Educator finds himself learning history by following in his ancestor's footsteps

WHEN Peter Clegg told his sister he was going for new job at a Yorkshire country estate she had a surprise for him and said he would be following in the footsteps of an ancestor.

Mr Clegg, 51, was recently appointed as a learning officer at Wentworth Castle, near Barnsley, but was shocked to learn just days before his interview of a little-known family connection.

His great-grandfather William Clegg was a stonemason on the estate for three decades in the late 1800s and early 1900s, a fact recently uncovered by family history investigations.

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Mr Clegg said: "I was amazed when I found out, although I decided not to mention it when I went for the interview. But when I got the job it felt like I was going back to my roots.

"There was something quite wonderful about it, and I am not normally the type to get sentimental about things."

William Clegg, who was born in Dodworth, near Barnsley, in 1863 began his career with the Midland Railway Company in Skipton, but returned to South Yorkshire to work at Wentworth.

During his 30-year career he helped build a new wing at the Castle and Hood Green Lodge. When lightning struck an obelisk at nearby Birdwell in 1906 he repaired it.

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William pursued many interests – including serving on the building committee of Dodworth Methodist Church, joining the village's male voice choir and leading the Sunday School.

In 2010, William's great-grandson will help lead a new lottery bid to restore the castle's Victorian conservatory and will also help co-ordinate the work of its 200 volunteer staff.

He said: "Before coming to Wentworth I worked at Creswell Crags, near Worksop, as a heritage interpretation officer, and before that I was at Sheffield's Weston Park Museum.

"I hope in my new job to get people, particularly schoolchildren, interested in the castle and gardens and connect with the community to help make sure it we are here into the future."

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Wentworth's heritage director Vicky Martin said she was delighted to find out about Mr Clegg's historical connection with the castle and said he had "hit the ground running".

She added: "We are delighted to welcome Peter on board at this exciting time in the project as we develop detailed plans for the restoration of the conservatory in preparation for the Heritage Lottery fund submission".

Wentworth Castle was bought by Thomas Wentworth in 1708. It was then called Stainborough Hall, but he embarked on huge renovations and extensions to make the house what it is today.