A History of Landford in Wiltshire
Part 3 – Landford Manor
This history of Landford Manor and estate has been compiled from various sources using the Internet. Not all sources are 100% reliable and subsequently this account may also perpetuate some of those errors. The information contained in this document is therefore for general information purposes only and whilst I have tried to ensure that the information given is correct, I cannot guaranty the accuracy or reliability of the sources used or the information contained in this document.
Page 2. Section 1 - The history of Landford Manor
Page 7. Section 2 - Table of Owners and Occupiers of Landford Manor
Page 8. Section 3 - Family connections with Landford Manor
Page 8 The Lye/Lygh/Leyh, Stanter and Beckett families Page 10 The Dauntsey/Stradling/Danvers families Page 11 The Davenant family Page 13 The Eyre family Page 20 Worsop and Trollope Page 21 The Jeffreys family Page 23 Mrs Sarah Maud Crossley Page 24 Sir Alfred Mond Page 26 Sir Frederick Preston Page 28 Margaret Bell Walmsley
Page 30 Extracts from the Newspapers
Page 33 Acknowledgements
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Part 3 – Landford Manor
Section 1 – The history of Landford Manor
Much of the following information regarding the history of Landford Manor is taken from Some Notes on the Parish of Landford written in 1872 by Rev F.G. Girdlestone, and from the Wiltshire Community History and the British History online websites. I have added further notes on the family connections with Landford Manor to try and provide some insight into the people that occupied the property. In places this has required some clarification of the anomalies between the sources used to provide this history of the Manor, bearing in mind that earlier sources did not have the use of the Internet available to them to verify articles by earlier writers.
The current Manor House was built in 1599, but by who is disputed. It was originally a gabled building. A south wing was added in 1680 when the manor was in the hands of the Davenant family. The Eyres modernized the principle front in 1717. In the 19th century the estate passed by marriage to the Nelsons of Trafalgar House and they added a bay on the right in 1885. There have been many more minor alterations and additions while in c.1914 a large porch was added. Sir Frederick Preston also made various additions.
Built in English bond brickwork with limestone quoins and dressings, and roofed with clay tiles with some lead for the valleys and flat roofs. The windows have stone mullioned surrounds with leaded light windows inset; metal framed openings and fan lights to the majority of the building. In the front façade there are four paned timber sash windows; to the servants/store areas there are timber framed side hung opening windows and dormer windows in the roof.
The Manor has a gated entrance to an open forecourt. Walls surrounding the original walled garden are still standing. There is an open garden to the rear of the main building. The boundaries consist of the walled garden, hedgerows and estate fencing.
Whereas there is agreement in various accounts that the house was built c.1600, they do not agree as to who was responsible for building the Manor House or the ownership of the estate when it passed out of the possession of the Legh family until it finally came into the total ownership of the Eyre family. By way of an explanation it is necessary to provide some quotations.
The first quotation is taken from the historical records of the Church of St Andrew, Landford. Considering that the Rev Girdlestone was purporting to be referring back to such an authority as the History of Wiltshire by Sir Richard Hoare , who used an earlier account by the local historian George Matcham, Esq. LLC, who am I to question such an authority as to the accuracy of this account. However, there do appear to be serious discrepancies that arise as a result of researching the various families that had possession of the estate, details of which are given in the section Family Connections below.
a) From: History of Landford Church – Some notes on the Parish of Landford by Rev. F.G. Girdlestone, Rector 1872 –
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From the year 1200 the Manor was in the possession of the Lye or Legh family, who however did not seem to have resided here, as they had large possessions elsewhere. They retained the property in their family until the reign of Henry VIII when they disposed of it to a family of the name of Becket.
Two brothers of their family, William and Thomas conveyed the mill to Michael Dornier, Alderman of London in the 25th year of Henry VIII’s reign and before the year 1578, half the manor had passed into the hands of Sir John Dauntsey, who in that year conveyed his moiety of the manor of Landford to Giles Eyre Esq of Brickworth as the other moiety was in the possession of John Stanter who had married a daughter of Robert Legh. And in the year 1638 he and his wife “conveyed their share of the manor, lands and advowson of Land, in trust, for John DAVENANT Bishop of Salisbury and his heirs.”
We further learn from the authority already quoted that the great nephew of the Bishop of Salisbury, John Davenant Esq. resided at Landford House, during the reign of Charles I and Charles II. At his decease his son Edward who succeeded, becoming embarrassed, disposed of the property to John, second son of Giles Eyre Esq. of Brickworth.
In the year 1800 John Maurice Eyre Esq., son of John Eyre of Landford purchased the other moiety of the manor which had been detached since the reign of Henry VIII. And so the whole manor lands, and advowson, came into the possession of his only daughter and sole heiress, Frances Elizabeth who became Countess Nelson.
b) From: British History Online - 'Corsley', A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 8: Warminster, Westbury and Whorwellsdown Hundreds , -
William de Lye was said after his death to be of Huntenhull. A son John evidently succeeded him and was followed by Thomas, whose son Robert occurs between 1370 and 1412. Richard, son of Robert, occurs between 1425 and 1441. Another Robert was dead by 1465, leaving a son Robert who survived until the early 16th century. He left two daughters and coheirs, Elizabeth Stanter and Anne Beckett.
c) From: Wilts Community History –
In 1540 the manor passed to the Dauntsey family and their descendants. Sir John Dauntsey rebuilt Landford Manor House in c.1600. In 1627/8 the manor was conveyed to Giles Eyre of Brickworth in Whiteparish and the Eyre family and their descendants resided at the manor.
d) From: British Listed Buildings (Source English Heritage)
Large detached house, c1600, south wing c1680, additions of 1885 and 1929. …..3-storey, 5-window front with fenestration of c1717. Panelled brick blocking course has central panel with arms of John Eyre, c1717. Original build by Stanter family; Davenants added south wing and heightened front c1680. Eyres altered front 1717.
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e) From: A vision of Britain through time, describing Landford -
In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Landford like this: The manor belonged to the Lyghs; passed to the Davenants and the Eyres; and is now held by the Dowager Countess Nelson.
Historical records appear to agree that the manor of Landford was in the possession of the Lygh family for some considerable time up until the early part of the 16 th century. [The actual spelling of their name differs according to the reference and could have been Lygh, Lye, Legh or Leigh. To avoid confusion, Lygh will be used in further narrative.] It would appear that the Lygh family did not reside in Landford during their period of tenure as they had estates elsewhere; in particular they held the manor of Huntenhull near Corsley, just west of Warminster. (See Family Connections below.)
We know that the last Robert Lygh died in about 1515 and the Landford estate was inherited by his two daughters; Elizabeth who married John Stanter of Horningsham [a neighbouring estate to that owned by the Lygh family, to the west of Warminster] and Anne who married William Becket of Wilton. At that point it would appear that the manor was divided into two separate moieties, one passing into the Stanter family and the other to the Beckets. Rev Girdlestone says that the Lyghs disposed of the Landford estate to the Beckets, which is incorrect. Only half the estate was inherited by the Becket family when Anne Lygh married Willaim Becket.
The account by Rev Girdlestone then appears to contain a serious anomaly, by saying that before the year 1578, half the manor had passed into the hands of Sir John Dauntsey, who in that year conveyed his moiety of the manor of Landford to Giles Eyre Esq of Brickworth. However, the first Giles Eyre was only a six year old boy in 1578 and didn’t obtain the land in Whiteparish until 1604 on which to build their family seat at Brickworth Manor in 1605.
This confusion may have occurred as a result of the history of the Dauntsey estate. The manor of Dauntsey passed via marriage to the Danvers of Dauntsey (see Family Connections below) and there was a Sir John Danvers of Dauntsey alive in the mid-1500’s. Some references use the name Sir John of Dauntsey, missing out the Danvers name.
The Wiltshire Community History website states that in 1540, Landford manor passed to the Dauntsey family. It is feasible that the Becket moiety was either sold or leased at that point in time. The Dauntsey estates were then in the possession of Silvester Danvers who died in 1551 and was succeeded by his son Sir John who died in 1594, so he was not alive to build Landford Manor House in 1599. The Dauntsey estate then passed to his eldest son Henry, Earl of Danby, who died in 1644 without issue, so the estates then reverted to his brother Sir John Danvers, born 1588, knighted in 1609 and died in 1655. This Sir John would have been just 12 years of age in 1600, so he also was unlikely to have been responsible for building Landford Manor House. However, this Sir John ran into debt so it is possible that the Becket moiety was sold or leased to Giles Eyre in 1627 or 1628.
There appears to be no alternative evidence currently available to support the claim that the Danvers of Dauntsey had any interests in Landford. The Beckets of Wilton also held estates elsewhere, including property in the West Lavington area and would have been known to the Dauntsey families, and the Lyghs for that matter. Therefore I’m more inclined to accept the more plausible sources that state that the manor passed from the Lyghs to John Stanter, who built Landford Manor House, which then passed to the Davenant and Eyre families.
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It is difficult to assess dates accurately without contemporary documents. What we do know is that from as early as the beginning of the 13 th century, the manor estate was in the possession of the Lygh family. (See Family Connections below) As early as the reign of Henrv III (1216-1272), the manor was held by James de Lygh. Robert Lygh was the last of the male heirs and died in 1515, leaving his two daughters Elizabeth and Anne as co-heirs to his estate. Elizabeth married John Stanter of Horningsham, and Anne married William Becket of Wilton. As a result, it would appear that the Landford estate was divided between the two families, each with their separate moiety. The advowson of the Landford benefice remained with the Stanter moiety.
Then we come to further problems with Rev Girdlestones account in the Church records dated 1872. The last Robert Lygh died in 1515 and already had two daughters, the eldest being Elizabeth. The record says that John Stanter and Elizabeth his wife made a will in 1638 leaving their moiety to John Davenant, Bishop of Salsibury. As Elizabeth would have been well over 100 years of age by then, this cannot be the same John and Elizabeth, heiress of the last Robert Lyghe. Refer to the section below dealing with the Lyghe and Stanter families for further explanation.
Probably in 1599, a John Stanter built Landford Manor House and it may be he who left their Landford moiety to John Davenant, Bishop of Salisbury, and his heirs. (See Family Connections below). John Davenant Esq. of St. Martin's in New Sarum (the great nephew of the Bishop of Salisbury of the same name) resided at Landford House during the reign of Charles I and Charles II, i.e. from about 1640 onwards. John Davenant died in 1671 and the manor passed to John Davenant's eldest son John, who was High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1686 and was responsible for adding the south wing to the manor house in 1680. He was succeeded by a son Edward. The latter, like his grandfather, fell into debt and about 1715 disposed of the property to John Eyre (d. 1725), second son of Giles Eyre Esq. of Brickworth in Whiteparish. This John Eyre altered the fenestration of the front of the house in 1717. (See Family Connections below)
In his account (see reference ‘a’ above) Rev Girdlestone states that John Maurice Eyre purchased the other moiety in the year 1800. Why was this necessary if the Becket moiety had already been conveyed to Giles Eyre in 1627/8? Perhaps it was only the lease that was conveyed to Giles Eyre and John Maurice purchased the lease. If John Eyre had only obtained the lease of the Stanter moiety, would he have spent a great deal of money altering the front of the house? That seems rather unlikely. So what John Maurice Eyre actually purchased remains a mystery.
