
One of the benefits of writing an article for a magazine is that occasionally someone responds to the essay with a new piece of information, which adds more to the understanding of the subject.… Read the full article
Day to Day Info Site
One of the benefits of writing an article for a magazine is that occasionally someone responds to the essay with a new piece of information, which adds more to the understanding of the subject.… Read the full article
Approaching Christmas 2020, with many uncertainties abounding, due to the ongoing national crisis. It is interesting from a curiosity perspective to look at some information from the housekeeper accounts at Parlington to give an insight into the family activities at Christmas in a Victorian household. Writing this article at the beginning of November shortly after the announcement by Government of a second “lockdown”, it is unclear what kind of Christmas we can expect this year.… Read the full article
The year 2020 with all its drama and unprecedented draconian measures to weather a viral infection caused me to reflect on earlier times. One of the saddest aspects of the Gascoigne family of Parlington from the eighteenth century is how, despite their wealth, life dealt them a poor hand of cards.… Read the full article
Whenever I am asked to do a talk about Parlington, and over the years these have been many, usually to historical societies, people are surprised to discover that the Gascoignes’ died out in 1810! In October of 1809 Sir Thomas Gascoigne in his 65 year had the unenviable misfortune of seeing his only son Tom killed as a result of an impetuous, and perhaps drink inspired, hunting accident.… Read the full article
The focus of this column is about the history of Parlington, and to a lesser extent the families who inhabited the hall. However in the spirit of offering a wider perspective of activities, we shall uncover a story of the Gascoigne seafaring during the nineteenth century. I first came across a reference to a sea going vessel some years back in a short newspaper article about the launch in August 1866 into the Clyde of a steam yacht ‘Ibis’ from the yard of Partick shipbuilders Tod & MacGregor, built for Frederick Charles Trench-Gascoigne of Craignish and Parlington.… Read the full article
Parlington? A place to some of historic significance, to others a scenic venue to enjoy a country walk. But to many a place unheard of… sorry did you say Darlington? Geographically speaking the Parlington Estate is situated between Aberford to the east, Barwick in Elmet to the west and Micklefield and Garforth to the south.… Read the full article
Sunday 24th October at Lotherton Hall, was the day that the watercolour, the subject of two earlier posts, was re-united with the Gascoignes, albeit to their legacy at Lotherton Hall. A small group of those involved in bringing the painting to its former home, and others with a general interest in the return of the painting gathered to see the gifting of ownership from the Clarke family to Lotherton, and therefore for the people of Leeds.… Read the full article
My excavations that re-discovered the cellar in the summer of 2005 as documented here on the Parlington History site are being consigned to history AGAIN! Sadly, the location is being filled with cheap rubble and demolition waste, not even clean stone is being used. The stairway to the cellar built almost certainly in the 1730’s at the behest of Sir Edward Gascoigne, when he constructed the central block that would endure as Parlington’s main elevation for over 250 years, is being filled by Messrs Moron & Co!… Read the full article
I have been non-productive in respect of updates to the main Parlington history site, and also the day to day comments site, here, for the last month. The fact is lots has happened since the previous post, too much to mention at the moment. Anyway this weekend is the end of our era at Parlington and also the fifteen years I’ve lived in Aberford, I am downsizing and moving to Tadcaster!… Read the full article
A book about the twentieth century Gascoignes and their chauffeur, Bill Burlingham, was launched today at the local pub in Saxton, The Greyhound (worth a mention on its own, a small quiet country pub, virtually unchanged in a 100 years!). Bill who was the second chauffeur after Louis Hawkett (details here), is in his 95th year and still lives on the Lotherton Estate.… Read the full article