Lord Allendale has not rested on his laurels since taking over his family's 20,000 acre estate, which just played host to the Northumberland County Show for the last time. Ruth Lognonne finds out more.

The Viscountcy of Allendale: A family history

1792: Thomas Wentworth Beaumont was born in Old Burlington Street, London

1818: Beaumont succeeded as MP of Northumberland on the retirement of his father at the general election of 1818.

1820: During the early part of his political career Beaumont was a Tory, and a member of the Pitt Club, but in this year he made a boast of the independence of his parliamentary conduct and for some time before his ejection from the party had voted with the Whigs.

1824: Beaumont resigned his commission as Lieutenant Colonel Commandant of the western regiment of Northumberland local militia.

1827: Beaumont presented himself as a candidate for the borough of Stafford, where he defeated Spooner, the Conservative candidate. He married Henrietta Elizabeth, daughter of John Atkinson.

1829: Wentworth Blackett Beaumont, Beaumont’s eldest son and heir, was born.

1830: Beaumont was restored as MP for Northumberland.

1831: On the stream of reform, Beaumont was again returned in conjunction with Lord Howick. Following the death of his mother, Beaumont acquired a large accession of property, particularly in lead mines and it was more than once hinted that he would be one of the peers created on the coronation of King William IV.

1832: A sale, by George Robins, of the works of art and ornamental furniture accumulated by the late Mrs Beaumont at Bretton Hall, Yorkshire, took place.

Among them was a window of armorial bearings, called the Magna Charta window, and measuring 15ft by 13ft. The dome conservatory, 60ft in diameter and 45ft in height, is said to have cost £8,000 and was bought by Bentley, a brewer, at £546 and sold to the Duke of Devonshire for £1,450.

1837: Beaumont retired as a member of Parliament.

1849: Thomas Wentworth Beaumont died on December 18 at Bournemouth aged 56.

1850s: Wentworth Blackett Beaumont carried on his father’s parliamentary career and looked after the family’s estates in Yorkshire, Northumberland and Durham.

1880s: Later mineral rents followed the same pattern and in the 1880s the lead mines in Northumberland expired. Lands in outlying Yorkshire villages were sold.

1906: Beaumont was elevated to the peerage for his services to the Crown and took the title Baron Allendale of Allendale and Hexham.

1907: Wentworth Blackett Beaumont died and was succeeded by his son who became second Baron and later in 1911, Viscount Allendale.

1939: The second Viscount, Wentworth Henry Canning Beaumont, uprooted the family and moved to Bywell Hall in Northumberland. He sold the 260 acres of parkland and lake left to the West Riding County Council for £30,000.

1949-1956: The second Viscount served as Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland.

1956-2002: Wentworth Hubert Charles Beaumont, the third Viscount Allendale holds the family seat at Bywell Hall.

2002-present day: Wentworth Peter Ismay Beaumont, fourth Viscount Allendale, is head of Allendale’s 20,000 acre estate. The heir apparent is the Hon Wentworth Ambrose Ismay Beaumont.