As a result of the Eyre purchases, the whole manor lands and advowson came into the possession of his only daughter Frances Elizabeth and sole heiress, who became Countess Nelson of Landford House (Manor) in 1859. The 1839 tithe map indicates that the manor estates occupied some 600 acres of land, of which some 43 acres of land were attached to the manor house itself.
In the year 1878 Countess Nelson died at Landford House, having resided there the last seventeen years of her life and the property descended to her second son, the Hon. and Rev John Horatio Nelson, Rector of Shaw, Newbury, Berks. The advowson of the living, however, passed to his brother Horatio, Earl Nelson who became possessor of the Brickworth estate.
The 1881 Census records that Arthur F Jeffreys and family now occupied Landford House, presumably renting it from the Nelson family. [Comment – his elder brother John Jeffreys was living in Landford Lodge at the same time.] His eldest child was born there in 1878, so presumably they moved into the house soon after the death of Lady Nelson. They did not stay long as Jeffreys bought Burkham House near Alton,
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Part 3 – Landford Manor
Hampshire in 1881/1882. Subsequently in 1891 Landford House was occupied by Mrs S. Maude Crossley (widow) and her son Philip Peto Crossley. At the 1901 Census the house was simply occupied by the domestic staff with Mary Heart listed as Head Servant in Charge. Similarly in 1911 the house was occupied by the staff with Helen Tenman as Housekeeper in charge.
The church records state that at the death of the Rev. The Hon. John Horatio Nelson (1917) the property except the advowson was left to Douglas Eyre Esq., who came to live at Lords Oak, Landford – the manor house being let to Mr., afterward Sir Frederick Preston, K.B.E. In 1919 Douglas Eyre sold a considerable part of the Landford main estate to various tenant farmers and others. The house and remainder of the estate was bought in 1917 by Sir Alfred Mond, later Baron Melchett, the founder of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). Prior to his death in 1930 it was bought by Sir Frederick Preston in 1929. On his death in 1950, the house and its entire contents were sold by Woolley and Wallis, estate agents in Salisbury. The prospectus refers to -
“The Landford Manor Estate, on the edge of the New Forest. 665 acres with the fine Tudor manor House... 3 Good Corn and Dairy Farms, 5 Smallholdings, Landford Common, 14 Excellent Cottages, 3/4 mile of Fishing (in a Tributary of the Test), to be sold by auction... 17th May, 1950. ”
Initially purchased by a Mr. Guthrie (for £37,500) on 17 th May 1950, the estate was sold on in lots. In June of that year, the Manor House was sold to Leslie Howard Bratcher (a builder from Southampton) with the original intention of converting it to flats. The entire contents (furniture etc.) were disposed of in a series of sales held during the month of June. Over the next four years he gradually disposed of the land.
The following is a summary of the ownership of the Manor in more recent times.
On 14 th November 1951 the property was sold to Margaret Bell Walmsley.
10 th June 1955 Deed of Grant between Thomas Oakley (Luton) Ltd and Edward /Frank Smith.
A garden fete held at Landford Manor, by permission of Mr. & Mrs. Picot on 3 rd June 1961
Early 1960s, William B. Bucknall bought the Manor.
When the Manor was purchased by William B. Bucknall, it became the business premises for the company Cartographical Services (Southampton) Ltd., of which he was Chairman. The company was in the map- making business, doing a lot of contract work for the Ordnance Survey and the MOD. This included using the results of aerial photography and plotter instruments to produce detailed ground surveys and maps. They also manufactured complex plotter machines to undertake this work.
During the 1970s and 80s, many of the staff working there were also residents (some with families) living on the first and second floor of the main building, although by 1990 most of the occupancy had ended due to increasingly stringent fire & safety legislation. The top floor ceased to be occupied by the business, as there was inadequate fire escape provision and being a Grade II listed building made such modifications uneconomic. At its peak, CSL employed sixty or so staff. The main hall and entrance was in daily use, and even the most ornately decorated rooms were used as offices, filled with cartographers and their equipment.
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Several large adjacent out-buildings (which had been used for pig farming initially) were converted for engineering manufacture, and this is where a small team built precision map-making instruments that were shipped worldwide.
Over the period when the Manor was used as a place of business, the vast grounds and gardens were maintained to some degree, but the lower areas were left to nature due to cost restrictions. Partly as a result of advances in technology and moves to digital mapping the company fell into decline and eventually into liquidation by 2003.
1998 David Morris (property developer) of Romsey bought the Manor.
2003 Hewsons & Gillespies bought the Manor with planning permission for the enabling development of four houses.
At this point the manor house was divided into two separate dwellings. The original house became Unit 1 and the South Wing became Unit 2. The original servants’ quarters were converted to a third dwelling (Unit 3), which was extended to include the old brew house.
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Section 2 - Table of Owners and Occupiers of Landford Manor
Year Owner Occupier 1200- The Lygh family Unknown 1515 1515 Elizabeth Stanter (neé Lygh) - 1st moiety Anne Becket (neé Lygh) – 2nd moiety 1599 John Stanter built Landford Manor House The Stanter family c.1640 John Davenant The Davenant family 1671 Sir John Davenant, Sheriff of Wilts in 1686 1715 Edward Davenant 1716 John Eyre (1693-1725) John Eyre and family Henry Eyre (1720-1799) 1799 John Eyre (1722-1799) John Eyre and family 1799 John Maurice Eyre John Maurice Eyre and family 1815 Frances Elizabeth Eyre, later Countess Nelson 1835 John Arthur Worsop 1841 John Arthur Worsop with William Henry Trollope and family 1842 John Arthur Worsop 1849 William Henry Trollope 1851 Nathanial Cumberledge and family 1859 Countess Nelson Countess Nelson and family 1861 Countess Nelson Countess Nelson and family 1871 Countess Nelson Countess Nelson and family 1878 Rev John Horatio Nelson Arthur Jeffreys and family 1881 Arthur Jeffreys and family 1885 Mrs Sarah Maud Crossley and family 1891 Mrs Sarah Maud Crossley and family 1898 Mrs Sarah Maud Crossley and family 1905 Mrs Sarah Maud Crossley 1908 Captain Charles Truman 1911 Domestic Staff 1915 Rev John Horatio Nelson Mr Frederick Preston 1917 Douglas Eyre Mr Frederick Preston 1917 Sir Alfred Mond Sir Frederick Preston 1929 Sir Frederick Preston Sir Frederick Preston 1950 Messrs. Guthrie & Bratcher Probably unoccupied 1951 Margaret Bell Walmsley Margaret Bell Walmsley. Private school. 1955 Sold to ? 1961 Mr & Mrs Picot c.1963 William B. Bucknall Cartographical Services 1998 David Morris Unoccupied 2003 R. Hewson & N. Gillespie Divided into separate living accommodation
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Section 3 – Family connections with Landford Manor
The Lye/Lygh/Leyh, Stanter and Beckett families
A quotation from: 'Corsley', A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 8: Warminster, Westbury and Whorwellsdown Hundreds, reads as follows.
The origin of the manor of HUNTENHULL is to be found in a grant of land by Godfrey de Craucumbe, lord of Corsley, to William of Idmiston, made before he gave Corsley to the nuns of Studley c.1245. In the 17th century 'ancient evidences' were still extant which showed that it consisted of land which John Huntenhull and Peter Huntenhull had formerly held, a grange called Dallymore, and lands in Chapmanslade. Somewhat later the Prioress of Studley gave lands which William de la Forde and Adam le Porter had formerly held to Daniel, son of Thomas of Idmiston. These must have been added to the manor, for in 1604 it included a tenement called Ford's and several closes called Porter's. These two grants to Idmiston had passed by the early 14th century to a family called Lye; William de Lye held the advowson of Corsley, which had also been given to William of Idmiston in 1309 and must have held the manor then. A previous holder was perhaps James de Lye who held 2 virgates freely of the Prioress of Studley in 1285. William de Lye was said after his death to be of Huntenhull. A son John evidently succeeded him and was followed by Thomas, whose son Robert occurs between 1370 and 1412. Richard, son of Robert, occurs between 1425 and 1441. Another Robert was dead by 1465, leaving a son Robert who survived until the early 16th century. He left two daughters and coheirs, Elizabeth Stanter and Anne Beckett ; they probably sold the manor to Richard Powton, who held the advowson of Corsley, which was appurtenant to Huntenhull, by 1524.
A quotation from Lee of Virginia, 1642-1892 : With brief notices of the related families reinforces the information above as follows.
The following sketches often of the principal Lie families in England are from the pen of Mr. J. Henry Lea of Fairhaven, Mass., who has devoted considerable time to the study of the genealogies of the families of this name. His sketches may, therefore, be considered thoroughly accurate and reliable.
LYGH OF LANFORD AND CORSLEY, WILTSHIRE.
They were seated at Lanford as early as the reign of Henrv III (1216-1272), being then represented by James de Lygh, who held his lands by service of Albreda de Botcrell. Perhaps cadets of the Leighs of High Leigh (compare arms), and became extinct in the direct line about 1515, when Robert Lygh, fourth of the name in succession, left two daughters, his co-heirs; Elizabeth, who married John Stanter of Hornington, Wilts., and Anne, who married William Beckett, of Wilton, Wilts. (Hoare's Mod. Wilts., V. 82.)
[Comment – The manor of Huntenhull ultimately became part of the Longleat estate. The modern villages of Horningsham and Corsley lie to the west of Warminster, Wilts. The parish of Corsley is made up of several hamlets, one being named Lyes Green.]
The two references above agree with the Landford church account of early Landford by Rev F.G. Girdlestone (Rector 1872) allowing for differences in spelling of names, etc. The last Robert Lygh died
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Part 3 – Landford Manor about 1515 and left his estate to his two daughters. As a result, the Landford Manor estate was divided into two moieties, one for each daughter.
Elizabeth Lygh married John Stanter of Horningsham. Under the terms of the Will of John Stanter and his wife made in 1638, their share (i.e. moiety) of the manor, lands and advowson of Landford was conveyed in trust to John Davenant, Bishop of Salisbury and his heirs. In this respect the church record of Rev F G Girdlestone is rather confusing. Considering that Elizabeth Lygh was alive when her father died in 1515, John and Elizabeth would have been over 100 years of age by 1638, then clearly the latter John Stanter mentioned in the will must have been a descendant of the original John and Elizabeth. This is further explained as follows.
From - Inquisition taken at the City of New Sarum, 13th October, 17 Charles I [1641]
William Stanter of Landford, gent., and Mary his wife, and John Stanter gent., son and heir of the said William and Mary his wife, by their charter tripartite dated 1 Jun 1638 made between themselves of the first part, John Davenant, Bishop of Salisbury, gent., and John Leigh of the City of New Sarum, gent., of the third part, granted and confirmed to the said Francis Parry and John Leigh and their heirs all their manor and site of Langford, and all the messuages, houses, buildings, gardens, lands, mines, quarries, woods, right of common in the New Forest, etc., etc., thereto belonging; also the advowson, free gift, and right of patronage of and to the parish Church of Langford; and all other their lands, tenements, and hereditaments in Langford; all which said premises were in the tenure of the said William Stanter and John Stanter; also the reversions, remainders, and yearly profits, rents and services of all the said premises; to hold to them and their heirs to the sole use of the said John Davenant and his heirs forever, in free and common socage, by fealty only. The manor of Lanford and other premises there are held of the Earl of Arundell by fealty only, and are worth per ann., clear, £4 17s. 10d.
