Ewelme Manor

In the 14^th century, Sir John Burghersh held the Manor of Ewelme in Oxfordshire.  On his death in 1491, it passed to his younger daughter, Maud, who had married Thomas Chaucer, son of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer.

Thomas, a wealthy wool merchant and a royal councillor, in 1424 married his daughter Alice to the earl of Salisbury but, only four years later, the earl died leaving Alice free to marry a second time.  In 1430, Alice married William de la Pole, earl of Suffolk.

William and Alice enhanced the current manor house, rebuilt the church, and established an almshouse and a school.

In 1448, William was created Duke of Suffolk but his unpopularity led to his murder at sea in 1450.

His and Alice’s only legitimate son, John, was briefly married to Margaret Beaufort although Henry VI annulled the marriage in 1453.

John then went on to marry Elizabeth, second surviving daughter of Richard of York and Cecily Neville.  He became the 2^nd duke of Suffolk in 1463 and had 11 children by Elizabeth, one of who (Edmund) became the 3rd duke of Suffolk in 1491.

The De la Poles were accused of conspiracy against Henry VII’s Tudor regime and Henry VIII executed Edmund in 1513, at which time Ewelme Manor was forfeited to the crown.

Interestingly, David Starkey claims that Henry VIII was conceived at Ewelme “during an extended visit by his parents in the autumn of 1490” (Pg. 526).

In 1525, Henry granted the manor to his sister Mary, now married to Charles Brandon, the new duke of Suffolk. But by 1535, thanks to Charles’ lack of enthusiasm towards Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn, the duke fell from favour.

During the summer progress of 1535, the court stayed for a couple of days at Ewelme (Starkey, Pg. 526). Starkey describes how,

“In the course of the Progress Anne and Henry inspected some of Suffolk’s properties which were ear-marked for surrender to the Crown. They included Ewelme and Hook Norton, where they probably hunted en route from Langley Castle to Sudeley.” (Pg. 527)

Starkey claims that Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn were not impressed with the manor of Ewelme but even so, Henry VIII claimed it back and used it as a royal residence for himself.

The National Monuments Record description of the manor suggests that,

“Henry seems to have used Ewelme as a lesser private house to which he could retreat or use as a base for hunting.”

The ill-fated Henry Norris was keeper of Ewelme before his execution in 1536.

Henry VIII also stayed at the manor with his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.

After Henry’s death, Edward VI granted the manor to his sister, Princess Elizabeth who is thought to have visited frequently during her childhood. She also visited as Queen along with her favourite, Robert Dudley.

Later in Elizabeth’s reign, the Earl of Essex lived at Ewelme in semi-banishment.

After Elizabeth’s death, Ewelme became less frequented and by 1612 the house was virtually in ruin (Ermery, Pg. 95).

The 15^th century almshouses and church can still be seen today. St Mary’s church at Ewelme houses the tomb of Alice de la Pole, Geoffrey Chaucer’s granddaughter and looks much like it did 600 years ago. Unbelievably, the school, founded in 1437, remains a school today, making it the “oldest continuously functioning school building” in the country (Ewelme Primary School).

All that remains of the manor house is an “isolated Georgian-looking brick house set back from the village street” (Ermery, Pg. 94). The National Monuments Record describes it as “part of the service wing of Ewelme Palace, or Manor House, now house, circa 1450 with late 18th century fenestration and wing to rear left.”

View a photo of the surviving wing here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31928351@N06/3884024841/

This is a worthy stop On the Tudor Trail not only because it is a place visited by Anne Boleyn but also because of its many other important inhabitants and visitors.

If only walls could talk!

References & Sources

Ewelme Primary School

Ewelme, St Mary the Virgin Church

http://www.fordsfarm.co.uk/Ewelme-IV.html

National Monuments Record

Emery, A. Greater Medieval House of England and Wales: Volume III, 2006.

Starkey, D. Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII, 2003.