Middleton Lodge
Middleton Lodge was designed by the architect John Carr, and was built between 1777-1780 for George Hartley Esquire.
George's father, Leonard Hartley, lived in East Hall, one of the larger houses in Middleton Tyas.
In 1774 at the age of 48 George married a widow Mrs Ann Bunting, daughter of the Reverend William Tomlinson who was 34 years old.
At this time the University commissioned the notable artist Sylvester Harding to paint some of the students and Leonard was one of those chosen.
When he died in 1841 his property was inherited by his nephew Leonard Lawrie Campbell who changed his name to Hartley in honour of his uncle.
[10] Leonard Lawrie Hartley (1816-1883) was the son of Archibald Campbell of Bedale Yorkshire who was a medical doctor.
He lived for some time at Middleton Lodge but from about 1852 he rented it to Edmund Backhouse and his family for many years.
[12] When he died in 1904 it was inherited by his eldest son Lieutenant Colin Douglas Eyre of the Kings Royal Rifles.
[13] He had been married only 6 months before this accident and had no children so his property went to his younger brother Ralph Vincent Eyre.
When Ralph died in 1940 he was unmarried and his estate was left to his cousin Isabella Mary Baker[14] who married Michael Adrian Speir.
The Backhouse family then moved to their Cornwall home and continued Charles’ work in planting the garden.
His father was Arthur Pease of Cliff House, Marske who was a Member of Parliament[22] and also an owner of a large colliery firm.
He joined the family coal and ironstone business called Pease and Partners Ltd and eventually became the Chairman and Managing Director.
[23] He died in 1927 and his wife Lady Laura Pease continued to live at Middleton Lodge until her death in 1936.
Major Sir James Hozier Gardiner Baird (1883-1966) 9th Baronet of Saughton who rented the house from about 1927 until 1946 was born in 1883.
[24] He remarried in 1923 Joan Violet Barker and several years later the couple came to live at Middleton Lodge.