[Comment – Note the different spelling of Langford and Lanford for today’s Landford – JM]
The Visitation of Wiltshire, 1565 refers to the John Stanter of Horningsham who married Elizabeth Lyghe. They had a son William who succeeded his father, and he in turn had a son John. William’s wife’s name was Christian when son John was born, but William may have made a second marriage before making his Will. The timescales are still rather unrealistic and as the names William and John occur in successive generations, it may be that the William and John that granted their moiety to John Davenant were a subsequent generation.
A quotation taken from The visitation of Wiltshire 1565 by William Harvey , (condensed by JM) reads - William Beckett of Wilton, son and heir of Richard, married Ann, daughter and one of the heirs of Robert Leigh (Lighe of Corsley, co. Wilts), son and heir of Robert Leigh, son and heir of Robert Leigh and Pernell, his wife. William and Ann had issue, — Thomas, son and heir ; etc.
Thomas Beckett of Littelton, son and heir of William, married Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Henry Hill of Alderton, co. Suffolk., and by her had issue, — William, son and heir ; John, second son ; etc.
From the above references, Anne Lygh married William Beckett of Wilton, and they had a son Thomas Beckett of Littleton, their son and heir. From the church records, it would appear that in 1540 the Beckett family possibly sold their moiety of Landford Manor to one of the Sir John Danvers of Dauntsey. (See Family Connections below)
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The Dauntsey/Stradling/Danvers families
The Dauntseys were an old Wiltshire family, which derived their name from the parish in the hundred of Malmesbury. In 1344, Sir John Dauntsey’s grandfather, Sir Richard Dauntsey, settled on him in remainder the manor of Wilsford Dauntsey and two other manors in the county of Wiltshire. He died on 31 Oct 1391, and was succeeded by his son, Sir John Dauntsey junior, aged 34. The latter had been knighted some seven years previously, and in 1387 he had married Elizabeth, daughter and coheir of John Beverley, thereby acquiring property in Hertfordshire and London.
From: 'Parishes: Dauntsey', A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 14 -
The manor [of Dauntsey- JM] passed in turn to Sir John Dauntsey’s son Sir John (d. 1405) and to that Sir John's son Sir Walter (d. 1420). Sir Walter was succeeded by his sister Joan, wife of Sir John Stradling (d. 1433), later wife of John Dewale. From Joan (d. 1457) the manor passed in turn to her son Edmund Stradling (d.1461), Edmund's son John (d. 1471), and John's posthumous son Edward (d. 1487). Edward was succeeded by his sister Anne, wife of Sir John Danvers (d. 1514). From Anne (d. 1539) the manor passed to her grandson Silvester Danvers (d. 1551) and to his son Sir John. On Sir John's death in 1594 it was retained for her life by his relict Elizabeth, who married Sir Edward Carey and died in 1630. It passed in turn to her sons Henry Danvers, earl of Danby (d. 1644), and Sir John Danvers, a regicide. Sir John (d. 1655) was succeeded by his son John, a minor.
From: WIKIPEDIA -
Joan was the daughter of Sir John Dauntesey who died in 1413 and it was through her that the Dauntsey Estate went to the Stradling family. Joan was born c. 1394, and when very young became the second wife of the elderly Sir Maurice Russell (d.1416) of Dyrham, Gloucestershire, who had only 2 daughters by his first wife. Joan produced for him a son and heir Thomas who nevertheless died as a young man in 1431 leaving a pregnant wife named Joan, whose resulting daughter named Margery died aged 2 days. Thus ended the line of Russell of Dyrham.
Joan Dauntsey married again, almost immediately after Russell's death, to Sir John Stradling (d.1435) the 2nd son of the lord of St Donat’s Castle, Glamorgan. The marriage was possibly arranged by Russell's son-in-law Sir Gilbert Denys (d.1422) who was from Glamorgan and was related to the Stradlings. Stradling thus obtained a life interest in Joan's dower, consisting of 1/3 of the Russell manors. The marriage was conducted with such haste that the obtaining of the necessary royal licence for a widow of a tenant-in-chief to re-marry had been overlooked. They were fined heavily in 1417 for their transgression, as the following entry in the Patent Rolls dated 8 July 1418 reveals.
"Pardon, for 40 marks paid in the hanaper [the name of a department of the chancery, now abolished- JM], to John Stradlyng, chivaler, and Joan late the wife of Maurice Russell, chivaler, tenant in chief, of their trespass in intermarrying without licence."
Thereupon commenced the Stradling family of Wiltshire. In 1428 a feudal aid was assessed on John Stradling for the manor of Dauntsey in the hundred of Malmesbury. He was then also lord of the manors of Smethcote and Castel Combe. Unexpectedly, during her marriage to Stradling, Joan inherited the entire Dauntsey patrimony on the early death without progeny of her brother Sir Walter Dauntsey.
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Joan Dauntsey (d.1457) outlived Stradling and married for a third time to John Dewale, with whom she is buried.
From: British Civil Wars -
John Danvers (1588-1655) was the third son of Sir John Danvers of Dauntsey in Wiltshire. His elder brother Henry was the Earl of Danby and Danvers was knighted by King James I in 1609. He sat as MP for Oxford University in all the Parliaments of the early reign of Charles I and was a member of the King's Privy Chamber. Danvers made two marriages to heiresses and then fell into debt through his own extravagance.
From the information given above, it is possible to draw several conclusions.
1. The last Sir John Dauntsey died in 1405, so did not purchase the Landford estate in 1540. 2. His son and heir Sir Walter died without issue, ending that line of the Dauntsey family. 3. The Dauntsey estate passed via Joan Dauntsey into the Stradling family, and via further marriage to the Danvers. 4. The Dauntsey manor estate was in the possession of Silvester Danvers when he died in 1551. 5. His son Sir John Danvers of Dauntsey would need a home and estate befitting his position in society, and it is possible that it is this Sir John that purchased Landford manor estate in 1540. 6. On his death in 1594, the Dauntsey estate was held by his wife Elizabeth (neé Neville) until her death in 1630. 7. The Dauntsey estate then passed to her son Sir Henry Danvers who died without issue in 1643. 8. The estate then passed to his younger brother Sir John Danvers who fell into debt and died in 1655.
Referring back to the account by the Rev Girdlestone, he states that the Landford Manor estate was conveyed to Giles Eyre in 1627/28, indicating that the precise date is not known. It may well be that prior to or immediately following the death of Elizabeth Danvers in 1630, the Landford estate was in the possession of the last Sir John Danvers of Dauntsey mentioned above. He was in debt and had cause to sell any unwanted possessions to raise funds.
Currently there is no information available connecting the Danvers of Dauntsey with Landford, but from the above, it is most likely that the references to Sir John Dauntsey in the account of the Rev Girdlestone was to two different Sir John Danvers of Dauntsey, one of whom purchased the Landford estate from the Becketts in 1540 and the other disposed of it to Giles Eyre about 1630.
The Davenant family
(See Appendix 1 – Families associated with Landford and their ancestors for further information on this family.)
John Davenant (1572-1641) Bishop of Salisbury – Born 20 May 1572, the son of John Davenant, a successful merchant in the City of London who married Margaret Clerke, the daughter and co-heiress of John Clerke of Farnham Castle near Guildford, Surrey.
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He was educated at Queen’s College, Cambridge and matriculated in 1587, gained his B.A. (1 st Class) in 1590 and his M.A. in 1594. He became a Bachelor of Divinity in 1601 and Doctor of Divinity in 1609. He was elected fellow there in 1597 and President of Queen’s College, Cambridge, 1614-1622. Ordained in 1597, he was made Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity in 1609 until 1621. He became a renowned theologian and wrote many pamphlets and letters.
He became Rector of Fleet in Lincolnshire in 1609, and Rector of Leake in Nottinghamshire in 1612. In 1618 he was chosen by James I with three other theologians to represent the Church of England and assist in the work of the Calvinistic Synod of Dort in Holland. In 1620 he was Rector of Cottenham, Cambridgeshire. He became Bishop of Salisbury in 1621 and died in office on 20 April 1641.
Landford Manor was in the possession of Robert Lye or Legh (who died in 1515) and it passed to his two daughters, Elizabeth and Anne who were his joint heirs. At this point the estate was divided into two moieties, one for each of the daughters. Elizabeth married John Stanter. As explained above, the Stanter family made an agreement in 1638 such that their share (i.e. moiety) of the manor, lands and advowson of Landford was conveyed in trust to John Davenant, Bishop of Salisbury and his heirs.
Rev Edward Davenant (1596-1679 ) M.A. & D.D. – Born in London, his father was Edward Davenant the elder brother of John Davenant (Bishop of Salisbury) and his mother was Ann Symes. He was taken under the wing of his uncle, being educated at Queen’s College, Cambridge, gaining his BA in 1614 and MA in 1618. In that year he accompanied his uncle to the Synod of Dort.
He became the Vicar of Gillingham, Dorset in 1625. It was his misfortune to hold this post during the Civil War in which Charles I was ultimately tried and executed. He was far from popular with the Puritan Roundheads who fought against the King. They plundered his house, seized his library, destroyed the church organ and deprived him of his position as Vicar of Gillingham. However, after the death of Oliver Cromwell, Charles II was restored as King of England and the Rev. Davenant was soon given back his post, which he retained until his death on 12 March 1679.
John Davenant, Bishop of Salisbury, did not marry and in his Will, after many bequests of both money and effects, the residue of his property and estate went to his Executor, his nephew the Rev Edward Davenant. This included the “Stanter” moiety of Landford Manor, which now passed to the Rev Edward Davenant and his heirs.
John Davenant (?-1670) of St. Martin's in New Sarum and Landford – Son of the Rev Edward Davenant.
An extract from: 'Parishes: Fordingbridge', A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 4 , dealing with the manor of Bickton, reads as follows.
The latter sold it in 1632 to John Davenant, Bishop of Salisbury, who died in 1640, leaving it to Edward son of his elder brother Edward. Edward Davenant appears to have settled Bickton in his life-time on his eldest son John, who in 1664 mortgaged it to a certain John Mynne of Lincoln's Inn. John Davenant, dying before his father in 1671, made a request that his father would buy back the manor and payoff his debts. Accordingly the manor passed to John Davenant's eldest son John, who was High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1686, and was succeeded by a son Edward. The latter, like his grandfather, was involved in financial difficulties and left his heavily mortgaged property to his three sisters Rebecca, Catherine and Elizabeth.
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John Davenant lived at Landford, and his son (also John) served as Sheriff of the county in 1686. But the next heir (Edward) died childless, leaving his estate to his three sisters, as stated in the quote above.
[Comment - It would appear from the above that Edward the grandson of John Davenant was in considerable debt before he died. Presumably this is why he sold his moiety of Landford Manor to John Eyre about 1715 - JM.]
