgood (1868-1957), born 16 February and baptised 15 April 1868; educated at Eton and Trinity Hall, Cambridge (matriculated 1887); served in Kings Royal Rifle Corps (Burma Expedition, 1891-92; South African War, 1899-1900; WW1, 1914-18); Brigade Commander, 1916-18; Commander, Ripon Reserve Centre, 1918-20; Commanding Officer, Londonderry Infantry Brigade, 1920-22 and 140th Brigade, Territorial Army, 1922-25; retired as Brig-Gen., 1925; awarded CB; CMG; DSO; Legion d'honneur; married, 29 July 1914, Sophie Beryl Sheila (d. 1957), daughter of Col. John Henry Graham Holroyd Smyth CMG DL, but had no issue; died 27 December 1957; will proved 10 March 1958 (estate £16,453);
(9) Edith Gertrude Allgood (1869-1944), born 2 December 1869 and baptised 9 January 1870; married, 6 June 1895, Frederic Straker (1862-1941) of Angerton Hall (Northbld) and had issue; died 7 July 1944; will proved 11 November 1944 (estate £71,793);
(10) Mary Evelyn Allgood (1871-1943), born 7 November and baptised 17 December 1871; married September 1910, Richard George Bell (d. 1943) of Broomhouse near Morpeth (Northbld) and had issue; died 14 February 1943; will proved 25 August 1943 (estate £30,324);
(11) Rev. Roland Frederick Allgood (1873-1948), born 3 August and baptised 7 September 1873; educated at Eton and Trinity Hall, Cambridge (matriculated 1893; BA 1899); ordained deacon, 1901 and priest, 1903; curate of Sedbergh (Yorks), 1901-09; rector of Ingram, Powburn (Northbld), 1909-47 and of Ilderton, 1938-47; rural dean of Glendale, 1937-47; Hon. Canon of Newcastle Cathedral, 1942-47; married, 17 December 1908, Edith Marion Porter (d. 1948), daughter of William Robinson of Greenbank, Sedbergh (Yorks) and had issue one son and one daughter; died 17 March 1948; will proved 14 July 1948 (estate £3,367).
He inherited Nunwick Hall from his elder brother in 1885.
He died 20 May 1910; his will was proved 20 October 1910 (estate £39,508). His wife was killed in a railway accident at Abbots Ripton (Hunts) with two of her sons, 21 January 1876, and was buried at Ingram, 29 January 1876.

Allgood, Robert Lancelot (1855-1916) of Nunwick Hall. Eldest son of Rev. James Allgood (1826-1910) of Nunwick Hall and his wife Isabella, daughter of Charles A. Williamson of Balgray, born 18 October 1855 and baptised 24 January 1856. Educated at Eton. He married, 14 July 1891, Isabel Evelyn (d. 1952), daughter of Nathaniel George Clayton of Chesters (Northbld), and had issue:
(1) Guy Hunter Allgood (1892-1970) (q.v.);
(2) Nathaniel James Allgood (1894-1957), born 27 December 1894 and baptised 17 March 1895; served in WW1 (Lt. in Royal Northumberland Fusiliers and Royal Flying Corps) and WW2 (F/Lt., Royal Air Force); died unmarried, 2 December 1957; his will was proved 31 March 1958 (estate £37,719);
(3) Maud Allgood (1896-1973), born 11 March and baptised 3 May 1896; died unmarried, Oct-Dec 1973;
(4) Rosamond Allgood (1897-1943), born 31 December 1897 and baptised 30 June 1898; died unmarried, 7 November 1943; her will was proved 3 April 1944 (estate £2,459).
He inherited Nunwick Hall from his father in 1910.
He died 10 October 1916; administration granted to his widow 17 May 1917 (estate £22,408). His widow married 2nd, 6 April 1918, Francis John Douglas (d. 1934), and died 23 February 1952; her will was proved 1 August 1952 (estate £2,697).

