Boughton Monchelsea Place
Encyclopedia
Boughton Monchelsea Place, previously Boughton Court, is a 16th century country house in Boughton Monchelsea
, Kent
, England. The first part of the house was built by Robert Rudston circa 1567–75 on the site of an earlier manor house. It has been modified a number of times during its history achieving its present form in 1819. It has been a home to a number of members of parliament for Maidstone
or for Kent, including Sir Francis Barnham
(owner 1613–46), Sir Robert Barnham
(1646–85) Sir Barnham Rider
(1698–1728) and Thomas Rider
(1805–47).
The house sits on a south facing slope giving views across the extensive deer park
and the Weald
beyond. Kitchen gardens to the north of the house remain as remnants of 16th century formal garden planting. The house is a Grade I listed building and its barn is listed Grade II. The parks and gardens are listed Grade II.
of Boughton Monchelsea passed by marriage or sale through the ownership of several families of minor gentry. From 1214, the manor was in the possession of the Hougham family. On the death of Robert de Hougham in 1317, it passed to his daughter Benedicta, wife of John de Shelving. On her death in 1349 without a male heir, the manor was divided between her daughters Helen and Joan.
The portion of the manor of which the Boughton Monchelsea Place estate was part passed to Joan de Shelving's husband John Brampton. The estate then passed to his daughter Benedicta, wife of Thomas Towne, and to her daughter Benedicta, wife of William Watton. Around 1460, Watton sold the estate to Reginald Peckham who recombined the two parts of the manor. On the death of Peckham's grandson Thomas Peckham in 1521, the manor was left to his daughter. Her husband quickly sold the estate to Sir Thomas Wyatt
.
His son, Sir Thomas Wyatt the younger
, sold the estate to Robert Rudston in 1551. Following Rudston's involvement in Wyatt's rebellion
against Mary I
, he was fortunate to be reprieved from a death sentence, though his estate was confiscated by the Crown. His estate was restored to him when Elizabeth I
came to the throne in 1558. Rudston had the first parts of the current house built circa 1567–75 as an extension to an earlier house to the west.
Rudston's son Isaac next owned the house. On his death without a son, he left the house to his brother Belknap Rudston, who, on his death in 1613, left it to Sir Francis Barnham
, several times member of parliament for Maidstone
. Sir Francis's son Sir Robert Barnham
next occupied the house, taking the manor's name as his territorial designation
when created a baronet in 1663. Sir Robert served as MP for Maidstone in the Convention Parliament of 1660 and in the Cavalier Parliament
from 1661 to 1679. His son Francis predeceased him and, on his death around 1685, the estate was inherited by his daughter Philadelphia Barnham, wife of Thomas Rider.
Thomas Rider was MP for Maidstone in 1690 and from 1696 to 1698. He carried out a number of alterations to the house and its grounds between 1685 and 1690. Following his death in 1698, the estate was inherited by his son Sir Barnham Rider
, MP for Maidstone from 1722 to 1727, and then his son, Thomas Rider. The second Thomas Rider left the house to his cousin Ingram Rider in 1786. In 1805, Ingram Rider left it to his son Thomas Rider
, MP for Kent
and West Kent from 1831 to 1835. The third Thomas Rider rebuilt parts of the house and extended and re-landscaped the park. On his death in 1847, he left the house to his nephew, also Thomas Rider, who let the house to a series of tenants. From 1903 to 1998, the house was occupied by the Winch family, firstly as leaseholders
then, from 1960, as freeholders. The Winches sold the house in 1998; it remains in private ownership and belongs to the Kendrick family.
The house is the remainder of a former courtyard house built for Robert Rudston circa 1567–75 as an extension to an earlier, pre-16th century house. It is built of Kentish ragstone, roughly coursed
on the north half of the east range and more regularly coursed on the south half of the east range and on the south range. The centre of the east range features a two-storey porch
with galleted stonework on the upper level. The roof is of plain clay tiles, stone gable
d at the north end of the east range but otherwise hipped
, with four stone gabled dormer
s on the east façade and five smaller ones on the south façade. A frieze
band with cornice
and moulded
stone base runs above the first floor windows on the east façade but is not repeated on the south, where only a moulded string course appears. Battlements were added to the eaves on both façades in 1819 as part of the third Thomas Rider's works.
Windows on the east façade are rectangular with eight windows at ground floor and five at first floor, all with gothic
frames. On the south façade, the ground floor windows are taller with a number being two- and three-lighted and stone framed. A chamfered two-storey bay
is located slightly to the right of centre. Windows on the first floor are simpler and less tall. The 1819 works also included the demolition and replacement of the north and west ranges and substantial rebuilding of the south range. The north range is built up in red and grey brick from the stone walls of the demolished range. The west range is surmounted by a 17th century clock turret relocated from the south range when that was rebuilt. The bell is dated 1647.
