Delaval
Encyclopedia
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, from the 11th century to the 19th century. Their main estate was the manor of Seaton Delaval
Seaton Delaval
Seaton Delaval is a village in Northumberland, England, with a population of 4,371. It is the largest of the five villages in Seaton Valley and is the site of Seaton Delaval Hall, the masterpiece completed by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1727....
. The 18th century Delavals are noteworthy for their colourful lifestyle, for the magnificent Seaton Delaval Hall
Seaton Delaval Hall
Seaton Delaval Hall is a Grade I listed country house in Northumberland, England. It is near the coast just north of Newcastle upon Tyne. Located between Seaton Sluice and Seaton Delaval, it was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1718 for Admiral George Delaval and is now owned by the National...
and for the development of the little seaport of Seaton Sluice
Seaton Sluice
Seaton Sluice is a village in Northumberland. It lies on the coast at the mouth of the Seaton Burn, midway between Whitley Bay and Blyth. It has a population of about 3,000 people.- Early history :...
and a coal mine at Old Hartley.
Early history
The Delaval name derives from LavalLaval, Mayenne
Laval is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.It lies on the threshold of Brittany and on the border between Normandy and Anjou. Its citizens are called Lavallois.-Geography:...
, a town in the valley of the Mayenne River
Mayenne River
The Mayenne is a river in western France principally located in the French region Pays de la Loire. Together with the river Sarthe and its tributary Loir it forms the river Maine, which is a tributary to the river Loire.-Geography:...
, in the département of Mayenne
Mayenne
Mayenne is a department in northwest France named after the Mayenne River.-History:Mayenne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. The northern two thirds correspond to the western part of the former province of Maine...
in old Maine, north-western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. An early ancestor, Guy de la Val II, built a castle there in the first half of the eleventh century. One of his descendants fought at the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
in AD 1066 (the event marking the Norman conquest of England
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
), and thereafter the De la Vals settled in Northumberland. At Seaton they built a small fortified dwelling near the existing Saxon church, which in 1100 Hubert de la Val rebuilt bringing into being the present Church of Our Lady near Delaval Hall.
It would appear that the initial fortified dwelling evolved into the mediaeval Seaton Tower, probably in the fourteenth century. This was extended in Tudor
Tudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
and Jacobean
Jacobean era
The Jacobean era refers to the period in English and Scottish history that coincides with the reign of King James VI of Scotland, who also inherited the crown of England in 1603 as James I...
times to form a rambling manor house of considerable size. In the earlier eighteenth century, this was replaced by the present Seaton Delaval Hall (always referred to locally as Delaval Hall), the third and last great mansion designed by architect and playwright Sir John Vanbrugh
John Vanbrugh
Sir John Vanbrugh – 26 March 1726) was an English architect and dramatist, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restoration comedies, The Relapse and The Provoked Wife , which have become enduring stage favourites...
. This was devastated by a fire in 1822 but later restored – apart from the interior of the main block.
The Delaval surname died out on at least two occasions in the Middle Ages, but was re-adopted by lords of Seaton presumably because of the prestige attached to its Norman-French sound. The Delaval family played a prominent part in the life of the county of Northumberland; several served as High Sheriff of the county, others became Members of Parliament and some served as Border Commissioner (the northern edge of the county is the Anglo-Scottish border).
The fortunes of the Delavals of Seaton rose to their peak in the eighteenth century. However, with the death of Edward Hussey Delaval in 1814, the Delaval line died out, and the manor of Seaton Delaval and other estates passed to the Astley
Astley
-Places in England:* Astley, Greater Manchester, a dormitory town* Astley Green Colliery Museum* Astley, Warwickshire, a village and parish* Astley, Worcestershire, a village and parish* Astley, Shropshire, a village and parish* Astley Village, in Lancashire...
family of Melton Constable
Melton Constable
Melton Constable is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 518 in 225 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of North Norfolk...
.
Edward Astley, 22nd Baron Hastings
Edward Astley, 22nd Baron Hastings
Edward Delaval Henry Astley, 22nd Baron Hastings, 12th Baronet Astley had many interests, including politics, ballet, charity work, Italy, and renovating Seaton Delaval Hall....
, a considerable landowner, spent many years restoring the Hall, before it became his permanent home until his death in 2007.
Eighteenth Century Delavals
The 18th century Delavals of Seaton were:- Admiral George DelavalGeorge Delaval-Family:He was of a junior branch of the Delaval family, the son of George Delaval of North Dissington, Northumberland. His father left him a legacy of only £100 but he went on to make a large fortune from his naval and diplomatic career.-Naval career:...
(1660–1723) - Captain Francis Blake DelavalFrancis Blake Delaval (1692–1752)Captain Francis Blake Delaval was a Royal Navy officer and Member of Parliament.He was the son of Edward Delaval and his wife Mary, daughter of Sir Francis Blake of Cogges...
(1692–1752) - Sir Francis Blake DelavalFrancis Blake Delaval (1727–1771)Sir Francis Blake Delaval KB was a British soldier and Member of Parliament.He was the eldest son of Captain Francis Blake Delaval RN of Seaton Delaval Hall, and succeeded to the estate in 1752....
(1727–1771) - Lord John Hussey DelavalJohn Delaval, 1st Baron DelavalJohn Hussey Delaval, 1st Baron Delaval , known as Sir John Delaval, Bt, between 1761 and 1783, was an English landowner and politician.-Background and education:...
(1728–1808) - Edward Hussey Delaval (1729–1814)
See also
- Baron Delaval
- Delaval BaronetsDelaval BaronetsThere have been two Baronetcies created for people with the surname Delaval.The Delaval Baronetcy of Seaton in the County of Northumberland was created in the Baronetage of England on 29 June 1660 for Ralph Delaval, of Seaton. The latter was Member of Parliament for Northumberland and was...
- Admiral Sir Ralph DelavalRalph DelavalAdmiral Sir Ralph Delaval was an English naval admiral.He was a member of a junior branch of the Delaval family of Seaton Delaval, Northumberland...
(c.1641-c.1707)
Other sources
- Those Delavals, Roger Burgess, 1972, paperback, 55 pages, published by Graham, ISBN 0-902833-64-2. Concentrates on the 18th century Delavals. Accompanied a BBC North East TV series.
- Handbook: Seaton Delaval Hall, with introduction by Lord Hastings dated April 1966. Possibly obtainable when visiting the Hall.
- Northumberland County History, vols. 8, 9 and 11. Rich in accurate genealogy.
- Archaeologia Aeliana, 2nd Series, vol. 12, pp. 215–228.
- Delaval Papers. These are mainly Lord John's papers – thousands of documents in 30 boxes These were saved from destruction at the end of the 19th century by a local antiquary, John Robinson, when he heard they were going to be burnt along with other rubbish at the old Hartley colliery office. Robinson published his own collection of the papers at the time. When Askham wrote 'The Gay Delavals' in 1955, the documents were in the vaults of Newcastle upon Tyne City Library and still uncatalogued. In 1972 they were to be found, properly calendared, in the Northumberland County Record Office in Gosforth.