Sheldon Manor
Encyclopedia
Sheldon Manor near Chippenham
, Wiltshire
, England
, is Wiltshire's oldest inhabited manor house
and dates back to Saxon times. Its structure is mostly 17th century and it is a Grade I listed building.
".
The manor of Sheldon was granted to Sir William de Beauvilain in about 1180; on his death, as a Norman
, it was forfeit to The Crown
as an escheat
and then granted to the de Godarville family in 1231 by Henry III
. In 1250 it passed to Sir Geoffrey Gascelyn on his marriage to Joan de Godarville. In 1424 the Manor was sold to Sir Walter Hungerford
, and after some time was eventually granted to Catherine Parr
temporarily until the Hungerford heir achieved majority.
For many years, the property was tenanted
until Sir Edward Hungerford sold the Manor in 1684 and in 1711 it was bought by William Norris, whose last survivor died in 1828. In 1854 it was bought by Sir Gabriel Goldney
, whose son lived there until 1911, followed by the Bailey family.
From 1917 the Manor was owned by the Gibbs family being Major Martin Anthony Gibbs (1916–1995), a former High Sheriff of Wiltshire
, his wife Elsie Margaret Mary (b. 1922, née Hamilton-Dalrymple
) and their six children. In 1982, Mrs Gibbs published a historical and architectural account of the Manor.
The Manor is now within the civil parish
of Chippenham Without
; unbroken occupation since 1282 makes Sheldon Manor Wiltshire's longest continuously inhabited manor house. It was granted Grade I listed building status by the Historic Building and Monuments Commission for England
in 1960.
considered the porch to be "astounding, but much too big for the present house". Most of the main structure, consisting of two and a half storeys, and of rubble stone
and stone-tiled roofs, dates to c. 1659 when it was built for a Mr Forster, although some parts are earlier. Later additions date to post-1711 and improvements to c. 1911.
External features
There is a small stone chapel in the grounds, believed to date to about 1450 and built by the Hungerford family for use by themselves and their servants. It has an east window with Perpendicular
tracery
. After a long period of use as stables, it was restored in the twentieth century. There is also a brick-built storehouse mounted on staddle stones
to prevent incursion by rats.
Antiques
The Manor has collections of Nailsea
glass
, Persian
saddlebags, porcelain
and oak
furniture, including an Elizabethan refectory table and chairs. There are paintings by Tissot
, David Teniers and Bassano
, vases by William de Morgan
and "an unusual collection of glass walking sticks."
/NPI Historic House Awards, for its "architectural integrity and warm welcome"; its gardens, which are open to the public although the house itself is not, include a notable rose garden, ancient yews, an arboretum and mulberry bushes.
It is a licensed venue for weddings and hosts summer productions of Shakespeare and operas in its grounds. It is also home to the Cleveland Bay Endeavour, a project to "conserve and promote" the Cleveland Bay
horse, an endangered breed.
The owners of the house were described in 1988 by the New York Times as "... provid[ing] that essential ingredient so many historic buildings lack: a sense of continuity with the past and the feeling that Sheldon Manor is still a living organism, not an ancient relic."
In 1995, the Manor was used as the location for Uppercross in the BBC production Persuasion
and in 2008 for BBC One
's Bonekickers
.
Chippenham
Chippenham may be:* Chippenham, Wiltshire* Chippenham * Chippenham, Cambridgeshire-See also:* Virginia State Route 150, also known as Chippenham Parkway, USA* Cippenham, Berkshire, UK...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, is Wiltshire's oldest inhabited manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
and dates back to Saxon times. Its structure is mostly 17th century and it is a Grade I listed building.
History
The medieval settlement of Sheldon, first mentioned in 803, no longer exists, having been deserted by 1582; a 1976 survey confirmed its remains to lie to the rear of the Manor, which itself stands on the site of an older habitation known as "The HollowaySunken lane
A sunken lane is a road which has over time fallen significantly lower than the land on either side. They are created incrementally by erosion, by water and traffic...
".
The manor of Sheldon was granted to Sir William de Beauvilain in about 1180; on his death, as a Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
, it was forfeit to The Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
as an escheat
Escheat
Escheat is a common law doctrine which transfers the property of a person who dies without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in limbo without recognised ownership...
and then granted to the de Godarville family in 1231 by Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
. In 1250 it passed to Sir Geoffrey Gascelyn on his marriage to Joan de Godarville. In 1424 the Manor was sold to Sir Walter Hungerford
Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford
Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford KG was an English knight, landowner, from 1400 to 1414 Member of the House of Commons, of which he became Speaker, then was an Admiral and peer....
, and after some time was eventually granted to Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr ; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen consort of England and Ireland and the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England. She married Henry VIII on 12 July 1543. She was the fourth commoner Henry had taken as his consort, and outlived him...
temporarily until the Hungerford heir achieved majority.
For many years, the property was tenanted
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....
until Sir Edward Hungerford sold the Manor in 1684 and in 1711 it was bought by William Norris, whose last survivor died in 1828. In 1854 it was bought by Sir Gabriel Goldney
Gabriel Goldney, 1st Baronet
Sir Gabriel Goldney, 1st Baronet of Beechfield, Corsham and Bradenstoke Abbey, both Wiltshire was a Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1885...
, whose son lived there until 1911, followed by the Bailey family.
