MANOR AND OTHER ESTATES.
An estate at
Horsley, owned by Goda in 1066, was granted to
Troarn Abbey (Calvados) by Roger de Montgomery,
earl of Shrewsbury, before 1086. (fn. 71) The original
grant was said to provide for a prior, a monk, and a
parish chaplain to reside at Horsley. (fn. 72) From those
provisions emerged the cell called Horsley Priory,
which Troarn Abbey exchanged with Bruton Priory
for lands in Normandy in 1260. The prior of Horsley
apparently had the disposal of the profits of the
manor of HORSLEY until the cell at Horsley ceased
to exist in or shortly before 1380. (fn. 73) The manor was
retained by Bruton Priory (later an abbey) until its
dissolution in 1539. (fn. 74) In 1541 Horsley was granted
to Thomas Seymour, (fn. 75) later Baron Seymour of
Sudeley, on whose attainder in 1549 the estate
reverted to the Crown. (fn. 76) In 1553 it was purchased by
Sir Walter Dennis (fn. 77) who apparently conveyed it to
his son Richard. In 1562 Richard conveyed part of
the estate to Edward Stephens of Standish, (fn. 78) and he
sold the manor to Edward in 1564. (fn. 79)
Edward, who enlarged the manor-house at
Chavenage, (fn. 80) died in 1587 (fn. 81) and the estate passed to
his son Richard (d. 1599). Richard's widow Anne
held the manor-house at Chavenage and lands for
her life, while the manor passed to his son Nathaniel,
a minor, whose wardship was granted to his uncle
Thomas Stephens in 1600. Nathaniel was granted
livery of his estates in 1612. (fn. 82) He was a strong
supporter of the cause of Parliament and at his death
in 1660 his son Richard received a pardon under the
Act of Indemnity and Oblivion. (fn. 83) Richard died in
1678 and was succeeded by his son Nathaniel (fn. 84)
(d. 1732). The manor appears to have descended
with Eastington to Nathaniel's son Richard (d. c.
1770) who was followed in succession by his brothers
Nathaniel (d. 1776), the Revd. Robert (d. 1777), and
Henry (d. 1795). (fn. 85) Henry's widow Anne held the
estate until her death in 1801 when it passed to
Henry's cousin, Henry Willis, who took the surname
Stephens. (fn. 86) Henry, who was rector of Little Sodbury
and vicar of Wapley, entrusted the estate, on his
decision to become a Trappist monk, (fn. 87) to Robert
Kingscote of Kingscote in 1814. Robert acted as
trustee for Henry's nephew, Henry Richmond
Shute, who was to enter the property on attaining
the age of 25 years; a contingent remainder was
settled on Shute's sister Alice Elizabeth. (fn. 88)
H. R. Shute died without issue in 1823 and Alice
Elizabeth married in 1826 the Revd. Maurice
FitzGerald Townsend (d. 1872) who took the name
Stephens. (fn. 89) The Revd. Maurice and his wife
exercised the manorial rights in the late 1820s but
afterwards, until 1840, Robert Kingscote again held
the estate as trustee. (fn. 90) From 1848 the manor was
held by the Revd. Maurice's son, Henry John
Townsend Stephens, later called H. J. T. S.
Townsend. Henry died in 1869 and the manor was
afterwards held in trust by his widow Jane, (fn. 91)
possibly the Mrs. Townsend Stephens Cave said to
be lady of the manor in 1885. (fn. 92) The estate was
advertised for sale in 1886 when it comprised
1,728 a. (fn. 93) In 1891 the mortgagee, R. S. Holford of
Westonbirt, foreclosed and the property was purchased by Col. W. W. Hoole for his son George
Williams Lowsley Hoole-Lowsley-Williams. (fn. 94)
George (d. 1937) was succeeded by his son John
(d. 1958) from whom the estate, comprising c.
1,500 a., passed to a nephew, David LowsleyWilliams, the owner in 1972. (fn. 95)
The manor-house recorded in 1464 (fn. 96) forms the
central range of Chavenage House. The house was
remodelled and extended by the addition of wings
and a central porch c. 1576. (fn. 97) Further improvements
were made at various times in the 17th century
culminating in the redecoration of the south wing
c. 1684. (fn. 98) Early in the 19th century a Gothic baywindow and the present billiard room were added to
the south front and the sills of the hall windows
were lowered. (fn. 99) A chapel with a tall tower, first
recorded in 1803, (fn. 1) was built west of the house and
incorporates sculptural detail of ecclesiastical origin
of the 14th to 17th centuries. (fn. 2) In the space between
the house and the chapel an extensive wing, accommodating a ballroom and service rooms, was built in
1905 to designs by John Micklethwaite in a style
matching the earlier house. (fn. 3) The extensive outbuildings include two barns and a stable court. For
many years in the early 19th century the house was
tenanted by John Delafeld Phelps. (fn. 4)
In 1561 Sir Walter Dennis sold part of the
manorial estate, at BARTON END, to Rowland
Hayward, George Basford, and John Whitbrook, (fn. 5)
merchants of London, who conveyed the property to
Matthew Smith of the Middle Temple in 1562.
Between 1595 and 1622 Matthew's son Hugh, later
Sir Hugh, of Long Ashton (Som.) was granting
leases of property in Horsley, and he was later
succeeded by his son Thomas, whose son Hugh
conveyed the property to several purchasers in 1654.
