One of the oldest arms-bearing families in the country, the Lowthers trace their origins back to Dolfin, descendant of a Viking settler, who arrived here in 1150. It was Dolfin who is said to have named the river Lowth-a (foaming water) – hence the family name.
Knights and Earls, members of Parliament, industrialists, agriculturalists, businessmen, visionary designers of houses and gardens, soldiers, adventurers, collectors and sportsmen – the Lowther dynasty boasts many high achievers among its ranks. They have been getters and spenders throughout the generations and to read their history is to chart the triumphs and trials of the kingdom at large. Pitt the Younger and Wordsworth were protégés, Kaiser Wilhelm II was a friend, Kings and Queens have been their guests and their allies. Coal and iron have frequently lined their breadbasket and today the descendants of Dolfin remain largely where they began, servants and guardians of one of the most beautiful regions in the UK.