By Louise MacCarthy
This article was published in the December 2024 edition of Soul Search, the Journal of The Sole Society
My husband’s father, James MacCarthy died in October 2023. In his personal effects we found a small photo book that was compiled by his mother, Winifred Luna Evelyn Saul (1896-1977). It consists of eight photographs all labelled by Winifred, and the title of the book is “Photographs of the Family Homes in Carlisle”
It names Crosby Lodge as “the birthplace and early home of your Grandfather George Percy Saul and Aunt Bee” along with a photo of Crosby Lodge.
On the next page “Brunstock, The Main Family Home. The family owned Crosby Lodge, The Millhouse and the whole of the Parish of Crosby on Eden” with a photograph of Brunstock House. It then shows several photos of the houses and gardens and finishes with a page about Saul and Lightfoot Solicitors as the family firm.
We had no idea about any of these houses or that the family had originated from Carlisle, so a weekend in Carlisle and a visit to Carlisle Archives was booked. Some of the labels written by Winifred Luna Saul are incorrect, probably when trying to remember facts, however I have tried to update any inconsistences.
George Saul 1796 -1853 was the first person in the family to own the properties and in his will he left the whole of his real estate to his wife Luna with the power to give to his relatives as “she thinks proper” – his Mansion House at Brunstock, gardens, pleasure grounds, cottages and lands at Brunstock and The Millhouse as well as several fields and farms occupied by tenants.
According to the archives information George Saul bought Mill House in 1827 and then bought Brunstock in the late 1820s. He built the mansion and formed the park and gardens. On his death he gave his nephew 3Silas George (1836-1905) his mansion at Crosby Lodge as well as several other properties and land occupied by tenants in Crosby on Eden.
[Ed: From now on the four Sauls, are denoted with a numeral according to the family tree below.] In March 1857 a bill was filed in Chancery by Luna against Silas George (her nephew) asking that the estate be managed under the direction of court so that proper provisions might be made by sale or mortgage of 1George Saul’s real estates for payments of debts and liabilities. She confirmed that the power should go to 2Silas Saul (1803 – 1878) 1George’s brother. 4George Hodgson Saul (1838-1916), his nephew, was then given the mansion house Crosby Lodge as long as, bizarrely, 1George Saul’s nephew 3Silas George continued to pay Luna Saul’s coachman William Carr an annuity of £30 for the rest of his life. There is also a mortgage debt of £5000 charged on Crosby Lodge devised to 4George Hodgson. We could find no evidence of when Crosby Lodge was purchased.
This gives the Mansion House and Crosby Lodge to 4George Hodgson. We know that 4George Hodgson married Eleanor Adelaide Anderson in Paris on 3rd November 1860 and that they had three children, two of whom were born in Florence, Italy which included George Percy Deverill – the George Percy Saul referred to as James MacCarthy’s grandfather.
In the census of 1881 4George Hodgson, his wife and the three children were at Crosby Lodge so technically George Percy Deverill did live there for a time although he was definitely not born there as we know he was born in Florence Italy.
Aunt Bee is Eleanor Beatrice Saul and was born in Florence, Italy (1865 – 1951) her father was 4George Hodgson Saul so she was George Percy Saul’s sister and therefore James MacCarthy’s Great Aunt.
By 1891 4George Hodgson was living at Beaufort Street Kensington, George Percy Deverill was in Halstead Street Lostock, Lancashire, Aunt Bee was living with her mother Eleanor Adelaide Saul and her brother Arthur Dacre Saul at 11 Selwood Road, Kensington.
Crosby Lodge Estate was sold on 26th September 1905. The Lodge was bought and restored by the Sedgwick Family in 1970. It was opened as a Country House Hotel. It closed on 1st July 2012, The House is unoccupied at present but there are residents living in the modernised coach house.
3Silas Saul sold Brunstock Estate to Christopher Taylor in 1907. In 1999 the Farm House and Dairy were sold for development. The land around the estate has been developed with housing and the mansion has been divided into Flats and Mews.
On the 2nd Feb 1827 1George Saul purchased Millhouse and a parcel of land. Then he made significant alterations to the property in 1830. There were later C19/C20 additions also. It was sold by the family in 1912 and purchased by the County Council in 1942 and converted into a remand home in 1944.
The final page of the photobook is labelled “The Firm of Saul and Lightfoot now a national Monument. The firm was started by Silas Saul in 1740 – Became Saul and Lightfoot after the death of a later Silas Saul in 1926”
My understanding of Saul and Lightfoot was that it was founded by Silas Saul (1762-1844). He had three sons who were all solicitors as was his great grandson, George Frederick (1863-1925). We looked at the information held at the archives. Most of it was records of George Frederick’s work including two large copy books evidencing cases that he was involved in including the administration of Aunty Eleanor’s (Eleanor Adelaide, George Hodgson’s wife) Trust Fund and the annual letters to her regarding her annuity payments. We did see her Trust Fund documents but did not photograph it unfortunately as time was short and the Archives were closing. The rest were notes and letters but nothing about the history of the firm.
In 1851 Census 2Silas Saul (1803-1878), solicitor and undersheriff for the County of Cumberland. was living in 12, Castle Street with his wife Lucy Maria and seven children. By the 1871 Census 2Silas Saul and two of his daughters were living in 21 Castle Street, which is the house in the photograph in the photo book. According to the family Trust Fund the family owned both 21 and 23 Castle Street. The Trust Fund States that 21 Castle Street was used as a Girls’ Higher Grade school for Borders and Day Scholars with a rental of £80 per year, and 23 Castle Street as a range of offices occupied by Messrs S, G & GF Saul Solicitors with offices on the first floor, tenanted at £50 per year. There was no mention of Lightfoot at that point. Unfortunately the Trust Fund is not dated but we think it must be around 1905 as it mentions “the late 4Silas George Saul Esq” who died in 1905.
Also George Graham Kirklinton Saul (1854-1927) was a solicitor, JP and High Sheriff of Cumberland so could it be during his time that the firm became Saul and Lightfoot?
I did contact the Solicitors Atkinson & Ritson since I have been told that in 1992 they incorporated the firms Saul & Lightfoot, Atkinson & North and Hetherington Ritson into one firm called Atkinson Ritson. I am waiting one of the partners, who is on annual leave, to get back to me. I doubt that there were any Sauls or Lightfoot’s still in the firm but you never know??
We intend to go to Carlisle again at some point and will visit Kirklinton Hall and the churches that have the family memorials in, Crosby on Eden Church, Kirklinton Church and Carlisle Cathedral. I have photos of them but want to go and find them for myself.
Ed: I had a quick look on Ancestry.com and found that George Saul married Luna Fearon on 24th April 1822, and that his parents were Silas and Jane Saul.
So I dropped a line to Louise to see if she had looked any further back and I got the following:
Yes my tree currently starts with William Saul (1675-1750) who married Abigail Cowen (1666-1716) who had a son George Saul (1699-1785), three generations above Silas Saul and Jane Jackson.
I also have quite a comprehensive section of my tree for Charles J Saul (1848-1912) who emigrated to Australia and was George Hodgson Saul’s brother.
My current research is with John Kirklinton Saul (1815-1868) who married Mary Frederica Molling (1815- 1881) who had a son George Graham Kirklinton Saul (1854 -1927) who bought Kirklinton Hall in 1869. This mansion was built in 1661 and has a fascinating past which includes a very small part with the Saul family.