page_title: Hardwick Hall Hotel, Sedgefield
section_title: The Russell Family
hierarchical_section_title: Hardwick Hall Hotel, Sedgefield / The Russell Family
caption_attribution_description: English: Matthew Russell of Hardwick Hall, Sedgefield, County Durham.
context_page_description: Hardwick Hall in Sedgefield, County Durham is a building of historical significance and is listed on the English Heritage Register. A major part of it was built in the late 1700s but it is possible that some of it dates from about 1634. It was the residence for many notable people for two centuries. It is now a hotel which provides accommodation and restaurant services and caters for special events particularly weddings.
context_section_description: William Russell (1734-1817) was a very wealthy banker and merchant. In 1796 he bought Brancepeth Castle and it seems that from about his time his son Matthew took over the running of Hardwick Hall and made many improvements to the house and garden.
  Matthew Russell (1765-1822) was born in 1765. He was educated at Oxford University and later became a Member of Parliament. In 1798 he married Elizabeth Tennyson, the daughter of George Tennyson of Bayons Manor Lincolnshire. Elizabeth was the favourite aunt of Alfred, Lord Tennyson and he frequently sent letters to her. As he was often in financial difficulties she sent him generous gifts of money which he greatly appreciated.
  The couple had two children William Russell (1798–1850) and Emma Maria Russell (1809-1870).
  In 1817 Matthew's father died and he inherited his vast fortune and Brancepeth Castle. From this time he spent most of his energies on his new home and Hardwick Hall gardens began to decline. He died in 1822 and his son William Russell (1798-1850) inherited the property. William did not live in the house and instead rented it to various noblemen and merchants. When he died in 1850 his sister Emma Maria inherited Brancepeth Castle and Hardwick Hall. She had married Gustavus Frederick Hamilton in 1828 and he had agreed to change his name to Hamilton-Russell when she gained the family fortune in 1850. Hardwick Hall was now the property of the Hamilton-Russell family
caption: Matthew Russell (1765-1822)
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