Carlisle Patriot, 06 Nov 1824 - Brougham Hall and the BIRDs
petra.mi...@doctors.org.uk
Saturday 06 Nov 1824 (p. 1, col. 4)
BROUGHAM-HALL—THE BIRDS.
INTRODUCTORY NOTE BY A CORRESPONDENT.—A few weeks ago a letter appeared in the Kendal Chronicle concerning the occupation of Brougham Hall by the BROUGHAM Family; and various articles have since found their way into the Carlisle Journal on a kindred subject. These communications are in a great degree erroneous. Brougham-Hall and the Manor of Brougham, as all know who are acquainted with local history, were formerly in possession of the BIRDs—and hence the name of "Bird's Nest." A descendant of this Family now resides in Bongate, Appleby, who is in possession of documents which throw a considerable light on the subject. BURN says in his History of Westmorland, that there is no distinct pedigree of the BIRD Family. In his time, however, the document in question had been secreted for some purpose: what that purpose was may in fact, perhaps, be gathered from the annexed statement, which is drawn up by one who had all the documents before him to which he refers, which documents are herewith sent to you, that you may yourself be able to ascertain the correctness of all that is advanced:—
"BROUGHAM-HALL AND THE BIRDS' PEDIGREE.
A Singular discovery of a parchment Register of the Pedigree of the family of the BIRDs, from eight generations before Henry the Fifth, down to James BIRD, who was occupier and proprietor of Brougham-Hall in 1713, enables me to draw up what follows.
"The document alluded to is entered in the visitation of Westmorland, signed by William DUGDALE, Norroy King at Arms, and from its appearance, and connection with BURN's History of Westmorland*, there can be no doubt of its being an authentic record—and it supplies the break in the history of the County respecting the interesting genealogy of the BIRD family.
"From BURN's History of Westmorland, I find that in the 17th year of Richard the Second, Thomas READING was Lord of the Manor of Brougham, and occupied the Hall; who, I observe by the pedigree, had two daughters co-heiresses. And in the reign of Henry the Fifth, I find John BIRD, son of Roger BIRD, of Little Croglin, married one of these co-heiresses and came to the Hall; and that a John TEASDALE of Walton in Tindall, county of Northumberland, married the other co-heiress, who had an only daughter named Joane. And in the abovementioned History, and in agreement with the said document, I find that in the sixteenth year of Henry the Sixth, Henry BIRD, son of the beforenamed John BIRD, married Joane, the said co-heiress, daughter of the said John TEASDALE. And in the third year of Edward the Fourth, John, son of the said Henry, married Elizabeth BARHAM. In the third year of Henry the Seventh, William BIRD, son of the said John BIRD, married Margaret RIGG. In the sixth of Henry the Eighth, William, son of the said William BIRD, married Margaret HUTCHINSON; and Thomas, son of the said William, married Jane WHARTON, and died in 1660, leaving four sons, John, Thomas, Henry, and James. Thomas and Henry were married, but died without issue. John married Agnes CLARKE, by whom he had Thomas of Brougham, Henry of Great Strickland, and two daughters. James, brother of John, married Mabel WINTER, by whom he had Isabel, Margaret, and Elizabeth. Thomas of Brougham, brother to Henry of Great Strickland, married Joanne MATTINSON, and had issue, Emanuel of Brougham, who married the said Isabel, co-heiress, daughter of the said James BIRD. Emanuel was 66 years of age in 1668. James, son of Emanuel, who, from a thatched house, built the mansion-house which he afterwards named "Bird's Nest," married Dorothy SANDERSON, and was 30 years of age in the year 1668, to which date the document referred to is continued, and it contains the armorial bearings of seventeen generations.