Allgood, Guy Hunter (1892-1970) of Nunwick Hall. Elder son of Robert Lancelot Allgood (1855-1916) and his wife Isabel Evelyn, daughter of Nathaniel George Clayton of Chesters (Northbld), born 4 October and baptised 27 November 1892. Educated at Winchester and Trinity College, Cambridge (BA 1914). Served in WW1 (Capt., 3rd Bttn., Northumberland Fusiliers, 1914-19) and WW2 (ADC 1939-41; Staff Captain, War Office, 1941-44); JP and DL for Northumberland; High Sheriff of Northumberland, 1954. He married, 26 September 1942, Mary (d. 1952), eldest daughter of Maj. Hon. Charles Noel of Pitkerro (Angus) and had issue:
(1) Lancelot Guy Allgood (1944-98) (q.v.);
(2) Charles Noel Allgood (b. 1945), born 1 May 1945; educated at Ampleforth;
(3) James Major Allgood (1948-49), born 27 June 1948; died in infancy, 15 March 1949.
He inherited Nunwick Hall from his father in 1916.
He died 1 June 1970. His wife died 7 March 1952.

Allgood, Lancelot Guy (1944-98) of Nunwick Hall. Eldest son of Guy Hunter Allgood (1892-1970) and his wife Mary, eldest daughter of Maj. the Hon. Charles Noel of Pitkerro (Angus), born 1 February 1944.  Educated at Ampleforth. High Sheriff of Northumberland, 1984. He married, 1972, Veronica Sybil Pitman (b. 1950) and had issue:
(1) Jane Elizabeth Allgood (b. 1977), born 3 April 1977; educated at St Anne's School, Windermere and Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester; married, October 2008, James Robert Lamb of Biggar (Lanarks);
(2) George Hunter Allgood (b. & d. 1979), born 1 May and died 18 May 1979;
(3) Alice Louise Allgood (b. 1980), born 14 August 1980; educated at St Anne's School, Windermere and Oxford Brookes University; married, August 2006, David Alastair George Murray;
(4) Mary Rosamund Allgood (b. 1983), born 21 February 1983; married, July 2011, Henry Hunter Lobb, solicitor, son of Rev. Edward Lobb of Middleton House, Beith (Ayrshire).
He inherited Nunwick Hall from his father in 1970. At his death the estate passed to his widow.
He died 24 December 1998; his will was proved 1 March 1999.

Sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, 1965, pp. 12-13; J. Hodgson, History of Northumberland in three parts, 1827, part 2, vol. 1, p. 322; R. Welford, Men of Mark 'Twixt Tyne and Tweed, 1895, vol. 1, pp. 40-42; F. Graham, The Old Halls, Houses and Inns of Northumberland, 1977, pp. 203-04; Sir N. Pevsner, I. Richmond et al, The buildings of England: Northumberland, 1992, pp. 533-34, 571; J. Ingamells, A dictionary of British and Irish travellers in Italy, 1701-1800, 1997, p. 16; Sir H.M. Colvin, A biographical dictionary of British architects, 4th edn., 2008, pp. 138, 410-12; http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/63115; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2336354/Hundreds-antiquities-discovered-Northumberland-country-mansion-The-Hermitage.html.

Location of archives

Allgood family of Nunwick: deeds, 1468-19th cent; manorial and estate records, 1601-1937; legal papers 1657-1812; wills and settlements, 1537-1916; family papers, 17th cent.-1900; household papers, 18th-19th cents [Northumberland Archives, ZAL, O3256]

Coat of arms

Argent, a cross engrailed gules, between four mullets azure, on a chief or, three damask roses, barbed and seeded proper

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 4 February 2014 and was updated 25 December 2022 and 25 October 2023.

(106) Allfrey of Wokefield Park

Allfrey of Wokefield Park

The Allfreys were Sussex yeomen farmers over many generations, the name first appearing in records as early as 1296. By the end of the medieval period, there were several distinct branches of the family, whose history has been traced by the Felbridge & District History Group. It was the branch of the family at West Dean which eventually rose to greater prosperity and social distinction, initially through the innovative sheep husbandry of George Allfrey (1734-96), who established the practice of exchanging rams with his neighbouring farmers every few years and thus improved the bloodstock of his flock. His younger son, Edward Allfrey (1770-1834) turned to commerce and operated as a shipping insurer at Lloyds of London before turning to the brewing industry and becoming a partner in Reid & Co. of the Griffin Brewery in Clerkenwell, a porter brewery. On the profits of these activities he began buying property at Salehurst and Robertsbridge in Sussex, including a handsome house called Bantony (now Bantony Manor).

Bantony Manor, Salehurst. The house has recently been restored after a period of dilapidation when it was threatened by the proposed construction of a new dual carriageway section of the A21.

