Moresby Hall

Moresby Hall has been credited by English Heritage as being one of the most important buildings in Cumbria due to the location's historical and architectural significance. The location potentially dates back to 1150, with part of it's current structure being constructed during 1275. The land the hall stands on is located beside a roman fort, which is thought to have been built after AD130 by the 20th Legion. Moresby Hall has gone through many owners over the years, and is currently in use as a hotel. The location's hauntings have been attributed to a tale regarding a man dying of starvation after hiding within a wall, and the number of skeletons which have been found in the building. Dark figures, children, and a cavalier are all said to haunt this location along with other spirits.

History

Moresby Hall is located just beyond the border of Parton, a coastal village in Cumbria, England. This is within the western region of the Lake District, and is two miles away from the Cumbria town of Whitehaven. The land the hall stands on is thought to have been the site, or near to the site of, a pagan temple. The neighboring location of St Bridget's Church was the site of a roman fort. It's thought that this fort was built around AD128, although most likely after AD130. It was built by the 20th Legion, and was called Gabrosentum. I have found information regarding a supposed nearby roman camp which was founded by Agricola in AD78, and called Arbeia, but this seems like a completely different location to the fort located next to Moresby Hall.

Ownership of the land Moresby Hall stands on seems to date back to the 1100s. It's been said that the name of the location may date back to 1150, and that the name potentially comes from a settler possibly called Morisceby, Mawriceby, or Moricebi. It seems the name Hugone de Moricebi does occur as a witness to a charter of 1192, and so the family and location name may derive from him. The Moresby family was notorious during the medieval period with their acquisition of large estates through both conquest and marriage. Christopher de Moresby fought at the Battle of Agincourt during 1415, which was fought against the French King Charles VI. He was honoured on the field, alongside other knights, by King Henry V.

Moresby Hall passed down four generations worth of men named Christopher de Moresby, and with each generation the family fortune grew with them gaining vast estates and the rights to twenty one manors. I've found that, while under the Moresby ownership, Sir Christopher de Moresby's daughter took estates to Sir Christopher Pykerynge and so for two generations the Pykerynge family made the hall their home. Eventually, Moresby Hall was passed to Sir Christopher de Moresby's great grand-daughter; Anne. She was the sole heiress of the manor, and inherited it following Sir Christopher's death in 1499. This event marked the end of the Moresby ownership, and Anne married Sir Francis Weston (alternative spelling Frances). Weston was famously executed along with Anne Boleyn by King Henry VIII due to charges of adultery and high treason.

It is said that Anne Weston lived to an old age and sold Moresby Hall, which had served as the family home, to a merchant from Cockermouth called William Fletcher. However, another source has said the house passed first to the Pickering and Knyvett families before being sold in either 1576 or 1577 to William Fletcher. The date I've found for the location being passed on from the Fletchers is 1720, so if they had the house for 250 years then that would place their initial purchase at roughly 1470; not at all far from Sir Christopher's death in 1499 which some sources have said prompted Anne to pass on the hall. It still isn't accurate though, and leads me to wonder what the exact timeline and sequence of events here is given the addition of the Pickering and Knyvette family names. I think what's happened here is that either the 250 years isn't at all accurate, someone did the maths wrong when trying to piece together when these names could have owned the property, or that the Pickering and Knyvette families were never owners of the building. The lack of information connected to Moresby Hall regarding the Pickering and Knyvette families indicates to me that they, at the very least, were not owners for long before the hall passed to William Fletcher.

William was the son of Henry Fletcher, a man who had entertained Mary, Queen of Scots, during her temporary visit to Cockermouth before she underwent imprisonment at Carlisle. The Fletchers were a powerful family and went on to own Moresby Hall for the next 250 years. The oldest part of Moresby Hall which currently stands is a stone spiral staircase which is thought to have belonged to a pele tower built during 1275, long before the Fletchers took ownership of the property. Other parts of the current structure which are thought to date from before the Fletchers are the areas with thick walls, narrow circular stone stairs, and low wide mullioned windows.

Moresby Hall has been described as being a former 1100s Manor house, but sources seem in agreement that the real construction of what can be seen today occured during the 1600s. It's been said that Moresby Hall was built around 1602, and a gate which is at the entrance to the court before the house does date back to the 1600s. The Fletchers did a good bit of remodelling to the manor during the 1600s, and the pele tower was absorbed into the construction of the country mansion in this time. The Fletchers were the ones who arranged for the remodelling of the front facade of the hall, with this occuring during 1615 or 1620. With the two conflicting dates, it's possible plans were drawn up during 1615 and the work was possibly completed during 1620. The design of the front has been attributed to the prominent architect Inigo Jones, who accompanied Anne, the consort of James I, when she visited Brougham Castle during 1617.

