Conishead Priory

A house of Augustinian canons was founded at Conishead on the grounds of the present house in the twelfth century. The origins of the medieval priory was as a hospital which subsequently developed into a priory during the reign of Henry II (1154–1189). It is thought to have been established as early as 1167 by Gamel de Pennington. However, William de Lancaster II, baron of Kendal also claimed to be the owner. It existed until the dissolution of the monasteries. After the dissolution the lands were then leased to Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Monteagle and afterwards briefly belonged to William Paget, 1st Baron Paget, before being bought in 1548 by William Sandys, a brother of Archbishop Edwin…

Wilson Gale-Braddyll was succeeded in 1818 by his only son Lt-Col Thomas (1776–1862), who further altered the family name the following year by becoming Thomas Richmond-Gale-Braddyll. In 1821 he served as high sheriff of Lancashire, and that same year Conishead was demolished to make way for a new house. The designer of the new Conishead was Philip William Wyatt, son of James Wyatt and one of an illustrious clan of architects. However, he was not destined to enjoy success in the field; he was dismissed from the project while it was in progress, was declared bankrupt in 1833 and sent to the debtors' prison, dying in 1835. Wyatt's replacement was George Webster of Kendal, from another…