Cothelstone Manor
Encyclopedia
Cothelstone Manor in Cothelstone
, Somerset
, England was built in the mid 16th century, largely demolished by the parliamentary troops in 1646 and rebuilt by E.J. Esdaile in 1855–56.
It is closely associated with the Church of St Thomas of Canterbury
, which is also a Grade I listed building, and contains memorials to many of the owners of Cothelstone Manor including: Sir Matthew de Stawell, died 1379, and his wife Elizabeth, and John Stawell, died 1603.
During the Civil War
John Stawell the lord of the manor fought on the side of the royalists and in 1646 went to London with a copy of his terms of surrender from Sir Thomas Fairfax. He was imprisoned for high treason and Cromwell
ordered the destruction of his Elizabethan
house by cannon fire. Only the left-hand wing and ground floor of the central block remaining and abandoned. In 1651 the lands were advertised for sale. After Charles II
was crowned King of England and Ireland at Westminster Abbey
in 1661, Sir John Stawell regained his place in parliament as Knight for Somerset however he died the following year.
Some repairs were carried out and the house significantly reduced in size, and then lived in as a farmhouse for the subsequent 200 years. The 17th century Banqueting Hall, which may have been a Dower house
, with 19th century additions has survived.
In 1791 the estate, which consisted of 11 farmhouses, 54 cottages and two dwelling houses, was purchased by Edward Jeffries (died 1814). It was passed down through his family to his grandson, Edward Jeffries Esdaile (died 1867), who married the daughter of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley
. Esdaile built Cothelstone House as a new residence between 1817 and 1820. This building was demolished around 1962. Esdaile also rebuilt the old manor house in 1855-1856, to the style in which the Stawell's had lived before the Civil War.
It is now used as a venue for weddings and corporate events and has been used as a film location.
.
During the medieval era the estate included a deer park
on Cothelstone Hill which is 1.3 kilometre (0.807784557644749 mi) away, orchards and ponds.
To the north and east of the house are formal gardens of around 1 hectares (2.5 acre) which was built over for a model farm
in 1867, within the restored medieval park which is listed on the English Heritage
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
.
The three-arched gateway was built in the 16th century to stand across the road rather than the drive but was relocated before 1908. At the end of the Monmouth Rebellion
and the defeat of the Duke of Monmouth at the Battle of Sedgemoor
in 1685 two men were hanged from the arch of the gateway.
South east of the house are a group of farm buildings dating from 1867 and earlier, some of which are centered around the 16th century Cushuish Farmhouse.
To the north west 19th century stables and coach house, a 16th century gazebo
, and 18th century Grotto.
Also within the estate is a wellhouse with a cut stone head dating from around 1500, inspired by an Agnes Cheyney, who married the local squire, Edward Stowel. It is still used as a water supply by the local manor and for the animals, and is being renovated.
On boundary bank at the northern end of the park on Cothelstone Hill is a ruined folly
. It is 9 metres (29.5 ft) high and built of rubble stone. The date of construction is unknown. It partially collapsed in the 1990s.
The grounds extend beyond the limits of Cothelstone
civil parish
into the neighbouring parish of Bishops Lydeard
.
Cothelstone
Cothelstone is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated in the Quantock Hills six miles north of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England was built in the mid 16th century, largely demolished by the parliamentary troops in 1646 and rebuilt by E.J. Esdaile in 1855–56.
It is closely associated with the Church of St Thomas of Canterbury
Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Cothelstone
The red sandstone Church of St Thomas of Canterbury in Cothelstone, Somerset, England dates from the 12th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.It was largely restored in 1864...
, which is also a Grade I listed building, and contains memorials to many of the owners of Cothelstone Manor including: Sir Matthew de Stawell, died 1379, and his wife Elizabeth, and John Stawell, died 1603.
