Julia Warde-Aldam
Sarah Julia Warde-Aldam MBE RRC (née Warde; 1857-1931) was a South Yorkshire estate owner, benefactor and hospital commandant.
Early life and Marriage
She was born at Carleton as the youngest daughter of Revd William Warde, previously vicar of Campsall, and Marianne Smithson.[1]
On her father's death in 1868, she inherited Hooton Pagnell hall, Doncaster, which had been bought by Patience Ward in 1704; initially jointly with her sister, Mary Ann, then taking sole possession on Mary Ann's death in 1880.[2]
In 1878 she married William Wright Aldam, son of William Aldam MP and owner of Frickley Hall,[3] taking the name Warde-Aldam. The couple also inherited Healey Hall in Northumberland.[2] They had two sons, William St. Andrew (1882-1958), who inherited the Hooton Pagnell estate, and John Ralph Patentius (born 1892) who inherited the Frickley estate.[4]
Discoveries of coal on the various family estates brought a great deal of wealth to the couple. Julia took a keen interest in the estates, most significantly at Hooton Pagnell hall, which she remodelled substantially, giving its current crenellated gothic appearance,[5] and added the East wing.[6] She also added a dining hall and master bedroom to Healey Hall.[7]
Described as "a flamboyant benefactor with a fondness for seances"[7] she had a wide range of interests, including collecting a notable collection of book-plates.[5] She was a keen amateur artist[6], and numerous paintings attributed to her survive.[8]
St Chad's Hostel
In 1902, Frederick Samuel Willoughby, vicar of Hooton Pagnell, founded St Chad's Hostel to train men for the ministry. Warde-Aldam was the project's major benefactor, and provided a new building for the hostel in 1903-4.[2] She continued to support the hostel while it remained in the village until 1916, though does not seem to have had involvement with it after it moved to Durham as St Chad's Hall (now St Chad's College, Durham).[2]
After the closure of the hostel, the building was given by the family to the village to serve as a village club.
Hospital Commandant
In September 1914, a month after the Britain's entry into the First World War, Warde-Aldham opened up Hooton Pagnell hall as the Hooton Pagnell Auxiliary Military Hospital.[9] She took on the role of Red Cross Commandant and matron of the hospital, and was honoured with an MBE in the 1918 Birthday Honours[10], and the Royal Red Cross, Second Class.[11]
Later life and death
William Warde-Aldam died in 1921, while Julia herself died in 1931.[2]
References
- ^ "Sarah Julia Warde". The Peerage. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "St Chad's Other Founder, Julia Warde-Aldam". The Chadsian (2018). St Chad's College, Durham: 22–26.
- ^ A history of Northumberland. issued under the direction of the Northumberland county history committee. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Andrew Reid & co. 1893. p. 175.
- ^ "Warde-Norbury of Hooton Pagnell". The National Archives. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^ a b Hooton Pagnell Hall, 300 Years of Collecting (auction catalogue) (PDF). Bonhams. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^ a b "The Hall". Hooton Pagnell Hall. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^ a b "How one family brought new life - and added a booming business - to their ancestral seat". The Telegraph. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^ "Julia Warde, Village Stream, Cows & Rowboat". Somerset and Wood.
- ^ "Commandant Mrs Sarah Julia Warde-Aldam". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^ "No. 30730". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 June 1918. pp. 6717–6749.(GBE, KBE, DBE, CBE, OBE, MBE (6717-6749)
- ^ "Sarah Julia Warde-Aldam". Doncaster 1914-18. Retrieved 13 March 2019.