MANOR AND OTHER ESTATES.
Before the
Conquest Brictric son of Algar held two hides in
WOOLASTON within Twyford hundred. (fn. 6) Unlike
other estates of the great thegn the manor of Woolaston probably never belonged to Queen Maud, (fn. 7)
but was granted by William I to William FitzOsbern,
Earl of Hereford (d. 1071). (fn. 8) William was succeeded
by his second son Roger d'Ivry (also surnamed de
Breteuil), who forfeited his estates for his rebellion
in 1075. (fn. 9) They were granted to William of Eu who
held the manor in 1086. He also forfeited his estates
in 1096, after which they were held by the Crown
until c. 1115 when Henry I gave them to William's
grandson Walter de Clare (d. c. 1138). Walter
founded Tintern Abbey in 1131, granting it the
manor of Woolaston, an action confirmed by his
nephew and heir Gilbert Strongbow, Earl of
Pembroke (d. c. 1148) and between c. 1148 and 1155
by the latter's son Richard (d. 1176). (fn. 10) The manor
was held by Tintern Abbey until its dissolution
and in 1535 was by far the most valuable possession
of the abbey, which received corn from the grange
to the annual value of £22. (fn. 11)
The grange came into the king's hands in 1536,
and was granted in 1537 to Henry Somerset, Earl
of Worcester, together with other estates in Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire belonging to the
abbey, the whole being worth £188 3s. 10d. a year,
held as 1/10 knight's fee, rendering £88 3s. 10d.
annually to the Crown. (fn. 12) Two-thirds of the manor
were held in possession, and one third in reversion
on the expiry of a lease from the abbot of Tintern
to William Gough (d. 1551) and his son William
(d. before 1551). (fn. 13) In 1549 the manor descended
to Henry Somerset's son William (fn. 14) (d. 1589) who
held it in 1574. (fn. 15) Edward Somerset (d. 1628) was
seised of possessions formerly belonging to Tintern
Abbey to the value of £20, which passed to his son
Henry Somerset, (fn. 16) created Marquess of Worcester
in 1643. With his son Edward, Lord Herbert, he was
an active supporter of the king during the Civil
War, and on the defeat of the royalist cause part of
his lands, including the manor of Woolaston, were
settled in 1647 on Oliver Cromwell and his heirs. (fn. 17)
The manor was restored to Edward Somerset,
Marquess of Worcester, in 1660, (fn. 18) and passed to
his son Henry (d. 1698), created Duke of Beaufort in
1682. The manor was held by successive Dukes of
Beaufort. Henry's grandson Henry (d. 1714) was
followed by his son Henry (d. 1745), (fn. 19) who settled
the manor in 1742 on his son Charles Noel Somerset
(d. 1756). By his will Charles settled it on his son
Henry, subject to an annuity of £2,400 from the
whole Tidenham and Woolaston estate to his wife
Elizabeth. She survived until 1799, her annuity from
Woolaston manor being reduced to £1,500 under the
marriage settlement of Henry Somerset (d. 1803) in
1766. The manor was settled in turn on the marriages
of Henry Charles Somerset (d. 1835) in 1791, his
son Henry (d. 1853) in 1814, and Henry's son Henry
Charles Fitzroy Somerset (d. 1899) in 1845. (fn. 20) The
whole estate in the parish was sold in 1872, to
Samuel Stephens Marling of King's Stanley (d.
1883), created a baronet in 1882. (fn. 21) The estate passed
to his son Sir William Henry Marling (d. 1919) and
the latter's son Colonel Sir Percival Scrope Marling, (fn. 22)
who sold it in 1921. By 1886 the Marling estate had
been enlarged to include most of the parish except
property at Brookend, Netherend, and part of
Woolaston Common, (fn. 23) and a large proportion of it
was bought by a syndicate led by W. N. Jones of
Llandybie (Carms.) which resold later in the year. (fn. 24)
Woolaston Grange was bought by the tenant, J. W.
