Cadhay
Encyclopedia
Cadhay is an Elizabethan manor house
situated one mile north-west of Ottery St Mary
in Devon
, England
, 10 miles east of Exeter
and 5 miles from the sea at Sidmouth
.
(gaoler for a period of Mary, Queen of Scots). It was erected on the site of an earlier house, although Haydon retained that earlier building's Great Hall, which dates back to 1420. Haydon's nephew Robert subsequently added a long gallery, a feature of late 16th century housebuilding, closing in the south side of the house to form a courtyard. The residents of the Manor House have had a long association with the parish church of Ottery.
John Haydon's nephew Robert built a long gallery, a popular feature in late 16th century house-building, closing in the south side of the house to form a courtyard. By 1737 the house was in a poor state of repair and the new owner, Peere Williams, restored the house in the style of that period. He plastered up most of the Tudor hearths and panelled a number of the rooms. He inserted a lower ceiling in the Great Hall under the magnificent oak-timbered roof to form the current dining room and roof chamber.
During the 18th and 19th centuries the house was at times divided into two and again fell into a poor state of repair. It was bought by Dampier Whetham in 1910 who uncovered the old Tudor hearths and put the house into sound structural condition. He let the house to the William-Powletts in the 1920s, they bought the property in 1935, and members of their family have occupied it since. The William-Powlett family are also descendants of Amias Paulet.
The house has been occupied by the William-Powlett family since the 1920s. In 2002 the house was inherited by a furniture maker nephew, Rupert Thistlethwayte. He has restored it to its previous splendour whilst introducing modern comforts such as heating and additional bathrooms, as well as contemporary furniture of his own to complement the antique furniture. Sir Simon Jenkins in his book of England's Thousand Best Homes described the house thus: “The courtyard ….. with statues of Henry VIII and his three monarch offspring, Edward, Mary and Elizabeth ….. is one of the treasures of Devon.“
Statues
There are four statues—of Henry VIII
, Edward VI
, Queen Mary
and Elizabeth I
--which stand over the doors in the courtyard; they were carved in 1617.
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
situated one mile north-west of Ottery St Mary
Ottery St Mary
Ottery St Mary, known as "Ottery" , is a town in the East Devon district of Devon, England, on the River Otter, about ten miles east of Exeter on the B3174. It is part of a large civil parish of the same name, which also covers the villages of West Hill, Metcombe, Fairmile, Alfington, Tipton St...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 10 miles east of Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
and 5 miles from the sea at Sidmouth
Sidmouth
Sidmouth is a small town on the English Channel coast in Devon, South West England. The town lies at the mouth of the River Sid in the East Devon district, south east of Exeter. It has a population of about 15,000, of whom 40% are over 65....
.
History and description
The house is built around a central courtyard and stands within extensive grounds. It was built by John Haydon in 1550, who had married an heiress of the de Cadhay family and descendent of Amias PauletAmias Paulet
Sir Amias Paulet was an English diplomat, Governor of Jersey, and the gaoler for a period of Mary, Queen of Scots.-Life:...
(gaoler for a period of Mary, Queen of Scots). It was erected on the site of an earlier house, although Haydon retained that earlier building's Great Hall, which dates back to 1420. Haydon's nephew Robert subsequently added a long gallery, a feature of late 16th century housebuilding, closing in the south side of the house to form a courtyard. The residents of the Manor House have had a long association with the parish church of Ottery.
John Haydon's nephew Robert built a long gallery, a popular feature in late 16th century house-building, closing in the south side of the house to form a courtyard. By 1737 the house was in a poor state of repair and the new owner, Peere Williams, restored the house in the style of that period. He plastered up most of the Tudor hearths and panelled a number of the rooms. He inserted a lower ceiling in the Great Hall under the magnificent oak-timbered roof to form the current dining room and roof chamber.
During the 18th and 19th centuries the house was at times divided into two and again fell into a poor state of repair. It was bought by Dampier Whetham in 1910 who uncovered the old Tudor hearths and put the house into sound structural condition. He let the house to the William-Powletts in the 1920s, they bought the property in 1935, and members of their family have occupied it since. The William-Powlett family are also descendants of Amias Paulet.
The house has been occupied by the William-Powlett family since the 1920s. In 2002 the house was inherited by a furniture maker nephew, Rupert Thistlethwayte. He has restored it to its previous splendour whilst introducing modern comforts such as heating and additional bathrooms, as well as contemporary furniture of his own to complement the antique furniture. Sir Simon Jenkins in his book of England's Thousand Best Homes described the house thus: “The courtyard ….. with statues of Henry VIII and his three monarch offspring, Edward, Mary and Elizabeth ….. is one of the treasures of Devon.“
Statues
There are four statues—of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
, Queen Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
and Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
--which stand over the doors in the courtyard; they were carved in 1617.