Internally, the south range includes three 16th or early 17th century stone fireplaces that have probably been reused from the earlier house. The north room of the attic
floor and principal room on the first floor include 16th or early 17th century timber panelling. The room over the entrance hall features late 17th century panelling. Two period staircases feature; one from each of the 16th and 17th centuries. The windows in the entrance hall and north room of the east range include armorial
stained glass
windows dated 1567, 1567 and 1575. The stairwell includes windows with 17th century German stained glass taken from the adjacent church of St Peter and other, undated stained glass.
The timber-framed western barn was constructed in the 15th or early 16th century with an extension or alternations made at the north end in the late 18th or early 19th century. The walls are constructed in a combination of methods – stone walling, weatherboarding or brick infill between timber studs
. The steeply pitched plain tiled roof contains six dormers on the west side and one on the east side and is hipped with a gablet
to the south end and half-hipped to the north end. A carriage entry passes through the centre of the barn. A single-storey extension runs at a right angle to the south end of the east side, probably built in the 16th century. The two-storey extension to the east side of the north end is lower than the main barn with a half-hipped roof.
The house and courtyard buildings are Grade I listed buildings. The barn is listed Grade II. Within the grounds are a sundial
, a mounting block
and a stone arch, each Grade II listed.
s. These are remnants of a 16th century formal garden scheme which was removed and replaced by informal landscaping during the third Thomas Rider's tenure. The steeply sloping ground to the south and south-east of the house is maintained as a deer park
with a lake about 400 metres (437.4 yd) south-east of the house.
The estate is private property and is not usually open to the public, but the Greensand Way
long distance walk crosses the parkland east-west to the north of the house.
Boughton Monchelsea
For other Boughtons in Kent see Boughton Aluph; Boughton under Blean and Boughton MalherbeThe village and civil parish of Boughton Monchelsea is in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. The civil parish lies on a ragstone ridge situated between the North Downs and the Weald of Kent and has...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England. The first part of the house was built by Robert Rudston circa 1567–75 on the site of an earlier manor house. It has been modified a number of times during its history achieving its present form in 1819. It has been a home to a number of members of parliament for Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
or for Kent, including Sir Francis Barnham
Francis Barnham
Sir Francis Barnham was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1604 and 1646. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War.-Life:...
(owner 1613–46), Sir Robert Barnham
Sir Robert Barnham, 1st Baronet
Sir Robert Barnham, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679.Barnham was the son of Sir Francis Barnham and his wife Elizabeth Leonard, daughter of Sampson Leonard of Chevening...
(1646–85) Sir Barnham Rider
Barnham Rider
Sir Barnham Rider was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1716 to 1727.Rider was the son of Thomas Rider and the owner of Boughton Monchelsea Place, Kent....
(1698–1728) and Thomas Rider
Thomas Rider (MP for Kent)
Thomas Rider was a British Whig politician who held a seat in the House of Commons from 1831 to 1835.He was elected at the 1831 general election as a Member of Parliament for Kent, and held the seat until the constituency was divided under the Reform Act 1832...
(1805–47).
The house sits on a south facing slope giving views across the extensive deer park
Medieval deer park
A medieval deer park was an enclosed area containing deer. It was bounded by a ditch and bank with a wooden park pale on top of the bank. The ditch was typically on the inside, thus allowing deer to enter the park but preventing them from leaving.-History:...
and the Weald
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
beyond. Kitchen gardens to the north of the house remain as remnants of 16th century formal garden planting. The house is a Grade I listed building and its barn is listed Grade II. The parks and gardens are listed Grade II.
History
Prior to the sixteenth century, the manorManorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Boughton Monchelsea passed by marriage or sale through the ownership of several families of minor gentry. From 1214, the manor was in the possession of the Hougham family. On the death of Robert de Hougham in 1317, it passed to his daughter Benedicta, wife of John de Shelving. On her death in 1349 without a male heir, the manor was divided between her daughters Helen and Joan.
The portion of the manor of which the Boughton Monchelsea Place estate was part passed to Joan de Shelving's husband John Brampton. The estate then passed to his daughter Benedicta, wife of Thomas Towne, and to her daughter Benedicta, wife of William Watton. Around 1460, Watton sold the estate to Reginald Peckham who recombined the two parts of the manor. On the death of Peckham's grandson Thomas Peckham in 1521, the manor was left to his daughter. Her husband quickly sold the estate to Sir Thomas Wyatt
Thomas Wyatt (poet)
Sir Thomas Wyatt was a 16th-century English lyrical poet credited with introducing the sonnet into English. He was born at Allington Castle, near Maidstone in Kent – though his family was originally from Yorkshire...