"As to how many centuries the READING Family may have held the Lordship of that part of the parish in which Brougham-Hall now stands, I have not as yet ascertained; but it is evident by BURN's History, that they held it in the reign of Richard the Second, since which period it plainly appears the BIRDs continued to hold it upwards of 300 years, and that they were only connected with the family of READING, and never at any time, as has lately been asserted in the public prints, had they any such connection with the family of BROUGHAM; so that to say that the BROUGHAMs, BURGAMs, or DE BURGAMs, ever held the manor and mansion of Brougham-Hall during any of the above periods is manifestly erroneous.
"Under what influence can such history have been got up, which gives the BROUGHAMs, BURGAMs, and DE BURGAMs, an uninterrupted possession of the said manor and mansion for upwards of seven hundred years?
"I shall now endeavour to satisfy the inquiry naturally arising out of what I have stated, as to the manner in which the BIRDs were deprived of their patrimony. This branch of the question is interesting—especially so to the descendants of Henry BIRD of Great Strickland, to whom the documents now before me are of great importance, throwing as they do an entirely new light upon all that concerns the ancient possession of the manor and mansion of Brougham-Hall.
"The property of the BIRDs was illegally conveyed from them.
"I proceed to make some extracts from the will of the last (proprietor) of the BIRDs of Brougham-Hall; namely, from the will of James BIRD, which, I see, was proved at Penrith, in the year 1714. This James BIRD's daughter Isabella, as per will, married Thomas CARLETON, Esq. of Appleby, to whom he bequeathed the manor and mansion of Brougham-Hall for their natural lives only; and then, if without issue, (which happened to be the case), to his three grand-children, daughters of his son John, deceased: but as CARLETON outlived them, it consequently, by virtue of the will, should have reverted to the descendants of Henry BIRD of Great Strickland. However, Thomas CARLETON, Esq., in direct opposition to the will, in order to raise a sum of money adequate to the demands of his pecuniary necessities, (caused at that time, we may presume, by the consequences of a second matrimonial engagement, and the indulgence of his architectural ideas at Appleby), agreed with a Gentleman well known in that day by the name of Commissioner BROUGHAM, to sell, or rather conditionally convey to him, the manor and mansion of Brougham-Hall, then "Bird's Nest," for a certain consideration; and for want of a title, Mr. BROUGHAM consented to accept of CARLETON's heir, Metcalf, an indemnity bond, it he should lose the property through the BIRDs, or in any other way suffer in the peaceable possession of it; for the inflexible refusal of the BIRDs to sign the conveyance had driven CARLETON to his last resource to effect a bargain.
"CARLETON, in the first instance, attempted to sell it to Lawyer HUDDLESTON, of Hutton John, in Cumberland, with an offer of a very considerable sum to BIRD to sanction the sale; but this the latter with great propriety refused, which was a sufficient proof to Mr. HUDDLESTON that CARLETON could give no title.
"Were not these documents now actually before me, I could not have credited the historical ignorance manifested by BURN and NICHOLSON respecting the manor and mansion of Brougham-Hall, more especially when it is borne in mind that NICHOLSON held an important situation in the Register Office. What other inference can be drawn, than that there existed among the great official persons whom I have named a coalition, the object of which was to sink in obscurity the genealogy of the BIRDs, as connected with the manor and mansion of Brougham-Hall, or rather Bird's Nest?
"In conclusion it may be stated, that when the BIRDs were anxious to claim their ancient patrimony, they found that their names had been erased, defaced, or torn from the Register in the parish Church of Brougham.
"The above speaks for itself. Should fuller details be required, an entire transcript of the pedigree and will, and other documentary evidence, may be had.
"A DESCENDANT OF THE BIRDS."
" * The History, after mentioning the BIRDs as being the proprietors of the manor and mansion of Brougham-Hall, says: "Of this family we have no pedigree." The pedigree is now before me: but the very singular manner in which it came into my hands, and the concealment under which it has been so long buried, I am not at liberty to state, except in so far, that it was found in a chest on the premises of an old man, after his death, at Appleby, in Westmorland."
(We may add, that the pedigree and will have been confided to our hands, in order that we might satisfy ourselves that the statement which we have published was not founded in fiction.—ED.)
