The Bigge Family

Lamenting Charles William Bigge's death in 1849, a local chronicler described him as:

'one of the most active and useful members of the county, a bright example of an English country gentleman, well educated, intelligent, upright and straightforward in his conduct, kind and benevolent in his disposition, social in his habits and of easy access to everyone, who sought his intimacy or his aid and advice.'

This was the man who built Linden Hall in 1812, early on in his career of local politics and banking. It is thought that Charles William Bigge's immediate branch of the family were descendents of the Biggs of Essex where in 1534 a William Biggs lived in the manor of Biggs near Gosfield. The surname of 'Biggs' is first recorded in the Hundred Rolls for Essex in 1242 during the reign of Edward 1, and according to Hodgson, a certain William Bigge, Attorney of Law, came north to Newcastle in 1666, to marry Isobel Dent of Newcastle. In the marriage settlement he acquired various estates around Northumberland and particularly in Newcastle. Thus were established the Northumberland Bigges, who were to become one of the county's most notable merchant and banking families.

William Bigge, who died in 1690, was Charles William Bigge's great-great-grandfather. William's grandson, also called William (1707-1758) built Benton House at Little Benton, Newcastle in 1740, on land inherited from his grandfather's marriage settlement. In 1773, on 28th October, Charles William Bigge was born at Benton House, and upon his father's death in 1794, he inherited this, plus all other family property comprising a quarter of Heddon­-on-the-Wall, half of Darras Hall in Ponteland, parts of Gosforth, Collieries at Little Benton and Willington, near Wallsend. Benton House still remains today, though its view at that time across its estates to the Tyne, is now completely covered with housing and industrial developments.

In 1798, Charles William Bigge was given the command of Lieutenant Colonel, of the Duke of Northumberland's Battalion of Supplementary Militia, in barracks at Alnwick. Later in the same year he was made a Justice of the Peace, apparently gaining the reputation of a 'punctual and painstaking county magistrate'. This recognition no doubt lead to his appointment four years later as High Sheriff of Northumberland, being the third generation of his family to gain this office following his grandfather William in 1750 and his father Thomas in 1771. In January of the same year, 1802, Charles William Bigge had married Alice Wilkinson of Thorpe, Yorkshire, a descendant of the Fenwick's of Stanton and the Erringtons of Beaufront. In 1803, Charles and Alice moved from Benton (called Bigge's Main (Manor) on William Casson's map of Newcastle 1803) to Eslington House in North Northumberland, with Charles's two sisters, Jemima and Mary and his mother, also Jemima. Soon after this move in 1803, his first son, Charles John, was born and Charles William Bigge described Eslington House as 'much better suited to my habits of life and enjoyment than Benton'. However, within six years, his two sisters, his mother and his second son William, had all died at Eslington.

Charles William Bigge became a partner in August 1806, of the 'Old Bank' in Newcastle, probably through the influence of his wife's brother-in-law, Isaac Cookson. The 'Old Bank' was the first regularly constituted country bank in England, and had been founded in 1755 in Newcastle, officially known after its founders, as Bell, Cookson, Carr and Airey.

Charles William Bigge's appointment was followed eight weeks later by that of his brother, Thomas Hanway Bigge (1784-1824) and two other partners, and the firm's name changed to Ridley, Bigge, Gibson & Co. with new offices on the corner of Mosley Street and Pilgrim Street, Newcastle. It was also in 1806 that Charles William Bigge, together with his banking partner, Ralph Carr purchased the 'Carlisle quarter' of the parish of Long Horsley - later Longhorsley, and other large areas around the village. (Ralph Carr sold his share to Bigge in 1808.) This sale was only brought about by Act of Parliament, passed by George Iii in 1765, to allow the trustees of the deceased Henry, Earl of Carlisle to dispose of the so-called 'Manor of Longhorsley' which consisted of 2,869 acres of land in, and to the north of, the village of Longhorsley. This was to be disposed of in order to pay for the late Earl of Carlisle's debts, legacies and other purposes mentioned in his will.

