Grace Dieu Manor
Encyclopedia
Grace Dieu Manor is a 19th-century country house near Thringstone
in Leicestershire
, England, now occupied by Grace Dieu Manor School
. It is a Grade II listed building.
which was dissolved at the Dissolution of the Monasteries
in 1538.
The Manor was the 16th century home of John Beaumont, Master of the Rolls
. His son Sir Francis Beaumont was also a judge and his grandson John Beaumont was created the first of the Beaumont Baronets
of Grace Dieu in 1627. Sir Francis Beaumont's other son Francis Beaumont
(1584 – 6 March 1616) was the famous English Renaissance dramatist and poet, most famous for his collaborations with John Fletcher.
The third and last baronet died in 1686 and the estate was sold to Sir Ambrose Phillips (1637–1691) and became the Phillips family home. On the death of Samuel Phillips in 1796 the house passed to his cousin Thomas March, who then became Thomas March Phillips.
The Manor was rebuilt in about 1833 for Charles March Phillips High Sheriff of Leicestershire
in 1825 in a Tudor Gothic style by architect William Railton
. It was much altered and extended in the 1840s by Augustus Pugin
for Ambrose Lisle March Phillips de Lisle
.
The March Phillips family, later March Phillips de Lisle, owned the house until 1933. For many years their main residence was Garendon Park but that house was demolished in 1964 and the family returned briefly to Grace Dieu.
The house was sold in 1972 and has since been occupied by a Catholic preparatory school. The family moved to Quenby Hall
.
Thringstone
Thringstone is a village in north-west Leicestershire, England about north of Coalville. It lies within the area of the English National Forest and is part of the East Midlands region....
in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, England, now occupied by Grace Dieu Manor School
Grace Dieu Manor School
Grace Dieu Manor School is a preparatory school for pupils aged 3 to 13 set among of countryside. Opened in May 1933 by the Rosminians, it is a privately run Catholic school which welcomes children from all denominations and faiths. It acts as a prep school for Ratcliffe College...
. It is a Grade II listed building.
History
The house is named for the adjacent Grace Dieu PrioryGrace Dieu Priory
The Grace Dieu Priory was an Augustinian priory near Thringstone in Leicestershire, England. It was founded around 1235-1241 by Roesia de Verdon and dissolved in October in 1538. It was dedicated to the Holy Trinity and St Mary.-History:...
which was dissolved at the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1538.
The Manor was the 16th century home of John Beaumont, Master of the Rolls
Master of the Rolls
The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the second most senior judge in England and Wales, after the Lord Chief Justice. The Master of the Rolls is the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal...
. His son Sir Francis Beaumont was also a judge and his grandson John Beaumont was created the first of the Beaumont Baronets
Beaumont Baronets
There have been four Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Beaumont, all in the Baronetage of England. All four creations are now extinct....
of Grace Dieu in 1627. Sir Francis Beaumont's other son Francis Beaumont
Francis Beaumont
Francis Beaumont was a dramatist in the English Renaissance theatre, most famous for his collaborations with John Fletcher....
(1584 – 6 March 1616) was the famous English Renaissance dramatist and poet, most famous for his collaborations with John Fletcher.
The third and last baronet died in 1686 and the estate was sold to Sir Ambrose Phillips (1637–1691) and became the Phillips family home. On the death of Samuel Phillips in 1796 the house passed to his cousin Thomas March, who then became Thomas March Phillips.
The Manor was rebuilt in about 1833 for Charles March Phillips High Sheriff of Leicestershire
High Sheriff of Leicestershire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Leicestershire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...
in 1825 in a Tudor Gothic style by architect William Railton
William Railton
William Railton was an English architect, best known as the designer of Nelson's Column. He was based in London with offices at 12 Regent Street for much of his career.He was a pupil of the London architect and surveyor William Inwood....
. It was much altered and extended in the 1840s by Augustus Pugin
Augustus Pugin
Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin was an English architect, designer, and theorist of design, now best remembered for his work in the Gothic Revival style, particularly churches and the Palace of Westminster. Pugin was the father of E. W...
for Ambrose Lisle March Phillips de Lisle
Ambrose Lisle March Phillipps De Lisle
Ambrose Lisle March Phillipps de Lisle was an English Catholic convert. He founded Mount St. Bernard Abbey, a Trappist abbey in Leicestershire and worked for the reconversion or reconciliation of Britain to Catholicism....
.
The March Phillips family, later March Phillips de Lisle, owned the house until 1933. For many years their main residence was Garendon Park but that house was demolished in 1964 and the family returned briefly to Grace Dieu.
The house was sold in 1972 and has since been occupied by a Catholic preparatory school. The family moved to Quenby Hall
Quenby Hall
Quenby Hall is a Jacobean house in parkland near the villages of Cold Newton and Hungarton, Leicestershire, England. It is described by Pevsner as: the most important early-seventeenth century house in the county ...
.