MANORS.
In 704 Swaefred, King of Essex, and
Earl 'Paeogthath' gave to the Bishop of London 30
cassati at Twickenham. The land was bounded on
east and south by the Thames and on the north by
the Crane, which suggests that the part of the later
parish which lies north of the Crane then formed a
separate unit, possibly attached to Whitton. (fn. 67) In 793
Offa granted what appears to have been the same
estate to the Archbishop of Canterbury. (fn. 68) A priest
named Werhard (d. 830) held it later, apparently by
grant from the archbishop and the monks of Christ
Church, Canterbury, to whom he returned it by his
will. (fn. 69) King Edmund of Wessex 'restored' Twickenham to Christ Church, and this was confirmed by
Edred in 948. (fn. 70) How Christ Church lost its rights is
unknown, but by 1086 Twickenham had become a
part of the manor of Isleworth, in the hands of Walter
of St. Valery. (fn. 71) Twickenham remained an integral
part of what became the manor of Isleworth Syon,
and a substantial part of the parish was still copyhold
of the manor in the 19th century. (fn. 72) The medieval
park of the manor lay just inside Twickenham, and
though this became detached from the manorial
estate in 1506, (fn. 73) the lords of the manor continued to
hold a good deal of land in the parish until recent
times. The manor of Isleworth rectory, which included the rectorial estate of Twickenham, also had
demesne lands and tenants in the parish. In 1818 its
copyhold included some 24 acres of old inclosure
and allotments in Twickenham. (fn. 74)
The estate which in the 15th century was sometimes called the manors of TWICKENHAM,
WORTON, and WHITTON, (fn. 75) and later became
known as TWICKENHAM, YORK'S, or YORK
HOLD, (fn. 76) consisted of lands originally held both of
Isleworth manor and of the rectory. Its lords held
courts in the 15th century, and in 1650 it had 13 free
tenants and 36 copyholders. (fn. 77) In 1818 its copyhold
in the parish consisted of some 12 acres of allotments
as well as about 26 of old inclosures and a number of
houses in the town, mostly between Church Street
and the river. There were also a few acres in Isleworth and Heston. (fn. 78) No evidence has been found to
support the claims apparently made in the 18th century to include in the manor much of Isleworth Field
and parts of Hounslow Heath in Isleworth, Teddington, and Hampton. (fn. 79) No rights at all over waste
were recognized at the inclosure. (fn. 80)
The first explicit reference to Twickenham manor
occurs in 1445 or 1446, when it belonged to William
York. (fn. 81) The earliest reference which has been found
to the York family in Twickenham occurs in 1381,
when Thomas Postel surrendered to John York in
Isleworth manorial court lands which were held
according to the custom of the manor. They included
80 acres of land, meadow sufficient for 3 virgates,
and a fishery at Petersham Weir. (fn. 82) The earlier history
of this holding cannot be precisely ascertained. In
1212 Geoffrey Postel had 1½ virgate and 12 acres of
freehold land in Twickenham. (fn. 83) It was probably the
same man, then described as of Worton, who held a
fishery in Twickenham. (fn. 84) Another Geoffrey Postel
held 1½ virgate of free land in Twickenham of
Isleworth manor in 1300, but his holding cannot be
traced in a rental made later in the 14th century. (fn. 85)
Another holding which probably contributed to the
later manorial estate was a 100-acre assart which
Thomas of St. Valery (d. c. 1219), lord of Isleworth,
granted to Gilbert of Whitton. Though this was
described as lying in Isleworth, it may have been in
Twickenham parish, for it was near Fulwell: it presumably lay on the edge of the heath. Thomas's grant
also included an island and water before Twickenham
church. (fn. 86) Ralph son of Gilbert of Whitton secured
from Thomas a virgate containing 25 acres, lying in
three crofts on the heath. These may have been near
the Crane south of Whitton. The charter embodying
this grant was afterwards altered so that it appeared
to convey 4 virgates instead of one. (fn. 87) Ralph's son
Matthew granted away 12½ acres in Whitton to be
held of himself, (fn. 88) and John son of Matthew held 2
carucates in 1300. (fn. 89) Rather later he apparently held
only a virgate in Whitton and 2 acres, which were
possibly elsewhere in Isleworth manor. (fn. 90) It may
have been the same Matthew of Whitton who was
said in the early 15th century to have held a house and
2 virgates at Whitton of the rectory manor in 1239.