Robinson, who sold it in 1940 to W. P. M. Lysaght
of Tidenham. The tenant; G. Guest, bought the
Grange in 1956, and in 1966 his son Mr. J. Guest
sold it to Mr. B. H. Samuel, the owner in 1969,
keeping c. 120 a. near the Gloucester-Chepstow
road for his own use. (fn. 25) The farm-house was probably
the house with 5 hearths in 1662 occupied by Charles
Guillim, (fn. 26) and was described as one of the noblest
seats in the county early in the 18th century. (fn. 27)
It was rebuilt between c. 1775 and 1813 as a square
stone and rough-cast house of three stories with a
hipped slate roof and verandah, flanked by twostory wings. Among the extensive range of farm
buildings, many of which also date from c. 1800, (fn. 28)
is a large stone barn perhaps of the 17th century and
the remains of a medieval monastic chapel. The
chapel was used as a malt-house c. 1775 (fn. 29) and as a
two-storied granary in 1921. (fn. 30) The chapel was still
recognizable c. 1940 when it formed the east end of a
range of stone outbuildings. It then retained its
bellcot (added in 1874 when also the gable was
raised), (fn. 31) two lancet windows in the north wall, and a
two-light pointed window with cusped tracery at the
east end which may have dated from about 1300.
In 1861 the window had contained four lights; the
outer two were then blocked and later (probably in
1874) they were completely filled in and the centre
two lights lengthened. Beneath it was an entrance to
the barrel-vaulted undercroft. (fn. 32) The stone slate
roof started to collapse c. 1940 and fell in 1963.
The building was largely demolished after 1966, a
bell dated 1711 being preserved. (fn. 33) In 1969 only a
portion of the west end remained standing with the
partly filled vault below it. Most of the surviving
features appeared to date from the conversion of the
chapel to a malt-house, perhaps in the 17th century;
they included a square-headed stone window, two
wide arches forming part of a passage below the
west end of the building, and a third arch (later
blocked) giving access to a lean-to addition.
ASHWELL GRANGE also formerly belonged
to Tintern Abbey, and probably formed part of
Walter's grant of the manor of Woolaston in 1131.
The farm may be identified with 200 a. of new assarts
(of which only 150 a. were cultivated) in the chase of
the Earl Marshal made by the abbey before 1282, (fn. 34)
and the land inclosed from the arable called
'Hathoneshall' in 1291. (fn. 35) That is the earliest form
found of the place-name which occurs as 'Harolneshalle' in 1307, (fn. 36) 'Halishall' grange in 1535 and 1537, (fn. 37)
'Hassells' in 1628, and 'Haswell' in 1769 and
1775; (fn. 38) the modern form does not appear before
1815. (fn. 39) The grange was leased by the abbey in
1535, when a rent of 9s. was paid to the lordship of
Striguil, presumably for assarts or rights of common
in Tidenham Chase. (fn. 40) It was included in the grant to
Henry Somerset, Earl of Worcester, in 1537, (fn. 41) and
descended with the estate until the sale of 1921. It
was bought then by Mrs. Packer, whose son Mr.
H. Packer was the owner in 1969. (fn. 42) The stone and
rough-cast farm-house is of two stories with a stone
slate roof, and is of late-18th- or early-19th-century
date. Until 1935 the parish boundary ran through the
farmyard so that some of the farm, in 1921 24 a. out
of 134 a., lay in Tidenham. (fn. 43)
The Domesday manor of MADGETT forming a
detached part of the parish on Tidenham Chase also
belonged to Brictric before the Conquest. It consisted of three hides which in 1086 were owned by
the king, William of Eu holding two hides, Roger
de Lacy half a hide, and Malmesbury Abbey half a
hide which it was said had been given by the king.