.
His son, Sir Thomas Wyatt the younger
Thomas Wyatt the younger
Sir Thomas Wyatt the younger was a rebel leader during the reign of Queen Mary I of England; his rising is traditionally called "Wyatt's rebellion".-Birth and career:...
, sold the estate to Robert Rudston in 1551. Following Rudston's involvement in Wyatt's rebellion
Wyatt's rebellion
Wyatt's Rebellion was a popular uprising in England in 1554, named after Thomas Wyatt the younger, one of its leaders. The rebellion arose out of concern over Queen Mary I's determination to marry Philip II of Spain, which was an unpopular policy with the English...
against Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
, he was fortunate to be reprieved from a death sentence, though his estate was confiscated by the Crown. His estate was restored to him when Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
came to the throne in 1558. Rudston had the first parts of the current house built circa 1567–75 as an extension to an earlier house to the west.
Rudston's son Isaac next owned the house. On his death without a son, he left the house to his brother Belknap Rudston, who, on his death in 1613, left it to Sir Francis Barnham
Francis Barnham
Sir Francis Barnham was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1604 and 1646. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War.-Life:...
, several times member of parliament for Maidstone
Maidstone (UK Parliament constituency)
Maidstone was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The parliamentary borough of Maidstone returned two Members of Parliament from 1552 until 1885, when its representation was reduced to one member...
. Sir Francis's son Sir Robert Barnham
Sir Robert Barnham, 1st Baronet
Sir Robert Barnham, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679.Barnham was the son of Sir Francis Barnham and his wife Elizabeth Leonard, daughter of Sampson Leonard of Chevening...
next occupied the house, taking the manor's name as his territorial designation
Territorial designation
A territorial designation follows modern peerage titles, linking them to a specific place or places. It is also an integral part of all baronetcies...
when created a baronet in 1663. Sir Robert served as MP for Maidstone in the Convention Parliament of 1660 and in the Cavalier Parliament
Cavalier Parliament
The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. It was the longest English Parliament, enduring for nearly 18 years of the quarter century reign of Charles II of England...
from 1661 to 1679. His son Francis predeceased him and, on his death around 1685, the estate was inherited by his daughter Philadelphia Barnham, wife of Thomas Rider.
Thomas Rider was MP for Maidstone in 1690 and from 1696 to 1698. He carried out a number of alterations to the house and its grounds between 1685 and 1690. Following his death in 1698, the estate was inherited by his son Sir Barnham Rider
Barnham Rider
Sir Barnham Rider was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1716 to 1727.Rider was the son of Thomas Rider and the owner of Boughton Monchelsea Place, Kent....
, MP for Maidstone from 1722 to 1727, and then his son, Thomas Rider. The second Thomas Rider left the house to his cousin Ingram Rider in 1786. In 1805, Ingram Rider left it to his son Thomas Rider
Thomas Rider (MP for Kent)
Thomas Rider was a British Whig politician who held a seat in the House of Commons from 1831 to 1835.He was elected at the 1831 general election as a Member of Parliament for Kent, and held the seat until the constituency was divided under the Reform Act 1832...
, MP for Kent
Kent (UK Parliament constituency)
Kent was a parliamentary constituency covering the county of Kent in southeast England. It returned two "knights of the shire" to the House of Commons by the bloc vote system from the year 1290...
and West Kent from 1831 to 1835. The third Thomas Rider rebuilt parts of the house and extended and re-landscaped the park. On his death in 1847, he left the house to his nephew, also Thomas Rider, who let the house to a series of tenants. From 1903 to 1998, the house was occupied by the Winch family, firstly as leaseholders
Leasehold estate
A leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to land or property in which a lessee or a tenant holds rights of real property by some form of title from a lessor or landlord....
then, from 1960, as freeholders. The Winches sold the house in 1998; it remains in private ownership and belongs to the Kendrick family.
Buildings
The two-storey L-shaped main house forms the east and south sides of a courtyard with single-storey stables forming the north and west sides. To the south-west of the house, is a second, larger courtyard flanked on its west side by a large barn and on its north and south by single storey return wings.The house is the remainder of a former courtyard house built for Robert Rudston circa 1567–75 as an extension to an earlier, pre-16th century house. It is built of Kentish ragstone, roughly coursed
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
on the north half of the east range and more regularly coursed on the south half of the east range and on the south range. The centre of the east range features a two-storey porch
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...
with galleted stonework on the upper level. The roof is of plain clay tiles, stone gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d at the north end of the east range but otherwise hipped
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
, with four stone gabled dormer
Dormer
A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...
s on the east façade and five smaller ones on the south façade. A frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
band with cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
and moulded
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
stone base runs above the first floor windows on the east façade but is not repeated on the south, where only a moulded string course appears. Battlements were added to the eaves on both façades in 1819 as part of the third Thomas Rider's works.
