Editing Farnley Hall, West Yorkshire (section)

==The Armitage family==
[[File:Farnley Hall Leeds 1922.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Lloyd George at Farnley Hall, 1922. From left to right Mrs Lloyd George, Miss Evelyn Armitage, Mrs Caroline Armitage (the hostess), Sir [[Berkeley Moynihan, 1st Baron Moynihan|Berkeley Moynihan]], Mr Lloyd George, Mr Robert Armitage (the host)]]. 
[[File:Farnley Hall 1847.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Map of Farnley Hall in 1847]]
James Armitage (1730–1803) who bought the Hall from the Danby family was a very prosperous wool merchant in [[Leeds]]. He was succeeded by his son, Edward Armitage (1764–1829), who in 1806 built a new driveway and refronted the building to include a grand portico supported by Tuscan columns. He also added a new bath house and a large conservatory with adjoining billiard room.<ref name="auto1"/> Edward was born in 1764 in [[Leeds]] and in 1787 he married Sarah Leathley (1768–1847). In his will, he left his estate to his widow, Sarah for life, and gave her power to determine how it should be apportioned between their four surviving sons. Until 1843 she let Farnley Hall to her husband's nephew, John William Rhodes<ref>“Accounts and Papers”, 1842 p. 23. [https://books.google.com/books?id=CnRbAAAAQAAJ&dq=%22John+William+Rhodes%22+farnley&pg=PA353 Online reference]</ref> and when she died she established an unusual arrangement by which her four sons were tenants in common of the Farnley estate. The sons were William Armitage (1798–1883), James Armitage (1793–1872), John Leathley Armitage (1792–1870) and Edward Armitage (1796–1878).

The four brothers became partners in the Farnley Iron Works to exploit the coal, iron and fireclay resources found on the estate.<ref>Graces Guide website.  [https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Farnley_Iron_Co Online refenence]</ref> The company expanded rapidly and from 1850 the family developed a new village to house their workers at New Farnley.<ref>Landed Families of Britain and Ireland website. [http://landedfamilies.blogspot.com/2015/07/176-armitage-of-farnley-hall-and-noan.html Online reference]</ref>

The next to inherit Farnley Hall was William James Armitage (1819–1895) who was the third son of James Armitage (1793–1872). He entered the family iron business succeeding his uncle and father as chairman and managing director. In 1860 he married Emily Nicholson eldest daughter of William Nicholson of Roundhay Park. The couple had five sons and one daughter. When he died in 1895 his son [[Robert Armitage (politician)|Robert Armitage]] inherited the Hall.

[[Robert Armitage (politician)|Robert Armitage]] (1866–1944) was educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, [[University of Cambridge]]. He was a barrister and later became the Member of Parliament for Central Leeds.<ref>The Peerage website [http://www.thepeerage.com/p31857.htm#i318567 Online reference]</ref> In 1905 he was the Lord Mayor of [[Leeds]]. He was also involved in the family iron company. He married in 1891 Caroline Katharine Ryder (1867–1933), daughter of Dudley Henry Ryder of Westbrook Hay, Boxmoor. The couple had three sons and four daughters.

He was a personal friend of [[David Lloyd George|Lloyd George]], the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and in 1922 George came to visit him for a weekend at Farnley Hall. The event was widely reported in the newspapers.<ref>''Leeds Mercury'' – Monday 23 October 1922, p. 9.</ref> A photo is shown.

When he died in 1944 his son Robert William Armitage inherited Farnley Hall. In the following year it was sold to [[Leeds City Council]] who still own it today.