| Lumley Castle | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location within County Durham | |
| Hotel chain | No Ordinary Hotels |
| General information | |
| Status | Hotel |
| Type | Castle |
| Architectural style | Quadrangular castle |
| Town or city | Chester-le-Street |
| Owner | Earl of Scarbrough |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 73 |
Lumley Castle is a 14th-century quadrangular castle at Chester-le-Street in the North of England, near the city of Durham, and a property of the Earl of Scarbrough. It is a Grade I listed building. [1] It is currently a hotel.
It is named after its original creator, Sir Ralph Lumley, who converted his family manor house into a castle in 1389 after returning from wars in Scotland. However, after being implicated in a plot to overthrow Henry IV, he was imprisoned and ultimately executed, forfeiting his lands to the Earl of Somerset. In 1421 the ownership of the castle reverted to Sir Ralph Lumley's grandson, Thomas.
During the time of John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, he altered the windows of the castle to let more light in, installed a new fireplace in the great hall along with a lavabo of black and white marble, adorned by a pelican, which is the crest of the Lumley coat of the arms. [2] On the accession of James VI and I as King of England in 1603, he journeyed from Edinburgh to London to take his new throne. On 13 April, en route from Newcastle upon Tyne to Durham, he stopped briefly at the castle as a guest of Lord Lumley. The King James Suite hotel room commemorates this connection with the king. However, the suite was previously the chapel; the king did not stay at Lumley overnight, instead travelling later that day and staying at Durham Castle. [3]
Although there are no documents to prove it, the Georgian alterations to the castle are attributed to Sir John Vanbrugh, particularly the library, which is now the Black Knight Restaurant. [4]
By the nineteenth century, the castle had become the residence of the Bishop of Durham, after Bishop Van Mildert gave his residence of Durham Castle to the newly founded University of Durham. The castle thus became a hall of residence for University College, Durham. Castlemen, as the students of University College are known, spent their first year at Lumley Castle and subsequent years in the Castle at Durham. Lumley Castle was sold in the 1960s by University College to fund the building of the 'Moatside' residential halls in central Durham, in order to keep all students on the same site. [5] The role of Lumley Castle in University College's history is still commemorated by students in the biannual 'Lumley Run'.
In 1976, management of the castle was handed over to No Ordinary Hotels, which had the castle turned into the 73-bedroomed hotel it is today, but it is still in the possession of the present Lord Scarbrough. It is also a picturesque backdrop for Durham County Cricket Club's Riverside Ground, which was first used in 1995, and often houses visiting cricket teams. In 2019 the castle teamed up with Escape Rooms Durham to offer a live Escape Game housed inside the castle's old beer cellar. It tells the story of Lily of Lumley and opened on St Valentine's Day 2019. [6]
The castle is believed to be one of the most haunted places in County Durham, which includes a story about a woman named Lily Lumley who married Ralph Lumley. [7] [8] In reality, the said Ralph Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley (c. 1360 – January 1400) was married to Eleanor Neville. But in a tale called The Lily of Lumley he has a previous wife. [9] She was supposedly thrown down a well in the castle grounds by two priests for rejecting the Catholic faith, [10] who then told Baron Lumley she had left him to become a nun. Her ghost is said to float up from the well and haunt the castle. [11] A contemporary romance of medieval times, the tale was based on a legend of a lady of Lumley who was murdered. This woman is not identified in family pedigrees. [9] In 2000 and 2005, visiting cricketers staying at the castle claimed to have witnessed paranormal activity including Indian Captain Sourav Ganguly. [5] [12] [13] Several members of the 2005 Australian tour party recounted the strong effect its reputation and setting had had on them. [14]
Durham is a cathedral city and civil parish in the county of Durham, England. It is the county town and contains the headquarters of Durham County Council, the unitary authority which governs the district of County Durham. The built-up area had a population of 50,510 at the 2021 Census.
Earl of Scarbrough is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1690 for Richard Lumley, 2nd Viscount Lumley. He is best remembered as one of the Immortal Seven who invited William of Orange to invade England and depose his father-in-law James II. Lumley had already been created Baron Lumley, of Lumley Castle in the County of Durham, in 1681, and Viscount Lumley, of Lumley Castle in the County of Durham, in 1689. These titles are also in the Peerage of England. The title of Viscount Lumley, of Waterford, was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1628 for his grandfather Sir Richard Lumley, who later fought as a Royalist in the Civil War.
Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough was an English Army officer, Whig politician and peer best known for his role in the Glorious Revolution.
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Durham.
Lawrence Roger Lumley, 11th Earl of Scarbrough, was a British Conservative politician and British Army general.
Hylton Castle is a stone castle in the North Hylton area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. Originally built from wood by the Hilton family shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066, it was later rebuilt in stone in the late 14th to early 15th century. The castle underwent major changes to its interior and exterior in the 18th century and it remained the principal seat of the Hylton family until the death of the last Baron in 1746. It was then Gothicised but neglected until 1812, when it was revitalised by a new owner. Standing empty again until the 1840s, it was briefly used as a school until it was purchased again in 1862. The site passed to a local coal company in the early 20th century and was taken over by the state in 1950.
Richard Lumley, 2nd Earl of Scarbrough, of Stansted Park, Sussex and Lumley Castle, County Durham, known as Viscount Lumley from 1710 to 1721, was a British Army officer and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1708 until 1715 when he was raised to the House of Lords as Baron Lumley. He subsequently inherited his father's title as Earl of Scarborough. He committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.
Major General Aldred Frederick George Beresford Lumley, 10th Earl of Scarbrough, styled Viscount Lumley from 1868 to 1884, was an Anglo-Irish peer, soldier and landowner. He was noted for his long service in both the Territorial Army and politics, which included 60 years in the House of Lords, and for his contributions to the growth of the seaside resort of Skegness, Lincolnshire.
Henry Lumley, Viscount Lumley, of Stansted Park, Sussex and Lumley Castle, county Durham, was a British Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1708 to 1710.
Sheriff Hutton Castle is a ruined quadrangular castle in the village of Sheriff Hutton, North Yorkshire, England. The site of the castle is 10 miles (16 km) north of York, and 8 miles (13 km) south-east of Easingwold.
John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, KB was an English aristocrat, who is remembered as one of the greatest collectors of art and books of his age.
The baronetcy of Conyers of Horden was created in the Baronetage of England on 14 July 1628 for John Conyers of Horden, County Durham.
The Vice-Admiral of the coast of Durham was responsible for the defence County Durham, England.
John Lumley-Savile, 8th Earl of Scarbrough, styled Viscount Lumley between 1832 and 1835, was a British peer and politician.
The Neville or Nevill family is a noble house of early medieval origin, which was a leading force in English politics in the Late Middle Ages. The family became one of the two major powers in northern England and played a central role in the Wars of the Roses along with their rival, the House of Percy.
The Lumley inventories are a group of inventories documenting the extensive collections of paintings, books, sculptures, silver and furniture accumulated by John, 1st Baron Lumley (c.1533–1609). The most celebrated of these, a manuscript volume which incorporates a considerable amount of heraldic and genealogical material as well as the inventory itself, is sometimes known as the "Red Velvet Book", and sometimes simply as "the Lumley Inventory". It is often dated to 1590, although it is in reality a more complex composite volume including material dating from 1586 to 1595. Further inventories were drawn up for purposes of probate on Lord Lumley's death in 1609; and others when parts of the collection were sold in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Richard Osbert Lumley, 13th Earl of Scarbrough, known as Viscount Lumley until 2004, is a British peer and landowner.
Richard Lumley, 1st Viscount Lumley was an English royalist and military commander. He was the grandfather of Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough.
Kilton Castle is a ruined castle overlooking the valley of Kilton Beck, near to the village of Kilton in the historic county of the North Riding of Yorkshire in England. The castle was built in the 12th century and was described as being in a ruinous state by the 14th century, with it being totally abandoned by the 16th century. Kilton Castle was owned by several noble families who hailed from the area; de Brus, de Kilton, Autrey, de Thweng, de Lumley.
Isaac Newton University Lodge No 859 is a Masonic Lodge based at the University of Cambridge for matriculated members of the university. As of 2013 there were approximately 200 members. This is about half the 397 subscribing members in 1955. The lodge meets at Bateman Street Masonic Hall, with the lodge's badge or standard a combination of Isaac Newton's coat of arms and the University of Cambridge's coat of arms. The lodge is also a member of the Association of Medical, university, and Legal Lodges.
