Maer Hall
Encyclopedia
The large 17th century stone built country house and estate of Maer Hall dominates the village
of Maer, Staffordshire
. Its location in the district of Newcastle-under-Lyme
, Staffordshire
, England
, is attractively rural, but fairly close to the pottery manufacturing area around Stoke-on-Trent
which attracted its most famous owner Josiah Wedgwood II
. His nephew Charles Darwin
often visited Maer, and married Josiah's daughter Emma
.
A manor house at Maer dates back to 1282, the owner then being William de Mere. The present stone house was built around 1680 on a slope above a small lake, or "mere
", which gave the house its name. In the 18th century the landscape designer Capability Brown
altered the lake in a scheme of pleasure grounds.
It lay only 7 miles (11 km) from the Etruria
Works of the pottery manufacturer Josiah Wedgwood II
, and in 1802 he bought the house using funds borrowed from his relative Robert. He had the house prepared, with the park being laid out by the landscape designer John Webb
, and in 1807 the family moved in. There was a pleasant freedom of speech in the family, with everyone speaking their mind without restraint. They frequently exchanged visits to and from their Darwin relatives only 20 miles (30 km) away, and the young Charles Darwin
found it a welcome contrast to the stricter approach of his father. Charles gained much useful information from his relatives during the inception of Darwin's theory
, and it was at Maer Hall that he first became interested in the effects of earthworm
s which were the subject of an early paper presented to the Geological Society
as well as of his last book. He proposed to Emma Wedgwood
at Maer Hall, and they were married at St. Peter’s Church which stands close by on the hillside overlooking the Hall.
After the death of Josiah Wedgwood II
in 1843 the house and estate was owned by the pottery manufacturer William Davenport who added a huge clock tower and more stables, but these were knocked down in the 1960s restoring the appearance of the original 17th century Hall. For most of the 20th century it was the home of the Harrison family, owners of the Harrison Shipping Line.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Maer, Staffordshire
Maer, Staffordshire
Maer is a rural village and civil parish in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, to the west of the pottery manufacturing town of Stoke-on-Trent....
. Its location in the district of Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town in Staffordshire, England, and is the principal town of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is part of The Potteries Urban Area and North Staffordshire. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 73,944...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, 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...
, is attractively rural, but fairly close to the pottery manufacturing area around Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
which attracted its most famous owner Josiah Wedgwood II
Josiah Wedgwood II
Josiah Wedgwood II , the son of the English potter Josiah Wedgwood, continued his father's firm and was Member of Parliament for Stoke-upon-Trent from 1832 to 1835...
. His nephew Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
often visited Maer, and married Josiah's daughter Emma
Emma Darwin
Emma Darwin was the wife and first cousin of Charles Darwin, the English naturalist, scientist and author of On the Origin of Species...
.
A manor house at Maer dates back to 1282, the owner then being William de Mere. The present stone house was built around 1680 on a slope above a small lake, or "mere
Mere (lake)
Mere in English refers to a lake that is broad in relation to its depth, e.g. Martin Mere. A significant effect of its shallow depth is that for all or most of the time, it has no thermocline.- Etymology :...
", which gave the house its name. In the 18th century the landscape designer Capability Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
altered the lake in a scheme of pleasure grounds.
It lay only 7 miles (11 km) from the Etruria
Etruria, Staffordshire
Etruria is a suburb of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England.-Home of Wedgwood:Etruria was the fourth and penultimate site for the Wedgwood pottery business. Josiah Wedgwood, who was previously based in Burslem, opened his new works in 1769. It was named after the Italian district of Etruria,...
Works of the pottery manufacturer Josiah Wedgwood II
Josiah Wedgwood II
Josiah Wedgwood II , the son of the English potter Josiah Wedgwood, continued his father's firm and was Member of Parliament for Stoke-upon-Trent from 1832 to 1835...
, and in 1802 he bought the house using funds borrowed from his relative Robert. He had the house prepared, with the park being laid out by the landscape designer John Webb
John Webb (landscape designer)
John Webb was an English landscape designer, who also trained as an architect. He studied under William Emes between 1782 and 1793, and then established his own practice. He worked mainly in the Midlands and the north of England. In Staffordshire he was commissioned by Josiah Wedgewood to work...
, and in 1807 the family moved in. There was a pleasant freedom of speech in the family, with everyone speaking their mind without restraint. They frequently exchanged visits to and from their Darwin relatives only 20 miles (30 km) away, and the young Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
found it a welcome contrast to the stricter approach of his father. Charles gained much useful information from his relatives during the inception of Darwin's theory
Inception of Darwin's theory
The inception of Darwin's theory occurred during an intensively busy period which began when Charles Darwin returned from the survey voyage of the Beagle, with his reputation as a fossil collector and geologist already established...
, and it was at Maer Hall that he first became interested in the effects of earthworm
Earthworm
Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...
s which were the subject of an early paper presented to the Geological Society
Geological Society of London
The Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...
as well as of his last book. He proposed to Emma Wedgwood
Emma Darwin
Emma Darwin was the wife and first cousin of Charles Darwin, the English naturalist, scientist and author of On the Origin of Species...
at Maer Hall, and they were married at St. Peter’s Church which stands close by on the hillside overlooking the Hall.
After the death of Josiah Wedgwood II
Josiah Wedgwood II
Josiah Wedgwood II , the son of the English potter Josiah Wedgwood, continued his father's firm and was Member of Parliament for Stoke-upon-Trent from 1832 to 1835...
in 1843 the house and estate was owned by the pottery manufacturer William Davenport who added a huge clock tower and more stables, but these were knocked down in the 1960s restoring the appearance of the original 17th century Hall. For most of the 20th century it was the home of the Harrison family, owners of the Harrison Shipping Line.