It was brewing that made the family rich and enabled Edward Allfrey's sons to buy and build country houses. The eldest son, Robert, bought Wokefield Park in Berkshire; the second surviving son, Henry Wells Allfrey, bought Hemingford House at Alveston (Warwickshire), just outside Stratford-on-Avon; the third son, Frederick William Allfrey (1819-1915) bought land at Spencers Wood near Reading and built a new mansion which he called Stanbury; and the youngest son inherited his father's property at Salehurst.

Robert Allfrey (1809-75) inherited the greater part of his father's interest in the brewery and by the early 1840s was able to buy Wokefield Park in Berkshire, a 17-bay house with newly-laid out landscaped grounds.  When he died in 1875 his wealth amount to some £400,000. His eldest son, Goodrich Holmsdale Allfrey (1835-98) became even richer and was worth £743,000 at his death. What subsequently happened to this fortune is something of a mystery, since neither of G.H. Allfrey's two sons left a corresponding fortune at their deaths in 1935 and 1939.  It may be simply that the tap - in this case, rather literally - was turned off, for the Griffin Brewery was sold in 1898, being one of three firms which combined to form Watney, Combe & Reid Ltd (later Watney Mann & Co). Although Watneys was remarkably profitable in the early and mid 20th century, we do not know if the Allfreys retained shares in the business; they may instead have invested in other things which did less well.

Wokefield Park passed in 1898 to the elder son, Herbert Cyril Allfrey (1874-1935), who promptly sold it to Alfred Palmer, the Reading biscuit manufacturer. Allfrey and his wife apparently lived in London for a few years, and may also have rented a house in the North Riding of Yorkshire, but in 1905-06 they commissioned a new Arts & Crafts style country house, Burrough Court in Leicestershire, from the great northern architect, Walter Brierley. Burrough Court was in the prime hunting country around Melton Mowbray, and both H.C. Allfrey and his brother Nugent (1880-1939), who rented a series of houses nearby in Leicestershire and Rutland, were evidently keen huntsmen. Just after the end of the First World War Burrough Court was sold to Lord Furness, and in 1931 it was the place where Lady Furness introduced the Prince of Wales to Wallis Simpson, with such dramatic consequences for the succession to the Crown.  Herbert Allfrey moved from Burrough Court to Newnton House at Long Newnton (Glos). Although his new home was still a handsome country house, it was smaller than Burrough Court, just as Burrough Court had been smaller than Wokefield Park, and it seems likely that the family was consciously downsizing. Newnton House was sold in 1936.

Wokefield Park, Berkshire

Wokefield Park: entrance front

The Plowdens had a house here (sometimes referred to as Oakfield House) from the 16th century onwards, and a vaulted cellar is likely to be a survival from it. However, the building that stands today began as a seven bay three storey house with a balustraded roof-line, built c.1720-25 for Charles Parry, which was similar in planning and general appearance to Francis Smith’s Kinlet Hall (Shropshire); the central three bays on both sides are slightly recessed and emphasised by raised quoins.  This house was altered in 1788-89 by Sir John Soane for Harriet Brocas (who later also employed him at Bramley church in Hampshire), and then expanded on both sides in the early 19th century to give a not specially attractive cement-rendered 17-bay facade.  The 19th century wings consist of balustraded two storey links and three-storey pavilions. The Doric porte-cochère on the entrance front is presumably also early 19th century, and so perhaps is the pedimented stone porch on the garden front. The house is now a hotel and conference centre, and large additions have been made at either end of the house to provide these facilities. 

The park (originally of 207 acres) was a medieval deer park, first mentioned in 1319, and it was landscaped during the 18th century as John Rocque's map of Berkshire shows avenues, woodland and possibly water features. The present gardens preserve the remnants of 19th century terraces and a landscaped lake, which is believed to have been created c.1820.

Wokefield Park: garden front

The interior was completely remodelled c.1900 for Alfred Palmer, of the Reading biscuit firm, and nothing survives inside of the Early Georgian or Soane periods.  Instead we have elaborate plasterwork in some of the former reception rooms on the south front, some of it in the Adamesque style typical of c.1900, and a wooden 18th-century style staircase separated from the entrance hall by a screen of fluted Ionic columns.

