Isel is located near the road from Carlisle to Cockermouth, with the small Bloomer Beck running along its W side.
The tower hall (originally mixed stone) stands on a wooded slope overlooking the N bank of the River Derwent in rolling countryside.
A probable performance venue. No Lawson household records survive but performers under Sir Wilfrid Lawson's patronage performed at nearby Carlisle.
Privately owned. Currently open to the public on Mondays between 2 pm and 4 pm from late March through October.
13th c. Original house built by Ranulf Engayne.
1315 Manor acquired by Sir William Leigh by marriage to the de Multon heiress.
ca. 1425 Pele tower built by the Leigh family on the site of an earlier tower owned by the de Multons. Separate domestic range built during the later 15th c. with the kitchen likely at the E end of the hall.
ca. 1525 Sir John Leigh extended the medieval residence, adding a new entrance hall and renovating the banqueting hall with rooms above.
ca. 1573 Sir Wilfred Lawson acquires Isel via marriage to Maud, widow of Thomas Leigh (d 1573).
ca. 1600 Hall range extended beyond the entrance hall by a 3-storey building including a new kitchen and offices. Dining room and small adjacent room repanelled.
early 19th c. Alterations, including, perhaps, the pulling down of the S range indicated in an early 18th c. painting of the hall by Mathias Read.
ca. 1893 E wing added.
early 20th c. Isel partly abandoned in favour of Brayton Hall by the Lawson family. Rented to various families.
1930s S wall of the hall between the 2 external buttresses rebuilt and windows replaced.
1960 Sold to Margaret Austen Leigh.
1986 Isel bequeathed to Miss Mary Burkett.
REED Cumb/Westmld/Glouc 90, 93
| Name | Dates | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Lawson, Wilfred | 1545-1632 | Knight |
