Lesingham House
Encyclopedia
Lesingham House is in Surlingham
, Norfolk
, England
.
). The inventory of his goods at the time of his death indicates that his house had at least nine rooms and a stable in Surlingham. It’s not known for a fact where in Surlingham the house stood, but it is likely to be where Lesingham House stands today. The Wode and the Lesingham families were related, and the families owned lands in Rockland and Bramerton
as well as in Surlingham. In his will Thomas Wode asked his late uncle Jeremy Lesingham to bury him in St Mary’s parish church
.
The Lesingham family is first found in Yorkshire
where they were anciently seated as Lords of the Manor
. Migrants settled along the eastern seaboard of America from Newfoundland, to Maine
, Virginia
, the Carolinas
, and to the islands.
Lesingham House was supposedly built in 1655, and parts of the original structure may be included in the building we see today.
Gibbs Murrell owned Lesingham House in 1841. He lived here in some style as a farmer
and brick and tile maker. The Murrells were an old Surlingham family who for many generations lived at Lesingham House. Their land was mostly in the center of the village. With him lived his wife Catherine and his son Gibbs H. Murrell. Also living in the house at the time of the United Kingdom Census 1841
were Robert Roper (ag. pupil) and two servants Mary Hannant and Ann Fish. The Lesingham House estate consisted of some 366 acres (148.1 ha) of “arable, pasture, water and marsh” as well as six houses or cottages. Lesingham House and estate was sold in 1861 for £16,895 pounds sterling
.
There is a tablet at the bottom of the staircase in the house which reads “Lesingham House 1655 Rebuilt in part in 1834 by Gibbs Murrell”. It is not clear whether the building stood on the site of one owned by the Lesingham family who lived in Surlingham in the sixteenth century.
Sir Charles Rich of Devizes Castle
owned the Lesingham House and Estate in 1894. He died in 1913.
Mr & Mrs Wright – a staunch Methodist family – moved into in Lesingham House c 1913. The records show that the “Trust of the Surlingham Chapel” met under the newly appointed Rev. P. Webb, when Richard Wright (who farmed from Lesingham House) was made treasurer. Mr Wright made a donation of £50 and this may well have provided the purchase money required by the previous Wesleyan Trust.
The maps of this time show extensive outbuildings at Lesingham House and many of these, as well as the house, are today used as a religious retreat. The Lesingham House property today has land of slightly less than 6 acres (2.4 ha). Records show field names for the original Lesingham House Estate were: Horse Pit Close, Share Water, Dawson’s’, New Close, Clay Pit Close, Green’s Croft, First Mill Piece, Further Mill Piece, Little Company, Great Company, Lombe Hills, Parker’s Close, Coldham Piece, Burd’s, Dormant’s.
Nearby present day Lesingham House, down Covey Lane, can be found expansive marshes and the Ted Ellis nature reserve. This is one of the last remaining tidal marshes, on the Broads and its wild remoteness encourages a variety of flora and fauna.
Since 1976, Lesingham House has been run as a Buddhist Retreat Center called Padmaloka Buddhist Retreat Centre
, which is affiliated to the Triratna Buddhist Community.
Surlingham
Surlingham is a village and civil parish in South Norfolk situated on the Broads. It lies approximately 6½ miles south-east of Norwich on the south bank of the River Yare between Bramerton and Rockland St Mary. In the 2001 census it contained 266 households and a population of 637...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, 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...
.
History
The earliest records of Lesingham House go back to a Thomas Wode who died in 1588 (the same year as the defeat of the Spanish ArmadaSpanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
). The inventory of his goods at the time of his death indicates that his house had at least nine rooms and a stable in Surlingham. It’s not known for a fact where in Surlingham the house stood, but it is likely to be where Lesingham House stands today. The Wode and the Lesingham families were related, and the families owned lands in Rockland and Bramerton
Bramerton
Bramerton is a village in South Norfolk 4¾ miles south-east of Norwich, just north of the main A146 Norwich-Lowestoft road and on the south bank of the River Yare. In the 2001 census it contained 158 households and a population of 350.-The village:...
as well as in Surlingham. In his will Thomas Wode asked his late uncle Jeremy Lesingham to bury him in St Mary’s parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
.