Descent: sold 1569 to Edmund Plowden (d. 1585); to son, Edmund Plowden (d. 1587); to brother, Francis Plowden (fl. 1620); to son, Francis Plowden who sold 1627 to Peter Weaver; to daughter Elizabeth Weaver, wife of Charles Pearce (d. before 1685) of Eton; to daughter Katherine Pearce, wife of Francis Parry (d. before 1706); to son, Charles Parry (d. by 1734), who rebuilt the house; to son, Charles Parry (d. 1740); to sisters and co-heirs, who sold 1742 to 1st Earl of Uxbridge; to grandson, 2nd Earl of Uxbridge, who sold to Bernard Brocas (d. 1777) of Beaurepaire; to widow, Harriet Brocas (d. 1819) for life and then to grandson, Bernard Brocas (d. 1839); sold after his death to Robert Allfrey (1809-75); to son, Goodrich Holmsdale Allfrey (1835-98); to son, Herbert Cyril Allfrey (1874-1935), who sold 1900 to Alfred Palmer (1852-c.1936); sold 1936 to De La Salle Brothers for use as St. Benedict's Approved School (closed c.1970)... Hotel & Conference Centre since c.1984.

Burrough Court, Burrough-on-the-Hill, Leicestershire

Burrough Court: architect's perspective drawing of 1906.

An Arts & Crafts style house designed by Walter H. Brierley in 1906 for Herbert Allfrey.  It stands in the hunting country around Melton Mowbray and became a fashionable meeting place for the hunting set between the First and Second World Wars when Lady Furness (who preceded Mrs Simpson in the affections of the Prince of Wales) and her husband owned it. Indeed, it was where Lady Furness introduced Mrs. Simpson to the Prince, on 10 January 1931. The house was destroyed by fire in the 1940s, reputedly when some Canadian soldiers stationed there tried to use dynamite to break into a sealed wine cellar; the ruins were later demolished, but the stable court survives and is now used as offices, business units and meeting rooms.

Descent: built c.1906 for Herbert Cyril Allfrey (1874-1935); sold 1919 to Marmaduke Furness (1883-1940), 1st Viscount Furness; to son, William Anthony Furness (1920-95), 2nd Viscount Furness; burnt c.1945.

Newnton House, Long Newnton, Gloucestershire

Newnton House, Long Newnton

A seven‑bay, two‑storey house with a pediment over the three central, slightly projecting, bays and with an older wing at the rear. It was built for Thomas White, a Tetbury mercer, between 1799 and 1812 on land he purchased from the Estcourt family.  Caroline White of this family married the architect Samuel Daukes in 1836.  The Estcourts bought Long Newnton back in 1849 and it was let for most of the later 19th and early 20th centuries, but it was sold in about 1919 to Herbert Allfrey.  Inside, the main rooms have nice cornices and chimneypieces, and there is an extremely elegant cantilevered stone staircase with a wrought iron balustrade, which rises tightly in an apsidal staircase hall with good panelled doors set on the curve of the apse.

Descent: Thomas White (1753-1832)...sold 1849 to Thomas Grimston Bucknall Estcourt (1775-1853); to son, Thomas Henry Sutton Sotheron Estcourt (1801-76); to brother, Rev. Edmund Hiley Bucknall Estcourt (1803-94); to son, George Thomas John Sotheron-Estcourt (1839-1915); to distant cousin, Edmund Walter Estcourt who gave the estate in 1919 to son, Thomas Edmund Estcourt (d. 1958), who sold c.1919/20 to Herbert Cyril Allfrey (1874-1935); sold 1936...

Stanbury, Spencers Wood, Berkshire

A large Victorian mansion, built in 1859-60 for Frederick William Allfrey (1819-1915). The house was requisitioned for military use in the Second World War and there was a German Prisoner of War camp here. It was returned to private occupation in the 1950s and a large 19th century conservatory from Maiden Erleigh was re-erected here.  The house was badly damaged by fire in 1960 and subsequently demolished. The conservatory survived the fire and demolition and was sold in the 1980s for re-erection elsewhere; it is believed now to be in Cornwall. A small housing estate was built on part of the site of the house in 1969-70.

Descent: built for Frederick William Allfrey (1819-1915)...requisitioned in Second World War; sold 1945...