Further remodelling occured between 1670 and 1690, and this was done to designs by either William Thackery or Edward Addison. One source has said the hall was built by the Fletchers during 1670, but due to other dates concerning the building and remodelling of the hall, I assume this 1670 build date is a misinterpretation of when further remodelling occured with the building. The Fletchers also had involvement with the roman fort as they assisted Camden, the respected antiquarian, when he investigated the remains of the site; and the roman fort is still a site of archaeological interest today.

During 1720, or 1722, Moresby Hall was sold to Sir John Brougham of Scales before being sold yet again in1737, or 1738, to Sir James Lowther. These dates are potentially uncertain due to one date for the sale being announced, or getting underway, and then the secondary date possibly being the accurate date of purchase. I've found this can be the case with certain locations. The sale from the Fletchers during the 1700s were prompted by the death of Thomas Fletcher as he had died without having any children. The hall eventually stopped being a manorial residence, fell into disrepair, and then became used as a farmhouse for a period of time.

Roughly during 1910, the Moresby Hall was restored and re-emerged as a small manor house until 1955 when it became owned by High Duty Alloys; one of the main employers in the district. This company owned Moresby Hall for over forty years and used it for corporate hospitality, and so welcomed celebrities and guests from all over the world who had a connection to their business. During this time, the front southern half of the building was Moresby Hall and the back northern part was known as Moresby Hall Farm. It's within the north-west part of the hall that the stone spiral stairs of the old pele tower can be found. This area of the hall is known as the Rosmerta Cottage. During the August of 1999, the entire hall was bought by Jane and David Saxon. Due to the change in ownership, Moresby Hall offered accommodation to visitors, along with bed and breakfast, plus self-catering with dinner provided if required.

The Saxon's owned Moresby Hall for over 23 years, and roughly during 2022 it was on the market for £1 million. It was put up for sale with David Brixton Estates. While still owned by the Saxons, the location gained a Visit Britain five star gold rating and opened as a thirteen bedroom country house which could accommodate up to thirty guests for bed and breakfast. Moresby Hall was bought from the Saxons by Jo Arthur and Steph Eilbeck during 2023, and during the August of 2023 they began work on revamping the hall. During the September of 2023, Moresby Hall officially became known as the Moresby Hall Hotel and featured a refurbished reception room and refurbished dining room.

Under the new ownership, the Moresby Hall Hotel is now taking bookings to host weddings, special events, plus functions. At the end of 2023, the Moresby Hall Hotel hosted a big New Years Eve 'posh frocks, fizz, and fireworks' party which featured an eight course meal plus evening entertainment. Currently, the location has fourteen guest rooms plus a restaurant. More specifically, there are eight double/twin rooms, four four-poster rooms, a one bedroom apartment called 'The Lodge', and a studio apartment. These rooms are all spread across the hall and adjacent cottages located within the walled grounds which span two acres.

Currently, Moresby Hall stands as a grade I listed building due to its historical and archaeological significance. It was granted this status on the 9th of March 1967, and is one of only three grade I listed homes in Copeland. The graveyard of the neighboring St Bridget's Church contains many people who have lived and died at the hall, plus three skeletons have been unearthed from within the living room. One particular tale regarding why skeletons may have been found in the location comes from a bit of 'iffy' history of the location dating from 1715. The reason I say 'iffy' is because this information was only found when researching the hauntings. It's said that the owners supported the Jacobite rebellion during 1715, and the master of the house was taken to London for interrogation. He didn't reveal that another supporter was hidden in the walls of the hall, and so this second supporter died of starvation.

Hauntings

It is said that the Jacobite supporter who died of starvation within the walls of the hall haunts one of the bedrooms. It's also been said a Jacobite rebel haunts the building, with this source giving no further details, so I feel it's safe to assume the rebel is the supporter. Aside this spirit, a dark shadow has been seen in the living room; the same room the three skeletons were discovered in. A dark figure has also been seen sitting on the hallway sofa. Also relating to the living room, an owner of the hall was interviewed during 2002 and they described an experience they had. The owner was hoovering and heard a noise from the adjoining living room, and so they looked through the opaque glass door. What they saw was the shape of a cavalier sitting in the room. The owner quickly opened the door, but the figure was gone. They closed the door again to see if they could work out what had caused the shape, but they couldn't find a rational reason for the cavalier having been seen.