The Eyre family
(Please see Appendix 2 – The Eyre Family for a more detailed genealogy of this family).
The following is not an attempt to detail the lives of all the members of the Eyre family, but just those that held the Brickworth and Landford estates. Other members held land and property elsewhere in Wiltshire (e.g. Redlynch/Downton) and Hampshire (e.g. Botleigh Grange). They had considerable beneficial influence on the life and development of Salisbury and south Wiltshire.
The numbered sections below relate to successive generations of the Eyre family, starting at Thomas Eyre of New Sarum (i.e. Salisbury). [b. = born, m. = married, d. = died]
1. Thomas Eyre of New Sarum (1535-1628) m. 1567, Elizabeth Rodgers
Thomas Eyre of New Sarum (son of Robert Eyre, a lineal descendant of Humphrey Le Heyr, of Bromham, Wilts and who was M.P. for New Sarum in 1557 and Mayor of New Sarum 1559), was baptised in 1535 at Chilhampton, New Sarum, Wilts. He married Elizabeth, daughter of John Rogers of Poole, descended from the family of Rogers of Brianston, Dorset. (She was the sister of Robert Poole, Citizen of London, who founded the Cripplegate Almshouses).
He became Mayor of Salisbury in 1587. He was MP for New Sarum in 1597. He held lands in Wimborne, Dorset, in 1597 and also purchased the Manor of Chilhampton in 1610 and also South Newton, Wiltshire. He died on 1 Nov 1628 and was buried in St. Thomas's Church, the father of fifteen children. (His monument is in St. Thomas's Church, Salisbury).
2. Giles Eyre of Brickworth (1572-1655) m. 26 Sep 1603, Jane Snelgrove of Redlynch
Giles Eyre was the second son of Thomas Eyre (1 above), and was the founder of the Brickworth and Irish branches of the family. He was baptized on 27 Feb 1572. On 26 Sep 1603 he married Jane the daughter and heiress of Ambrose Snelgrove, of Redlynch, Wilts.
In 1567 Redlynch manor was divided and the then owner John Stockman sold the larger part, later called Redlynch farm, to the lessee Robert Snelgrove (d.1593). Snelgrove was succeeded by his son Ambrose, whose heir was his daughter Jane, wife of Giles Eyre. The farm, which was held with a copyhold of inheritance estate in East Downton tithing, thereafter passed from father to son in the Eyre family of Brickworth. In 1604 the executors of John Stileman sold to Giles Eyre then of Redlynch, copyhold of inheritance land in East Downton tithing with the land in Whiteparish on which he built Brickworth House. It was afterwards merged with Redlynch manor with which its later history is recorded.
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Giles Eyre suffered much for his opposition to the government measures during the time of James I and Charles I. He was a very strong supporter of the Parliamentarian Party, and suffered on account of his opinions. He himself and three of his sons were members of the council of Oliver Cromwell, and two of them, John and Edward Eyre, accompanied the Cromwellian, General Ludlow, to Ireland, where they founded the family of the Eyres in Ireland.
Giles Eyre built the Mansion House of Brickworth in the parish of Whiteparish c.1605, including the folly at Pepperbox Hill. [In 1860 Brickworth House was destroyed by fire and rebuilt]. He was Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1640. He died and was buried at Whiteparish on 16 Jan 1655. Close by the west door of Whiteparish Church is a tablet to his memory, from which we gather the following information.
A man much oppressed by public power for his laudable opposition to the measures taken in the reigns of James and Charles I. In the year 1640 (for then well-known Court reasons), Brickworth was plundered by the King's soldiers to the value of £2,000, and he was imprisoned for refusing to pay the sum of £400, illegally demanded of him by two instruments under the Privy Seal, bearing the date at Oxford, 14 Feb 1643. He had seven sons (three of whom were likewise members of Parliament), and four daughters.
The times in which Giles Eyre lived were very troublesome ones, and split up families into opposing parties. We find that the senior branch of the family, the Eyres of Chalfield, were strong loyalists, and fought for the King. The opinions of Giles made him very obnoxious to many of his neighbours, amongst who were the ancient and courtly family of St. Barbe, of Cowsfield Loveries, in Whiteparish. Edward St. Barbe left his property to his son Edward on condition that he would not intermarry with the daughter of Giles Eyre of Brickworth. This condition was observed by Edward St. Barbe, but the Fates in the course of time had their revenge, as in the 19th century Charles St. Barbe married Mary Foster, daughter of the Rev. Thomas Foster, of Ryhall, Rutland, who was descended through the Eyres of Ashley from Thomas Eyre, the father of Giles Eyre.
His first son Giles succeeded to the Brickworth estate.
3. Giles Eyre of Brickworth (1607-1685) m. 1637, Anne Norton
Giles Eyre was the first son of Giles Eyre (2 above), baptized 10 Feb 1607, he married Anne, daughter of Sir Richard Norton Bt. of Rotherfield, Hants, the friend and associate of Oliver Cromwell. He was ancestor of the Eyres of Brickworth and Landford, Wilts, and of Botleigh Grange, Hants.
He was elected M.P. for Downton in 1660, serving in the first two parliaments after the Restoration. He died on 17 Dec 1685 and was succeeded by his only son, who became Sir Giles Eyre.
4. Sir Giles Eyre of Brickworth (1635-1695) m. 1662, Dorothy Ryves m. 1672, Christabella Wyndham
Giles Eyre was born in 1635 and was the only child of Giles Eyre of Brickworth (3 above). He was admitted a Member of Lincoln's Inn in Oct 1654 and called to the Bar in Nov 1661. He married Dorothy, daughter of John Ryves of Ranston, Dorset, on 18 Nov 1662. She died on 15 Jan 1668 and he subsequently married Christabella Wyndham in 1672.
In 1675 the Corporation of Salisbury presented Giles Eyre with a tankard worth £10 for his services in procuring their Charter whilst he was Deputy Recorder to the Mayor and Corporation of Salisbury. He was
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He was succeeded by his eldest son, Giles Eyre.
5. Giles Eyre of Brickworth (1664-1734) m. Mabell Thayne
Giles Eyre was born in 1664, the first son of Sir Giles Eyre (4 above). He married Mabell, daughter of Alexander Thayne, of Cowesfield, Wilts. They had two sons, Giles his heir and John of Landford.
Giles Eyre was M.P. for Downton in the 5th, 6th and 7th Parliaments of Queen Anne. He died and was buried on 28 Nov 1734.
John Eyre – (1665-1715) died without issue.
John Eyre was born 12 Apr 1665, the second son of Sir Giles Eyre (4 above).
He was educated at Merton College, Oxford and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1688. He was Member of Parliament for Downton from 1698 to 1701 and from 1705 to 1715. In 1715 he became a Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn before his death at the age of 50 on 2 Nov 1715.
His estate passed to his great nephew Henry Eyre, son of John Eyre of Landford. (See 7 below).
Henry Eyre (1666-1704) died without issue
He was the third son of Sir Giles (4 above). He was a barrister at law of the Middle Temple. He died aged 38 without issue.
6. Giles Eyre of Brickworth (1693-1750) died without issue.
Born on 30 Mar 1693, the first son of Giles Eyre of Brickworth (5 above). He did not marry. He served as M.P. for Downton in 1715, 1722 and 1727. He died on 7 June 1750. Having died unmarried, his estates passed to his nephew, Henry Eyre (see 7 below).
John Eyre of Landford (1693-1725) m. Jane Bockland
John Eyre was born in 1693, the second son of Giles Eyre of Brickworth (5 above). He married Jane, daughter of Maurice Philip Bockland of Standlynch. Their children were Jane (1721-1755), John (1722- 1799) and Henry (1724-1799).
He purchased Landford Manor estate from the Davenant family about 1715. The history of the church mentions that he died on 31 Jul 1725 as a result of an accidental firing of a gun.
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7. Henry Eyre of Brickworth (c.1720-1799) m. Harriet Eyre died without issue
Henry Eyre was the first son of John Eyre of Landford (6 above). He married his cousin Harriett, daughter of John Eyre, of Putney.
Henry Eyre inherited the estate of his great uncle John Eyre (5 above) who died in 1715, and succeeded his uncle Giles Eyre (6 above). He was succeeded by his brother John Eyre.
John Eyre of Landford (1722-1799) m. 1728, Elizabeth Eyre.
John Eyre was born in 1722, the second son of John Eyre of Landford (6 above). He married his cousin Elizabeth (d.1758), daughter of Giles Eyre of Botleigh Grange, Hants in 1728. He was a Serjeant-at-Law. He died on 10 Sep 1799 and was succeeded by his son John Maurice Eyre (8 below).
The notice in the Journal said “whose memory will long be revered for his integrity and liberality of mind”.
8. John Maurice Eyre of Brickworth and Landford (1753-1815)
Born in 1753, the first son of John Eyre of Landford (7 above) and married Frances, daughter of the Rev. Edward Foyle on 11 Jun 1790. She died on 8 Jan 1797.
The church record contains the following entry - “Wickets Farm” which is immediately opposite the Cottage (i.e. Landford Cottage – JM) originally comprised 62 acres, was sold in 1766 by Mr. Wm. Hussey to Mr. Kerrille (gentleman) of Redlynch, for the sum of £1320 and was subsequently purchased of him by John Maurice Eyre Esq.
John Maurice Eyre held title to the estates of Brickworth, Landford and Botleigh Grange when he died on 7 Sep 1815, leaving his only daughter Frances Elizabeth Eyre his heiress.
9 Frances Elizabeth Eyre, Countess Nelson (1796-1878)
The only child of John Maurice Eyre of Landford (8 above), Frances Elizabeth Eyre was born on 1 Mar 1796. She married Thomas Bolton Esq. on 21 February 1821, who succeeded to the title of Earl Nelson on the death of his uncle, William Nelson, the brother of Admiral Lord Nelson. [See Appendices 1 & 2 for further family generations.]
Her husband Thomas Bolton, 2 nd Earl Nelson died in 1835 at Brickworth House, Whiteparish. Extracts from his obituary in the Gentleman’s Magazine read as follows.
On succeeding to the title his Lordship assumed for himself and his issue the name of Nelson, in pursuance of an Act of Parliament passed in 1806. He was an amiable and domestic character, fond of country life and not ambitious to interfere in public affairs.
His Lordship’s funeral took place on the 9 Nov in the Chapel at Trafalgar (Standlynch) attended by his sons. The service was performed by the Rev. G. F. Everett. The pension of 5,000 pounds has not expired, (as stated in the newspapers), but is permanently annexed to the Earldom. It is a remarkable circumstance noticed by Mr Matcham, (the cousin of the late Earl), in his History of the Hundred of
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Downton just published that the Countess Nelson is descended from the Brocklands, the ancient possessors of Standlynch, the estate purchased for the (Nelson) family by the nation and now called Trafalgar; and this in the present youthful Earl the property has devolved again to the blood of its former owners.
An extract from the British History website for the parish of Cholderton, Hants, contains the following information regarding the possession of the manor of Cholderton.