Hemingford House, Alveston, Warwickshire

Hemingford House, Alveston

A white stuccoed house, reputedly of 1784, but to all external appearances now of the early to mid 19th century. It has a three bay three storey entrance front with lower one-bay wings. The central bay of the entrance front is broken slightly forward and flanked by pilasters, and has a porch with Doric columns and a Tuscan entablature. The broad tripartite windows on the ground floor and the single-storey extension to the left are presumably mid 19th century alterations. Inside, the entrance hall has a rich cornice and a Doric columns either side of the opening to the staircase hall. The house has been a Youth Hostel for many years and reopened after restoration in 2013.

Descent: Henry Wells Allfrey (1817-87); to son, Henry Allfrey (1850-1938)... Youth Hostels Association.

Allfrey family of Wokefield Park

Allfrey, George (1736-94) of Friston Place. Only son of George Allfrey of West Dean (1705-64) and his wife Catherine Woodhams, born at West Dean (Sussex), June 1736.  A successful sheep farmer, who introduced the practice of exchanging his rams with neighbouring farmers every four or five years to prevent in-breeding, and thereby strengthened the bloodline of his stock. He married, 1767, Mary (1739-1810), daughter of William Stone of Stonebridge (Sussex) and had issue:
(1) Fanny Allfrey (1767-1833), born November 1767; died unmarried, 30 March 1833; buried at Seaford;
(2) George Allfrey (1769-1802) of Friston Place; farmer of over 700 acres at Friston; married Kitty (1768-1822), daughter of Stening Beard of Seaford and had issue three sons and one daughter; died intestate at Brighton, 23 April 1802;
(3) Edward Allfrey (1770-1834) (q.v.);
(4) Charlotte Allfrey (1772-1846), baptised 19 January 1772; died unmarried at Eastbourne, 1 August 1846; buried at Seaford;
(5) Catherine Allfrey (1773-1858), born 23 March 1773; married, 7 May 1801, Thomas Rogers Willard (1777-1857); died without issue, 4 December 1858; will proved 14 March 1859 (estate under £3,000);
(6) Harriet Allfrey (1774-1815), baptised 13 January 1775; married, 30 July 1800, Capt. Thomas Mortimer and had issue three sons and one daughter; died at Eastbourne, 2 November 1815;
(7) Sarah Allfrey (1779-1837), baptised 21 November 1779; died unmarried at Eastbourne, 12 December 1837; buried at Seaford.
He inherited the lease of Friston Place from his father in 1764.
He died at Friston Place, 13 May 1794; his will was proved 29 December 1794. His widow died in Seaford, 23 December 1810.

Allfrey, Edward (1770-1834), of London, and Bantony, Salehurst (Sussex). Second son of George Allfrey (d. 1794) of Friston Place and his wife Mary, daughter of William Stone of Stonebridge, born 4 November 1770.  Shipping insurer at Lloyds of London; later partner in Reid & Co., porter brewers of Griffin Brewery, Clerkenwell. He married, 3 December 1807, Margaret (d. 1855), daughter of Robert Shedden of London and Paulerspury Park (Northants), and had issue:
(1) Robert Allfrey (1809-75) (q.v.);
(2) Henry Allfrey (b. 1810), born 25 October 1810 and baptised 12 February 1811; died young;
(3) Emma Allfrey (b. 1813), baptised 8 April 1813; died young
(4) Edward Allfrey (b. & d. 1815), buried 1 May 1815, aged 2 days;
(5) George Allfrey (b. & d. 1816), baptised 6 June 1816; buried 9 June 1816;
(6) Henry Wells Allfrey (1817-87) (q.v.); 
(7) Frederick William Allfrey (1819-1915) of Stanbury, Reading (Berks), born 15 May and baptised 22 September 1819; married, 4 September 1845, Emily (d. 1866), daughter of Col. Sir Robert Moubray KGH of Cockairney (Fife) and had issue 3s 2d; died 25 August 1915 aged 96; will proved 15 October 1915 (estate £309,514);
(8) Edward Allfrey (1822-73) of Bantony, Salehurst, born 16 December 1822 and baptised 20 January 1823; died unmarried, 10 October 1873; will proved 6 March 1874 (estate under £25,000).
He acquired the Bantony estate at Salehurst (Sussex) in 1821 and the manor of Robertsbridge in the following year. At his death these passed to his youngest son.
He died 6 June 1834 and was buried 13 June 1834 at Banstead (Surrey); will proved 26 June 1834. His widow died 26 February 1855.