The estate of William of Eu descended like the
manor of Woolaston to Walter de Clare who
granted it together with pasture rights in Tidenham
Chase and the fisheries of Wall Weir, Half Weir, and
Baddings Weir to Tintern Abbey in 1131. (fn. 44) Roger
Bigod gave the abbey c. 1285 an additional 28 a. at
Madgett extending from the Valley called 'Haselden'
to the abbey's grange. (fn. 45) The half hide held by Roger
de Lacy was given c. 1110 by Hugh de Lacy to
Llanthony Priory, Gloucester. Richard de Clare
confirmed the gift c. 1150, (fn. 46) but the land was soon
afterwards granted by Llanthony to Tintern Abbey,
for before 1169, as part of a composition affecting
disputed parochial rights in Woolaston and Alvington, the abbot was required to restore the property
to Llanthony. (fn. 47) The two monasteries evidently
later made a fresh agreement, for by the Dissolution
Llanthony had no property at Madgett. The half
hide held in 1086 by Malmesbury Abbey continued
in its possession until the Dissolution, when it was
let at £1 6s. 8d. to Tintern Abbey. (fn. 48) The whole of
Madgett was included in the grant to Henry Somerset in 1537, and descended with the Woolaston
estate until 1921. (fn. 49) It was a single holding of 313 a.
c. 1700 (fn. 50) but early in the 19th century two cottages
were erected at Sheepcot to form a separate farm, (fn. 51)
consisting of 282 a. in 1872, of which 118 a. lay
in Tidenham. At the same date Madgett farm
comprised 371 a., of which 213 a. chiefly of woodland
were in Tidenham. (fn. 52) In 1921 the two farms, reduced
to 157 a. at Madgett Farm and 91 a. at Sheepcot
Farm, were sold as part of the Marling estate, and
have since been owned by individual farmers. (fn. 53)
Madgett farm-house, described as old in 1813, (fn. 54)
was probably rebuilt c. 1820 at the same time as
Sheepcot. It is a stone and partly rough-cast house
of two stories and attics. Sheepcot, which was a
single dwelling in 1969, is also stone and rough-cast, the former stone slate roof being raised in
1968-9 to make a two-storied house. (fn. 55)
In the east part of the parish there were two
estates at ALUREDSTON in 1066, both in
Lydney hundred. One comprised three hides held
by Bondi, the other two hides held by Ulnod. In
1086 both were held by William of Eu, a claim to
Bondi's manor by Henry de Ferrers being dismissed
on the grounds that it had formerly been held by
Ralph de Limesi, (fn. 56) whose estates were acquired by
William of Eu c. 1075. (fn. 57) Aluredston did not form
part of the grant of Woolaston to Tintern Abbey by
Walter de Clare in 1131 (fn. 58) but remained part of the
lordship of Striguil and until 1302 followed the
same descent as Tidenham manor, (fn. 59) being held by
William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, in 1223. (fn. 60) For
much of the 13th century the manor was held by
members of the Derneford family as under-tenants.
About 1255 Roger de Derneford was given licence
for a priest to celebrate in the chapel of Aluredston, (fn. 61)
and in 1282 Roger Bigod held 2 a. of new assarts in
Aluredston which had been made without warrant
by William de Derneford. (fn. 62) In 1302 Roger gave the
manor to Tintern Abbey in exchange for the manor
of 'Plateland' (Mon). (fn. 63) It was held by the abbey
until the Dissolution when it was granted to Henry
Somerset, (fn. 64) and descended with the Woolaston
estate, (fn. 65) losing its distinct identity. Plusterwine farm,
which was included in the Beaufort estate, represents
part of the manor. It consisted of 344 a. in 1813, of
which 61 a. were tithe-free as former abbey property, (fn. 66) but when it was sold to S. S. Marling in
1872 it had been reduced to 232 a. (fn. 67) In 1921 it was
bought by W. P. M. Lysaght of Tidenham, who
sold it in 1957 to the tenant, Mr. P. Guest, who
owned it in 1969. The farm then comprised 204 a., (fn. 68)
the farm-house being an early 19th-century house
with two stories and attics built chiefly of stone with
a Welsh slate roof.
The other chief farms of the Beaufort estate in 1769
were Keynsham, Edge farm and Whitewalls, Abbey
Passage or Ferry farm on the east bank of the River
Wye opposite Tintern Abbey, and Brockweir and
Townsend farms at Brockweir. (fn. 69) All were sold in
1872 to S. S. Marling, and since the sale of the
Marling estate in 1921 have been in different
ownership. (fn. 70)
The estate centred on PLUSTERWINE HOUSE
was evidently not part of the Tintern Abbey
estate, for, unlike all the other land in the parish that
had belonged to the abbey, it was subject to tithe in
1842 (fn. 71) and is not recorded as part of the Beaufort
estate. The house, however, stands only a short
distance east of Plusterwine Farm and, as indicated
below, these was a considerable house on the site
in the Middle Ages. It is therefore possible that it
represents the chief house of Aluredston manor, and
that the house and some land were withheld from
the exchange of 1302 between Roger Bigod and
Tintern Abbey or were alienated before the exchange.