John Jonathan Hill sold Cholderton House and 750 acres in 1771 to the Revd. Edward Foyle (d. 1784). The estate passed to Foyle's son the Revd. Edward Foyle and from 1795 descended with Cholderton manor. The manor was owned from 1781 or earlier by William Hayter (d. 1795) and afterwards by his nephew the Revd. Edward Foyle (d. 1832). The manor house was that, south of the church, demolished in the earlier 19th century. Foyle, who already owned other land in the parish, devised his Cholderton estate to his niece Frances Bolton (from 1835 Frances Nelson, Countess Nelson, d. 1878).
[Comment - In 1889 Henry C Stephens MP of Cholderton Lodge, Hants, (the ink manufacturer) acquired by purchase the manor and 1,016 acre estate in Cholderton until then in the possession of Rear-Admiral The Honourable Maurice Horatio Nelson.]
There is an account of the History of St Nicholas’ Church, Cholderton. The following information is of interest. In 1836, after his marriage to Harriet Elizabeth Newman (sister of John Henry Newman, later Cardinal), Thomas Mozely was appointed rector of the parish of St Nicholas, Cholderton. The old church was very small, very old, in poor condition and considered unsuitable for worship. Rev Mozley decided to obtain the materials to build a new church. It was necessary to raise funds to pay for the work. The list of donors consisted mainly of rectors from nearby parishes. Mozley later wrote that no help came from Lady Nelson, who was Lady of the Manor and the largest land owner, or from any of the farmers, or from Assheton Smith of Tidworth who hunted the district and dominated its society. Later in this account, there is a mention of Lady Nelson presenting land for the building of a school.
In the year 1841 a meeting was held in Landford to consider the desirability of building a school and to obtain the aid of an efficient master and mistress, for the better educating of the poor of the parish. Lady Nelson gave the site for a schoolroom and dwelling house, with garden and playground. In 1857 subscriptions were started to build a new church in Landford, and as patroness of the living, Countess Nelson gave £1,000.
Besides Cholderton Manor, the Nelson family owned their ancestral properties of Trafalgar at Standlynch, the Brickworth estate in Whiteparish and Landford Manor estate. According to the 1841 Census for Whiteparish, Countess Nelson was living there (presumably at Brickworth Manor) along with her sons Edward and Henry and ten servants. Details are available online recording the extent of the property owned in 1842 in Whiteparish alone, covering some 1,356 acres. The 1839 tithe map for Landford shows that Countess Nelson owned some 600 acres in Landford and she also owned the Landford Lodge estate from 1848 to 1859, which occupied some 118 acres. In 1860 Brickworth Mansion was destroyed by fire and rebuilt. Landford Common was enclosed in 1861, with most of the land allocated to Lady Nelson (640 out of 740 acres).
Up until the death of her husband, Countess Nelson was living at Brickworth Manor. The 1861 Census shows that by then she had moved into Landford Manor along with the unmarried children. These were
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Maurice, by then a Commander in the Royal Navy, Henry an estate manager and their sister Susanna. In order to run the house, they had a butler, footman, housekeeper, lady’s maid, two housemaids and a kitchen maid. They had relations staying with them, being Henry R Eyre (JP for Berks), his wife Isabella and their son Henry together with their own footman and lady’s maid. The gardener and his family, and the coachman and his family appear to be living in separate accommodation in Stock Lane.
A receipt exists dated 24 August 1865 for monies received from Horatia Nelson, the illegitimate daughter of Admiral Horatio Nelson and Emma Hamilton as settlement under a Will. The attractively penned manuscript document is a receipt for £75.16.10 from Frances Elizabeth, Dowager Countess Nelson and signed by her at the foot, her surname across an affixed pale violet One Penny Inland Revenue stamp.
The account of the History of Wiltshire, “Fisherton Anger”, contains the following information relating to the ownership of the Manor. On the death in1861 of Francis Thomas Egerton, of Roche Court, Winterslow, he left it to his cousin Frances Elizabeth, Dowager Countess Nelson, with limitation upon her death to Horatio, Earl Nelson (d. 1913) in tail male. Henry Edward Joseph Horatio, 7th Earl Nelson, may now (1957) be considered to be lord.
A further quote from a History of Downton refers to yet another landholding of the Eyre family as follows -
In 1567 Redlynch manor was split. John Stockman then sold the larger part, later called Redlynch farm, to the lessee Robert Snelgar or Snelgrove (d.1593). Snelgar was succeeded by his son Ambrose, whose heir was his daughter Jane, wife of Giles Eyre (d. 1655). The farm, which was held with a copyhold of inheritance estate in East Downton tithing, thereafter passed from father to son in the Eyre family of Brickworth to Giles (d.1685), Sir Giles (d. 1695), Giles (d. 1734), and Giles(d.s.p. 1750). The last Giles was succeeded by his nephew Henry Eyre (d.s.p. 1799). Henry's heir was his nephew John Maurice Eyre (d. 1815) and his heir was his daughter Frances, wife of Thomas Bolton. In 1835 Bolton succeeded his father as Earl Nelson and he held the farm in Frances's right until his death in 1835. At inclosure in 1822, 10 acres and 4 acres in Paccombe common were allotted for respectively Redlynch farm and the copyhold land. Frances held both estates in 1837 until her death in 1878 when they passed to her son Horatio, Earl Nelson.
The Dowager Countess Nelson as she was by then, died at Landford House on 28 th March 1878, having resided there the last seventeen years of her life.
11. The Reverend Hon. John Horatio Nelson (1825-1917) m.1857, Susan Spencer-Churchill
Born on the 15 Jan 1825, he was the second son of Thomas Bolton, 2 nd Earl Nelson and Frances Elizabeth Eyre (9 above). On 27 Aug 1857 he married Susan Spencer-Churchill (d. 2 Feb 1898), daughter of Lord Charles Spencer-Churchill and Ethelred Catherine Benett. Their marriage produced two sons, John Eyre Nelson (1858-1913) who died before his father, and Horatio Spencer Nelson (1860-1935).
He graduated in 1872 with a Master of Arts (M.A.) Cantab, and became Rector of Shaw-cum-Donnington, Newbury, Berkshire, from 1872 until 1909. This would appear to be a case of family patronage, as the advowson for St Mary’s Church, Shaw-cum-Donnington was held by the owner of Shaw Manor. This happened as follows.
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A quotation from: 'Parishes: Shaw-cum-Donnington', A History of the County of Berkshire: Volume 4 (1924) contains the following information relating to the ownership of Shaw Manor.
His half-brother James Pettit Andrews, who had married Anne daughter of the Rev. Thomas Penrose, rector of Newbury, had died in 1797, and the manor and title passed to their son Joseph, who died unmarried in 1822.
The manor then passed to his sister Eliza, the widow of Charles Henry Hunt of Stratford-upon-Avon, under the provisions of the will of her uncle, dated 8 February1800. Mrs. Hunt died in July 1822 when under the will of her brother, dated 20 November 1820, the manor passed to his cousin the Rev. Thomas Penrose for life, with remainder to another cousin Henry Eyre and his heirs.
The Rev. Thomas Penrose, D.C.L., was a son of the Rev. Thomas Penrose, once a curate of Newbury and a poet of some little note. He was living at Shaw in 1839, and was rector of Hampstead Marshall and vicar of Writtle, Essex. He died in 1851, when the manor passed to the heir of Henry Eyre.
Henry Eyre was the son of Henry Eyre, who had married Sarah sister of the Rev. Thomas Penrose and of Anne wife of James Pettit Andrews. He seems to have died before his cousin, and the manor descended to his son Henry Richard Eyre, who died 1 June 1876, leaving the manor to his widow for life. After her death, 27 May 1904, it passed to their son Henry John Andrews Eyre, who sold the manor on 29 September 1905, to the Hon. Mrs Farquhar.
A further quotation from A Short Guide to St. Mary's Church, Shaw cum Donnington by Alfred E Shadlock (updated 1997) states the following concerning the Chancel.
This is the most beautiful part of the interior. The new chancel, organ chamber and vestry were built in 1878. The new additions to the church were due to the generosity of the Patron, Henry Richard Eyre of Shaw House, and the inspiration of the Reverend John Horatio Nelson, who was the Rector from 1872 to 1909.
A further quotation is taken from Royal Berkshire History by David Nash Ford -
Shaw House - In total, the estate was held by the Andrewses for seventy years, before passing to a cousin, Rev. Thomas Penrose (1742-1779), who visited occasionally but most lived in Essex, and then to his nephew, Henry Eyre. The Eyres were a Hampshire family and they lived at Shaw House throughout the Victorian period. Henry died in 1876 and the house was rented out to tenants on and off, until the great sales of 1905/6. The Eyres then sold, not only the house and estate, but most of the furnishings and family paintings, including portraits by Vandyke, Reynolds and Kneller and a number of landscapes by Canaletto.
From the above, Henry Richard Eyre (1813-1876) inherited Shaw Manor in 1851 and apparently appointed his relative the Rev John Horatio Nelson to the benefice of St Mary’s, Shaw-cum-Donnington in 1872 and where he stayed until his retirement in 1909. Both Henry Richard Eyre and Rev John Horatio Nelson (maternal side) were both great-grandsons of John Eyre (7 above).
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The Rev John Horatio Nelson died on 28 Sep 1917 aged 92, at Lord's Oak, Landford and is buried in St Mary’s Churchyard, Shaw, Newbury. It would appear that neither son inherited the Landford Manor estate, as it passed to Douglas Eyre, a son of Henry Richard Eyre.
12. Douglas Eyre (1860-1935)
Born on the 17 Oct 1860, he was the 4 th son of Henry Richard Eyre (see 11 above). He was a Barrister-at- Law of Lincoln's Inn. He died on 29 Oct 1935.
The records of St Andrew’s Church, Landford, states that at the death of the Rev. The Hon. John Horatio Nelson (1917) the property except the advowson was left to Douglas Eyre Esq, who came to live at Lords Oak, Landford. There is an implication that he would have lived at the Manor except for the house being already let to Mr (later Sir) Frederick Preston.
It would also appear that when John Horatio Nelson retired as Rector of St Mary’s, Shaw-cum-Donnington (see 10 above) in 1909, he would have needed somewhere to live, and that is probably when he took up residence at Lords Oak.
A later writer (the Rector H.M. Davies) notes that a Mr Dayton Eyre (Lords Oak) sold (1919) a considerable part of the Landford main estate to various tenant farmers and others. As Douglas Eyre was still alive and recently arrived in Landford, it seems that Dayton was an alternative name used to refer to Douglas Eyre. It would appear that on the death of the Rev the Hon. John Horatio Nelson in 1917, the manor house and part of the estate was sold off immediately to Sir Alfred Mond.
The church record also states that Dayton (Douglas?) Eyre unsuccessfully opposed the joining together of the benefices of St Andrew’s, Landford with St Peter’s, Plaitford.
Worsop and Trollope
John Arthur Worsop (1784-1851)
He was born in Doncaster to John Arthur Worsop (1750-1818) and Sarah Mauleverer (1755-1790). The family appears to have taken the double surname of Arthur Worsop when his great-grandfather William Arthur (1675-1741) married Hester Worsop. Both families held large estates in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and at one time occupied Howden Hall near Beverley.