Allfrey, Robert (1809-75) of Wokefield Park.  Eldest son of Edward Allfrey (d. 1834) of London, Salehurst and Banstead and his wife Margaret, daughter of Robert Shedden of Paulersbury Park (Northants), born 10 October and baptised 13 December 1809.  Major shareholder in Reid & Co., porter brewers of Griffin Brewery, Clerkenwell. JP and DL for Berkshire; High Sheriff of Berkshire, 1850. He married, 20 October 1834, Caroline (1815-87), daughter of William Hobson of Harley Street, London, and had issue:
(1) Goodrich Holmsdale Allfrey (1835-98) (q.v.);
(2) Col. Irving Stening Allfrey (1837-1912), born 5 and baptised 30 April 1837; Colonel of 1st Bttn, Somerset Light Infantry; married 1st, 4 December 1860, Mary Elizabeth (d. 1875), daughter of Major Talbot, and had issue 2s and 1d, and married 2nd 23 April 1878, Emma Florence (d. 1927), eldest daughter of Admiral Henry Foote and had issue 2s 1d; died 10 December 1912; will proved 23 January 1913 (estate £1,191);
(3) Ernest Herbert Allfrey (1839-1922) of Fernihurst, Wedderburn, Victoria (Australia), born 30 April and baptised 12 July 1839; emigrated to Australia, 1867; married, 1874, Isabella Mary Moubray and had issue; died 8 May 1922;
(4) Ellen Allfrey (1840-75), born Oct-Dec 1840; died unmarried, 12 December 1875; will proved 24 January 1876 (estate under £20,000);
(5) Walter Mortimer Allfrey (1843-1937) of Farley Castle (Berks), born 6 December 1843; educated at Harrow; partner in Reid & Co., brewers of Clerkenwell; married, 22 February 1872, his cousin Louisa (d. 1944), daughter of Frederick William Allfrey and had issue 2s 4d; died 8 August 1937; will proved 1 October 1937 (estate £53,947)
(6) Rodney Charles Allfrey (1847-79) of Whitchurch (Shropshire), born 18 March 1847; died unmarried, 3 December 1879; administration of goods, 18 December 1879 (estate under £7,000);
(7) Gerald Moubray Allfrey (1848-95) of Twickenham (Middx), born 10 September 1848; educated at Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1868); married, 1875, Elizabeth Emily Pontin and had issue 1s; died 6 September 1895; will proved 14 October 1895 and July 1896 (estate £16,900)
(8) Beauclerk Cyril Allfrey (1851-54), born 10 February 1851; died young, 20 November 1854;
(9) Sidney Reginald Allfrey (b. 1852) of Kirkley (Suffolk), born 26 November 1852; married 31 October 1876, Frances Studholme (d. 1892), daughter of William Purves; died 4 December 1897; will proved 14 April 1898 (estate £20,221);
(10) Constance Louisa Allfrey (1845-80), born 24 April and baptised 20 June 1845; married, 1878, Lt-Col. Charles John Anderson of Poona (India) and had issue; died 3 November 1880; administration of goods, 21 May 1881 (estate under £300).
He purchased Wokefield Park about 1840.
He died 15 September 1875; his will was proved 27 October 1875 (estate under £400,000). His widow died 23 April 1887; her will was proved 21 May 1887 (estate £20,950)

Allfrey, Maj. Goodrich Holmsdale (1835-98) of Wokefield Park.  Eldest son of Robert Allfrey (1809-75) of Wokefield Park and his wife Caroline, daughter of William Hobson of Harley Street, London, born 27 September 1835 and baptised 28 November 1835 at Banstead (Surrey). Served in the army (Major, 2nd Dragoon Guards), during Indian Campaign, 1858-59; JP for Berkshire; High Sheriff of Berkshire, 1881; Master of the South Berkshire Foxhounds. He married, 21 August 1873, Helen Clara (1848-1912), daughter of William Little and had issue:
(1) Herbert Cyril Allfrey (1874-1935) (q.v.);
(2) Nugent St. Clair Allfrey (1880-1939), born 25 May 1880; Captain in 2nd Dragoon Guards; rented a series of houses in Leicestershire and Rutland including Rotherby Hall (Leics), 1912, Hambledon Manor (Rut), 1919 and South Luffenham Hall (Rut), 1939; married, 12 February 1907, Eleanor Blanche (1885-1941), 3rd daughter of Hon. Evelyn Cornwallis Anderson-Pelham; died without issue, 5 August 1939; will proved 16 September 1939 (estate £55,898).
He inherited Wokefield Park from his father in 1875. After his death, his widow leased Williamstrip Park (Glos).
He died 9 April 1898; his will was proved 13 June 1898 (estate £743,771). His widow died in France, 30 January 1912; her will was proved 26 March 1912 (estate £4,697).

