{"id":2446,"date":"2023-08-27T14:40:22","date_gmt":"2023-08-27T14:40:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crimesofthecenturies.com\/?p=2446"},"modified":"2025-07-15T15:22:35","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T14:22:35","slug":"mitre-penrith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crimesofthecenturies.com\/index.php\/2023\/08\/27\/mitre-penrith\/","title":{"rendered":"Mitre Inn \/ Mitre Hotel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Mitre Inn (or Mitre Hotel), in King Street, Penrith, is now the The Lounge Hotel And Bar Mitre House<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thought I\u2019d try to find something about its history. Not least because of the the 17th doorway it retains. But also because if you search for the history of the Mitre Inn\/Hotel online, then (apart from a link to my King Street article<\/a>) you will only find options for the Crown and Mitre Hotel in Carlisle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The doorway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Above the ancient door are the letters I S M, and the date 1669.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The I is actually how the letter J was styled in those times. The initials stand for John and Mary Sanderson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1721 will of John Sanderson shows he was a yeoman, and postmaster, of the\u00a0Mitre, Bishop Row,\u00a0Penrith. Also in 1669, a J Sanderson was a church warden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s interesting that the address is Bishop Row. And that John was a postmaster \u2013 was the Mitre not originally a public house? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The episcopal manor of Bishop\u2019s Row<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Mitre took its name from its proximity to St Andrew\u2019s Church. Bishop\u2019s Row belonged to the Church as well \u2013 there are various leases in the 1700s of houses in Bishop Row\/Bishop\u2019s Row\/Bishop\u2019s Raw\/Bishopprawe to various tenants, from the Bishop of Carlisle.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The manorial records of the Diocese of Carlisle include Bishop\u2019s Row, Penrith. The original records book names \u2018Johnes Sanderson\u2019 in 1669, but it\u2019s all in church Latin (\u2019tenentes her indenturam<\/em>\u2019?).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1681, it notes that John Sanderson holds by lease dated 1661 a messuage and garth in Bishop\u2019s Row.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From that manor \u2013 there was\/is a \u2018Lordship of Bishop\u2019s Row\u2019. A title which doesn\u2019t have any previous or present takers,<\/a> it would seem.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, it isn\u2019t up for sale, either!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sanderson wills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The inventory of John Sanderson\u2019s personal effects gives an idea of the rooms in the house (parlour, kitchen, the \u2018high new room,\u2019 the Green Chamber\u2026 And totals \u00a3227 \u2013 more than \u00a340,000 in today\u2019s values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His will includes Sanderson\u2019s barn at Townend, various parcels of land, a\u00a0 dwelling house in Sandgate, and the dwelling house in Bishop\u2019s Row \u2018in which I now live, commonly called the Mitre\u2019<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other than ten shillings to grandson Riglesworth Sanderson, ten shillings to granddaughter Mary Sanderson and ten shillings to son Charles Sanderson, everything goes to his wife Mary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary Sanderson\u2019s will, of 1731, leaves widowed daughter Dorothy Whelpdale the barn and all the land, along with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u2018\u2019my seat in the parish church, number forty six<\/em>‘<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and the seat allocated to \u2018the house called the Mitre<\/em>\u2019. Which dwelling house is also left to Dorothy.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

She then leaves half a guinea each to a list of grandchildren:<\/p>\n\n\n\n