He was said to have conveyed his holding to Thomas
Prest, who also acquired two smaller estates held of
the rectory manor. (fn. 91) It seems probable, however,
that some intervening stages are missed out of this
account, and that the Thomas Prest referred to in it
was he who seems to have acquired a substantial
estate in Whitton as the result of three final concords
in the 1350's. These concerned respectively a carucate, 90 acres, and 100 acres of arable, with varying
amounts of ancillary lands and the services of 13, 11,
and 7 men, all in Whitton, Twickenham, Isleworth,
and Heston. (fn. 92) It seems very likely that all three comprised at least in part the same property, and it is
possible that this was partly identifiable with the
land which John York acquired in 1381 from Thomas
Postel. The fact that this transaction, however, as
described above, was enrolled in the manorial court
of Isleworth suggests that the land concerned was
not free, whereas that conveyed by the three final
concords was presumably freehold. How Thomas Postel acquired this land is not known, but Thomas Prest
was afterwards said to have enfeoffed Thomas Postel
and Richard Postel, clerk, with the three rectory
manor holdings, which they in turn conveyed to John
York. (fn. 93)
By 1410 John York's son, another John, was in
possession of his rectory manor holding and also, no
doubt, of his other lands. (fn. 94) He died in 1413 and
William York who held Twickenham manor in 1445
or 1446 may have been his grandson. (fn. 95) William was
a fishmonger of London and a merchant of the staple,
and died in 1476 holding 300 acres of arable, together with other land, in Twickenham, Isleworth,
and Brentford. (fn. 96) His widow Elizabeth (d. 1497) held
his property in Twickenham for her life, added more
to it, and spent at least part of her time in Twickenham. (fn. 97) Both of them leased the warren in Twickenham park for many years before Syon Abbey sold it
to Henry VII. (fn. 98) Elizabeth was followed by her son
William and then by John York (d. 1512), the son of
the elder William by an earlier marriage. (fn. 99) Thomas
York, the next owner, apparently lived in Ramsbury
(Wilts.) where the family also held land, and sold
his Twickenham property in 1538 to Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, the later Duke of Somerset
and Lord Protector. (fn. 1) In 1541 Hertford exchanged it
with the Crown for lands elsewhere. (fn. 2)
It is clear that much of the York family's property
in Twickenham and Isleworth lay around Whitton
and Worton, (fn. 3) but by 1486 Elizabeth York also held
houses and buildings in Twickenham which may have
included the sites of both York House beside the
church and the vanished manor-house across the
road. (fn. 4) Which of these was the original chief house of
the property is unknown, though the manor-house
held that position very soon after it came to the
Crown. Under the Crown, the manorial lands were
divided into three main blocks. These centred upon
the manor-house, York House, and a farm-house
near the later Orleans House, though of course each
group included lands scattered through the parish.
The manorial rights, unlike the three main houses
and the lands attached to them, do not appear to
have been leased before the mid-17th century. The
manor was granted to Queen Henrietta Maria as part
of her jointure in 1629, and, after being sold by Parliament in 1652, reverted to her at the Restoration.
In 1665 she granted the reversion, after an earlier
lease for 21 years presumably made since 1660, to the
Earl of Clarendon, and his son Lawrence Hyde
(created Earl of Rochester in 1682) seems to have
been in possession in 1689. (fn. 5) After Henrietta Maria's
death the manor was settled on Catherine of Braganza, who granted other reversions, while in 1675
yet another reversion, to take effect after all of these
had expired, was granted to John Wilmot, Earl of
Rochester (d. 1680). (fn. 6) This last interest came into the
hands of Lord Bolingbroke, on whose attainder in
1715 it reverted to the Crown. His lease, which was
for 41 years, came into effect soon after and was sold
in 1723. The three purchasers apparently received
not only the manorial rights but some rights in the
manor-house and in 67 acres of land. By 1731 their
interests were held by Robert Gapper and John
Sainsbury. (fn. 7) Robert Gapper's son was still one of the
Crown's lessees in 1818, but after the expiry of his
lease the Crown sold the manorial rights, without any
other property, in 1836. (fn. 8) They were purchased by
Charles Osborn, who sold them in 1855 to Thomas
Wisden of Broadwater (Suss.). (fn. 9) Three members of