The Lesingham family is first found in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
where they were anciently seated as Lords of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
. Migrants settled along the eastern seaboard of America from Newfoundland, to Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, the Carolinas
The Carolinas
The Carolinas is a term used in the United States to refer collectively to the states of North and South Carolina. Together, the two states + have a population of 13,942,126. "Carolina" would be the fifth most populous state behind California, Texas, New York, and Florida...
, and to the islands.
Lesingham House was supposedly built in 1655, and parts of the original structure may be included in the building we see today.
Gibbs Murrell owned Lesingham House in 1841. He lived here in some style as a farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
and brick and tile maker. The Murrells were an old Surlingham family who for many generations lived at Lesingham House. Their land was mostly in the center of the village. With him lived his wife Catherine and his son Gibbs H. Murrell. Also living in the house at the time of the United Kingdom Census 1841
United Kingdom Census 1841
The United Kingdom Census of 1841 recorded the occupants of every UK household on the night of 6 June, 1841. It was described as the "first modern census" in that it was the first to record information about every member of the household and because it was administered as a single event, under...
were Robert Roper (ag. pupil) and two servants Mary Hannant and Ann Fish. The Lesingham House estate consisted of some 366 acres (148.1 ha) of “arable, pasture, water and marsh” as well as six houses or cottages. Lesingham House and estate was sold in 1861 for £16,895 pounds sterling
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
.
There is a tablet at the bottom of the staircase in the house which reads “Lesingham House 1655 Rebuilt in part in 1834 by Gibbs Murrell”. It is not clear whether the building stood on the site of one owned by the Lesingham family who lived in Surlingham in the sixteenth century.
Sir Charles Rich of Devizes Castle
Devizes Castle
Devizes Castle was in the town of Devizes, Wiltshire, England .The first motte and bailey castle on this site was built in 1080 by Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury. This castle burnt down in 1113 and was rebuilt in stone by Roger, Bishop of Salisbury, by 1120. He occupied it under Henry I and later...
owned the Lesingham House and Estate in 1894. He died in 1913.
Mr & Mrs Wright – a staunch Methodist family – moved into in Lesingham House c 1913. The records show that the “Trust of the Surlingham Chapel” met under the newly appointed Rev. P. Webb, when Richard Wright (who farmed from Lesingham House) was made treasurer. Mr Wright made a donation of £50 and this may well have provided the purchase money required by the previous Wesleyan Trust.
The maps of this time show extensive outbuildings at Lesingham House and many of these, as well as the house, are today used as a religious retreat. The Lesingham House property today has land of slightly less than 6 acres (2.4 ha). Records show field names for the original Lesingham House Estate were: Horse Pit Close, Share Water, Dawson’s’, New Close, Clay Pit Close, Green’s Croft, First Mill Piece, Further Mill Piece, Little Company, Great Company, Lombe Hills, Parker’s Close, Coldham Piece, Burd’s, Dormant’s.
Nearby present day Lesingham House, down Covey Lane, can be found expansive marshes and the Ted Ellis nature reserve. This is one of the last remaining tidal marshes, on the Broads and its wild remoteness encourages a variety of flora and fauna.
Since 1976, Lesingham House has been run as a Buddhist Retreat Center called Padmaloka Buddhist Retreat Centre
Padmaloka Buddhist Retreat Centre
Padmaloka Buddhist Retreat Centre is a Buddhist retreat centre for men, located at Lesingham House in Surlingham, Norfolk, England. The centre is part of the Triratna Buddhist Community, formerly the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, which aims to make the teachings of the Buddha and Buddhism...
, which is affiliated to the Triratna Buddhist Community.