Most of the land that Bigge had purchased was suitable for cattle and sheep grazing. Only after a great deal of hard work and land management by him, was the estate between Longhorsley and the River Coquet, on the east side of the main Wooler Road, good enough for arable farming. According to a contemporary source, Bigge laid over eight miles of field drains, as most of the soil was a poor quality clay, and eleven miles of hedgerows. He also fenced in the natural woods around the rivulet known as Linden Burn and rebuilt or repaired all the farm houses on the estate.

It was then that Charles William Bigge asked his close friend Sir Charles Monck to prepare designs for a large mansion to be built within the estate. It is thought that at least three different designs were prepared before arriving at the built solution. These sketch proposals attributed to Monck are in the Monck (Middleton) Papers at the Northumberland County Records Office.

The house comprised six large rooms on each of its two floors, a sweeping central staircase, with its magnificent domed lantern above, and basement in the main Hall building. On the north-east side were the kitchens and servants' quarters and in the courtyard beyond, the schoolroom, brewhouse, slaughter house and stables. The servants' quarters had sleeping accommodation for 23 persons in 12 bedrooms, and in the first official census carried out in England in 1851, these servants were listed as: butler, coachman, two grooms, housekeeper, kitchenmaid, housemaid and lady's maid, all living in the Hall, plus other servants housed in cottages and stables in the grounds.

Sir Charles Monck was an ardent Greek Revivalist and Linden Hall, which Bigge named after the nearby Linden Burn, shows strong examples of this style, in its four heavy unfluted Doric columns of the portico, with its full entablature, frieze of triglyphs and metopes, and cornice. Monck supervised the construction of Linden Hall from the laying of the foundation stone in 1810 until its completion in 1812, and occupation in 1813. A commemorative stone, carved 'Cwb 1813' can still be seen beneath the main staircase in the Inner Hall of the Hotel today.

These events are recorded in Charles William Bigge's own journals as follows:-

'30th July 1810-laid the foundations of my new House which I called Linden'.

'8th June 1813 - to Edinburgh and from there by mail to Linden, where for the first time I slept in my own house'.

'1st November 1813 - established my family at Linden. Our first Christmas dinner at Linden'.

It is thought that Sir Charles Monck enlisted the help of the young John Dobson (1787-1865) to detail the portico and windows, after having returned from his apprenticeship in London in 1811. Linden Hall was constructed in stone quarried from Horsley Common, south of Longhorsley and Monck was credited with having employed some of the finest stone masons in the country. At the same time, Sir Charles Monck was also busy constructing his greatest example of Greek Revival architecture in Northumberland, Belsay Hall, nearly 20 miles south west of Linden Hall, from 1807 until 1817. This was his own house, and again, he is thought to have called upon the help of Dobson to draw out and even cut the Doric columns of the portico and the Ionic columns of the inner hall. He also obtained the advice of Sir William Gell, who along with Monck and other Greek scholars, formed the Cambridge Hellenists to encourage Greek Revival architecture. Belsay is much larger than Linden and more severe in both its external and internal design.

Having worked upon Linden and Belsay as an assistant, John Dobson soon gained commissions of his own such as North Seaton Hall in 1813, Prestwick Lodge in 1815 and Mitford Hall in 1823, a house of similar proportions to Linden Hall and with a similar Greek Doric portico. In 1824 Dobson completed the east end addition to Trollop's Guildhall in Newcastle, also using the strong elements of Greek Doric columns, unfluted and almost identical in detail to those at Linden. One of Dobson's most attractive classical country houses in Northumberland, is Meldon Park, which he designed in 1832 for Isaac Cookson.