History
Cothelstone Manor was given to Sir Adam de Coveston by William the Conqueror, and there has been a house on the site since, during which time it has been in the hands of only two families.During the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
John Stawell the lord of the manor fought on the side of the royalists and in 1646 went to London with a copy of his terms of surrender from Sir Thomas Fairfax. He was imprisoned for high treason and Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
ordered the destruction of his Elizabethan
Elizabethan era
The Elizabethan era was the epoch in English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign . Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history...
house by cannon fire. Only the left-hand wing and ground floor of the central block remaining and abandoned. In 1651 the lands were advertised for sale. After Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
was crowned King of England and Ireland at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
in 1661, Sir John Stawell regained his place in parliament as Knight for Somerset however he died the following year.
Some repairs were carried out and the house significantly reduced in size, and then lived in as a farmhouse for the subsequent 200 years. The 17th century Banqueting Hall, which may have been a Dower house
Dower house
On an estate, a dower house is usually a moderately large house available for use by the widow of the estate-owner. The widow, often known as the "dowager" usually moves into the dower house from the larger family house on the death of her husband if the heir is married, and upon his marriage if he...
, with 19th century additions has survived.
In 1791 the estate, which consisted of 11 farmhouses, 54 cottages and two dwelling houses, was purchased by Edward Jeffries (died 1814). It was passed down through his family to his grandson, Edward Jeffries Esdaile (died 1867), who married the daughter of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
. Esdaile built Cothelstone House as a new residence between 1817 and 1820. This building was demolished around 1962. Esdaile also rebuilt the old manor house in 1855-1856, to the style in which the Stawell's had lived before the Civil War.
It is now used as a venue for weddings and corporate events and has been used as a film location.
Gatehouse
The 16th-century gatehouse, has been designated as a Grade I listed building. It is included in the Buildings at Risk Register produced by English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
Grounds and outbuildings
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:...
on Cothelstone Hill which is 1.3 kilometre (0.807784557644749 mi) away, orchards and ponds.
To the north and east of the house are formal gardens of around 1 hectares (2.5 acre) which was built over for a model farm
Model Farm
A model farm was an 18th–19th century experimental farm, which researched and demonstrated improvements in agricultural techniques, efficiency, and building layout. Education and commitment to improving welfare standards of workers were also aspects of the ideal farm movement...
in 1867, within the restored medieval park which is listed on the English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
In England, the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by English Heritage under the provisions of the National...
.
The three-arched gateway was built in the 16th century to stand across the road rather than the drive but was relocated before 1908. At the end of the Monmouth Rebellion
Monmouth Rebellion
The Monmouth Rebellion,The Revolt of the West or The West Country rebellion of 1685, was an attempt to overthrow James II, who had become King of England, King of Scots and King of Ireland at the death of his elder brother Charles II on 6 February 1685. James II was a Roman Catholic, and some...
and the defeat of the Duke of Monmouth at the Battle of Sedgemoor
Battle of Sedgemoor
The Battle of Sedgemoor was fought on 6 July 1685 and took place at Westonzoyland near Bridgwater in Somerset, England.It was the final battle of the Monmouth Rebellion and followed a series of skirmishes around south west England between the forces of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth and the...
in 1685 two men were hanged from the arch of the gateway.
South east of the house are a group of farm buildings dating from 1867 and earlier, some of which are centered around the 16th century Cushuish Farmhouse.
To the north west 19th century stables and coach house, a 16th century gazebo
Gazebo
A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built, in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos are freestanding or attached to a garden wall, roofed, and open on all sides; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest...
, and 18th century Grotto.
Also within the estate is a wellhouse with a cut stone head dating from around 1500, inspired by an Agnes Cheyney, who married the local squire, Edward Stowel. It is still used as a water supply by the local manor and for the animals, and is being renovated.
On boundary bank at the northern end of the park on Cothelstone Hill is a ruined folly
Folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
. It is 9 metres (29.5 ft) high and built of rubble stone. The date of construction is unknown. It partially collapsed in the 1990s.
The grounds extend beyond the limits of Cothelstone
Cothelstone
Cothelstone is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated in the Quantock Hills six miles north of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district...
civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
into the neighbouring parish of Bishops Lydeard
Bishops Lydeard
Bishops Lydeard is a village and civil parish located in Somerset, England, bypassed, since 1967, by the A358 road and West Somerset Railway north-west of Taunton in the district of Taunton Deane...
.