Wisden's family were joint lords in 1909. By this
time the manor was moribund and with the abolition
of copyhold tenure it finally lapsed. (fn. 10)
The manor-house was leased in 1542, very soon
after the Crown acquired it, to Robert Bocher, a
groom of the chamber, who later also held Isleworth
rectory. (fn. 11) The name of Arragon House was not applied to the house until much later (possibly not
before the 19th century) and there is no evidence to
support the popular tradition that one of Henry
VIII's queens was connected with the house or
manor. (fn. 12) Certainly none of them owned it, for
Bocher remained in possession until his death in
1556. There followed other leases to persons connected with the court. (fn. 13) In 1635 the house was
occupied by the widow of Sir John Walter, chief
baron of the Exchequer, who had probably himself
lived there before his death. (fn. 14) John Browne, clerk of
the parliaments, occupied the house by 1645 and had
acquired the Crown lease by 1650. In addition to the
house and 12 acres behind it, stretching to Oak Lane
and Shoe Lane (now Amyand Park Road), (fn. 15) Browne
held of the Crown 49 acres scattered about the
parish. (fn. 16) The manor-house was sold by parliamentary
trustees in 1651 but Browne's leases were extended
after the Restoration. (fn. 17) At least for part of the 18th
century the house seems to have been held by the
lessees of the manor, (fn. 18) but the actual occupants
may have held only the lands immediately adjoining
it, and in 1837 the Crown sold it with only about 5
acres. (fn. 19) Samuel Scott (d. 1772), the painter, lived in
the manor-house for a few years, the parish curate
lived there later, and the Crown's purchaser kept a
boys' school there. (fn. 20) He sold it in 1853 and Arragon
Road and Catherine Road (now Alma Road) were
laid out over the grounds. (fn. 21) The house was soon
afterwards pulled down, except for a small part, called
Arragon Tower, which survived until 1934. (fn. 22) It was
said to have been a Tudor building, altered in the
time of William and Mary. (fn. 23) In 1650 it was evidently
considered to be a fine house in good repair, and
John Browne claimed in 1674 that he had spent
much money on the house and lands. (fn. 24)
The first recorded lease of York House by the
Crown occurs in 1550. It was called York or York's
farm and had lands in Twickenham, Whitton, and
Isleworth: (fn. 25) in 1604 these, as customarily leased,
comprised about 124 acres. (fn. 26) Like the manor-house
it was generally leased in the 16th century to court
officials who probably sub-let it. (fn. 27) In a map of 1607 a
house apparently on the site was marked as belonging to Sir James Pemberton, who was not a Crown
lessee. (fn. 28) In 1633 Andrew Pitcairne, groom of the
chamber, bought the existing leases, which were
valid until 1669, and in the following year he transferred them to Thomas Pitcairne, a Scot who had
come to England since 1603, and presumably a relation. (fn. 29) Glover's map of 1635 marks the house, which
is shown in scaffolding, as 'Mr. Pecarne's': whether
this was Thomas or Andrew is unknown. Thomas
was said to be in possession in 1637, (fn. 30) but no other
references to him have been found. In 1636 Andrew
purchased the freehold reversion of the estate, which
had just been sold by the Crown to his vendor. (fn. 31) He
died in 1640, and his widow, who held York farm for
life, in 1653. (fn. 32) Their son Charles in 1656 sold the
house and 6 acres adjoining it to the Earl of Manchester. (fn. 33) He presumably retained the rest of the
lands, for he held the lease of the property later
called Orleans House and in 1662 apparently lived
in Whitton. (fn. 34) In 1661 Manchester sold the house in
turn to the Earl of Clarendon. (fn. 35) The Pitcairnes and
Manchester used the house themselves, and so did
Clarendon before his exile in 1667. (fn. 36) With the
manorial rights, it passed to his second son the Earl
of Rochester, who is mentioned as visiting or living
at Twickenham in the 1680's. (fn. 37) He sold the house in
1689 to Sir Charles Tufton, who had several children
baptized or buried at Twickenham between 1690 and
1710. Like other houses in Twickenham, York House
had a number of eminent owners in the 19th century,
and for some years before 1871 was occupied by
the Count of Paris. (fn. 38) In 1924, after the house had
been threatened with demolition and the York
House Society had been formed to resist this, it was
bought by the urban district council to be a council
house and offices. (fn. 39) In 1958 it was still used by the
borough council for these purposes.