Plusterwine House was said, much later, to have
been the residence of the Woodroffe family since
the Civil War, (fn. 72) but although James Woodroffe held
land in Cone House field east of Plusterwine in
1697 (fn. 73) it has not been possible to trace the ownership
of Plusterwine House with any certainty before
1769. It was then owned by J. Woodroffe, (fn. 74) presumably James Woodroffe (d. 1776) who devised it
to his wife Mary with reversion to his son James
(d. 1822). The younger James devised it to trustees
for his son Edmund, and Edmund sold the farm of
109 a. in 1842 to his son-in-law James Stevens of
Tutshill in Tidenham, (fn. 75) who died in 1864 leaving
a son and daughter, both reputedly insane. (fn. 76) From
c. 1879 it was farmed by William Henry Woodroffe
(d. 1904) and from c. 1925 successively by Martin
Davis and Arthur Davis. (fn. 77) The latter sold it to Mr.
G. E. Hunt in 1957, who enlarged the area in 1962
by the purchase of 34 a. from Gumstalls, and in
1969 had a farm of 166 a. (fn. 78) Plusterwine House is an
L-shaped three-storied building, covered externally
with modern rough-cast. The oldest part is the
range running east and west which is timber-framed
and probably dates from the late 16th or early 17th
century. It was then of two stories and attics with a
large central chimney. An original newel stair
reaching to the former attic floor has survived beside
the chimney. In the earlier 18th century a wing
projecting southwards was added to the most
westerly bay of the range; it retains paired sash
windows with original wide glazing bars. At a later
date the roof of the older range was raised to give a
full top story and all the door and window openings
were altered. In the farmyard, incorporated in the
end wall of an out-building used as a pigsty in
1969, is the base of a stone chimney with, on its
inner face, a late medieval fireplace. The fireplace,
which has a relieving arch above it, is of moulded
stone, having a shouldered arch and spandrels
carved with cusped panels. As the chimney appears
to be standing in situ it evidently marks the position
of a dwelling-house at Plusterwine which preceded
the present one. An even earlier house may have
occupied the moated site to the south-west: in 1969
the site was almost level and the outline of the moat
indiscernible. Within the farmyard is an early 19thcentury brick-built dovecot of two stories, with
hipped slate roof and pointed Gothic doorway and
windows.
At Brookend the Woodroffe family also owned
Hoskins's House, later called WOOLASTON
COURT. It was settled by Edmund Woodroffe on
his marriage in 1729, and devised by his will to his
cousin James Woodroffe in 1779. In 1803 it was
owned by Edmund Woodroffe, iron-manufacturer,
who was declared bankrupt and whose estates were
sold in 1805. James Woodroffe of Plusterwine successfully claimed a title to a small part of the farm that
year. By 1835 the estate was owned by Mrs. Mary
Smith, (fn. 79) who was still in possession in 1842. (fn. 80) The
neighbouring house, called Platt's House, was also
part of Edmund Woodroffe's property on his bankruptcy. It had belonged in the 18th century to John
Shere of Woolaston, son of Richard and Anne Shere
and perhaps a descendant of Edward Shere of 1608. (fn. 81)
On the death in 1771 of John's heir, Henry Shere,
a London goldsmith, Platt's House was sold to
John Barrow, who devised it before 1793 to Walter
Harris of Walford (Herefs.). Walter died before
1802 when William Harris of Woolaston assigned
a mortgage of the house to Edmund Woodroffe, who
had occupied it since at least 1771, (fn. 82) and it was
included in the sale of his property in 1805. (fn. 83) By
1836 Mrs. Phoebe Smith was the owner, (fn. 84) and in
1897 52 a. were attached to it. (fn. 85)
The farm of 26 a. called GREEN POOL at
Plusterwine may have been the land bought in
1576 by William Morris from William son of John
Marche. (fn. 86) In 1688 it passed on the death of Henry
Morris to his sister Elizabeth, who married William
Watkins c. 1689. Their daughter Anne married John
Parry of Abergavenny in 1740, who sold Green
Pool to James White of Woolaston in 1775. The
latter devised it by his will in 1786 to his grandson
James Hodges. (fn. 87) James Hodges was the owner in
1842 when the farm comprised 26 a., (fn. 88) and since c.