From 1917 the Manor was owned by the Gibbs family being Major Martin Anthony Gibbs (1916–1995), a former High Sheriff of Wiltshire
High Sheriff of Wiltshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Wiltshire.Until the 14th century the shrievalty was held ex officio by the castellans of Old Sarum.-To 1400:*1066: Edric*1067-1070: Philippe de Buckland*1085: Aiulphus the Sheriff*1070–1105: Edward of Salisbury...
, his wife Elsie Margaret Mary (b. 1922, née Hamilton-Dalrymple
Hamilton-Dalrymple Baronets
The Dalrymple, later Dalrymple-Hamilton, later Hamilton-Dalrymple Baronetcy, of North Berwick in the County of Haddington, is a title in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. It was created on 29 April 1697 for the Hon. Hew Dalrymple, Lord President of the Court of Session under the judicial title of Lord...
) and their six children. In 1982, Mrs Gibbs published a historical and architectural account of the Manor.
The Manor is now within the 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...
of Chippenham Without
Chippenham Without
Chippenham Without is a civil parish in Wiltshire, England, created as a separate entity from the parish of Chippenham by the Local Government Act 1894 and largely consists of the farmland from the west of Chippenham to Biddestone...
; unbroken occupation since 1282 makes Sheldon Manor Wiltshire's longest continuously inhabited manor house. It was granted Grade I listed building status by the Historic Building and Monuments Commission for England
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
in 1960.
Architecture and antiques
The earliest parts of the structure are thought to be a window on the west side and the porch, dating back to the late 13th century. PevsnerNikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
considered the porch to be "astounding, but much too big for the present house". Most of the main structure, consisting of two and a half storeys, and of rubble stone
Rubble masonry
Rubble masonry is rough, unhewn building stone set in mortar, but not laid in regular courses. It may appear as the outer surface of a wall or may fill the core of a wall which is faced with unit masonry such as brick or cut stone....
and stone-tiled roofs, dates to c. 1659 when it was built for a Mr Forster, although some parts are earlier. Later additions date to post-1711 and improvements to c. 1911.
External features
There is a small stone chapel in the grounds, believed to date to about 1450 and built by the Hungerford family for use by themselves and their servants. It has an east window with Perpendicular
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
. After a long period of use as stables, it was restored in the twentieth century. There is also a brick-built storehouse mounted on staddle stones
Staddle stones
Staddle stones were originally used as supporting bases for granaries, hayricks, game larders, etc. The staddle stones lifted the granaries above the ground thereby protecting the stored grain from vermin and water seepage...
to prevent incursion by rats.
Antiques
The Manor has collections of Nailsea
Nailsea
Nailsea is a town in the unitary authority of North Somerset within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, approximately to the southwest of Bristol and about to the northeast of the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare. The nearest village is Backwell, which lies south of Nailsea on the...
glass
Glassware
This list of glassware includes drinking vessels , tableware, such as dishes, and flatware used to set a table for eating a meal, general glass items such as vases, and glasses used in the catering industry whether made of glass or plastics such as polystyrene and...
, Persian
Persian handicrafts
Iranian craftwork , are handicrafts works that are useful in ordinary life or are decorative.They are made completely by hand or using only simple tools...
saddlebags, porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
furniture, including an Elizabethan refectory table and chairs. There are paintings by Tissot
James Tissot
James Jacques Joseph Tissot was a French painter, who spent much of his career in Britain.-Biography:Tissot was born in Nantes, France. In about 1856, he began study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Hippolyte Flandrin and Lamothe, and became friendly with Edgar Degas and James Abbott...
, David Teniers and Bassano
Jacopo Bassano
Jacopo Bassano , known also as Jacopo dal Ponte, was an Italian painter who was born and died in Bassano del Grappa near Venice, from which he adopted the name.- Life :...
, vases by William de Morgan
William De Morgan
William Frend De Morgan was an English potter and tile designer. A lifelong friend of William Morris, he designed tiles, stained glass and furniture for Morris & Co. from 1863 to 1872. His tiles are often based on medieval designs or Persian patterns, and he experimented with innovative glazes and...
and "an unusual collection of glass walking sticks."
Modern times
The Manor was the first winner of AAThe Automobile Association
The Automobile Association , a British motoring association founded in 1905 was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans and motoring advice, and other services...
/NPI Historic House Awards, for its "architectural integrity and warm welcome"; its gardens, which are open to the public although the house itself is not, include a notable rose garden, ancient yews, an arboretum and mulberry bushes.
It is a licensed venue for weddings and hosts summer productions of Shakespeare and operas in its grounds. It is also home to the Cleveland Bay Endeavour, a project to "conserve and promote" the Cleveland Bay
Cleveland Bay
The Cleveland Bay is a breed of horse that originated in England during the 17th century, named after its colouring and the Cleveland district of Yorkshire. It is a well-muscled horse, with legs that are strong but short in relation to the body. The horses are always bay in colour, although a...
horse, an endangered breed.
The owners of the house were described in 1988 by the New York Times as "... provid[ing] that essential ingredient so many historic buildings lack: a sense of continuity with the past and the feeling that Sheldon Manor is still a living organism, not an ancient relic."
In 1995, the Manor was used as the location for Uppercross in the BBC production Persuasion
Persuasion (1995 film)
Producer Fiona Finlay had for several years been interested in making a film based on the novel Persuasion, and approached screenwriter Nick Dear about adapting it for television...
and in 2008 for BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
's Bonekickers
Bonekickers
Bonekickers was a BBC drama about a team of archaeologists, set at the fictional Wessex University. It debuted on 8 July 2008 and ran for one series....
.