It was during the period 1824-1825 that Dobson put forward his plans for building a completely new town centre in Newcastle, alongside those of Richard Grainger. Newcastle had become a very rich city by this time, with coal, glass and iron, all bringing revenue from the rest of the country as well as Europe. John Clayton, who was Town Clerk at the time saw the great potential of Grainger and Dobson's plans, and with his financial support, the centre of Newcastle underwent a complete transformation. Although it was mainly the plans of the developer and builder, Grainger, that were implemented, Dobson nonetheless contributed to many major sections of the plan, and is now regarded as the major architect of the city centre. His personal designs include: Old Eldon Square, the east side of Grey Street (below the Theatre Royal), St. Thomas' Church, the Royal Arcade, Grainger Covered Market and the beautiful Central Station. The whole of the centre of Newcastle was developed by these three men in the Classical Greek style and Dobson proved that this style could be equally applied to both country houses and industrial monuments such as railway stations.

Sir Charles Lambert Monck (1779-1867) was born Charles Lambert Middleton, but changed his name to Monck at the bequest of his maternal grandfather in 1779. He had been educated at Rugby School as a classical scholar by the famous Dr. Samuel Parr. After his marriage in 1804, he extensively toured Greece to examine the classical antiquities and monuments and during this pilgrimage, his son, Charles Atticus Monck was born in Athens.

Whilst supervising the building of Linden Hall, in 1812, Sir Charles Monck was elected to Parliament to represent Northumberland. It was in Parliament that he was well remembered for championing Greece's independence from the Turks, even speaking Greek throughout debates. He was elected Vice-President of the Newcastle Antiquarian Society in 1829 and in 1840, elected High Sheriff of Northumberland.

When Charles and Alice Bigge moved into Linden Hall from Eslington in 1813, their family numbered six children within the first ten years of their marriage (William having died in 1806). The following year John Frederic was born, and in his personal journal he recalls that in the winter of 1823 when aged nine, he suffered a bad attack of scarlet fever at the same time that Northumberland was crippled by massive snow storms, with the main Wooler Road at the entrance to the Linden estate, being under 20 feet of snow, for many weeks. John Frederic Bigge also recalls that when he was ten, his parents took him to Newcastle to stay with his maternal grandmother, Mrs. Wilkinson, who lived at 54 Northumberland Street, which by pure coincidence, is adjoining the land now occupied by Callers-Pegasus Travel Service, who are the present owners of Linden Hall Hotel.

On this same visit to Newcastle in 1824, John Frederic Bigge discloses an interesting friendship between his father Charles William and the famous Newcastle wood engraver, Thomas Bewick (1753-1828) who was by this time 71 years old. This friendship possibly sprung from both men's involvement in the arts and society in Newcastle and also perhaps professionally as Bewick designed bank notes for several North-East banks. John Frederic describes a meeting between the two men as follows:-

'I was walking about the town with my father and he drew my attention to an elderly man standing at a door in St. Nicholas' Churchyard. He was dressed in a black coat and waistcoat, drab breeches, long white and grey worsted stockings and shoes and a white neckcloth. This was the illustrator Thomas Bewick, the farfamed wood engraver. My father and he talked together for a few minutes and then he told me who he was".

1n 1767, Thomas Bewick had been apprenticed to the Beilby family of engravers who during the period 1762-1778, produced their now world famous enamel painted glassware. Bewick opened his own workshop in St. Nicholas' Churchyard which from 1812, with his son Robert, became Bewick and Son. Bewick brought a great sense of realism to the art of woodcutting, and it was the great skills as both an artist as well as a skilled engraver, that brought such perfection to this comparatively little practiced art form. His illustrations for his 'History of British Birds' and 'General History of Quadrupeds' were to establish him as one of the world's greatest wood engravers. It is interesting to note that Bewick's engravings have been used on several printed items in Linden Hall Hotel such as menus and stationery.

