Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Manor Houses of Bedfordshire Past and Present
    Manor Houses of Bedfordshire Past and Present
    Manor Houses of Bedfordshire Past and Present
    Ebook116 pages1 hour

    Manor Houses of Bedfordshire Past and Present

    By David Villanueva

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Whether they ever functioned as a Manor, Bedfordshire boasts an impressive display of Mansions, homes of nobility and gentry, built at vast expense, presenting a rich variety of architecture, most previously surrounded by landscaped gardens. Not so many Manor Houses these days are the homes of a single aristocratic family, but many have survived through the National Trust, as corporate or organizational buildings or redesigned as residential apartments. Sadly, a few no longer exist. Independent local history researcher and author, David Villanueva takes you on a county-wide tour of some 35 Manor Houses. Accompanying photographs or antique engravings capture the scene while the text concentrates on the owners from the earliest records to the present day.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDavid Villanueva
    Release dateJun 30, 2019
    ISBN9780463782163
    Manor Houses of Bedfordshire Past and Present
    Author

    David Villanueva

    David Villanueva (1951- ) was born in Birmingham, England, where he grew up. In the early 1970s his mother bought him a copy of Ted Fletcher’s book A Fortune Under Your Feet, which, together with David’s great interest in history inspired him to buy a metal detector and take up treasure hunting as a hobby. Family stories about the origins and history behind David’s Spanish surname also spawned the hobby of genealogy. A career move brought David to Whitstable in Kent, England, and it was here that David’s love of history research developed into great success both in metal detecting and family history research. A little later David felt the urge to put pen to paper and started writing articles for the two British metal detecting magazines - Treasure Hunting and The Searcher – which have published more than two dozens of David’s articles between them. Success in writing articles soon led to David’s first book: The Successful Treasure Hunter’s Essential Dowsing Manual: How to Easily Develop Your Latent Skills to Find Treasure in Abundance, published in both digital format and paperback. To date, David has written over a dozen books in the metal detecting, treasure hunting and family history genres.

    Read more from David Villanueva

    Related to Manor Houses of Bedfordshire Past and Present

    Related ebooks

    European History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      ENGLISH HOMES OLD & NEW English Home part III Early Tudor 1485–1560

      Mar 23, 2022

      IN April 1521, Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, was urgently summoned from his seat at Thornbury, Gloucestershire, to appear before Henry VIII. The Duke could reasonably claim by birth to be the outstanding nobleman of his generation, boastin

      7 min read

    • Article

      Shakespeare Beyond

      Sep 10, 2021

      Shakespeare Beyond
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Lure Of History

      May 26, 2021

      The Lure Of History
      7 min read

    • Article

      Treasure Trove

      Nov 5, 2021

      Treasure Trove
      5 min read

    • Article

      Each Month Of This 125th Anniversary Year, COUNTRY LIFE Will Illustrate A Period In The Development Of The English Great House, From The Middle Ages To The Present Day. This Week, John Goodall Looks At The 15th-century Home

      Feb 16, 2022

      Each Month Of This 125th Anniversary Year, COUNTRY LIFE Will Illustrate A Period In The Development Of The English Great House, From The Middle Ages To The Present Day. This Week, John Goodall Looks At The 15th-century Home
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Builder King

      Jul 7, 2023

      The Builder King
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Fruits Of Royal Service

      Sep 23, 2020

      The Fruits Of Royal Service
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Medieval Legacy

      Dec 1, 2021

      A Medieval Legacy
      4 min read

    • Article

      The SECRET Is Out

      Jan 5, 2024

      The SECRET Is Out
      4 min read

    • Article

      A Princely Seat

      Aug 30, 2023

      A Princely Seat
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Midas touch

      Jan 10, 2024

      The Midas touch
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Home From Rome

      Dec 29, 2021

      A Home From Rome
      1 min read

    • Article

      The Houses Of Stuart

      Jun 9, 2022

      The Houses Of Stuart
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Coronation Church

      Dec 15, 2021

      A Coronation Church
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Seat Of Legal Learning

      Oct 12, 2022

      A Seat Of Legal Learning
      7 min read

    • Article

      Westminster Abbey

      Jan 5, 2024

      Westminster Abbey
      6 min read

    • Article

      A Nursery Palace

      Nov 8, 2023

      A Nursery Palace
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Last Royal Hall

      Oct 7, 2020

      The Last Royal Hall
      7 min read

    • Article

      Blenheim Palace

      Sep 15, 2021

      VAST and impersonal country houses, built to create an impression on visitors rather than bestow creature comforts on inhabitants, had been a feature of the English landscape long before Blenheim Palace. Yet this huge complex, the house alone encompa

      2 min read

    • Article

      Changing Faces

      Jul 9, 2021

      Changing Faces
      5 min read

    • Article

      Lost, Restored And Found

      Jul 28, 2021

      EARLY in the reign of Henry VIII, there were some 850 monastic houses situated throughout England and Wales. Their demise was effectively initiated by Cardinal Wolsey in the 1520s, but it was the wholesale Henrician closures of 1536-40 that are today

      3 min read

    • Article

      Two-Part Palace

      Jan 7, 2022

      Two-Part Palace
      5 min read

    • Article

      Hidden Tudor Gems

      May 10, 2019

      Hidden Tudor Gems
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Other Princes

