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The Manor (Cambridgeshire)
Encyclopedia
Hemingford Grey
- Location:It is situated on the southern bank of the River Great Ouse in the county of Cambridgeshire, with the northern bank occupied by the flood meadow. Until 1965 it was in Huntingdonshire and between 1965 and 1974 it was in the short-lived county of Huntingdon and Peterborough...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
(formerly Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
and then, briefly, Huntingdon and Peterborough
Huntingdon and Peterborough
Huntingdon and Peterborough was a short-lived administrative county in East Anglia in the United Kingdom. It existed from 1965 to 1974, when it became part of Cambridgeshire.-Formation:...
). It was built in the 1130s and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited houses in Britain — often claimed as the oldest, although this is disputed. Much of the original house remains intact despite various changes over nine centuries.
During the early 18th century, the manor was home to the "Beautiful Miss Gunnings", sisters Maria
Maria Coventry, Countess of Coventry
Maria Coventry, Countess of Coventry was a famous London beauty and society hostess during the reign of King George II.- Life :...
and Elizabeth Gunnings, who had a reputation of being among the most beautiful women in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. William Cowper
William Cowper
William Cowper was an English poet and hymnodist. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scenes of the English countryside. In many ways, he was one of the forerunners of Romantic poetry...
, the poet, on observing them whilst walking his dog by the river described them as "two nymphs adorned with every grace". Maria later married the Earl of Coventry. Elizabeth was married twice, firstly to the Duke of Hamilton
James Hamilton, 6th Duke of Hamilton
James Douglas-Hamilton, 6th Duke of Hamilton and 3rd Duke of Brandon, KT was a Scottish peer.-Early years and Education:...
and secondly to the Duke of Argyll
John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll
Field Marshal John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll , styled Marquess of Lorne from 1761 to 1770, was a Scottish soldier and nobleman.-Military career:...
. She had two sons with each and became the mother of four Dukes.
The house was made famous by its long-term resident, Lucy M. Boston
Lucy M. Boston
Lucy M. Boston was an English children's writer. She is best known for the six books in the Green Knowe series .-Biography:Boston was born in Southport in Lancashire in 1892 and died in 1990...
, who bought it in 1939 and rechristened it as Green Knowe
Green Knowe
Green Knowe is a series of six books written by Lucy M. Boston, published between 1954 and 1976. They feature a very old house, Green Knowe, which is based on Boston's then-residence, The Manor in Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire. Some books in the series feature a boy called Toseland and his...
and wrote several books set there. Apart from the fictional St Christopher on the side of the house, almost everything in the books can be found at The Manor. During the Second World War, she gave gramophone
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
recitals for nearby airmen. The house remains as much as Boston left it on her death in 1990, and is open for visitors by appointment.