A 17 year search for living relatives of the first owner of a Jacobean house in North Yorkshire has finally had a result.

Kiplin Hall  and Gardens is a historic house museum half-way between Northallerton and Richmond.

It was built in the 1620s by George Calvert, famed for founding the state of Maryland in the USA. Calvert was, in effect, Foreign Secretary to King James I, and received the title 1st Baron Baltimore. He lived locally at Kiplin and Danby Wiske. 

The Northern Echo: Kiplin Hall and Gardens in North Yorkshire was built by George Calvert in the 1620s Kiplin Hall and Gardens in North Yorkshire was built by George Calvert in the 1620s (Image: KIPLIN HALL)

The Calvert name is common in the area, especially Wensleydale, with historical figures and local businesses bearing the name - Kit Calvert, Calverts Carpets and Calverts Stone at Leyburn to name a few.

However, up to now no link could be proved between the local Calverts and George Calvert of Kiplin Hall.

Volunteer amateur genealogist Dr Tom Banfield, aged 80, has been enthusiastically working on the Kiplin family trees since 2006, with the then Curator Dawn Webster.

Kiplin has been owned by four families over nearly 400 years, all related by blood or marriage. Mapping the intricacies of the family tree has been a huge task and Dr Banfield has spent many hours researching the families and their connections on the internet and in North Yorkshire County Records Office.

Results of work on the family trees have been made public online and in the Kiplin Hall guide book. From time to time Dr Banfield is contacted by Calverts from America tracing their genealogy and he now has more than 600 Calverts in the data base.

Until recently, no direct relatives have been confirmed in North Yorkshire.

But Dr Banfield has now been contacted by Michael Lonsdale, aged 77, of Bradford who has been tracing his ancestry.

The Northern Echo: Michael Lonsdale of Bradford has retraced his family tree, linking back to the origins of Kiplin Hall and Yorkshire Baron George CalvertMichael Lonsdale of Bradford has retraced his family tree, linking back to the origins of Kiplin Hall and Yorkshire Baron George Calvert (Image: KIPLIN HALL)

Mr Lonsdale is descended from George's uncle, John Lennard Calvert (1556-1626), the younger brother of George's father Leonard (1550-1611).

Records show that the family stayed in the region, living locally in Newby Wiske or Stokesley right up to the mid 1800s, then moving to Sunderland.

Mr Lonsdale was able to visit Kiplin Hall and meet with Dr Banfield, joining the dots of their research.

Dr Banfield said: “It is a wonderful feeling to be able to draw a line from the present day back through the branches of the family tree, reaching all the way to the very origins of Kiplin.

"As more people research their own ancestry, we hope more descendants will reach out to us.

"In particular we now have the chance of relating present-day North Yorkshire Calverts to the 1st Baron himself and to Kiplin.”

The Northern Echo: Michael Lonsdale, left, pictured with researcher Tom Banfield, right, at Kiplin Hall with a portrait of George CalvertMichael Lonsdale, left, pictured with researcher Tom Banfield, right, at Kiplin Hall with a portrait of George Calvert (Image: KIPLIN HALL)

Mr Lonsdale explained how his own research led him to Kiplin, adding: “We became interested in our family history after I received a letter from a solicitors office in Ripon concerning the estate of my first cousin once removed, who had died unmarried at the age of 84 after a tragic accident.

"He created a large family tree to disperse her assets and sent a copy of the tree to us. We went on from there.

"Visiting Kiplin Hall on two occasions, the second time to meet up with historian Tom Banfield, I felt that finding out about my Calvert ancestors added validity to my previous research.”

When the 6th Baron Baltimore died, childless, in 1771 the title could have passed to a Calvert cousin living in Virginia, but he declined so the title was extinguished.

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Kiplin Hall was in family ownership until 1971. When the last owner, Bridget Talbot OBE, died, she placed the hall in trust, saving it for the nation.

Today Kiplin Hall Trust run the museum, garden and tea room, sharing its rich history with visitors.

  • Kiplin Hall is keen to hear from other descendants or relatives of the 1st Baron Baltimore. Please check your own family tree for three Calverts in particular. They are all from Stokesley; father George Calvert 1715-1785, son Stephen Calvert 1753-1827, or grandson Peter Calvert 1802-1873. Contact admin@kiplinhall.co.uk or call 01748-818178. You can find out more about the Kiplin family trees online at www.history.kiplinhall.co.uk which displays a range of family tree charts.
  • Kiplin Hall and Gardens is open to visitors 6 days a week, closed on Thursdays (Feb – Nov ’23). To find out more about opening times and prices visit www.kiplinhall.co.uk