The Redmayne family of Stainforth

Update: A much more detailed account of the life of Thomas Redmayne is to be found in the article by Catherine Vaughan-Williams published in 2020 in the Journal of the North Craven Heritage Trust.  The article is called 'Thomas Redmayne of Taitlands'.  

In it you will find full details of the Redmayne family of Taitlands and their connection with the Henlock family of Great Ouseburn and the Stubbs family of Boroughbridge.

Thomas Redmayne of Taitlands was born in Stainforth in about 1797 and died on 23 February 1862 at the age of 65.

Thomas was the first cousin once removed of the prosperous London silk mercer, Giles Redmayne (1792-1857), who bought the Brathay Hall estate, beside Windermere; Thomas Redmayne's executors were his wife's nephew Joseph Stubbs and John Marriner Redmayne, son of Giles.  The relationship may look a little distant but Thomas and Giles were close.

Thomas was one of the children of Richard Redmayne and Ann Batty.  Richard is commemorated in Giggleswick church by a brass inlaid in the floor: Richard Redmayne of Stainforth died 13 Jun 1799 age 31.

By the time the cousins Thomas and Giles Redmayne were in their thirties, they were both creating country estates/houses for themselves – Thomas at Stainforth and Giles at Brathay.
Thomas Redmayne's first marriage was to Ann Tooley.  They had one son, Thomas, who became a solicitor and unfortunately took to drink and bad company.  He went to Australia in 1852, where he died at the age of 26 within a week of his arrival [I am indebted to Norman Jessup for this information].

Lancaster Gazette 21 August 1852
Deaths
South Australia. - At Melbourne, South Australia, in April last, Thomas Redmayne, jun. Esq., of Taitlands near Settle, in the 30th year of his age.

Morning Chronicle, 24 August 1852
Suddenly, in April last, in his 30th year, at the Kilda Hotel Melbourne, Port Philip, Thomas, eldest son of Thomas Redmayne Esq., of Taitlands, near Settle, Yorkshire. 

After Ann's death, Thomas married Jane Brown in 1831.  He must have begun work on his house, Taitlands, at this time:

History of Taitlands
Work started on Taitlands in 1831 and continued for at least 17 years.  The property was built for Thomas Joseph Redmayne and his wife Jane in the Greek Revival style including entrance portico, fluted columns with cast iron balcony above and a huge sweeping staircase.  Following the death of Thomas Redmayne in 1862, the house changed hands a number of times before the YHA (Youth Hostel Association) purchased it in the 1940′s ...
from Taitlands website

Sadly, Jane died five years later, when the house was presumably hardly finished:

Leeds Intelligencer, 24 Dec 1836: Deaths
Thursday last, in the 28th year of her age, Jane, the beloved wife of Thomas Redmayne, Esq. of Taitlands, near Settle

Four years later, Thomas married again.  His third wife, also called Jane, was probably a relation.  She was the daughter of John Henlock of Great Ouseburn and his wife Jane Redmayne, daughter of Richard Redmayne.  He is described in Bishop Stubbs' history as "of Austwick", but according to the Henlock memorial in Great Ouseburn church was "of Stainforth in Craven".

Henlock memorial, St Mary the Virgin's, Great Ouseburn

York Herald, 7 Mar 1840: Marriages
On Tuesday last, at Great Ouseburn, near Boroughbridge, by the Rev Edmund Robinson, M.A., Thomas Redmayne, Esq, of Taitlands House, near Settle, to Jane, third daughter of the late John Henlock, Esq. of the former place

We find them in Taitlands in the 1841 census, with Jane, Thomas's daughter by his previous marriage:

1841 Census: Taitlands
Thomas Redmayne, 40, Ind. bYks
Jane Redmayne, 30, b Yks
Jane Redmayne, 7

In 1845 Thomas is frequently mentioned in the press in connection with the proliferation of railways:

Thomas Redmayne, Esq., Taitlands is one of the provisional committee of the Northumberland and Lancashire Junction Railway Co."proposed line will place the manufacturing districts of North Lancashire in direct communication with Newcastle"

In the Leeds Times of 11 Oct 1845 he is described, in the list of promoters of the Keighley, Halifax and Huddersfield Junction Railway via Elland, to intersect the Liverpool & Leeds District Railway at Halifax, as being "director of the North Western railway, of the Clitheroe Junction railway, of the Manchester, Liverpool, and Great North of England Union railway, and of the Liverpool and Leeds Direct railway

By 1851, Thomas and Jane Henlock have two children of their own:

1851 Census: Taitlands
Thomas Redmayne,54, landed proprietor 18 acres, farmer 27 acres b Stainforth
Jane, 41, wife b Ouseburn
Jane, 16
Henry, 9
Mary, 8, all children b Taitlands
coachman Henry Parker
Hannah Wharf, Mary Bateson, Isabella Ornsdale and Rebecca Wilcock, servant

In 1858, Thomas's daughter Jane married a young doctor:

Morning Post 20 Jan 1858: marriages
Sedgwick - Redmayne. On the 14th inst., at St Peter's Church, Stainforth, by the Rev W Richardson, B.A., incumbent, Leonard William Sedgwick, Esq., of Borobridge, to Jane, eldest surviving daughter of T Redmayne, Esq, of Taitlands, near Settle, Yorkshire

They set up home in Boroughbridge for a time before moving to London, where Leonard practised as a physician.