The current owner of the property has also seen the ghost of the cavalier within Moresby Hall. It's been said that the cavalier walks the hallways, and is seen both near the fireplace and on the stairs. It's also said that a tunnel which connects the hall to St Bridget's Church has had a number of unusual phenomena occur there such as strange lights and temperature changes. It's been said that a white lady walks above an alledged tunnel which connects the hall to the graveyard; potentially, and likely, the same tunnel which the lights and temperature changes are said to occur within.

Moresby Hall is also said to house the sounds of children which cry at night, and it's been said that a young child was found hidden on the site in a chimney breast during the late 1900s. Other spirits connected with the location include three roman soldiers, and there is speculation that Anne de Moresby may also haunt the hall.

Slightly different from the hauntings, there is a piece of folklore connected to Moresby Hall which I thought interesting to mention. It is said a huge fortune is buried somewhere around the hall and that one night of the year, a fairy mountain appears beneath the house. It's also said this fairy mountain pours out the waters of a magical lake upon which a single magical swan swims.

Summary Of Hauntings

1. The cavalier - hallways, living room, fireplace, stairs

2. Jacobite rebellion supporter - bedroom

3. Dark shadow (possibly 2) - hallway sofa, living room

4. Anne de Moresby (?)

5. Three roman soldiers

6. A child (possibly more than one?) - body found in chimney

7. A white lady - above tunnel to graveyard (St Bridget's?)

8. Strange lights - tunnel to St Bridget's

9. Temperature changes - tunnel to St Bridget's

My Thoughts

I want to start by saying, and clarifying, that I think the folklore I've included isn't true. There may be money, or some sort of wealth, buried beneath the hall but I don't believe the fairy stuff at all. I included that as it was a fun bit of folklore which could hold a semblance of truth regarding wealth; plus it indicates the land could hold some sort of importance/significance worth creating the folklore around. This importance could easily lend to potential paranormal speculation, especially given the folklore's emphasis on water.

Regarding the hauntings, I find it interesting that there are supposedly three roman soldiers present when three skeletons have been discovered. These could be the roman soldiers, but I don't know anything about when these skeletons dated from and so don't want to presume. It's just highly coincidental to me, and so I feel the number three for the soldiers has likely come from someone who heard about the skeletons. As there is a nearby roman fort, I would absolutely expect there to be at least one roman present in the area; however, I would assume them to be mostly inactive to to how old the spirit is.

As for the two dark shadows, they could be the same spirit but sighted in a different location, and so I've classed them as the same in the summary. The shadow could be a roman soldier, but I haven't found anything indicating this for sure and so it will need further investigation. With a young child apparently found on the site, I think at least one child will likely haunt the location and so the crying isn't too far fetched to believe. However, due to the country location of the hall, I feel any sounds of children crying are likely explainable by local wildlife such as foxes. There are many animals which can make sounds akin to human crying or screaming, especially at night, and so I think this is likely the case here.

I suspect Anne would haunt the location, along with other owners, and she could very well be the white lady. As the white lady seemingly walks to and from the hall and graveyard, where previous owners and family members are buried, this would make sense to be Anne or another female family member. Information on this haunting were scarce though, so I would take it lightly; especially as sources seemed unsure as to if the tunnel connecting the hall to the church area existed.

The only haunting I am sure likely exists is that of the cavalier. Not only was this haunting discussed by the old owners during 2002, before the Most Haunted team investigated this location, but it's since been discussed by the current owners who only within the last year as of writing this have owned the property. This consistency is exactly what I like to read when researching locations, but it's important to keep in mind that they may be advertising the hauntings as a way of possibly gaining extra business for their hotel. The same case could have been with the old owners back in 2002, and then getting Most Haunted to investigate a couple of years later would further get the name of their business and location out there. This is always an important angle to consider when hearing about hauntings directly from the owners.

I definitely think there is more than enough history around Moresby Hall for it to have at least one spirit haunting it. I think there will be a few spirits here, likely of past residents and perhaps a few roman soldiers. It would definitely be a location worth investigating, and I feel teams should try to investigate it in order to build on what's been discussed in this article.

Thank You!

Thank you for reading this article! It's taken a bit longer than usual to publish this one due to how the heat really effects my productivity, plus the timeline of events was a bit of a mess, but I should hopefully be back on track now for uploading a new article every monday and friday. The next article will be the next journal entry, and it's one I'm looking forward to giving my thoughts on.

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Sources I Have Used

1. Visit Cumbria

2. Historic England

3. The Whitehaven News

4. Moresby Hall Hotel

5. Cumbria Crack

6. Western Lake District & Coast

7. Cumbria Country History Trust

8. Wikishire

9. Moresby Hall Hotel: Away Days

10. Heritage Gateway

11. The Marketing Optimist