Windows on the east façade are rectangular with eight windows at ground floor and five at first floor, all with gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
frames. On the south façade, the ground floor windows are taller with a number being two- and three-lighted and stone framed. A chamfered two-storey bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
is located slightly to the right of centre. Windows on the first floor are simpler and less tall. The 1819 works also included the demolition and replacement of the north and west ranges and substantial rebuilding of the south range. The north range is built up in red and grey brick from the stone walls of the demolished range. The west range is surmounted by a 17th century clock turret relocated from the south range when that was rebuilt. The bell is dated 1647.
Internally, the south range includes three 16th or early 17th century stone fireplaces that have probably been reused from the earlier house. The north room of the attic
Attic
An attic is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building . Attic is generally the American/Canadian reference to it...
floor and principal room on the first floor include 16th or early 17th century timber panelling. The room over the entrance hall features late 17th century panelling. Two period staircases feature; one from each of the 16th and 17th centuries. The windows in the entrance hall and north room of the east range include armorial
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows dated 1567, 1567 and 1575. The stairwell includes windows with 17th century German stained glass taken from the adjacent church of St Peter and other, undated stained glass.
The timber-framed western barn was constructed in the 15th or early 16th century with an extension or alternations made at the north end in the late 18th or early 19th century. The walls are constructed in a combination of methods – stone walling, weatherboarding or brick infill between timber studs
Wall stud
A wall stud is a vertical member in the light frame construction techniques called balloon framing and platform framing of a building's wall.-Purpose:...
. The steeply pitched plain tiled roof contains six dormers on the west side and one on the east side and is hipped with a gablet
Gablet roof
A gablet roof or Dutch gable is a roof with a small gable at the top of a hip roof. The term Dutch gable is also used to mean a gable with parapets....
to the south end and half-hipped to the north end. A carriage entry passes through the centre of the barn. A single-storey extension runs at a right angle to the south end of the east side, probably built in the 16th century. The two-storey extension to the east side of the north end is lower than the main barn with a half-hipped roof.
The house and courtyard buildings are Grade I listed buildings. The barn is listed Grade II. Within the grounds are a sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
, a mounting block
Mounting block
A mounting block, horse block, or in Scots a loupin'-on-stane is an assistance for mounting and dismounting a horse or cart, especially for the young, elderly or infirm. They were especially useful for women riding sidesaddle, allowing a horse to be mounted without a loss of modesty...
and a stone arch, each Grade II listed.
Park
The house sits in grounds of approximately 40 hectares (98.8 acre) on a south-facing escarpment giving views south and east across the Weald. The formal entrance is north-west of the house, which is approached through woodland along a drive of approximately 850 metres (929.6 yd). Immediately to the east and south of the house are open lawns. To the north of the house are three enclosed gardens, two of which are arranged as kitchen gardenKitchen garden
The traditional kitchen garden, also known as a potager, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden - the ornamental plants and lawn areas...
s. These are remnants of a 16th century formal garden scheme which was removed and replaced by informal landscaping during the third Thomas Rider's tenure. The steeply sloping ground to the south and south-east of the house is maintained as a deer park
Medieval deer park
A medieval deer park was an enclosed area containing deer. It was bounded by a ditch and bank with a wooden park pale on top of the bank. The ditch was typically on the inside, thus allowing deer to enter the park but preventing them from leaving.-History:...
with a lake about 400 metres (437.4 yd) south-east of the house.
The estate is private property and is not usually open to the public, but the Greensand Way
Greensand Way
The Greensand Way is long distance walk of in southeast England, from Haslemere in Surrey to Hamstreet in Kent. It follows the Greensand Ridge along the Surrey Hills and Chart Hills. The route is mostly rural, passing through woods, and alongside fruit orchards and hop farms in Kent and links...
long distance walk crosses the parkland east-west to the north of the house.
See also
- St Peter's Church, Boughton Monchelsea; neighbouring church
- Boughton PlaceBoughton PlaceBoughton Place, formerly Bocton Place or Bocton Hall, is a country house in Boughton Malherbe, Kent, England. It is the historic home of the Wotton family and birthplace of Sir Henry Wotton , ambassador to Venice under James I....
in nearby Boughton MalherbeBoughton MalherbeFor other "Boughtons" in Kent see Boughton under Blean; Boughton Malherbe; and Boughton MonchelseaBoughton Malherbe is a village and civil parish in the Maidstone district of Kent, England, situated between Maidstone and Ashford... - Grade I listed buildings in Maidstone