The 1841 Census for Landford describes John Arthur Worsop as a widower of independent means, and the position in the census confirms that this was at Landford Manor House. The Landford Tithe Map of 1839 confirms that he occupied the manor and its associated grounds amounting to some 43 acres or garden, orchard and parkland. Why he is described as ‘widower’ when his second wife was still alive is a mystery, but she doesn’t appear in the census. The house was also occupied by his son-in-law William Trollope, married to his daughter Maria, and their family. It is interesting to note that the household was supported by a manservant and five maidservants.
In the 1851 Census, he was living at Grosvenor Villas in Southampton along with daughter Maria and son- in-law William Henry Trollope. (See below) He died on 21 May 1851 also at their home in Grosvenor
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Square, Southampton. The family ancestry is given in Appendix 1 – Families associated with Landford and their ancestors
William Henry Trollope (1800-1873)
Born at St James, Middlesex on 4 Apr 1800 the son of Arthur William Trollope (1771-1799) and Mary Foord. He became a Captain in the Honorable East India Companies Service. There is a letter dated 1871 that he sent to the novelist Anthony Trollope informing him of the death of his eldest brother, which was sent from Brickworth House, Whiteparish, Salisbury. He gained the rank of Captain in the service of the Honourable East India Company Service. William Henry Trollope died on 24 Sep 1873. The family ancestry is given in Appendix 1 – Families associated with Landford and their ancestors .
The Jeffreys family
Arthur Frederick Jeffreys (1848-1906)
B.A. Christ Church, Oxford. Qualified as Barrister 1872, MP and Privy Councillor.
The Australian connection
His father was Arthur (Frederick) Jeffreys (1811-1861) who was born in Surrey, and was a clergyman's son who decided to emigrate to Australia when aged in his late 20s. He arrived in Sydney on 20 February 1839, on the Honduras . Prior to emigrating he was a commissioned Lieutenant in the Royal Navy. In 1841 he married Sarah Campbell (1815-1856), born in Sydney, Australia, the daughter of Robert Campbell, originally from Duntroon, county Argyle, Scotland. [Later in life, Robert Campbell played a significant role in the development of New South Wales.]
In 1843, at the end of a severe five-year-long drought, Jeffreys purchased a property of 1,742 acres (7.05 km 2), near Queanbeyan, New South Wales (NSW), which he named "Acton" after a town in Denbighshire, Wales. The name is perpetuated in the City of Canberra suburb of Acton, which forms part of the Australian Capital Territory. Robert Campbell was one of the considerable pastoralists, merchants and land-owners in the early colony of NSW with significant land holdings in Kirribilli, Duntroon on the Limestone Plains, and the Canterbury Estate near Sydney, among others. By way of marriage into the Campbells, Arthur Jeffreys became a prominent land-owner in Kirribilli. He became a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.
When Robert Campbell died in 1846, Arthur Jeffreys was a beneficiary under his will, receiving 230 hectares on the south western side of the Canterbury Estate. About 1850 he engaged an architect to design and build Canterbury House on his part of the estate. He died in 1861 and the family returned to England. The house was then leased to various people throughout the 1860’s and 1870’s.
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Arthur Frederick Jeffreys
Arthur Frederick Jeffreys was born 7 April 1848 in Christchurch, New South Wales, the second son of Arthur Jeffreys and Sarah Campbell. He was the younger brother of John Jeffreys who occupied Landford Lodge at the same time in 1881. [ Comment – See History of Landford Lodge for record of John Jeffreys.]
He graduated from Christ Church, Oxford with a B.A., before becoming a student of the Inner Temple 2 May 1868 (then aged 20) and was called to the bar in 1872. He served as a Justice of the Peace for Hampshire. During his youth he was a successful cricketer with New South Wales and Hampshire.
On 15 May 1877 he married Amy Constantia Fenwick, daughter and only child of George John Fenwick of Pelton, Chester-le-Street in County Durham (at some time Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Durham). George Fenwick (1821–1913) was the son of a banker and owner of Fenwick's Brewery, Chester-le-street. He built Crag Head in Bournemouth (now a hotel along East Cliff) in 1870. In 1881 Crag Head was let as a Royal Residence to King Oscar II of Norway and Sweden.
Arthur Jeffreys and Amy Fenwick had four children, namely –
s. George Darell b. 8 Mar 1878 d. 19 Dec 1960, Became Army General and 1st Baron Jeffreys d. Winifred Madeline b. 1880 d. 28 Sep 1966 d. Sibyl Constance Later J.P. for Hampshire in 1942. d. Eleanor Sophia Campbell b. 1886 d. 1978
The 1881 Census records that the Arthur F Jeffreys was living at Landford Manor along with his two eldest children, Winifred being just 6mths of age. Both were born in Landford, so presumably they had been here at least since George was born in 1878. The household includes a butler, lady’s maid, nurse, house maid, cook and kitchen maid. The coachman and his family are also recorded as living at the house, but probably in the coach house/stables.
Arthur Frederick Jeffreys purchased the Burkham estate near Alton, Hampshire in 1881/1882. He immediately began making radical changes; by February 1882 he was requesting diversion of a footpath to the south, and the road to the east, the latter to be moved further east away from the house. He was a practising barrister and a member of the Western circuit, and became a Justice of the Peace (J.P.) Hants, and held the office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) for Hampshire. By 1887 he was well established as a country landowner and farmer. He was elected to the House of Commons as the Conservative MP for Basingstoke (North Hampshire) in 1887, a seat he held until his death in 1906, and was admitted to the Privy Council in 1902. He held the office of Deputy Speaker, House of Commons between 1902 and 1905. He served briefly under Arthur Balfour as Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board from June to December 1905.
Arthur F Jeffreys continued to visit Australia. He reportedly sold the land occupied by the modern-day site of the Kirribilli Neighbourhood Centre at the top of Jeffrey Street in 1873.
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Arthur Frederick Jeffreys died on 14 February 1906 at Burkham House, Latcham, near Alton, Hampshire, aged 57.
His son George Darell Jeffreys (1878-1960) became a prominent military commander with a distinguished service record and was elevated to the peerage as the 1st Baron Jeffreys of Burkham in 1952. He inherited the Burkham estate on the death of his father. See Wikipedia for more details.
Mrs Sarah Maud Crossley (1847-1938)
Sarah Maude Peto was born in 1847. She was the daughter of Sir Samuel Morton Peto, 1st Bt. and Sarah Ainsworth Kelsall. She married Clement Crossley on 29 October 1874. They had two sons, Philip and Alwyne Crossley.
Her father was Sir Samuel Morton Peto (1809-1889) who was born in Woking, Surrey. He trained as a bricklayer and went into partnership with his cousin, Thomas Grissell as Peto & Grissell. The firm built many well-known landmarks in London including The Reform Club, The Lyceum, and Nelson's Column. In 1843 he bought Somerleyton Hall, Suffolk. Between 1844 and 1851, he extended the Hall and built facilities for the villagers. He was Liberal MP for Norwich (1847-1854) and in 1854 he was made First Baronet of Somerleyton.
In 1863, Sir Francis Crossley bought Somerleyton when his fellow parliamentarian was in financial difficulties. He was a carpet manufacturer and philanthropist who together with his father, and his brothers, founded the firm of John Crossley & Sons of Halifax. Clement Crossley was his nephew.
Clement Crossley was born on 20 Dec 1848 in Halifax, West Yorkshire. He was the fourth son of Joseph Crossley. Like some of his brothers, he contracted TB and moved away from Halifax. He married Sarah Maude Peto of Somerleyton Hall, Suffolk. The couple travelled widely through Europe and the Middle East.
A quotation from A Lady’s Experiences in the Wild West in 1883 by Rose Pender contains the following information; After luncheon we drove out to the Silver Smelting Works, … the fumes from the furnaces affected our eyes very much and J suffered so much that he had to call on a doctor when he got to Colorado Springs. He turned out to be the same doctor who attended poor Clement Crossley, and who told him he ought not to have been sent out, as the climate only suited what they call chronic consumption and not those who are afflicted with acute consumption.
It was normal practice to advise those with TB to move to somewhere with a much drier climate than England in the hope that it might provide some respite from the disease. He died on 19 Oct 1882 at the age of 33 in Colorado Springs, USA. His body was returned to England and he was buried at Lister Lane Cemetery, Halifax.
On returning to England, his widow Sarah Maud would need somewhere to live and it appears that she took up residence at Landford Manor about 1885 and was living there at the 1891 Census. She paid for the installation of two stained glass windows in St Andrew’s Church, Landford, dedicated to the memory of her husband Clement Crossley. A notice in the Journal dated 9 Dec 1899 states that letters of administration of the personal estate of Mr Philip Peto Crossley (valued at £28,325 2s. 11d.) were granted to his mother Mrs. Sarah Maude Crossley. Apparently Philip died on 20 Mar 1899. This may be why she was absent for the 1901 Census, because a notice in the Journal dated 29 Mar 1905 advertises the lease to Landford House to
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A history of Burton Pynsent House, Curry Rivel, Taunton in Somerset, contains the following information. The estate was owned by a series of non-resident proprietors in the C19, finally being sold in 1909 to Mrs Crossley, a relation by marriage of Harold Peto (1854-1933). Burton Pynsent remained the property of Mrs Crossley's descendants until being sold in the late C20. The gardens and pleasure grounds assumed their present form under Mrs Crossley in the early C20, and were laid out to the design of Harold Peto. [Comment - Harold Ainsworth Peto was the celebrated landscape architect and actually Sarah Maude Crossley’s brother – MJM]
From this we learn that Sarah Maud Crossley purchased the property of Burton Pynsent House in 1909, which is in Curry Rivel near Langport in Somerset. This house was once the home of the Prime Minister, William Pitt (the elder), who in 1766 was created 'Viscount Pitt of Burton Pynsent and Earl of Chatham'. During the 19 th century the house fell into disrepair and was saved from total dereliction when purchased by Mrs Crossley, who restored the house and garden. The grounds were laid out by one of her relations, Harold Peto. She died on 12 October 1938. The family ancestry is given in Appendix 1 – Families associated with Landford and their ancestors
Sir Alfred Mond Bt, FRS (1868-1930) 1st Baron Melchett in 1928
Alfred Moritz Mond was born at Farnworth in Lancashire on 23 rd October 1868, son of the brilliant German chemist Ludwig Mond, who arrived in England on a cattle boat from Germany in 1862. Educated at Cheltenham College and St John's College Cambridge, he began his adult life with the shock of failing his natural sciences tripos, but went on to Edinburgh University to study law with some success. He was called to the Inner Temple Bar in 1894. In 1906 he entered Parliament as Liberal MP for Chester.
Rightly described as blunt, direct, sometimes rather blustering, and occasionally distinctly ill-mannered, Mond made his mark on political life, impressing fellow MPs by his strength of character, business acumen and grasp of detail. Although he had a bad voice, a bad delivery, and a presence unimpressive to all but the caricaturist, he made a number of memorable speeches in the Commons. He displayed a notable common sense and a mastery of industrial and fiscal questions, earning much respect and affection in political circles and tackling head-on the housing problem in 1921-22.
