The owners of Lackham in the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries ...

The Manor of Lackham IV : 19 th & 20 th century owners
Beaumont) who died without issue in 1848 198 . She added her family name of
Bretherton and was thereafter Mary Stapleton Bretherton.. The date when she
did this is unclear, both 1849 and 1889 have been given but the latter is
incorrect because she is very clearly given as Stapleton Bretherton in the sale
agreement of 1866 199 .
Mary Stapleton Bretherton was very involved with the charitable work of the
Roman Catholic church, initially having the money for this from an inheritance
from her father,
She
made over the Mansion house and grounds at Ditton to the Jesuit
refugees and built them a church where they now carry on their
educational and missionary work, after Religious orders were forced
out of Germany, following the passing of the May Laws . 200
The first building for Roman Catholic care in the area was a school erected in
1860 by Mary Stapleton Bretherton of Ditton Hall, formerly called “The Grove”
201 . Mary followed her father’s church building initiative when she financed the
construction of St. Michael’s Church, Ditton, which was built by the refugees
and was opened in 1878. It was designed by Henry Clutton 202 The cost of the
198 James Parker posting at http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/ENG-
MERSEYSIDE/2003-02/1044637238 no source given
199 Confusingly, and incorrectly, her obituary notice (see below) stated that she “took
the name Stapleton Bretherton by Royal Licence in 1884."
200 Obit notice
Pope Aus IX, in recognition of these services conferred on her the title of Marchiness,
an unsought distinction which she only accepted out of respect for the head of her
church
201 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41355
202 Henry Clutton (1819–1893) was an English architect and designer and a student of
Edward Blore and also worked with William Burges. His works also included Battle
Abbey, East Sussex, Cliveden, Buckinghamshire, Hatherop Castle, Gloucestershire, The
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