The Boleyns and Pashley Manor

Pashley Manor and Gardens

Day three of our research trip began with a visit to Hever Castle (more on that soon) and an afternoon sojourn to Pashley Manor in Ticehurst, located on the Sussex and Kent border. Although Pashley Manor is not open to the public, the gardens certainly are and are well worth the visit.

The existing timber framed house is not the home that the Boleyns would have known, as it was built from the mid sixteenth century to the early seventeenth century, and enlarged in c. 1720.

It is believed that the first house built on the site in the thirteenth century, by the Passele family, may well have stood on the island that fills the greater part of the largest of three ponds in the garden, now called the ‘Old Moat’.

In 1452, Sir John de Passhele died ‘seized of Great Pashele in Tysherst’, a description that has given rise to the idea that after the early moated manor, there may have been a more substantial house built on higher land.

This could very well be the house that Sir Geoffrey Boleyn acquired in c. 1453, later passing to his son, Sir William Boleyn. It is believed that Sir Thomas Boleyn held court at Pashley Manor in 1518, however I am yet to find a contemporary source to confirm it.

Local legend has it that Anne Boleyn visited Pashley Manor as a child, not at all impossible considering the proximity to Hever Castle, the Boleyn family home.

Pashley Manor Gardens

Sir James Boleyn inherited the manor after his brother’s death and in 1540 sold it to Thomas May of Combwell. The house was then considerably altered, and in the early seventeenth century it was reconstructed.

Mr and Mrs Sellick are the current owners of the house and have worked tirelessly over the last three decades to restore and enhance the gardens and parkland.

There are a number of sculptures on display in the gardens, including a sculpture of Anne Boleyn by Philip Jackson, made especially to commemorate the link between the Boleyn family and Pashley Manor. I must say that I found the sculpture very moving, especially when viewed from afar.

Anne Boleyn sculpture by Philip Jackson

We enjoyed some afternoon tea against a stunning backdrop of wisteria, draped over the Georgian front and ambled through the breathtaking gardens. I was overjoyed to get my first glimpse of bluebells after hearing so much about their beauty. Unfortunately, they weren’t at their peak but it was still a lovely sight to behold.

A quick chat to Mrs Sellick concluded another exhilarating day of research.

On day 4 we ventured to Henry VIII’s Pleasure Palace, Hampton Court, and then on to Carew Manor in Beddington Park.

More pictures from day 3.

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