Mond sat as Liberal Member of Parliament for Chester from 1906 to 1910, for Swansea from 1910 to 1918 and for Swansea West from 1918 to 1923. He later switched party and represented Carmarthen from 1924 to 1928, initially as a Liberal. However, in 1926 Mond became a Conservative, after falling out with Lloyd George over the former Prime Minister's controversial plans to nationalise agricultural land.
He served as First Commissioner of Works in Lloyd George's coalition government from 1916 to 1921, in which capacity he approached Lutyens and asked him to construct a temporary memorial for Whitehall to complement the Peace Parade held on 19th July 1919. He became Chairman of the Imperial War Museum in 1920. He was Minster for Health from 1921-1922. A man of powerful intellect and considerable vision, he actively sought to reconcile capital and labour. He was an early advocate of health insurance and profit
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Part 3 – Landford Manor sharing within a capitalist framework. He played a major role in the centralisation of the English chemical industry and in the 1920’s foresaw the need for its rationalisation to enable it to compete with the growing strength of I.G. Farben in Germany. As managing director of Brunner-Mond, with Lord McGowan of Nobel Industries, he organised the merger of Britain's four largest chemical companies in 1926 to form ICI. That same year he joined the Conservative Party. In 1928 he organised the Mond-Turner talks, in an attempt to achieve collaboration between labour and employers after the bitterness of the General Strike in 1926 .
He first visited Palestine in 1921 and subsequently became an enthusiastic Zionist, contributing money to the Jewish Colonization Corporation for Palestine and writing for Zionist publications. He became President of the British Zionist Foundation and made financial contributions to Zionist causes.
In 1894 Mond married Violet Goetze and they had one son and three daughters. Mond was created Baronet of Hartford Hill in Great Budworth in the County of Chester in 1910, and was admitted to the Privy Council in 1913. In 1928 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Melchett of Landford in the County of Southampton. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1928 and received a number of honorary degrees from Oxford, Paris and other universities. Mond died in his London home on 27th December 1930 and his son succeeded to the barony.
Ludwig Mond (1839-1909) b. 7 Mar 1839 at Kassel Stadt, Hessen Nassau, Prussia d. 11 Dec 1909 His parents were Meyer Bär (Moritz) Mond and Henrietta Levinsohn. After attending schools in his home town, he studied chemistry at the University of Marburg under Hermann Kolbe and at the University of Heidelberg under Robert Bunsen but he never gained a degree. He then worked in factories in Germany and the Netherlands before coming to England to work at the factory of John Hutchinson & Co in Widnes in 1862. He worked in Utrecht for the firm of P. Smits & de Wolf from 1864 to 1867 and then returned to Widnes. Here he formed a partnership with John Hutchinson and developed a method to recover sulphur from the by-products of the Leblanc process, which was used to manufacture soda.
In 1872 Mond contacted the Belgian industrialist Ernest Solvay who was developing a better process to manufacture soda known as the Solvay process. The following year he went into partnership with the industrialist John Brunner to work on bringing the process to commercial viability. They established the business of Brunner Mond & Company, building a factory at Winnington, Northwich. Mond solved some of the problems in the process that had made mass production difficult, and by 1880 he had turned it into a commercially sound process. Within 20 years the business had become the largest producer of soda in the world.
He was elected to the Royal Society in 1891, whilst abroad he was elected to membership of the German Chemical Society, the Società Reale of Naples, and the Prussian Akademie der Wissenschaften. He received honorary doctorates from the universities of Padua, Heidelberg, Manchester and Oxford and was awarded the grand cordon of the Order of the Crown of Italy. The Royal Society of Chemistry awards the Ludwig Mond Award in his honour.
From the early 1890s on, he spent most of his winters in Rome at his home there. However he died in his London home in 1909. His estate was valued at £1M.
m. Oct 1866, Frida Loewenthal (1847-1923) She was his cousin from Cologne s. Robert Ludwig b. 9 Sep 1867 d. 22 Oct 1938
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s. Alfred Moritz See below
Alfred Moritz Mond (1868-1930) b. 23 Oct 1868 d. 27 Dec 1930 m. 16 Jun 1894, Violet Florence Mabel (1867-1945), dau James Henry Goetz and Rosina Harriett Bentley d. Eva Violet b. 6 Aug 1895 d. 1973 m. 1914, Gerald Rufus Isaacs (1889-1960) s. Henry Ludwig b. 10 May 1898 d. 22 Jan 1949, Miami Beach, Florida Educated at Winchester College. In the First World War he was commissioned with the South Wales Borderers on 9 April 1915 and wounded in 1916. Became a director of Imperial Chemical Industries and served as deputy chairman from 1940 to 1947. MP for the Isle of Ely 1923-24 and then MP for Liverpool East, Toxteth from 1929 to 1930. In the 1930s he reverted to his family's original Judaism and became a champion of Zionism. He restored Colworth House, Sharnbrook, Beds., and lived there for twelve years before selling that in 1947 and moving to Miami Beach, Florida, in the belief that this would restore his health. He died there in 1949 and the family title passed to his surviving son Julian.
m. 30 Jan 1920, Amy Gwen Wilson s. Derek John b. 18 Oct 1922 d. 30 Apr 1945 s. Julian b. 9 Jan 1925 d. 15 Jun 1973 d. Karis Valerie Violet b. 26 Jul 1927 d. 8 Feb 2006
d. Mary Angela b. 20 Jun 1901 d. 20 Oct 1937 m. Jun 1928, Clifford Willoughby Peter Horden (1891-1966) d. Norah b. 15 May 1905 d. 1966
Sir Frederick Preston G.P., K.B.E., J.P. (1867-1949)
Born in London 1867, eldest son of Reuben Thomas Preston, Esq. of Hayes Court in Kent, married in 1892 to Ethel Mary Peters and died in Salisbury on 18 th July 1949. He was invested as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (K.B.E.) in 1918 and for the year of 1921 he held the office of Sheriff of Wiltshire.
Sir Frederick had a long association with boats and was a member of several yachting clubs, including the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes, Isle of Wight. In 1907 a Captain C. H. Watson, O.B.E. took command of Sir Frederick Preston's famous sailing yacht MODWENA . Paradoxically enough, although MODWENA was a purely sailing vessel and therefore without engines or propeller, her owner's wealth derived from the manufacture of ship's propellers! At that time Sir Frederick was Chairman of the world-famous Stone's Propeller Foundry at Deptford, London. He was a member of both Boodles and the Carlton clubs.
Another boat originally named Triton, was a twin screw sloop yacht built in 1902. Between the wars she was lengthened and had an upper deck of cabins added, and her engines were converted to run on fuel oil. By
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1939, she was in the hands of her seventh owner, Sir Frederick Preston, who renamed her Hiniesta. However, he had little time to enjoy her as the outbreak of World War II saw her embark on a second period of military service, first as an anti-submarine yacht and later as a calibration yacht.
The war finally over, Hiniesta was given the honour of carrying King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Elizabeth up the River Foyle in Northern Ireland on a victory cruise in July 1945. Hiniesta was returned to Sir Frederick Preston after the war .
In 1917 the then Mr Frederick Preston became the tenant of Landford Manor and purchased the property from the estate of Lord Melchett in 1930. He and Lady Preston were considerable benefactors to both St Andrew’s Church and the local community. He paid for a new church organ in 1918.
Sir Frederick played a significant role as the parish representative in the Commission set up to consider the uniting of the benefices of Landford and Plaitford in 1923, (much resented by the residents of Plaitford), which was effected by Order in Council in July 1924. Sir Fredrick subsequently bought the advowson of Landford from Lord Nelson and that of Plaitford from Mr. A. Clough in 1930, thus becoming sole Patron of the united benefice.
For several years the parochial church council expressed their concerns at the lack of space in the churchyard for future burials. Lady Nelson had already given ground from the adjoining field for an extension to the then churchyard in 1859, but Sir Frederick felt that he could not do the same in 1931 as this would affect the amenities of the Manor. Consequently he proposed to grant them ½acre of land on the opposite side of Stock Lane.
Following the coronation of King George VI in 1937, the parishioners were invited to enjoy the hospitality and entertainments freely provided for them by Sir Frederick Preston. Further generosity was shown by Sir Frederick and Lady Preston when in commemoration of the Coronation they gave a lectern bible and a service book, bound in green calf with gold embellishments respectively to St Andrew’s Church. Also at Christmas 1937 a list of rectors on oak panels was set up opposite the font, which was a gift from Sir Frederick.
As Patron of the Benefice, Sir Frederick appointed a new rector on the resignation of the previous holder, taking up his position in December 1946. Before the new Rector came into residence, the hot and cold water system and electric lighting was installed at the Rectory, the whole cost being met by the generosity of Sir Frederick.
Sir Frederick passed away after a long and trying illness, on 18 th July 1949, and after cremation at Southampton, his remains were buried in Landford churchyard by the Rector, the Rev. W. Walters, who was assisted by the Revd. H.M. Davies, late Rector of the parish. Sir Frederick had been Patron of the benefice of Landford and Rector’s Warden of the parish for many years. He bequeathed the Advowson of the living to the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury Cathedral.
Reuben Thomas Preston (1841-1913) Esq. of Hayes Court in Kent, bap 20 Dec 1846 Son of George and Sarah Martha Preston m. 29 Sep 1866, Frances Margaret Anne (b. c1841), dau of William Williams s. Frederick George Panizzi (1867-1949) See below d. Margaret Alice b. 23 Jul 1867 m. 4 Dec 1898, William Richard Cecil Hamilton
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s. George Reginald b. 18 Mar 1869 m. 29 Dec 1898, Katharine Dora Peers Had at least 2 daughters s. Walter Reuben b. 20 Sep 1875 m. 25 Mar 1900, Ella Margaret, dau Huson Morris and Elizabeth Webster
Sir Frederick George Panizzi Preston (1867-1949) b. 22 Jul 1867 d. 18 Jul 1949, Salisbury m. 18 Dec 1892, Ethel Mary (b. c1871), dau Rev Thomas Peters d. Joan Panizzi (b. c1893) m. 18 Jun 1927, William John Ruston of Chudleigh, Marandellas, South Rhodesia s. Bryher Frederick Panizzi bap 3 Jul 1896 s. Jocelyn Panizzi (1900-1970) See below d. Margaret Frances Joan Panizzi b. 1 Aug 1902 d. Nov 1989, Salisbury
Jocelyn Panizzi Preston (1900-1970) b. 15 Aug 1900 m. 5 Jun 1928, Emily Geraldine Morval Nelson (b. c1904), dau Charles Burrard Nelson and Emma Geraldine Kitson Glencross s. Robin Jocelyn Preston b. 3 Dec 1929 s. Simon Douglas Nelson Preston M.A. (b. 5 Aug 1933) Educated at Sherborne School, Dorset. He graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge, with a Master of Arts. He lived in 2003 at Bohemia, The Old Kennels, Eridge Park, Eridge Green, Kent. m. 30 Jun 1962, Cecelia Mary Thornley dau Francis Bodenham Thornley s. Rupert Robin Nelson b. 1963 m. 30 Oct 1993, Samantha Caroline Musgrave d. India-Rose Matilda b. 26 Feb 1999 d. Jemima Nell b. 6 Sep 2000 d. Emma Frances Morval b. 1965 s. Adam Bodenham Nelson b. 1966 s. John Simon Nelson b. 1975 s. Charles Frederick Nelson b. 1975
Margaret Bell Walmsley
Margaret Bell Walmsley (1907-1989) - Born in Leeds on 21 Jun 1907, she was the daughter of Statira Bell and Edward Little. She became the second wife of the author Leo Walmsley on 30 Jan 1933 and they moved to an old army hut just off Pont Creek across the river from Fowey, Cornwall. They separated in 1943 and were finally divorced at the start of 1955. They had five children, namely Anna, Henrietta, Simon, Dain, and Sean.
