Constable Burton Hall

History

The estate came into the Wyvill (sometimes Wyvell) family by marriage in the reign of Edward VI. In 1611 Marmaduke Wyvill was created a baronet. The house then passed down to the 7th Baronet, also Sir Marmaduke Wyvill, who in 1768 commissioned John Carr of York to remodel the Elizabethan H-plan house in the Palladian style.

The 7th Baronet was High Sheriff of Yorkshire for 1773 and died unmarried in 1774, causing the baronetcy to become dormant after its American heirs failed to claim the title. He left the estate to his cousin and brother-in-law, the Rev. Christopher Wyvill, from whom it descended in turn via the latter's son Marmaduke, the MP for York, to Marmaduke's son, also Marmaduke (1815–1896). He represented Richmond in Parliament for many years and was also a world class chess player. The current owner is his grandson, Charles Wyvill.

Popular culture

In the 1945 film The Way to the Stars the hall was used as the United States Army Air Forces headquarters. Its exterior remains little changed today.

The hall was also featured in the British television series All Creatures Great and Small, in the episode "Be Prepared", as the home of Major Headingley.

References

References

1. {{NHLE
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4. {{National Heritage List for England
5. (21 April 2016). "Review: The Wyvill Arms, Constable Burton". The Northern Echo.
6. "Desert Sun 18 September 1969 — California Digital Newspaper Collection".
7. "Wyvill Family".
8. "The Way to the Stars (1945)".
9. "Way to the Stars, The".
10. [http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMH91E_Constable_Burton_Hall_Constable_Burton_N_Yorks_All_Creatures_Great_Small_Be_Prepared_1980 "Constable Burton Hall, Constable Burton, N Yorks – All Creatures Great & Small, Be Prepared (1980)"] – Waymarking.com