The Lady Chapel, or “Chapel of our Lady,” is a small, evocative ruin, located on the north bank of the river Wansbeck, roughly 1.5 miles west of Bothal village. A picturesque and sometimes muddy path follows the Wansbeck from Bothal Mill to the market town of Morpeth and, by foot, this is the only access to the Lady Chapel.

The ruin is believed to be a chantry chapel, a religious endowment where a priest was hired to sing masses for the soul of the founder, usually in a dedicated chapel or at an altar. Local tradition (and many tales abound) attributes the building to Robert, 1st Baron Ogle (who died in 1469 and inherited the Bothal estate).

However, Historic England’s listing points to the construction being by an earlier Robert, 1st Lord Ogle (d. 1363), whose family held Bothal through marriage into the Bertram family. The key evidence for the Ogle connection is a carved stone shield of arms. In 1774, it was recorded at the chapel, but it was later removed to Bothal Castle Gatehouse (where it remains today). The shield displays the arms of Ogle and Bertram quartering Kirkby, strongly suggesting construction by an Ogle who had inherited Bothal.

I have generated the image below on computer. However, it is very carefully based on a Victorian postcard of the ruin and should give a fair idea of that the chapel looked like over 100 years ago. 

The chapel’s popular name, “Lady Chapel,” is a common name for chapels dedicated to the Virgin Mary. However, local tradition links it to Maud Grey, the wife of the later, more famous Sir Robert Ogle (c. 1370-1436).  Maud was the daughter of Sir Thomas Grey of Heton (or Warke) and was descended from the powerful Mowbray family, giving the Ogle line a link to royal ancestry (King Edward I of England). While the architectural evidence suggests the chapel pre-dates Maud, the chapel may have been restored or rededicated during her husband Sir Robert Ogle’s time.

The chapel’s life as a functioning place of worship was likely short. If it was a chantry, it would have been dissolved under the Chantries Act of 1547 during the English Reformation. Being far from the main village, it was left to fall into ruin. Even in 1610, it was labelled as “New Chapel,” suggesting a late foundation or major rebuilding.

In the 18th and 19th centuries the ruins became a subject of antiquarian and local interest. Engravings from the 18th century show that some late 15th-century features survived. A notable, though temporary, period of restoration was around 1857, orchestrated by Richard Mulcaster, the curate of nearby Morpeth. He may have simply been interested in the local history, and the restoration was a brief interlude before the ruins returned to their naturally decaying state.

Mulcaster is also responsible for some carvings in a nearby quarry.  The inscription RM Fecit simply means RM made me. The coat of arms is that of the Mulcaster family, and you can make out a date of 1857 as well as the family motto: Fedelis Servus.