Whitmore Surname Project: Whitmore Hall

Note: Click on pictures for larger images

In July 2006 Hal Whitmore visited Whitmore Hall in the Parish of Whitmore near Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire, England. The present owners and residents of the hall are Guy and Christine Mainwaring-Cavenaugh. Guy is a descendant of the original Whitmore family, through several female heiresses, who have owned the property for almost 900 years. It is not clear whether the Whitmore surname came from the name of the parish or the name of the parish from that of the family. (The family name had changed long before the Hall itself was built.)(See Whitmores of Staffordshire on Derek Whitmore's web pages for some of the history of this family.) We share some photos from the trip.

"Whitmore is a neat rural village, in a deep romantic valley, four and a half miles SSW of Newcastle-under-Lyme, comprising within its parish 367 inhabitants, and about 3350 acres of land. It has now a post office, and a first class railway station on the Grand Junction portion of the London & North Western Railway, since the opening of which the village has been much improved. Captain Rowland Mainwaring, RN, owns most of the parish, and is lord of the manor. He resides at Whitmore Hall, a handsome mansion standing in a well-wooded park." [From History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire, William White, Sheffield, 1851]

In 1546 a de Boghay heiress of the manor married Edward Mainwaring and their great grandson, another Edward Mainwaring, rebuilt the original timber framed structure. The south front of the Hall, shown here, dates mainly from the 1670's. The ornate entry porch is a 19th century addition. Other facades have 19th century additions. The interiors are not original as the Hall was redecorated in fairly simple taste at the start of the 20th century. The rooms are large and light and beautifully proportioned.

One of the outstanding features of the Hall property is the early seventeenth century stables behind the Hall. The stable block was built during the latter part of the reign of Elizabeth I, and contains nine stalls with quarters for the stable boys above.

The Whitmore Parish Church

"The Church, St Mary & All Saints, is a small ancient edifice, with a half-timbered turret, and was a chapel of ease to Stoke-upon-Trent until 1807. The benefice is a rectory in the patronage of Captain Rowland Mainwaring, and the Rev CH Mainwaring, BA, is the incumbent." [From History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire, William White, Sheffield, 1851). The approach to the Hall through the lime avenue from the parish church shows the extensive home park.

Many of the American Whitmore families would like to prove their descent from the Whitmore family who were the original owners of the manor of Whitmore. The Wetmore family, members of which are participants in our DNA project are the only ones with a proven "connection" to the manor. This portrait Guy and Christine Mainwaring-Cavenaugh and their children by the noted American portrait artist, Gordon Wetmore, hangs in the dining room of the Hall. (Gordon's own website may be visited by clicking on this link.)

The nearby village pub, the Mainwaring Arms is also a listed building.