Lowther Castle & Related Ancestry

Thursday, May 22, 2025

I start my research for a trip months and months before the adventure. I began putting together an itinerary for the Lake District probably all the way back in October and came across Lowther Castle when discovering what there was to do and see around Penrith. It's only ruins now, but I like ruins so I put Lowther on my list of possible spots to visit.

I happened to be working on my family tree on Ancestry.com in January and started to see "Lowther" as a surname. It sounded familiar to me, so I went back to my trip planning document and saw the castle and gardens on my list. Hmm... are these two things connected?

It took me a little while to figure out, but I did indeed find that I have familial connections to this estate (if my ancestry research is correct). I couldn't believe it! The timing of this felt like I was meant to find it. I had already planned to visit!

Sir John Lowther and wife Lucy Curwen (15th great-grandfather and great-grandmother)

  • Captain of Carlisle Castle in 1545
  • Twice sheriff of Cumberland during the reign of King Henry VIII
  • Both buried at St Michael's Church near Lowther Castle
Sir Hugh Lowther (14th great-grandfather)

  • Attorney general to King Edward I
  • Plaque in St Michael's Church near Lowther Castle

Sir Richard Lowther (13th great-grandfather)

  • Succeeded to the family estates at Lowther and elsewhere in Westmorland on his grandfather's death in 1552. (His grandfather was John Lowther.) 
  • Was created deputy-warren of the west marches early in Queen Elizabeth I's reign
  • Accompanied Mary Queen of Scots to Carlisle Castle in May 1568; she then stayed at Lowther Castle in July of that same year
  • Was knighted and appointed high sheriff of Cumberland in 1565
  • Buried at St Michael's Churchyard near Lowther Castle (his tomb / plaque below)
  • He even has a Wikipedia page
Tomb of Sir Richard Lowther, my 13x great-grandfather

Like some kind of dummy I forgot to visit this church while I was at Lowther Castle and didn't realize it until I was back in Penrith. My heart dropped, because when am I ever going to get the opportunity to visit again?! So bummed. I thought about making a return trip, but nah. It occurred to me that the church might not have even been open.

The castle did not exist when my distant ancestors were around. The house with the shell we see below was completed in 1685. But there was a house called Lowther Hall on the site previous to the castle where my ancestors were born, lived, and died. "Lowther Hall" comes up again and again for many generations. The last Lowther who died on the site in my family line passed away in 1617.


During WWII, the land was used for the military. After the war, the owner couldn't afford its maintenance and so decided to remove its roof and much of the stonework, leaving just the façade. The castle only reopened to the public in 2011.

Anywho, originally I wanted to rent a bike on this day and toodle around to three different sites with about a 45 minute ride between each location, but I was concerned about the return time and if I'd be able to hit the deadline. So I took a couple taxi rides instead.

I walked into the town centre at about 9:45 am and found some taxis ranked at the bus station, so I hailed one and the driver was a pudgy man with a slightly funky odor and a hard-to-understand accent who made weird quiet noises when he was breathing. But he seemed sweet and he promptly conveyed me to Lowther Castle and I arrived there at opening time, 10:00 am. He gave me his card so I could call him when I was done and he would take me to my next destination.

Lowther has a small but well done museum that I enjoyed looking at. 



I am related to this man!

All my Lowther ancestors ultimately lead to John Dodd who was born in Durham County, England, and who emigrated to America and is buried in Blackstone, Illinois. John Dodd is my Grandma Scheffert's 2x great-grandfather. My Grandma Scheffert is also buried in Blackstone.

After the museum, I headed out into the ruins which feels like a really beautiful and eerie courtyard. I enjoyed imagining all the hustle and bustle that occurred within these walls all those centuries ago, all the life that was lived.






Lowther has 130 acres of grounds and gardens that I spent a couple hours walking around. Unfortunately, I was too early to enjoy blooming flowers, but the day was gorgeous in terms of temperature and I was mostly alone which is always nice.


This photo pretty much looks like rural America,
but because it's England, it feels more special to me. 😁

I liked the different shades of green and the leaf shapes in this photo.


I don't know if I'd recommend going to Lowther for a first time visit to the Lake District, but I had to see it knowing my potential ancestry connections. I did enjoy it there and I like going to obscure sites sometimes anyway.

I called my taxi man and waited for him to pick me up to take me to my next destination for the day, which is tomorrow's post... Brougham Castle (and related ancestry).