Elsham Hall

The origins of Elsham Hall date from the 17th century or even earlier She was the daughter of Humphrey Edwin and Mary Thompson. She was born in 1739 and in 1755 married Thomas Corbett (1730–1808), of Darnhall Hall in Cheshire. When she inherited Elsham Hall, she brought the property to the Corbett family. From 1800 to 1814 the house was occupied by Jane Gardiner, who ran a girls' boarding school there. When Thomas Corbett died, their eldest son inherited the estate and also took the additional name of Thompson, becoming William Thompson Corbett (1759–1832). In 1794 he had married Jane Eleanor Ainslie, the daughter of General George Ainslie. They had twelve children; their eldest son, Thomas…

The present house dates back to the 1760s, on the site of an earlier dwelling of which little is known. It is of brick construction, limestone ashlar on the main aspect and rendered elsewhere, and with a Westmoreland slate roof. The house was extended for the then owner, T. G. Corbett, in the 19th century, although most of the 19th-century service wing was demolished in the 20th. There were further enhancements by the Elwes family in 1933. The house is a Grade II* listed building. The house includes a Catholic chapel dating from 1933, and an 18th-century stone staircase. Separate from the house, on its own alignment, is a fine 19th-century orangery, which is a grade II listed building in…