history
Tracing the history of Solberge leads us back into
11th century. Solberge is acclaimed as a district manor, and so you will
find an entry in the Doomsday Book, which reads:
In Solberge 4 Carvacates taxable, 2 Ploughs possible,
Halldoor, 2C and gillepatric, 2, C, each had a hall there. Now Picot
has half the land and the count the other half, (which is) waste. In
lordship Picot (has) 1 plough the whole, 1 league long and 2 furlongs
wide. Value before 1066 8S, now 13S.
The land refers to Count Alan in the year 1086, whilst
John Brenton & Thomas de Reyneville are referred to as descendants,
along with the Constables, who followed the Lascelles and who returned
as Lords of Solberge.
The estate was once an occupied by the Cistercian monks
from the Downs Abbey, a closed order frame, chosen by them because of
the commanding situation in which to practise their faith and the sunny
position enabling them to cultivate vines, sugar, fruit & vegetables,
hence the name "Solberge" meaning "Sun Hill".
Twelve Vikings, who came in ‘friendship’,
proclaiming a King would arrive as their guest, visited the monks. Whilst
the monks awaited the King, four of the Vikings left the settlement whilst
eight remained at Solberge.
No King arrived and the Vikings tricked the monks by
abusing their friendship. The Vikings persuaded the monks to rebuild
their chapel, which faced West, to face North, and thus gaining mysterious
powers said to rid Solberge of all it’s troubles (The troubles
were the water running underneath the foundations of Solberge).
The Vikings persecuted the monks and succeeding in
ridding Solberge of the monks forever.
It is said the monks fled down the underground tunnels, partially filled
with water, some of them which were 50 miles long, and came to rest at
the "Sun Centre" the Abbey at Ainderby.
Many monks perished in the underground tunnels, as the only clothing
worn was old sacks for habits, leaving them vulnerable to the poor conditions
encountered on their travels.
Formally the scene of religious ritual, the imposing sacrificial altar,
having lain undisturbed throughout the centuries, is now laden with moss
and linchen.
After 1306-7 Thomas de Reyneville is not again mentioned in connection
with Solberge.
In 1306 John Breton died leaving a son and heir, John aged 12 years.
Thomas de Maunby, was then returned as Lord. However Maunby’s had
been replaced by the family Thwings, and Solberge Hall descended from
the Thwings to the D’Arcy’s and then to the Conyers. Sir
John Conyers died in 1490, owning Whorlton, Solberge and other Manors,
leaving all to his wife.
His great-great grandson, upon his death in 1556 left
4 daughters, one whom, Margaret died in 1560. Her sisters – Anne
married to Sir Anthony Kemp, Elizabeth married to Thomas D’Archy
and Katherine married to John Atherton – were nominated heirs.
Anne died in 1567 leaving a son, Henry. In 1572 her husband, Anthony
Kemp, conveyed one third of the manor to the trustees, who in return
conveyed one third of the manor to William Aysough in 1577. Additional
lots of the manor were conveyed to Brain Ayscough and the Conyers, in
1580 and 1589 respectively.
When William Ayscough died in 1635, his son William made a
settlement of the Manor. In 1704 a settlement was made by John
Ascough and then again in 1713 by Sir Walter Hawksworth and
his wife.
In 1770 the estate is mentioned in the will of Fontayne Wentworth Osbaldeston
of Hunmanby, and in 1821 John Hutton of Sowber Gate, who’s son
John, in turn held the estate, purchased the manor from George Osbald
of Hutton Bushel.
'Solberge’ is the ancient and correct spelling for this superb
mansion, once the seat of and property of John Hutton Esq., Justice of
Peace and DL and late MP for Borough of Northallerton. Solberge Hall
was erected in 1824 by his father and the surrounded by parkland containing
rich growth wood.
John Hutton was married to Caroline, daughter of Thomas Rodson of Holtby.
