The Cope family of Breuerne, Oxfordshire, owned the Manor and
most of the parish of Orton Longueville throughout much of the
eighteenth century. When the male line died out in 1781 the family
estates were divided between two daughters, the younger daughter,
Catherine, inheriting Orton Longueville. In 1791 she married George
Gordon, Lord Strathavon, who became the Earl of Aboyne three years
later on the death of his father. Their Huntingdonshire estate was
augmented in 1803 with the purchase of Chesterton and Haddon. In
1836 the Earl inherited the title of Marquis of Huntly, and about
this time he rebuilt one wing of Orton Hall. He died in 1853 at the
age of 92, and his eldest son inherited the title as tenth Marquis.
He rebuilt the other wing in 1861, but died two years later. The
eleventh Marquis was only 16 when he came into his inheritance, and
in December 1872 he enlarged the estate further by purchasing the
Manor and parish of Water Newton. Unfortunately he also accumulated
many debts - appearing several times in bankruptcy proceedings -
which resulted in sales of personal property in 1900 and ultimately
the break-up of his landed estate (Water Newton was sold by
mortgagees in 1903, and the individual farms in Haddon, Chesterton
and O. Longueville were sold during the 1914-18 War).
Even the Marguis's second marriage in 1922 to an American
heiress (his first wife died two years earlier), resulted in little
change to his financial position. By then, however, all that were
left with in Huntingdonshire was only Orton Hall and its ornamental
grounds, which became vested in the Marchioness. The 11th Marquis
died in February 1937 and the Marchioness in May 1939. Orton Hall
was used for military training during the 1939-45 War, then sold in
1951 to Huntingdonshire County Council for educational
purposes.
The family's principal estate was some 8,000 acres (c1875) in
Aberdeenshire, centred on Aboyne Castle in the Dee valley.
The 11th Marquis of Huntly wrote several books to ease his
financial situation, and two of them Milestones [1926] and Auld
acquaintance [1929] contain some aspects of family history. He had
also previously written other works such as Travels, sport and
politics in the East of Europe (1887).
The Huntly Collection is held at Huntingdon Record Office and
comprises the family and estate papers of the Gordon family,
Marquesses of Huntly, of Orton Hall, 1799-1946. The collection is
an artificial one in that the records have been received from a
variety of different sources, including Huntingdon and Peterborough
County Council, Orton Longueville parish church, and a few
solicitors.
The most popular items are the personal diaries of Lady Maria
Antoinetta Huntly (1821-1893), who was one of the major
contributors to the study of botany in Huntingdonshire,
systematically collecting flowers and plants from throughout the
British Isles. All through her life she kept copious notes on the
plants she collected, and kept a series of detailed diaries
describing her travels 1844-1893.
A copy of the Huntingdon Record Office list of the Huntly
Collection is held at Peterborough Central Library.
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