An estate of c. 120 a. was bought by John Hillier (fn. 6)
and subsequently passed to Thomas Sandys
Remington who sold it in 1764 to trustees for
Thomas Pavey and his wife Mary. (fn. 7) Thomas (d. 1794
or 1795) left the property to his widow and his
daughter, whose inheritance was contested but who
was admitted to the property in 1798. (fn. 8) Another
estate at Barton End comprising c. 130 a. was owned
in 1685 by Charles Smith, of the Nibley family, (fn. 9) and
may have been part of the earlier property.
An estate at NUPEND was owned by Richard
Osborne at his death in 1639 when it passed to his
son William. (fn. 10) The property was owned by John
Osborne of Aston, Avening, a nephew of William
Osborne in 1682, (fn. 11) and it later passed to Thomas
Davis, a clothier, who sold it to Paul Castleman
before 1735. Paul (d. 1765) acquired other lands in
the parish and settled his estates on his wife Elizabeth
for life with reversion to Paul, his son by an earlier
marriage. The younger Paul died in 1786 and the
estate passed to his widow Margaret (d. 1794) and
from her to their eldest son Paul Colvill Castleman
of London. In 1795 Paul was being sued by his
younger brother and sisters for a cash inheritance
charged on the estate. (fn. 12) A substantial part of the
Castleman property was purchased by the Revd.
Anthony Keck in 1801. (fn. 13) The chief house of the
Nupend estate, where the elder Paul Castleman
lived, (fn. 14) was apparently that called Manor House,
which was rebuilt by the owner, Mrs. McMullin, in
the late 19th century. (fn. 15)
The Castlemans also acquired an estate at
BARTON END which the clothier Edward Webb
(d. 1751) (fn. 16) owned in the earlier 18th century. Webb
devised it to his nephew Edward Webb Castleman,
son of his sister Elizabeth and Paul Castleman, and
Edward (d. 1760) devised it to his mother, with
reversion to his half-brother, the younger Paul
Castleman. After her stepson's death in 1786, and to
pay his debts, Elizabeth conveyed the Barton End
estate to trustees for a sale, (fn. 17) and it was bought by
John Remington. The chief house, where the
younger Paul Castleman lived, (fn. 18) was evidently
Barton End House. The original small, L-shaped,
17th-century farm-house was extended northwards
in the earlier 18th century, and at the end of that
century John Remington added a west block in
Adam style. (fn. 19) The older part of the house was
extended and remodelled in the earlier 19th century,
and in 1972 the house formed two separate dwellings.
The rectory estate, comprising the great and
small tithes of the parish, descended with the manor
until the Dissolution. (fn. 20) Giles Bennett was granted a
lease of the rectory by Bruton Priory c. 1515. He was
still alive c. 1550 when the rectory was leased by the
Crown for 21 years to Sir John Butler, who died a
year or two later when his executors granted the
remaining years of the lease to Bennett. (fn. 21) In 1563 the
Crown leased the tithes to John Stockman for 21
years (fn. 22) but in 1564 the Crown granted the fee simple
to Sir Walter Hungerford and Thomas Hungerford. (fn. 23)
Soon afterwards Sir Walter granted his right to
Thomas, who as Thomas Hungerford of the Lea
(Wilts.) made it over to his son Anthony on the
latter's marriage in 1575. (fn. 24) The rectory, which was
worth £120 a year in 1603, (fn. 25) was sold by Anthony in
1622 to his son Thomas of Garsdon (Wilts.).
Thomas, later of the Lea, left the estate for life to his
wife Anne who sold her interest to her son Anthony
in 1647 whereupon Anthony granted a lease to his
mother. In 1657 Anthony granted a 99-year lease to
trustees to meet legacies under his mother's will, and
in 1670 his son Anthony and the trustees sold the
remaining part of the lease to Gifford Yerbury, who
made it over to a trustee for Mary, wife of Walter
Ernle, in 1674. Mary and her husband sold the lease
to James Willett of Cirencester in 1682, (fn. 26) and had
acquired the freehold by later the same year when
they sold it to Ralph Willett. Ralph settled the
rectory on the marriage of his son, the Revd. Ralph
Willett of Stratton, in 1686 and it passed after 1716
to the Revd. Ralph's son Ralph. The last-named
Ralph conveyed it to his daughter Elizabeth and her
husband John Selfe in 1754. John Selfe was
succeeded by his son John before 1769 (fn. 27) and the
rectory, valued at £80 yearly c. 1775, (fn. 28) was devised
by the younger John (d. 1800) to his brother Richard
and his sister Mary Cripps. (fn. 29) They sold to Henry
Stephens the tithes of the manor estate in 1802. (fn. 30)
Other landowners bought the tithes of their estates
in 1797, (fn. 31) and another portion of the tithes was
bought in 1810 by Robert Kingscote. (fn. 32) In 1840 tithes
on 541 a. were commuted for a corn-rent charge, of
which £82 went to Robert Kingscote, £20 to
Thomas Shewell Bailward, and small amounts to
other owners. (fn. 33) Kingscote died in 1840 (fn. 34) and his
share of the tithes remained with his family until
purchased in 1855 by Miss Bathurst of Barton End
House who gave it for the augmentation of the
benefice. (fn. 35)
In the 13th century Geoffrey de Caperun granted
7 a. of land lying by the Cotswold ridgeway at
Horsley to Kingswood Abbey, but the abbey quitclaimed it c. 1265 to his son Peter, who granted it to Bruton Priory. (fn. 36)