They had a son born at Solberge on the 10th June 1847. The son was named
after his father, John. John Hutton Junior was educated at Eton and Christ
Church in Oxfordshire.
He married on the 5th May 1870 the Honourable Caroline Shore, 2nd daughter
of the Lord of Teignmounth and sister to the present Baron of Teignmouth.
He became a J.P. in 1868 and a D.L. in 1877 and the County Alderman
for North Yorkshire. John Hutton was elected an MP for Northallerton
and held the seat between 1868 until 1874.
The son of John & Caroline was born at Solberge
on 13th July 1877 and was educated at Eton and Trinity Hall, Cambridgeshire.
Another son was born, named Cedric Godeve on 22nd July 1880 but sadly
died five weeks later on 28th August 1880.
John Hutton then held seat for Yorkshire, the Richmond division from
1895 until 1906. John Earnst Hutton (son of John Button) then followed
the career as an engineer and became Manager of the Wholesale Tool & Motor
Company Ltd (Vickers Ltd) of London.
John Hutton also became the J.P of North Yorkshire in 1898. As associate
Member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers, he was well known motor
racing driver. John Hutton won many prizes and held several speed records
during his motoring career and subsequently became the author of many
technical articles on Motoring. John Hutton was a regular visitor and
member of the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall London.
In 1898 John married Beatrice Georgina Mary, the only daughter of James
Boyle Bernard, Earl of Bandon. A son John was born in 1901.
In 1907 Beatrice obtained a divorce from John Hutton, at this time they
resided at 9 Christchurch Road, Streetham, S. W. London. Due to the demise
of land rental countrywide, the Hutton’s rented out their mansion,
Solberge Hall, in an attempt to meet the costs of maintaining their vast
estates.
The new tenants of Solberge Hall were the Clayton-Swan Family.
It was a sad moment in the history of Solberge Hall when fire swept
through the manor house on Christmas Day morning at 3.00
The news clipping reads as follows:
"The festival of Christmas passed over very quietly at Northallerton.
On Christmas Eve, a heavy rain fell, and consequently there were very
few carol singers astir. The streets were deserted appearance up until
close upon three o’ clock in the morning when the alarm of fire at Solberge Hall roused
the inhabitants"
Mr and Mrs R Clayton-Swan, the tenants of Solberge Hall, were absent
at the time owing to the death of Sir George Elliot Bart, grandfather
to Mrs Swan.
The servants of Mr Swan needed to be rescued. It is said of the fire
brigade that a new pump, ironically given by Sir John Hutton only a short
while before had taken several hours to reach the house due to lack of
assistance and rough and stoney roads. Mr George Peat, Superintendent
of Thirsk Fire brigade received the fire call, at 4.02am on Christmas
morning.
The Manor was dutifully restored to it’s former glory, synomonous
with a way of life reserved for those with exquisite taste, boasting
a beautiful port-cohere to the front with a pair of Tuscan columns.
In 1903 the house and grounds and two farms were purchased by the famous inventor and steel magnate, Benjamin Talbot. He had recently returned from America where his first inventions had been patented, he became Managing Director of the expanding South Durham and Cargo Fleet Iron and Steel Company in Middlesbrough. He continued running these businesses very successfully until his death in 1947. in the first world war he was a Director of the Ministry of Munitions. In the Second World War Cargo Fleet was responsible for making thousands of bomb cases for the RAF offensive against Germany.
The house was run in the traditional way for those days, with an army of employees inside and out. He brought up a family in the house and it was always full of grandchildren, who had a happy childhood here. He celebrated his Diamond Wedding here very quietly in 1944, in the midst of the war.
Mr Talbot died in 1947 and Mrs Talbot in 1948. In 1948 the whole estate, which had expanded over the years to some 1200 acres was put up for sale. The farms were purchased by the farming tenants. The house and grounds were purchased by the Police as a College for the North Riding of Yorkshire Police Force. They continued here for some 30 years until it was purchased for use as a hotel.
|