York House in its present (1958) form consists of
a central, three-storied block flanked by lower wings
at each side. The central block is a symmetrical red
brick house probably of the very late 17th century,
with stone dressings and a hipped roof. Several of
the rooms have original panelling and fireplaces. The
staircase and basement contain earlier work and perhaps survive from the house Andrew or Thomas
Pitcairne was building in 1635. (fn. 40) Side wings had
been added by 1818, and further additions have been
made since. (fn. 41)
The third main block of Crown lands in Twickenham was said in 1669 to be called the Queen's farm. (fn. 42)
From the mid-16th century the leases included a
house in Twickenham, which seems to have stood in
the Mount Lebanon-Orleans House area, and 53
acres, of which about 20 lay behind and around the
house, 10 lay just across the parish boundary in
Teddington, and the rest were in Twickenham and
Whitton fields. (fn. 43) Like the other Crown property it
was leased to royal officials and others. (fn. 44) By 1592 the
tenant in possession was one (perhaps Christopher)
Rythe of Twickenham. (fn. 45) In a map of 1607, however,
a fairly large house in this area was marked, like York
House, as belonging to Sir James Pemberton, and in
1635 Glover attributed it to Lady Falkland. (fn. 46) In
1669 it was said that Theophilus Rythe had held the
farm, with other lands of his own, and that his son
Solomon had sold it to Andrew Pitcairne. (fn. 47) The date
of this sale is unknown, but in 1638 Pitcairne, who
already held York House, secured a reversion (for
1652-67) of the then current lease of this farm. In
1650 his widow Charity held the lease. (fn. 48) The house
was evidently a fine one with well-stocked gardens, (fn. 49)
but Richard Webb, who bought it from Charity
Pitcairne or her son before 1660, seems to have built
another house close by. (fn. 50) It seems possible that the
original farm-house stood on the site of Mount
Lebanon or Riverside, while Webb's was almost
certainly on the site of Orleans House. Parliament
had sold the property in 1651 to Captain Richard
Ell, (fn. 51) who after the Restoration continued to hold
land on its western boundary, (fn. 52) and a conveyance of
1697 expressly excluded both a house formerly built
on part of the property by Richard Ell and a house
formerly in possession of Solomon Rythe and later of
Richard Ell: (fn. 53) one of these was possibly on the site of
Mount Lebanon and the other of Riverside House. (fn. 54)
Richard Webb, meanwhile, sold his interests in the
whole property, presumably including both his new
house and the older one, in 1661. In 1670 it came to
Jane Davies, who secured further extensions of the
leases to 1720. (fn. 55) In 1694 she lent the house to the
later Queen Anne whose son the Duke of Gloucester
exercised his regiment of boys on the ait (since joined
to the mainland) (fn. 56) opposite the house. (fn. 57) In 1697,
after Jane Davies's death, the house was sold to Lord
Poulett, probably on behalf of his son-in-law James
Johnston (d. 1737), secretary of state for Scotland,
was living there by 1702. (fn. 58) This deed excluded about
20 acres of the appurtenant lands as well as the two
houses mentioned above. Johnston was reputed to
have here one of the finest gardens in England and
to produce good wines from his vineyard. (fn. 59) In 1710
he had the house rebuilt by John James, and in 1720
James Gibbs added a detached octagonal room, according to tradition for the entertainment of Queen
Caroline (then Princess of Wales). (fn. 60) Many of the
later tenants of the house were eminent in some way.
They included Louis Philippe, during his first exile
as Duke of Orleans, and his son the Duke of Aumale
from 1852 to 1871. (fn. 61) In between their tenancies, the
Crown finally sold the freehold outright. (fn. 62) One of
the owners at this time was the Earl of Kilmorey,
who had earlier owned Cross Deep House and later
moved farther down the river to Gordon House in
Isleworth. (fn. 63) From 1877 to 1882 Orleans House, as
it was by now known, was used as a kind of country
club. (fn. 64) In 1926 it was largely demolished, except
for the Octagon. This was bought by the Hon. Mrs.
Ionides of Riverside House next door and survives
as one of the architectural treasures of Twickenham. (fn. 65)
The grounds were excavated for gravel and afterwards acquired by the urban district as public gardens. (fn. 66)
Manor Road, off the Staines Road, takes its name
from a 19th-century house which was not in fact
connected with any manor. (fn. 67) The site of the so-called
Manor House on the Isleworth boundary at Whitton
had long been occupied by a fair-sized house, but
it was not a manor-house, nor was it called one until
modern times. (fn. 68)