BLYTHE
HALL
BLYTHE was held in 1189 by Geoffrey Travers,
whose son Henry, called 'de Blythe,' by his charter
released to Prior Benedict of Burscough all his claim
to mastfall in Tarlscough, Greetby, and Burscough;
Henry also gave to the priory a watercourse running
through his Holme to the priory mill of the Bayes.
John and Robert de Blythe occur among the names of
subscribers to the stipend of a chaplain at Ormskirk
in 1366, and the latter also in the Poll Tax Roll of
1381.
John de Blythe attested Scarisbrick charters
in 1399 and 1401, and was the father of Roger, who
in 1397 was charged with breaking into the parsonage
house at Crossens.
From him descended Roger
Blythe, whose daughter and heir Margaret by her
marriage with John Blakelache (or Blackledge) conveyed the estate to this family.
Evan Blackledge by his will, made in July, 1565,
desired to be buried in Ormskirk church 'on the
north side of an overlay or stone under which Bishop
Blackledge was buried.'
His brother John succeeded
him, and in 1576 made an exchange of lands with
Ralph Langley.
He was followed by Evan Blackledge, apparently his son, who in 1593 made a settlement upon the marriage of his son John with
Margaret, daughter of Henry Walton of Little Hoole.
Evan died at Lathom on 31 January, 1612–13, seised
of Blythe Hall and other lands, John, his son and heir,
being then aged forty-two years and more.
John
Blackledge contributed to the subsidy of 1628.
He
was succeeded by another Evan, probably his son,
who died in or before 1658, leaving three sons—
John, James, and Thomas. The first of these married
in 1658 Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Jodrell of
Leek, but died without issue before 1683, and was
succeeded by his brother James, a pewterer of
London.
The latter's son Evan, described as 'of the
parish of St. John, Wapping, gentleman, and of
Blythe Hall,' sold the Lathom estate to William Hill
of Burscough in 1698.
Ref: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp247-258
Blythe Hall is a large grade II listed country house in Lathom, Lancashire, England, some 3 miles (5 km) north-east of Ormskirk.
It is a two storey building of rendered sandstone rubble with stone slate roofs to an originally H-shaped plan with added wings.
It was probably built in the late 16th century or early 17th century and altered in early 19th century.
The hall was once the property of Evan Blackledge, who died in 1612, after which it passed through several generations of the Blackledge family. It was sold to the Hill family of Burccough in 1698 and then to Thomas Langton in 1800, who never moved in but instead leased it to Edward Clifton. In 1826 it was sold to Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Baron Skelmersdale. whose eldest son and his wife Jessy lived there. Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom was born in the house in 1837 and his sister, Rose Bootle-Wilbraham, was born there in 1842. Their mother died there in 1892, leaving it in the possession of Rose, who never married and died in 1918.
It was radically altered and enlarged c.1918–21, at a cost of £60,000, by Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 3rd Earl of Lathom (1895–1930), who was reluctant to restore and re-ooccupy the family seat at Lathom House after the First World War. Many of the materials used at Blythe Hall were salvaged from Lathom Hall. The third earl was a spendthrift with a passion for the London theatre and in the 1920s Blythe entertained theatrical celebrities such as Ivor Novello and Noël Coward. After the Earl's early death from tuberculosis the earldom was extinguished and the property sold in 1930 to a cotton merchant named Taylor. In 1933 it became a Catholic Seminary for training Passionist priests and called St Gabriel's Retreat. In 1973 it was bought by ex-footballer David Whelan for £80,000 and in 1980 by hoteliers John and Diana Craig. It was reduced in size in c.1975 by demolition of the oldest parts. In 2010 it is undergoing a further makeover by new owners Andy and Tracey Bell from Rufford.
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SALE BROCHURE
BLYTHE HALL, LATHOM Price: £3,500,000 Blythe Hall
Blythe Hall lies on the northern edge of the small village of Lathom which is a pretty village found approximately 2.5 miles north east of Ormskirk, and 17 miles north east of Liverpool.
Ormskirk and
the surrounding villages have a range of local shops and services for
everyday needs and a greater range of facilities can be found in Ormskirk
or Liverpool itself. Liverpool, Blackburn, Burnley, Blackpool and Manchester
are all within commuting distance.
It is
believed that a house occupied the site as early as 1189 and records show a
house built of hand made bricks and wood in the early 16th century. The
majority of the rebuilding and extensions of the property probably occurred
in the early 1800s. The de Blythes owned the property for at least two centuries. The Blakelache family then owned the Hall and it became known as Blakelache Hall for over a century. The Blakelache family sold to William and Kathleen Hall for £670 in 1693 (£335 for the house and the same for the 45 acres of land). The Halls sold to Thomas
Langton who became the Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire in 1807. Edward
Wilbraham then bought the house in 1826 for £8,424.16.5 1/2d. He was made
Baron of Skelmersdale at the time. |