      Nov 1, 2019

      The Other Princes
      6 min read

    • Article

      From Ruin To Rebirth

      Nov 15, 2023

      From Ruin To Rebirth
      7 min read

    • Article

      Gardens of Wiltshire

      Jan 7, 2022

      Gardens of Wiltshire
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Palace Worthy Of A Bishop

      Feb 26, 2020

      ON October 23, 1239, Jocelin, Bishop of Bath and Wells, dedicated the newly completed cathedral church at Wells. Work to this new Gothic building had been underway since the late 12th century and the ceremony must have had enormous personal significa

      7 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Manor Houses of Bedfordshire Past and Present

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Manor Houses of Bedfordshire Past and Present - David Villanueva

      Manor Houses of Bedfordshire

      Past and Present

      David Villanueva

      Smashwords Edition

      All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including scanning, photocopying, or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Copyright 2019 David Villanueva

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      CONTENTS

      1. Introduction

      2. In Search of Lost Manor Houses

      3. Ampthill Park

      4. Apsley House or Shillington Manor

      5. Battlesden Park

      6. Billington Manor

      7. Bletsoe Castle

      8. Bromham Hall

      9. Bushmead Priory

      10. Caddington Hall

      11. Chicksands Priory

      12. Colmworth Manor

      13. Colworth House

      14. Goldington Bury

      15. Harrold Hall

      16. Hasells or Hazells Hall

      17. Hawnes or Haynes Park

      18. Hockcliffe Grange

      19. Houghton Park House

      20. Howbury Hall

      21. Hulcote House

      22. Ickwell Bury

      23. Luton Hoo

      24. Melchbourne Park

      25. Milton-Bryen

      26. Moggerhanger House

      27. Newbury Manor

      28. Oakley House

      29. Odell Castle

      30. Old Warden Park

      31. Pavenham Bury

      32. Stratton Park

      33. Southill Park

      34. Sutton Park

      35. Tempsford Hall

      36. Woburn Abbey

      37. Wrest House

      38. Bibliography and Sources

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      Several images are reused in this book, with grateful thanks, under various Creative Commons Licences. To view copies of these licences, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

      A few aerial images have been used with grateful thanks to Google and their partners. Thanks also to all who have so generously made their work freely available online at Wikipedia.org and elsewhere.

      1 INTRODUCTION

      Whether they ever functioned as a Manor, Bedfordshire boasts an impressive display of many country Mansions; homes of nobility and gentry, built at vast expense, presenting a rich variety of architecture surrounded by landscaped gardens. But before we look at specific Manor Houses, and their history up to the present day it is worthwhile to explore the general history of such Mansions in Britain.

      No trace stands above ground of Ancient British round houses as these were simple wooden structures, not built to last. Sites relatively quickly became contaminated, causing moving and rebuilding afresh. The Romans introduced refinements and our ancestors gained a regular, ornamental, and durable style of architecture. The Romano-British, who remained after the legions left, inherited Roman civilisation and all early architecture remaining has the Roman style but degrades over time until superseded by Saxon building.

      The Saxons were farmers and built functional houses with no great adornment. The frequent and harassing Viking raids not only retarded the progress of architecture, but contributed to the destruction of many fine examples. Alfred the Great (c.848-899) revived the arts and excelled his predecessors in building elegance and in the adornments of his palaces.

      The Norman Conquest (1066) brought the arts from a comparatively enlightened people. They were a nation fond of state and military grandeur. They introduced the Feudal system, requiring a Castle to every large estate. The Normans acquired the property from the Saxons and spared no cost in erecting grand and secure buildings on their various Baronies. Castles were constructed primarily for defence. Of the few which remain inhabited, the walls only resemble the ancient Baronial residence; customs and manners have materially changed, to the extent that a castle with its original rooms would now be uninhabitable. The walls were several feet thick, and towers of various heights appeared at the numerous angles. In the centre was the large Keep; the surrounding area divided into courts was used for war games played out by the Baron, his Knights, and Esquires. Within these Baronial Fortresses the ancient landed Lords displayed their hospitality and courtesy to their connections and retainers. The children of their superior vassals received their education.

      Plan of a medieval Manor, from William R Shepherd, Historical Atlas

      The Feudal System, instilled a high sense of honour and military pride but admitted only two ranks of society, the Barons and their vassals, who were chiefly employed in cultivating the Manor lands which they held under tenure. The only trade then carried on was through periodical fairs, but society was gradually improving by the introduction of commerce.

      The great chiefs were almost continually engaged in warfare, which destroyed many of the ancient nobility and simultaneously brought about a great change in landed property. Henry VII won the crown in 1485 ending the Wars of the Roses. He banned private armies, which lessened the Barons’ grandeur. The younger branches of many noble families embraced the opportunity afforded by trade to increase their inheritance. The King’s political motives encouraged Commerce and created a new class of subjects, balancing the power of the nobles and producing a more equal distribution of wealth, much of which was liberally applied to the decoration of recently erected Mansions.

      From the events of Henry VII’s reign (1485-1509) originated a new architecture, although we rarely find examples in their original form. The same plan continued in the following reign of Henry VIII

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1