West Layton Hall, West Layton, Richmond, Yorkshire

Rhiannon Parker-Nicholls

Located 5 miles North of Richmond, West Layton Manor stands on the site of West Layton Hall. Up to the 17th century, the Hall had been in the Layton family since 1278. While it is not known exactly how the Hall came into the ownership of the Robinson family, according to one source, it may have passed by inheritance through Lucy Layton, the first wife of Sir Leonard Robinson,[Dr. Doran, A lady of the last century (Mrs. Elizabeth Montagu) p. 5.] however, this is not certain.

Elizabeth Montagu’s father was customarily known as ‘Matthew Robinson Esq. of West Layton and Edgley in the county of York’.

The property remained in the Robinson family until at least 1857 when it was recorded as being owned by General Henry Montagu, 6th Lord Rokeby. The Hall was torn down in 1872 and little is known about the original dwelling. The Hall was replaced by the current West Layton Manor, built by the architect John Johnson for John Easton, who made his fortune through coal mining. Since 2019, the property has operated as a hotel.

Please note that all dates and location information are provisional, initially taken from the library and archive catalogues. As our section editors continue to work through the material we will update our database and the changes will be reflected across the edition.

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