Lartington Hall

The Roman Catholic family of Maire acquired the manor of Lartington by marriage in 1654. It passed to the Lawson family when Sir Henry Lawson Bt (d. 1834) of Brough Hall married Anna Anastasia, the Maire heiress. Their grandson Henry Thomas Maire Silvertop, who inherited the estate, married Eliza Witham and changed his surname to Witham. As Henry Witham he was High Sheriff of Durham in 1844. When the Hall was Grade II* listed in 1986, the report added specifics, stating that in the 12th Century, the property had been owned by Robert de Lascelles. After several later sales, it was acquired in 1639 by "Francis Appleby and passed through marriage to the Maire family". The principal building…