Allfrey, Maj. Herbert Cyril (1874-1935) of Long Newnton House (Glos). Elder son of Goodrich Holmsdale Allfrey (1835-98) and his wife Helen Clara, daughter of William Little, born 28 September 1874. Educated at Eton and Merton College, Oxford. Served in WW1 as Major in the Royal Field Artillery; JP for Berkshire, 1899 and North Riding of Yorkshire, 1902. He married, 30 October 1897, Norah Church (1877-1961), daughter of John Gilbert Meiggs of London and had issue:
(1) Basil Holmsdale Allfrey (1898-1981), born 24 November 1898; educated at Eton and RMC Sandhurst; served as Captain in 9th Q.R. Lancers; married 1st, 16 October 1929 (div. 1939), Adeline Elizabeth Daphne, daughter of Sir Gilbert Wheaton Fox, 1st bt. and had issue 2s; married 2nd, 17 April 1941, Babette Betty, daughter of Emil Schanzer of Vienna and formerly wife of [forename unknown] Reizers and lived latterly in Vienna; died 1981;
(2) Phyllis Allfrey (1901-79), born 19 February 1901; married, 15 July 1931, Lancelot William Joynson-Hicks (1902-83), 3rd Viscount Brentford and had issue 1 son; died 1979.
He inherited Wokefield Park from his father in 1898, but sold it in 1900. He then built a new house, Burrough Court, at Burrough-on-the-Hill (Leics), which he later sold to Viscount Furness. He lived later at Newnton House, Long Newnton, near Tetbury (Glos).
He died 10 November and was buried at Long Newnton, 13 November 1935; his will was proved 10 January 1936 (estate £37,873). His widow died 2 February 1961.

Allfrey, Henry Wells (1817-87) of Hemingford House. Second surviving son of Edward Allfrey (1770-1843) and his wife Margaret, daughter of Robert Shedden of Paulespury Park (Northants), born and baptised 17 September 1817. Educated at Exeter College, Oxford (matriculated 1836). JP for Warwickshire. He married 1st, 6 December 1845 at Aberdour (Fife), Adeline Frances (d. 1855), daughter of Col. Sir Robert Moubray KGH of Cockairney (Fife) and 2nd, 1859, Catherine Elizabeth (d. 1920), daughter of Philip Saltmarshe of Saltmarshe (Yorks), and had issue:
(1.1) Henry Allfrey (1850-1938) (q.v.);
(1.2) Edward Allfrey (1852-79), baptised 13 July 1852; served in 17th Regiment; killed in the Afghan War;
(1.3) Adeline Margaret Allfrey (1846-60), baptised 18 November 1846; died young and was buried at Alveston, 19 July 1860;
(1.4) Laura Millicent Allfrey (1848-1928), baptised 24 March 1848; married, 30 November 1878, Brig-Gen. Hugh Aboukir Scott (1851-1913) and had issue; died 9 April 1928; will proved 21 May 1928 (estate £4,349);
(1.5) Mary Allfray (1849-1927) ; died unmarried, 11 May 1927; will proved 3 August 1927 (estate £4,121);
(1.6) Emma Allfray (1853-1931), baptised 12 September 1853; married 1st, 1877, William James ffarington (d. 1890) and had issue; married 2nd, 1891, Capt. Henry Frederick Twynam (d. 1903); married 3rd, 1910, Richard Colley Wellesley (d. 1919); died 2 October 1931; will proved 18 November 1931 (estate £2,091);
(1.7) Margaret Allfrey (1854-1905), baptised 29 November 1854; died unmarried 1905;
(2.1) Mabel Harriet Allfrey (1861-1943), baptised 6 April 1862; died unmarried, 2 December 1943; will proved 31 May 1944 (estate £17,306);
(2.2) Alice Henrietta Allfrey (1863-1916), baptised 12 July 1863; married, 3 September 1891, Charles George Busby of Chesterfield (Derbys); died 17 December 1916; will proved 23 March 1917 (estate £6,187);
(2.3) Adeline Allfrey (1864-1905), baptised 30 October 1864; died 13 March 1905; will proved 12 April 1905 (estate £8,471)
(2.4) Philip Shedden Allfrey (1865-93), baptised 24 September 1865; educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge (admitted 1884); injured during a hunting accident in November 1892 and committed suicide at Hemingford House, 25 January 1893; will proved 22 February (estate £7,919).
He purchased Hemingford House in about 1840.
He died 2 March and was buried 4 March 1887 at Alveston (Warks); will proved 27 July 1887 (estate £99,180). His first wife died 27 September 1855. His widow died 10 January 1920; her will was proved 18 March 1920 (estate £4,320).

