This section forms part of the larger Mellish archive (Me), and consists of a number of small accruals which relate to several members of the Mellish family.
Henry Francis Mellish (1782-1817), the son of Charles Mellish (1737-1797) and his wife Judith née Stapleton, inherited the Mellish estates on the death of his father, but sold the Blyth estate in 1806 and made Hodsock the main family residence. He became aide-de-camp to General Ferguson under the Duke of Wellington, and served in the Peninsular War Campaign. He was noted for his interests in horse racing and gambling.
On his death in 1817 the Mellish estates passed to his sister and co-heir Anne who married William Cecil Chambers in 1811. The latter died in 1817 and when his widow died in 1855, Hodsock passed to her cousin, William Leigh Mellish (1813-1864), the son of Edward Mellish (1767-1830) and Elizabeth Jane née Leigh (b.1785). After the death of William, his widow Margaret née Cunard (1820-1901) remained at Hodsock overseeing a rebuilding project in 1874 to a design by George Devey. On her death Hodsock was inherited by her son Henry Mellish (1856-1927), meteorologist, who never married, and after the deaths of his two unmarried sisters, Agnes (1848-1934) and Evelyn (d. 1935) Hodsock finally passed to his cousin, Mary Constance Mayhew (1901-1982) née Buchanan. Mary was the great granddaughter of Frances Katherine Mellish (d. 1854), sister of William Leigh Mellish, who married Sir Andrew Buchanan (1807-1882), 1st baronet. Mary moved into Hodsock Priory in 1942, selling off some of the surrounding land and house contents by auction in 1946. In 1966 her life interest was bought out by her nephew, Sir Andrew Buchanan, 5th baronet.