Conishead Priory

Sandys was killed in a dispute in 1559 and is commemorated by an effigy in Ulverston church; his son Francis died without issue in 1583 leaving two married half-sisters, Margaret Dodding and Barbara Philipson, as heirs.

Margaret's grandson George Dodding, a zealous Roundhead,[4] later bought out the Philipsons; his son Miles died in 1683 leaving two daughters.

One died childless, so the estate passed through her sister Sarah, wife of John Bradyll of Portfield, to their son Dodding Braddyll, Whig MP for Lancaster 1715–22.

However, he was not destined to enjoy success in the field; he was dismissed from the project while it was in progress,[7] was declared bankrupt in 1833 and sent to the debtors' prison,[8] dying in 1835.

The building took some 20 years and around £140,000 to complete,[10] but its owner was bankrupted by disastrous speculations in the Durham coal mines[11] and forced to sell it to Henry William Askew of Minard Castle, Inverary[12] in 1850.

[18] The Committee employed the architect Arthur Kellett of Barnard Castle to redesign the interior for the priory's use as a convalescent home.

[19] The Priory was opened as a convalescent home on 29 August 1930, with up to 150 miners being admitted every two weeks to recuperate from mining injuries.

During World War II the Priory served as an emergency hospital for air-raid victims although in the event it was not used as such but was instead used for wounded servicemen, approximately 8,000 of whom were treated there.