Allfrey, Henry (1850-1938) of Hemingford House. Eldest son of Henry Wells Allfrey (1817-87) and his first wife, Adeline Frances, daughter of Col. Sir Robert Moubray KGH, born 9 September 1850. Educated at Cheltenham College. Major in 60th Rifles; JP for Warwickshire. He married, 4 September 1889, Kathleen Elizabeth (d. 1940), daughter of Sydney Alers Hankey of Lock's Farm, Wokingham (Berks), and had issue:
(1) Maj. Henry Sydney Allfrey (1891-1975) of The Grange, How Caple (Herefs), born 10 August 1891; educated at Wellington College; rancher in Canada, 1911-14; joined 7th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914 but later served as Major in King's Royal Rifle Corps during WW1; JP and DL for Herefordshire; lord of the manor of Robertsbridge (Sussex); married, 20 June 1922, Vera, younger daughter of Charles Whiteway Hazlehurst JP of Broadlands, Hereford and had issue two sons; died 1975;
(2) Maj. Edward Moubray Allfrey (1893-1923), born 9 February 1893; served in WW1 as Major in King's Royal Rifle Corps (MC and bar; despatches); died unmarried, 29 June 1923;
(3) Lt-Gen. Sir Charles Walter Allfrey (1895-1964), born 24 October 1895; educated at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth; entered the army, 1914 (Capt., 1917; Major, 1933; Lt-Col., 1935; Col., 1939; Maj-Gen. 1943; Lt-Gen., 1946); General Officer Commanding British troops in Egypt, 1944-48; retired 1948; Colonel Commandant of Royal Artillery 1947-57 and of Royal Horse Artillery 1948-57; awarded CB, DSO, MC and bar, KBE 1946; Legion d'Honneur and US Legion of Merit; JP and DL for Gloucestershire; married, 25 July 1935, Geraldine Clara, daughter of Col. Edward Scudamore Lucas-Scudamore of Kentchurch Court and Castle Shane and had issue one son and one daughter; died 2 November 1964;
(4) Barbara Kathleen Allfrey (1899-1954), born 3 September 1899; died unmarried, 3 January 1954.
He inherited Hemingford House from his father in 1887 and the manor of Robertsbridge from his uncle Edward in 1873.
He died 17 May 1938; his will was proved 16 August 1938 (estate £12,481). His widow died 12 November 1940; her will was proved 1 May 1941 (estate £183).

A puzzle

The photograph below was sent to me some years ago by a correspondent who believed that the people in the picture were members of the Allfrey family, but wondered if I could identify the house. This I have not managed to do, but perhaps you can? Please send me any suggestions through the contact form in the right-hand side panel or by making a public comment below.

Sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, 1965, pp. 11-12; VCH Berkshire, vol. 3, p. 422; http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MWB15997&resourceID=1030; http://www.felbridge.org.uk/index.php?p=2_53; http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail?coll_id=13867&inst_id=118&nv1=search&nv2=; http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-366186-hemingford-house-stratford-upon-avon-war; http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-40053-st-benedict-s-school-wokefield-park-wokef;

Location of archives

Allfrey family of Friston Place: deeds and papers, 1735-1827 [East Sussex Record Office AMS 5590]
Allfrey family of Salehurst and Wokefield Place: deeds, estate, legal and family papers, 1672-1926 [East Sussex Record Office, ALF]

Coat of arms

Per fesse sable and ermine, a pale counterchanged, three ostriches' heads erased, argent, ducally gorged and lined or.