She ran schools in the south of England, including the one at Landford Manor. The others included one in Oddington House in Stow-on-the-Wold, one somewhere on the Isle of Wight, and later Bramshott Court in Liphook, Hants. She left England to work in Manor House School in Kitale, Kenya in the early 1950s, but eventually moved to the United States to live with her son Sean and family in New York State from 1976 until she died on 19 Feb 1989.
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Margaret was an accomplished teacher, a devoted mother and grandmother, an avid diarist, and a good amateur artist and carver. She had a passion for knowledge about the world, and for sharing it with the children she taught. She was a born teacher, and even in retirement never stopped teaching.
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Extracts from the Newspapers
Salisbury and Winchester Journal - Monday 26 February 1821 On Wednesday last was married at Landford, in this county, by the Right Hon. and Rev. the Earl Nelson, Thomas Bolton, Esq. (nephew and heir presumptive to the Earl), to Miss Eyre, daughter and sole heiress of the late John Maurice Eyre, Esq. of Landford House.
Salisbury and Winchester Journal - Monday 04 May 1835 LANDFORD HOUSE. TO be LET, with immediate possession, for Term of Years, partly furnished. LANDFORD HOUSE, containing 3 principal sitting-rooms on the ground-floor, entrance-hall, &c.; bed- rooms, with several excellent attics; kitchen, housekeeper's-room, servants'-hall, &c.; brew-house and laundry detached; together with coach-house and stables, and excellent garden, and 26 Acres of good Grass Land. The House is pleasantly situated a convenient distance on the road from Salisbury to Southampton, miles from the former, and 12 from the latter, and 7 from Romsey, and three miles from the New Forest Hounds. Application to be made to Mr. Bell, Brickworth, near Romsey, Hants.
Salisbury and Winchester Journal - Saturday 23 June 1849 LANDFORD HOUSE AND PARK, Situate On The Borders of the New Forest, Midway between Salisbury and Southampton. To be LET, from Michaelmas next, LANDFORD HOUSE (partly furnished), consisting of Entrance-hall, 19½ by 18½; Drawing-room, 28¼ by 16¼; Dining-room, 25½ by 19; Breakfast-room, 17¼ by 15; and second Entrance ball, 15½ by 11½; five best Bedrooms, and. four Dressing-rooms on the first floor and six Bedrooms on the second floor; Housekeeper's room, Butler's Pantry, and all other necessary offices, with a Garden and Park containing about 35 Acres.
The House is close to the Church, and healthily situate on an eminence, commanding extensive views of the New Forest. The Roads are excellent, and Pack of Foxhounds is kept in the neighbourhood. Apply to Messrs. Attwood and Rigden, the Close, Salisbury.
Salisbury and Winchester Journal - Saturday 04 May 1850 Committed to the County Gaol.—John Grayer and William King, both of Landford, charged with stealing one bushel of wheat, the property of Wm. Henry Trollope .
Salisbury and Winchester Journal - Saturday 25 September 1852 LANDFORD HOUSE, WILTS, half-way between Southampton and Salisbury. Elegant Modern Household Furniture And Effects. A. FLETCHER been honoured with instructions to SELL by AUCTION, on Monday, September 27th, 1852, at twelve o'clock precisely without least reserve, -
The handsome FURNITURE and EFFECTS at the above House: comprising dining, loo, card, and other tables; nearly new Turkey carpet, 21 feet by 14 feet; Brussels and Kidderminster carpets and hearth rugs ; elegant suites of French damask and chintz window curtains; splendid carved couch and easy chair, covered in crimson velvet; pair of white and gold pole fire screens mounted with needlework; devotional chairs, ottomans, Canterbury whatnot, escritoire pair of console glasses, suite of chintz coverings for couch, 12 chairs, and Turkish ottoman; elegant clock under glass case, steel-mounted fenders and fire irons, handsome carved mahogany chair; German bedsteads, with furniture and bedding; wardrobes, dressing tables, and washstands; set of mahogany cane-seat chairs; an assortment of elegant cut-glass; dinner, breakfast, and tea sets; kitchen, brewing, and dairy utensils; few dozen of first-class Sherry and Port.
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Two ricks of prime Park Hay, put together in first rate condition. Bay Horse, six years old, quiet to ride or drive in double or single harness, and Bay Hack, eight years old.
About 400 choice Greenhouse Plants, Barrows, Garden implements, and numerous other effects.
The whole will be particularised in catalogues, be had one week prior to the Sale, on the Premises ; Three Swans, Salisbury; White Horse, Romsey; Crown, Southampton ; and of the Auctioneer, Millbrook. To be viewed on Saturday previous to the Sale.
Salisbury and Winchester Journal - Saturday 12 October 1878 Game Keeper Wanted – Must understand breeding Pheasants. Apply to Arthur Jeffreys , Esq., Landford House, Downton.
Salisbury and Winchester Journal - Saturday 06 August 1881 SPANIELS—WANTED, a Brace, well broken, for rabbit Shooting.—State price, age, &c. to A. Jeffreys , Esq., Landford House, Salisbury.
Salisbury and Winchester Journal - Saturday 09 September 1882 MANSION AND SHOOTING, On the BORDERS of the NEW FOREST. To BE LET, from Michaelmas next,— LANDFORD HOUSE, with Stabling, Coach-houses, &c., part of the Park containing about 18 Acres, and Gardener's and Keeper's Cottages, and the Right of Shooting over about 1200 Acres. The House stands on an eminence commanding extensive views of the New Forest, and is distant 10 miles from Salisbury and Southampton, 8 from Lyndhurst, and 6 from Romney. For further particulars apply to Mr. R. H. Rigden, Salisbury.
Salisbury and Winchester Journal - Saturday 09 May 1885 LANDFORD HOUSE. WILTS. 10 Miles from Salisbury and 7 from Ramsey.
MESSRS. WATERS AND RAWLENCE are instructed by the Hon. and Rev. J. H. Nelson (who has let the Residence for a term of years unfurnished), to SELL by AUCTION, on the Premises, on THURSDAY & FRIDAY, MAY 21st and 22nd, 1885, the whole of the neat Household Furniture and Effects, comprising:-
In the three Reception Rooms – A capital Spanish mahogany 8ft pedestal sideboard, a set of 12 mahogany frame dining room chairs, mahogany telescope dining table, 4 antique mahogany frame chairs, a walnut 4ft dwarf bookcase, a set of 12j solid rosewood frame chairs, a pair of neat rosewood 5ft 8im dwarf bookcases, rosewood and Mahogany Loo, Sutherland and other tables, walnut frame couch, easy and occasional chairs, two pairs of black and gold tapestry window curtains, mantel and pier glasses, Brussels and Turkey carpets, renders, fireirons, &c. also two antique oak hall tables with massive Italian marble tops, eight mahogany frame hall chairs, &c. A small collection of Nankin and oriental china, ornamental items, several oil paintings, engravings and about 350 volumes of books.
The chamber furniture includes the furnish of 5 principal and 6 secondary bed chambers, consisting of modern polished American ash suite, comprising a 6ft three door wardrobe with silvered plate glass to centre door, marble top washstand, dressing table fitted with toilet glass, chair, &c. Capital mahogany & painted chests of drawers, marble top and other washstands, mahogany and polished pine wardrobes, Japanned iron half-tester, French and other bedsteads, hair and wool mattresses, capital feather beds and bedding, carpets, &c.
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The usual kitchen requisites and a few outdoor effects, including a 24in balance handle garden roller, lawn mower capital timber gin with ropes and pulleys complete.
On view the mornings of sale only. Sale to commence each day at 12 o’clock precisely. Catalogues may be obtained of the Auctioneers, Canal, Salisbury.
Salisbury and Winchester Journal - Saturday 09 December 1893 flowers, from Belmont, and from Mrs. Crossley , Landford House.
Salisbury and Winchester Journal - Saturday 22 July 1899 LANDFORD. The Late Mr. P. P. Crossley’s Estate - Letters of administration of the personal estate, valued at £28,325. 2s. l1d., of Mr. Philip Peto Crossley of Landford House, Salisbury, where he died on March 20 last, a bachelor and intestate, have been granted to his mother, Mrs. Sarah Maude Crossley, the next-of- kin.
Salisbury and Winchester Journal - Saturday 17 June 1905 Thursday next at 1 o’clock. LANDFORD HOUSE. Messrs. Water & Rawlence are instructed by Mrs S.M.Crossley, whose lease has expired, to SELL by AUCTION, on the premises on the above date, a few lots of surplus Household Furniture and Outside Effects, including gardener’s tools, wheelbarrows, ladders, iron water cart, 2 capital iron garden rollers, about 40 dozen stove and greenhouse plants, etc.
Salisbury and Winchester Journal - Saturday 02 September 1905 COMMISION. WILTSHIRE. -5½ miles from Downton, 7 from Romsey, and 10 from Salisbury stations.— TO BE LET, on Lease, up to 14 years, from Michealmas,1905, LANDFORD HOUSE, situate on high elevation on gravel soil, on the borders of the New Forest, with Gardens and Park of 24 acres, and Shooting over about 1000 acres. Mansion consists of Double Hall, Drawing-room, 36ft. by 24ft, Dining-room, 27ft. by 20ft., Library, 33ft. by 13ft, Smoking-room, with 16 Bedrooms, Bathroom, and good Servants' Offices. Stable, 3 stalls and 4 boxes, Coachhouse and Men's-rooms over. 2 Cottages. Rent £325.—For further particulars and order to view apply to Francis Rigden, Salisbury.
Salisbury and Winchester Journal - Saturday 19 September 1908 LANDFORD. IMPORTATION OF A DOG.—Captain Charles Truman , of Landlord Manor, Salisbury, was summoned at the Southampton Police Court, on Thursday, for landing a dog at Southampton, which bad been brought from St. Malo, on the 18th of August. Etc, etc.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre History of St Andrew’s Church (Website) WIKIPEDIA Lee of Virginia, 1642-1892 : biographical and genealogical sketches of the descendants of Co. Richard Lee. With brief notices of the related families. The life, letters & writings of John Davenant D.D., 1572-1641, Lord Bishop of Salisbury (1897) British History Online including – 'Corsley', A History of the County of Wiltshire: Vol 8: Warminster, Westbury and Whorwellsdown Hundreds BURKE'S LANDED GENTRY Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition The History of St Nicholas' Church, Cholderton by Brigadier Michael Clarke MBE 'Fisherton Anger', A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 6 (1962) A Pictorial History of Canterbury Bankstown Salisbury and Winchester Journal and General Advertiser Sean Walmsley Paul Collingwood
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