Some Residents of the Potterton Estate during
the 1830s to the 1930s.
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Some Residents of the Potterton Estate during
the 1830s to the 1930s.
Barwicker No. 124
Summer 2017
Potterton Hall wasn't the Lord of the Manor's residence unlike
Parlington Hall and Lotherton Hall and therefore it didn't have a
permanent family living there throughout the generations.
Designed by Robert Carr the Yorkshire architect, and built in 1740
Potterton Hall is a grade II listed home which shows Carr's work to its
full potential. It has finely carved architraves, cornices and exquisite
friezes and the rooms have the elegant proportions that typify the era's
best houses.
Over the years many people lived and worked in the hamlet of
Potterton and there was a mixture of the rich and the poor. Much
research on the Potterton estate has been done in earlier editions of The
Barwicker which you can find in our Resource Centre.
Edward Wilkinson, who lived at the hall in the 1830s, did not have
much luck with his butlers as on 14 April 1831 after a short but severe
illness his butler and house steward, John Swailes, died. He was 39
and was buried at Barwick. (Leeds Intelligencer 23 April 1831.)
In 1836 Jarnes Petty who was also a butler to 'the late Mr Wilkinson'
died aged 37. (Leeds Mercury 27 Oct 1836).
Frank Wormald Esq lived at the hall in March 1864 and was a member
of the Grand Jury of the county assizes. (Yorkshire Gazette 26 March
1864).
An advert in a local newspaper on 21 March 1876 stated that Potterton
Hall was to be let by tender for one year. Bulls and horses were
prohibited.
On the 5 May 1891 at Leeds Assizes Handley Turner was charged that
on 23 April he had set light to fencing on the Potterton Hall estate
which at that time belonged to Mr B E Wilkinson. He was found guilty
and charged 40 shillings and costs plus £I0 damages. If he didn't pay
he would be sent to prison for two months hard labour.
On 24 May 1899 the Daily Mail reported that a thunderstorm on the
previous day had caused severe damage on the Potterton estate. An oak
tree near the hall had been stuck by lightning and it was similar to an
internal explosion. Parts of the tree, some as long as three or four feet
had been hurled into the air and landed about 40 or 50 yards away.
On 25 February 1919 Col.Gascoigne of Lotherton Hall wrote to Mr
Childe at Potterton Hall stating that he had much pleasure in making
over the Village Cross at Barwick for the purpose of a War Memorial.
However, he stated that the Parish Council should prepare the legal
document for him to sign at their own expense. He went on to state
that some ten or twenty years ago, the fact of my being Lord of the
Manor saved what remains of this Cross from being turned into a
Lamp Post, for which it was never intended. He enclosed £15 from
himself and £10 from Mrs Gascoigne for the fund. Mrs H S Childe of
Potterton Hall duly unveiled the Barwick War Memorial Cross in
March 1920.
In the late 1920s the Leeds Mercury gave small gifts to any reader who
applied. An article appeared in that newspaper on 4 Feb 1928 stating
that Mrs S Nicholson of The Lodge at Potterton Hall had written on
behalf of her young son, Harry, to thank the Mercury for the gift of a
hunting scene in full cry. Her husband was a groom at Potterton Hall
and hunted with the Bramham Moor hounds. Harry had often given
names to the dogs and horses.
In the mid 1920s the Hall was purchased by Major Alan Wood JP.
Kelly's Directory of the West Riding for 1927 tells us that the Hall,
then standing in park land was reduced to 65 acres. Major Wood and
his wife Millicent Scott had previously lived at Trimdon Grange,
County Durham, from where they moved to Godalming before buying
the Potterton property. Major Wood's head gardener, Thomas Bell,
had worked for the family for many years at their Trimdon Grange
residence in County Durham, and moved with them to Cheltenham,
before coming to Potterton Hall.
At the Jubilee ceremonies of 1935 celebrating 25 years of the reign of
King George V, Major Wood distributed presents to Barwick
schoolchildren on behalf of the Tadcaster Rural District Council.
PAULlNE ROBSON
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