1920 it has been held by members of the Biddle
family. (fn. 89) The house, built early in the 19th century,
is of stone with three stories.
James Stevens, the owner of Plusterwine House
in the mid 19th century, also owned an estate of
93 a. called WOOLASTON WOODSIDE. The
principal farm of 67 a. was known in 1839 as
Woodside Hartlands or Hentland, but in 1815 had
been centred on a cottage called Gains. The tenant
that year was Anne Knight, and the farm-house was
usually called Knights Farm later in the 19th century.
Edward Worgan owned it in 1791 having inherited
part of the estate from his father John Worgan and
bought part called Comyns in 1781 from John
Barrow, the latter having bought it in 1771 on the
death of Henry Shere of Platt's House. Edward
Worgan (d. 1815) devised the estate to his son John
Bannister Worgan of Bedminster (d. 1833), who
left it by his will to his son Edward Powell Worgan.
The latter sold it in 1839 to James Stevens, then of
Hewelsfield. (fn. 90) By 1842 its size had been reduced to
71 a. with a farm-house near Woolaston Common, (fn. 91)
and it was still owned by Stevens on his death in
1864. By 1886 it had become part of the Marling
estate but was sold to W. Peters in 1905. (fn. 92) The farm-house was enlarged about that time, the homestead
at Knights Farm also owned by W. Peters being
allowed to fall into ruins. It was subsequently
owned by S. and E. Peters until its purchase in
1941 by Mr. C. J. Clutterbuck, who in 1969 had
a farm of 125 a. with a riding school. (fn. 93)
HIGH WOOLASTON FARM belonged to the
Hammond family for much of the 18th and 19th
centuries. It had been held by Anthony Shipman
(d. 1666), (fn. 94) whose tombstone in the floor of a
downstairs room in the farm-house was removed
c. 1950. (fn. 95) His nephew was James Hammond, (fn. 96)
probably the same James who in 1680 settled the
farm on his marriage, (fn. 97) and in 1769 a James Hammond, grandson of James, was the principal landowner adjoining the Beaufort estate at High
Woolaston. (fn. 98) By his will proved in 1794 James
Hammond (d. 1780) devised his estate to his widow
Hester. It then consisted of eight messuages and
c. 110 a., chiefly at High Woolaston and Woolaston
Woodside, which with the exception of Coney's
House were settled in 1782 on James's son James
Hammond (d. 1819) who devised it in 1818 to his
brother Anthony (d. 1832) with reversion to his
nephew James (d. 1823). (fn. 99) The latter in 1815 was
lessee of Woolaston Grange, (fn. 1) which Anthony also
rented at one period, (fn. 2) and in 1821 held the Duke of
Beaufort's fishery from Beachley to Cone Pill. (fn. 3) By
1842 High Woolaston Farm was owned by Francis
Hammond, (fn. 4) but by 1886 belonged to Sir William
Marling. (fn. 5) It was bought in 1907 by F. Betteridge who
sold it in 1948 to Mr. H. Nicholas, the owner in
1969. The farm-house and buildings stand round
three sides of an open courtyard. The oldest part
of the house, facing the road, is of two stories with
attics, and dates from the late 16th century. Beams
downstairs have chamfered edges with scroll stops,
and fireplaces removed c. 1950 bore the date 1600. A
wing projecting from the east end of the house was
added in the 17th century. It is of two stories with
a small loft, and the beams have plain mouldings.
The main entrance is in the same wing in the angle
formed with the older part of the house, and the
doorway has a four-centred arch; until c. 1950 the
wing was used for store rooms, like the corresponding wing on the west in 1969. The whole building
is of stone with a Welsh slate and partly stone slate
roof.