1824 was to prove an eventful year for Charles William Bigge and his family. On 26th February, Bigge was elected the first and life long President of the Newcastle Mechanics Institution. At that same time, George Stephenson, the famous engineer and steam engine builder, became its Chairman. It was the same Stephenson of course, who was busy in 1824, building "Locomotion" destined for future world fame. Twelve years later, a portrait of Bigge was presented to the Institution to record his long service and a copy of this portrait by Snow, now hangs in the Inner Hall of Linden Hall Hotel, having been discovered during the author's researches in the Laing Art Gallery.

Bigge's involvement in local societies and institutions began in 1821, when he helped purchase the land to build a new library for the Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society (originally formed in 1793). His active part on the planning committee for this construction was recognised later by his appointment in 1838 as President, the office he held for the rest of his life. Charles William Bigge was also a share subscriber to the Assembly Rooms, an institution for the arts, learning and grand functions, and in an adjoining building he helped establish the Racket Court.

1824 had also seen the death of Charles's brother and banking partner, Thomas Hanway Bigge whose place in the Bank was then taken by Charles William's eldest son, Charles John. By 1832, the bank's name style had changed yet again to Sir M. W Ridley, Bart., Chas. Wm. Bigge & Co. and after the death of Sir Matthew White Ridley, with his trustees withdrawing his shares, the remaining partners negotiated to join the Joint Stock Bank in Newcastle. Under the new title of the 'Northumberland and Durham District Bank; it became the largest such bank in the North of England, moving to large premises at the top of Grey Street, Newcastle, in 1838.

In politics, Charles William Bigge was a definite reformer of the Whig School, and from 1794 until his retirement from politics in 1841, he led the Whig Party in Northumberland, supporting Sir Matthew White Ridley and other notable local candidates. It is understood that in recognition for his services to public life in the county and his constant support towards institutions for the betterment of the arts and sciences, he was offered a baronetcy in 1838, but with characteristic modesty, he apparently declined the honour. His retirement from public life was partly due to a decline in health. This originated from a fall from his horse which put its foot in a molehill whilst returning to Linden from canvassing wards. He was also forced to resign his Chairmanship of the Northumberland Magistrates in 1840. As a landlord and keen land manager, Bigge immersed himself in the planning and landscaping of the Linden estate around the Main Hall. He planted groves of evergreen trees, extensive woods, as well as fine parklands to the east. The gardens, all of which remain today, included the Ha Ha- a Georgian hidden walled ditch for preventing cattle straying onto the fine grass lawns around the house, whilst not interrupting the magnificent views. Bigge's success on the land had prompted him to instigate the Northumberland Agricultural Society in 1836.

Although Charles William Bigge suffered from an agonising and apparently disturbing illness, he still found the energies to travel regularly to Scotland, London and even the Continent. In 1843, he left his wife and ten children (William, Mary and Jemima having died) at Linden and set off via London, on an extensive two-year tour of Europe and the Far East, visiting Bengal, India, Singapore and China. Whilst away, three more of his children died: Julia in April 1843 aged 27, three days after the birth of her second child; Edward in April 1844, aged 37, followed in December by Henry aged 38. In fact, by 1846, more than half of Charles's thirteen children had died.

To mark this great tour, and his by now morbid obsession with illness, it is thought that Charles William commissioned the large commemorative stone, which now stands outside the Hotel Banqueting Suites. It was in fact used as a lintel to a well head in the field behind the present row of cottages on the North Drive.

The stone is carved with his initials Cwb, the date 1843 and quotes an extract from 'The Odes' by Horace, Book 11, No.14:

'Li Quenda Tellus, Et Domus Et Placens Uxor, Ne Que Harum Quas Colis Arborum Te, Praeter Invisas Cupressos, Ulla Brevem Dominum Sequeter'

Which translated, reads:-

'You Must Leave Your Land, And Home And Pleasing Wife None Of These Trees Which You Cultivate, Except The Hateful Cypresses, Will Follow You, Their Short Lived Master'

Charles William Bigge died at Linden Hall on 8th December 1849, aged 76 years leaving all his estates to Matthew Robert Bigge (1822-1906) who also in 1842, had succeeded his brother Charles John Bigge (1803-1846) as director of the District Bank. Following Charles William Bigge's death, the Bank continued to flourish until 1857, when one of the Bank's largest creditors went into liquidation with most of the bank's capital lost in property.

