Newby Hall, Ripon, England

The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.

HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT

In the 13th century the Nubie family owned land in the area. By the 17th century Newby belonged to Sir Jordan Crossland who sold it to Sir Edward Blackett in 1689. Blackett laid out extensive gardens which were possibly designed by an assistant of London & Wise, Peter Aram (active 1690), who was Blackett's head gardener, and these are illustrated in a view of 1707 by Knyff and Kip (guidebook, 3). A description written in 1697 by Celia Fiennes (Morris 1948) corresponds well with what is shown in the engraving. The estate remained in the Blackett family until 1748 when it was sold to William Weddell, who died in 1792. An estate map drawn up for Weddell in 1772 shows a layout by Thomas White (1736-1811), illustrated in an earlier map of 1766, in its executed form. The estate passed to Weddell's cousin, the third Lord Grantham and Earl de Grey, who gave it to his younger daughter Mary who married Henry Vyner of Gautby. It subsequently passed through the female line to the Compton family and remains in private ownership (1998).