Until comparatively recent times, Longworth, which lies in the parish of Lugwardine, 4 miles south east of the cathedral city of Hereford, was known as Langeforde or Longford or even Longward.
It was an ancient estate and the Domesday Book (1086) indicates that of the 4 hides of Lugwardine, one was reeveland. An entry in the margin ‘In Reuland s Langeforde’ suggests that this was the reeveland. It belonged to the King and was rented to the sheriff, Radulphus de Bernai. A hide was between 60 and 120 acres, depending on the quality of the soil, and enough to support one family and their dependants.
The first family to possess this ancient estate was that of Walter de Longford, who seem to have taken their name from it. This family were succeeded by the Turbervilles. Afterwards, the Pauncefotes held Longford and a Grimbold de Pauncefote sold it to Sir Edmund Hackeluit. The Hackeluits were a family of consequence in the County. In 1350 Edmund Hackeluit of Longford was Knight of the Shire – a sort of MP selected to represent the smaller Gentry of the countryside.
Early in the reign of Henry V the manor was conveyed to Joan Beauchamp, (Lady Bergavenny) and was then acquired from her by Thomas Walwyn of Hellens in Much Marcle whose son William inherited the manor in 1414. It continued with his descendants (8 generations) until 1685 when on the death of a Nicholas Walwyn, without a male heir, it was sold to Bishop Herbert Croft and temporarily went out of the family.
Bishop Croft is said to have planted beech trees on the estate. His ownership however was shortlived, He died 6 years later in 1691. The estate was then bought back by Dr James Walwyn, a wealthy sugar planter and cousin of the aforesaid Nicholas. It was James who possibly built a new mansion house on higher ground, away from the river and where the modern Longworth (virtually rebuilt 1788) now stands. The estate remained in the family then for a further four generations until 1805 when the last Walwyn owner, Capt James Walwyn, sold it to his maternal uncle, Robert Phillipps of Eaton Bishop who was succeeded by his son, Robert Biddulph Phillipps in 1822.
He enlarged the estate in the 1840’s from about 265 acres to just over 550 acres by purchasing Hagley Park and Lower Bartestree Farm. In 1859 the estate was valued at £38,000. Robert Biddulph Phillipps donated 13 acres to Bartestree Convent which he founded in 1863. On his decease in 1864 without male issue, it again passed out of the family and was sold this time to Edward Smalley Hutchinson and his brother Arthur. The estate seems to have been divided up - Edward at Longworth and Arther at Hagley Park where he saw out his days. Edward's nephew, James Hutchinson, inherited the Longworth Estate in 1873 and it was occupied by two aunts until he sold it to William Henry Barneby, (a nephew of Elizabeth Barneby, the wife of Robert Biddulph Phillipps.) in 1885. So began the gradual breakup of this ancient estate. 420 acres remained in the Barneby family until the death of Richard Hicks Barneby in 1923. His widow settled at Sheepcote and Longworth was again up for sale. Except for two very short interegna the estate had been in the hands of the same family or their collateral relations for over 500 years.
Lady
Dillon and her husband, Sir John, 7th Bart. DL, JP, Co. Meath,
came to Longworth in 1923 after fleeing the troubles in Ireland. They
purchased a small part of the property which included the mansion house,
known as Longworth Hall, the lodge cottage, stable buildings, kitchen
garden and gardeners cottage, the pleasure grounds and parkland and
part of Tidnor Wood, in all 56 acres. The purchase price was £8000. Sir
John died in November 1925 leaving his wife Marion and her daughter,
Millicent living at Longworth until the death of Lady Dillon in 1942.
Locals say that Lady Dillon used to drive her Rolls Royce along the lanes accompanied by a monkey dressed in a red jumper sitting on the back of her seat. She is also said to have had a large aviary in one of the bedrooms. The next owner, W. H. Phillips, of Rock Farm used to tell the tale that when he bought the property in 1943 he found a Rolls Royce in the garage. The property was split up yet again when the Smith family bought the mansion house and three acres of garden from W.H.Phillips in 1965 after leasing the property for ten years.
References:
Victoria Country History
Domesday Book
Manors and
Mansions
Hereford County Life.
Article by Basil Butcher.