Distrust set in amongst other depositors and a rapid withdrawal of savings occurred-mostly in gold. On 22nd November 1857, rumours reached the London Stock Exchange and within three days, the District Bank was forced to cease trading. Matthew Robert Bigge, as major director, had had to guarantee the Linden estates to the bank to raise money for depositors, which eventually led to the sale of Linden Hall and all its freehold estates, by public auction on 6th August 1861, although his nephew, Charles Selby Bigge contested his uncle's right to sell off his rightful inheritance to settle such debts.

The sale of Linden Hall also included all its contents, which following Charles William Bigge's far eastern tour, included many oriental objects of furniture and art, such as Chinese bowls, Indian broadswords, spears and headdresses. The total list of contents in the auction catalogue of 1861 was over 1,000 items with even the servants' pillows included, plus nearly 2,000 books, 52 paintings, antique furniture, articles from the gardens, brewery and stables, including 'an excellent travelling carriage'.

Of all the descendants of Charles William Bigge, probably the most interesting line was that from his sixth son, John Frederic (1814-1885), who as mentioned previously, was Charles William's first child to be born at Linden Hall.

John Frederic became the Vicar of Ovingham at an early age, and from 1847 until his death in 1885, was Vicar of Stamfordham. He became well known throughout the county for his knowledge of natural history and was also an eminent historian. By his marriage to Caroline Ellison, he had a son, Arthur John Bigge (1849-1931) who through his service in the Royal Artillery during the Zulu War of 1879, came to the attention of Queen Victoria. It was Arthur Bigge who reported to Queen Victoria, the death in action of his friend, the Prince Imperial of France. In 1880, the Queen took him as her Assistant Private Secretary becoming Private Secretary in 1885 for the remainder of her reign.

The Linden Hall Estate was eventually sold for £75,200 'exclusive of timber' to Mr. H. M. Ames. The Little Benton Estate was purchased by David Burn of Newcastle for £21,000 and Willington was sold for £11,500. The actual sale prospectus from 1861 can be seen today in the Hotel Drawing Room.

Arthur Bigge then continued in Royal Service under the Queen's grandson, George, Prince of Wales, both before his accession in 1910 and afterwards until Arthur's death in 1931. It was during his service to Prince George that Arthur was knighted, and in 1913 Prince George, now King George V made him a peer of the realm. Sir Arthur Bigge took the title of Lord Stamfordham, from his natural home.

Lord Stamfordham had three children, his only son John Neville Bigge, was killed in action during the First World War in 1915. His eldest daughter, Victoria (1881-1969) lost her husband Captain Adeane also in the Great War only four years after the birth of their son, Michael Edward Adeane. Like his grandfather before him, Michael entered Royal Service at the age of 27, having served in his father's regiment, the Coldstream Guards. He became Equerry and Assisiant Private Secretary to both King George Vi from 1937 to 1952, and Queen Elizabeth Ii in 1952. The following year he was made Private Secretary until his retirement in 1972.

During his long career in Royal Service, a knighthood was bestowed upon Michael Adeane, followed by a peerage upon his retirement in 1972, taking the title of Lord Adeane of Stamfordham. Thus, this line of descendants from Charles William Bigge are brought up to recent days still serving our Royal Family, as Lord Adeane's son, Hon. George Edward Adeane, born in 1939, was Private Secretary and Treasurer to H.R.H. The Prince of Wales from 1979 to 1984.

I am particularly grateful to Lord Adeane of Stamfordham, for his help with the geneology of his branch of the Bigge Family. The family tree of the Bigge Family from Charles William's great-great-grandfather through to Hon. George Edward Adeane, is an original piece of calligraphy by Royston E Baglee and can be seen in the Hotel Inner Hall.

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