Introduction

After the ending of the '45, Jacobitism all but died in England.

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William Sidney Gibson

This new interest in the local Jacobites was given a boost by the publication of William Sidney Gibson's book, 'Dilston Hall', in 1850.

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Countess Amelia

On 28 September 1868 an apparently respectable Victorian gentlewoman left her house at Blaydon and, with two burly henchmen, moved into the ruined tower at Dilston.

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A Squatter at Dilston

In order to prove that she was entitled to the old Radcliffe lands, Amelia had to do two things.

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Amelia's Claim

Did Amelia really have a claim to the Radcliffe lands? Was she really descended from the Earl of Derwentwater?

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The Derwentwater Monument

The magnificently named Cadwallader Bates was the leading Northumbrian historian of his day and in 1883 he bought Langley Castle.

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The Northumbrian Jacobites Today

Since the publication of Gibson's 'Dilston Hall' in 1850, there has been continuous interest in the Northumbrian Jacobites.

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William Sidney Gibson

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This new interest in the local Jacobites was given a boost by the publication of William Sidney Gibson's book, 'Dilston Hall', in 1850. This book was the first biography of the Earl of Derwentwater and the first attempt to write an outline history of the '15 in Northumberland.

He wrote in a flowery, romantic style which secured the image of Derwentwater as a tragic, almost saintly, hero. 'Dilston', he wrote, 'is surrounded by the poetry of historical tradition; and the character of the scenery which encircles the ruined hall of Radcliffe's fallen line seems to invest with a romantic charm, the shadows of the past that crowd upon the thoughtful visitor at every step in his approach'.

This book brought many visitors to the ruins at Dilston, including the 'Countess Amelia', one of the most extraordinary characters in the whole history of the Jacobites.