The 1861 census captures the family just before tragedy was to strike:

1861 Census: Taitlands
Thomas Redmayne, 64, landed proprietor and farmer of 40 acres land emp 1 man, b Stainforth
Jane, 52, b Gt Ouseburn
Mary, 18 b Stainforth
Miss Isabella Henlock, 54, Fund Holder, b Gt Ouseburn [Jane Redmayne's sister and John's Aunt Bell]
Miss Frances Stubbs, 25, b Knaresborough [sister of the Bishop]
James Pratt, 30, coachman & gardener
Mary Newsholme, cook
Ann Wilson and Elizabeth Carradice, housemaids

In February 1862, Thomas and Jane died within days of each other:

Sheffield Independent 28 February 1862: deaths
Redmayne - On the 23rd inst., aged 65, Thomas Redmayne, Esq., of Taitlands, Settle, Yorkshire, and five days' previously, Jane, his wife, aged 52

Memorial Inscriptions:
Stainforth Church:  Window on south side at the west end in memory of Jane & Thomas:  containing the charge of St Peter, with the words, “Feed My sheep; Feed My lambs” and the inscription “To the glory of God and in memory of Thomas and Jane Redmayne, died February 18th and 23rd, 1862.  Erected in 1867.”
Stainforth Church:  no39:  Thomas Redmayne d 23 Feb 1862 a65, and Jane his wife d 18 Feb 1862 a52
NB  Stainforth church was built from 1839.  Thomas Redmayne subscribed £200 to the building

The notice in the Yorkshire Gazette gives the names of his executors:

Yorkshire Gazette 5 Apr 1862
Thomas Redmayne Esq decd
Notice is Hereby Given that all Persons claiming Debts or Liabilities affecting the Estate of Thomas Redmayne ... required to send in their claims to Mr Joseph Stubbs of Boroughbridge .. Wine Merchant, and Mr John Marriner Redmayne of Tynemouth, in the County of Northumberland, Manufacturer, the Executors

1881 South Dene, Gateshead
John Marriner Redmayne, 50, alkali maker & emp 593 men and 109 boys b Kentish Town, Middlesex
Jane Anna F. R. wife, 48, b Ireland
7 children

Thomas and Jane's son Henry was only twenty years old, and the executors looked for tenants for Taitlands:

Yorkshire Gazette, from 5 April 1862, notice from Messrs Hirst & Capes, solicitors, Knaresborough
To be Let, and may be Entered upon forthwith, Taitlands, a desirable Residenc ... in the midst of very Romantic Scenery, with the Gardens and Grounds, and Seventeen and a Half Acres of Rich Grass Land.  The House comprises Entrance Hall, Dining, Drawing, and Breakfast Rooms, Eight Bed Rooms, besides Man Servant's Room, and Attics, Butler's Pantry, good Kitchens, Scullery, and excellent Cellars.  The Rooms are spacious and lofty.  The House is in good Repair, and in every respect a suitable Gentleman's Residence.  Good Coach House, Stables, Harness Room, and other convenient Outbuildings adjoining ...

Some of the land was to be sold off:

Yorkshire Gazette 26 July 1862
Notice of sale by auction on 19 August 1862 at the Lion Hotel in Settle, "very valuable property, eligibly situate at Austwick, in the parish of Clapham, partly Freehold of inheritance and partly customary Freehold, of the Manors of Austwick and Lawkland-with-Feizor" lists the property, acreage and tenants

In 1863, Mary Redmayne married James Sedgwick.  He was her brother-in-law Leonard Sedgwick's younger brother, and also a doctor:

Morning Post 19 Feb 1863
Sedgwick - Redmayne.  On the 14th inst., at St Thomas's, Portman-square, by the Rev W Richardson, incumbent of Stainforth, Yorkshire, James Sedgwick, Esq., of Boroughbridge, to Mary, younger daughter of the late Thomas Redmayne, Esq., of Taitlands, Settle, Yorkshire
[the Westmorland Gazette says "youngest daughter"]

Five years later, Henry Redmayne died:

Yorkshire Post & Leeds Intelligencer 19 March 1868
Redmayne - March 13, at Taitlands, near Settle, aged 26, Henry Redmayne, Esq

Yorkshire Post & Leeds Intelligencer 21 March 1868
Stainforth - Military Funeral - At Stainforth, on Wednesday, the members of the North Craven Rifles attended the funeral of Ensign Redmayne, who died on the 13th inst., aged 26 years.  The mournful procession, headed by the rifle corps, the band playing the "Dead March," proceeded from the deceased gentleman's residence, at Taitlands, to St Peter's Church, Stainforth, where his body was interred in the family vault.  The funeral service was read by the Rev Mr Hearnley, after which the accustomed number of three volleys were fired over the grave by the members of the corps

Taitlands was offered for sale on 4 April 1868.

