The History of Naworth (continued)

Increasingly the Earls of Carlisle used Castle Howard as their main residence, and Naworth was very much a secondary home, left as an old medieval fortification. Unfortunately, in1844 there was a disastrous fire, which destroyed virtually all of the Castle, including the old dungeons in the West Wing. Only the top rooms of Lord William’s Tower, (his bedchamber, private library and chapel) survived.
The reconstruction of the Castle commenced in the 1850’s. Most of the structure was restored by the illustrious Victorian architect Anthony Salvin, who reconstructed the magnificent Great Hall - this time with a marvellous vaulted ceiling replacing the flat roof covered in hand painted pictures of the Saxon Kings and Queens of England. Much of the interior was reconstructed by the 9th Earl of Carlisle, George Howard, and his wife Rosalind. George was primarily a painter and devoted his time to doing just that. His wife, a formidable character, concentrated on running the estate. She was also fanatically concerned with women’s suffrage, the Temperance movement and Liberal politics. The 9th Earl’s circle of friends included Philip Webb, Edward Burne-Jones, William Morris and many other eminent Pre Raphaelites. All were regular house guests, whose signatures can be seen today in the visitors book.

Left: George Howard the 9th Earl with his 6 sons

 

 

 

Above: Lord Tennyson with Rosalind Howard

Philip Webb was commissioned to restore much of the interior of Naworth, including the library, drawing room and the former Protestant chapel, which became the 9th Earl’s private library.

George died in 1911, leaving Naworth and a small entail of land to his eldest son Charles, the 10th Earl of Carlisle. Most of the remaining estate was left in the control of his wife Rosalind. By that time she had lost through death, or fallen out with, most of her sons. She moved to Castle Howard and also spent time at Boothby, a house on the Naworth estate, though she was based mainly in Yorkshire until her death in 1922. Rosalind left the bulk of her estate, including Castle Howard, to her eldest daughter Lady Mary Murray, who had married Gilbert Murray, a very eminent Greek professor at Oxford. Lady Mary, a committed Socialist, refused Castle Howard, commenting that it was not the sort of thing a woman inherits, and it was decided at a family conference that Castle Howard would pass to the fifth son, Geoffrey. Castle Howard is still in the hands of the Howard family, having passed to Geoffrey’s son George who was created Lord Howard of Henderskelfe and it is now owned and run by two of George's sons, Nicholas and Simon. Naworth passed to George, the 11th Earl of Carlisle, and subsequently to Charles 12th Earl of Carlisle, who moved back into the Castle with his wife, Ela, after it had been leased out and neglected in the post-war years.

Philip, the second son of the 12th Earl, purchased Naworth from his father in 1994. He married Elizabeth in 1992, and the family now live in the Castle.