John Marriner Redmayne's family

John Marriner Redmayne was the third son of Giles Redmayne (1792-1857) & Margareta Robey:

Carlisle Journal 20 Feb 1857
At the Parish church, Kilrush, on 14th inst., by the Rev R Welsh, John Marriner, third son of Giles Redmayne Esq of 30 York-place, Portman-square, London and Brathay Hall, Windermere, to Jane A Fitzgerald, only daughter of Rear-Admiral Studdert, of Pella, Kilrush, county Clare

Giles Redmayne was a successful silk mercer who bought the Brathay Hall estate.  He died between the marriage of his son John Marriner in Feb 1857 and his daughter Margaret in July 1859 (according to the piece below on his son George Tunstal, he died in 1857), and was succeeded in business and at Brathay Hall by his son Giles (c1820-98):

1851 35 Conduit Street London
Giles Redmayne, 30, silk mercer &c, b St Georges Hanover Sq
Eliza, wife, 28 b St Giles
children:
Lizzie 5 b St Marylebone
Frank Giles, 2, b St Georges Hanover Sq
Fanny Sadler, sister-in-law, 25 b St Giles Middlesex
3 servants

1861 25 Gloucester Gardens London
Giles Redmayne, 40, silk mercer, b St George's London
wife Eliza 37, b London
children:
Lizzie15 b London
Hugh 6 b Willesden
Alice 1 b Willesden
Ellen Redmayne, sister, U, 32, b London
Frances M Redmayne, sister, U, 24, b London

1871 Broughton East, Lancs: Laurel House
Giles Redmayne, 50, magistrate landowner, b London
wife Eliza 45, b London
dau Alice 11 b Kilburn
dau Mary, 7, b Kilburn
governess and servant

Census 1881: Hawkshead, parish of Holy Trinity, Brathay
Giles Redmayne, J.P., widower, 60, Landed Proprietor, b London
son Frank G Redmayne, U, 32, Master Mariner, b London,
dau, Alice Maud Redmayne, 21 b Kilkburn,
cousin Christian Reid widow 55 b St Johns Wood,
butler and 6 servants and groom

Morning Post 12 July 1898
The personal estate has been valued [etc] of Mr Giles Redmayne, of Brathay Hall, Lancaster, and of Old Bond-street, silk mercer, who died on the 21st of April last, aged 78.  .. The executors are his brother Robert Robey Redmayne, of Durham, his brother John Marriner Redmayne, of Gateshead, his son Arthur Tunstall Redmayne of 3 Conduit-street ... his son Hugh .. his daughter Mary Lawrence Redmayne ... his daughters Lizzie Gregory, and Alice Maun Hough ... his daughter-in-law Annie Redmayne, widow of his son Frank

Newcastle Journal 23 June 1914
Mr Richard Augustine Soddert Redmayne, Chief Inspector of Mines, Home Office, who has been appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, is the fourth son of the late Mr John Marriner Redmayne, a former Mayor of Gateshead

Brathay Trust website
There are fascinating diary records of family life here. Harden was an amateur artist and many local worthies were drawn into the family circle. They were visited by Coleridge, and Constable, who sketched various family groups. Old Brathay, the adjoining house, was owned by a Lloyd of the banking family, and his visitors included Coleridge, de Quincey and the Wordsworths. Then, for almost a century, the Hall belonged to the family of Giles Redmayne, a successful draper. Among those who rented it was Dr Arnold the Rugby Headmaster.

George Tunstal Redmayne
Designation:     Architect
Born:     27 December 1840
Died:     21 August 1912
Bio Notes:     George Tunstall Redmayne was born on 27 December 1840 at Highgate, London, the youngest of four sons of Giles Redmayne (1892-1857) and Margareta Robey. Like one of his brothers, G T Redmayne was sent to Tonbridge School but remained there for only two years 1852-1854 before going on to several private tutors. Giles Redmayne had moved to London where he established a highly successful linen drapers and silk mercers business, sufficient to allow a house in Portman Square and the purchase in 1833 of the Brathay Hall estate at the head of Lake Windermere in the English Lake District. At Brathay, the young Alfred Waterhouse RA, then of Manchester, was commissioned as architect in the mid-1850's, for works including a new lodge. In 1859 George Tunstall Redmayne became his pupil, passing the voluntary examination of the Institute in 1863, and remained with Waterhouse as his assistant. When Waterhouse opened his London office, the Manchester office continued in operation, run by Redmayne.