Pyrgo Park
Encyclopedia
Pyrgo Park is a park at Havering-atte-Bower
in the London Borough of Havering
, in northeast London
, England. It is the site of Pirgo Palace, built before 1540 and demolished by 1814; and of Pyrgo House, built 1841, which lasted less than a century. It is one of three large parklands in Havering-atte-Bower
, the others are Bedfords Park
and Havering Country Park
.
, from 1541, situated by the park of the royal palace of Havering
in the Liberty of Havering-atte-Bower
. Providing a pleasing position on a gentle ridge barely twenty easy miles from London with wide views west, Havering had more than six centuries of association with royalty. King Edward the Confessor
(1003-1066) is said to have been disturbed there at his devotions by nightingales and prayed successfully for their banishment from Havering Park. Havering Palace
continued to be used by successive monarchs until 1638 and Havering Park remained with the Crown until 1828. A new house was built on the site in 1841 and has since been demolished.
Henry VIII had the house repaired and completed the emparking of Pirgo.
daughters, Mary
and Elizabeth, to his new house at Pirgo in 1542 and being pleased with them he made the decision to reinstate them in the succession
to the Crown.
.
Pirgo had a small chapel in which were Grey family tombs, and floor slabs to several members of the Cheeke family. All the Cheeke remains were removed to the parochial chapel of Havering about 1768.
in 1873. The house came within the metropolitan green belt and was demolished by 1941.
Havering-atte-Bower
Havering-atte-Bower is a village and outlying settlement of the London Borough of Havering, located 15 miles northeast of Charing Cross and close to the Greater London boundary. It was one of three former parishes whose area comprised the historic Royal Liberty of Havering...
in the London Borough of Havering
London Borough of Havering
The London Borough of Havering is a London borough in North East London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in Havering is Romford and the other main communities are Hornchurch, Upminster and Rainham. The borough is mainly characterised by suburban development with large...
, in northeast London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England. It is the site of Pirgo Palace, built before 1540 and demolished by 1814; and of Pyrgo House, built 1841, which lasted less than a century. It is one of three large parklands in Havering-atte-Bower
Havering-atte-Bower
Havering-atte-Bower is a village and outlying settlement of the London Borough of Havering, located 15 miles northeast of Charing Cross and close to the Greater London boundary. It was one of three former parishes whose area comprised the historic Royal Liberty of Havering...
, the others are Bedfords Park
Bedfords Park
Bedfords Park is a park in Havering-atte-Bower in the London Borough of Havering.It is one of three large parklands in Havering-atte-Bower, the others are Havering Country Park and Pyrgo Park....
and Havering Country Park
Havering Country Park
Havering Country Park is a varied environment open space in northeast London, England. It includes of woodland.It is one of three large parklands in Havering-atte-Bower, the others are Bedfords Park and Pyrgo Park....
.
Toponymy
Purgore is first recorded in 1490 and probably means 'triangular plot of land where pear trees grow'. It is formed from Old English 'pyrige' and 'gāra'. Pergore park is first recorded in 1544 and had become Pergo Park by 1805.Palace
Pirgo, spelt Portegore by Henry VIII’s officials, was a royal residence of King Henry VIIIHenry 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...
, from 1541, situated by the park of the royal palace of Havering
Havering Palace
Havering Palace was one of the many royal residences in England. It was located in the village of Havering-atte-Bower in what is now the London Borough of Havering...
in the Liberty of Havering-atte-Bower
Royal Liberty of Havering
Havering, also known as Havering-atte-Bower, was a royal manor and ancient liberty whose former area now forms part of, and gives its name to, the London Borough of Havering in Greater London...
. Providing a pleasing position on a gentle ridge barely twenty easy miles from London with wide views west, Havering had more than six centuries of association with royalty. King Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
(1003-1066) is said to have been disturbed there at his devotions by nightingales and prayed successfully for their banishment from Havering Park. Havering Palace
Havering Palace
Havering Palace was one of the many royal residences in England. It was located in the village of Havering-atte-Bower in what is now the London Borough of Havering...
continued to be used by successive monarchs until 1638 and Havering Park remained with the Crown until 1828. A new house was built on the site in 1841 and has since been demolished.
King Henry VIII and Pirgo
About 1536 the king's steward made a smaller park at Pirgo, north-east of Havering village and the King made it his personal property. The steward continued to live at Pirgo until about 1541.Henry VIII had the house repaired and completed the emparking of Pirgo.
The succession to the crown
The King is said to have summoned his estrangedSecond Succession Act
The Second Succession Act of Henry VIII's reign was passed by the Parliament of England in June 1536, removing both Mary and Elizabeth from the line of the succession. The Act was formally titled "An Act concerning the Succession of the Crown"...
daughters, 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, to his new house at Pirgo in 1542 and being pleased with them he made the decision to reinstate them in the succession
Third Succession Act
The Third Succession Act of Henry VIII's reign was passed by the Parliament of England in July 1543, and returned both Mary and Elizabeth to the line of the succession behind Prince Edward....
to the Crown.
Royal Gift to Lord John Grey
On 24th April 1559, a few months after her accession to the throne, hearing his plea of poverty, Elizabeth gave the manor with its royal residence to her second-cousin, Lord John Grey, uncle of Lady Jane Grey, from that time on known as Lord John Grey of PirgoLord John Grey of Pirgo
John Grey courtier, youngest surviving son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset and Margaret, widow of William Medley and daughter of Sir Robert Wotton of Boughton Malherbe....
.
Description
The first available description dates from 1594 when the former royal residence was described as 'a fair house', shown on a map dated about 25 years later as a large gabled building. In 1670 taxes were paid on 30 hearths. The site, terracing of the gardens was still visible after WWI, was northwest of the surviving farm buildings and was partly excavated in 1972. An old iron Tudor period gatepost remains in Pyrgo Park.Pirgo had a small chapel in which were Grey family tombs, and floor slabs to several members of the Cheeke family. All the Cheeke remains were removed to the parochial chapel of Havering about 1768.
- . . . a tomb in the chapel of the mansion house at Pirgo in Essex; on which was a knight kneeling with four sons, his lady kneeling with four daughters, and many coats and quarterings; and bearing on the verge this inscription:
- "Here under lyeth buried the lorde John . . . Grey, Knyght (fourth son of) the lorde Thomas Grey mar . . . . . ques Dorcet, who dyed the xix daye of November 1564; and dame Mary his wyfe, daughter of Sir Anthony Browne, Knyght of the Garter, mr of the horse, and con'seler to Kynge Henry ye VIII. Dame Mary dyed . . . .
- from Arthur Collins; Peerage of England, published 1812
Demolition
Between about 1771 and 1778 the Archer family demolished the chapel and the wings of Pirgo House. It continued in use for a short time, but the remainder of the former royal residence seems to have been demolished by about 1814.Owners and Residents after Henry VIII
- In 1559 Elizabeth I granted Pirgo to Lord John GreyLord John Grey of PirgoJohn Grey courtier, youngest surviving son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset and Margaret, widow of William Medley and daughter of Sir Robert Wotton of Boughton Malherbe....
, only surviving son of the 2nd Marquess of DorsetThomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of DorsetThomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, KG, KB was an English peer, courtier, soldier and landowner, the grandfather of Lady Jane Grey, briefly Queen of England.-Early life:...
and uncle of Lady Jane GreyLady Jane GreyLady Jane Grey , also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was an English noblewoman who was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was subsequently executed...
. Lord John Grey was the sole surviving brother of:
Henry Grey, duke of SuffolkHenry Grey, 1st Duke of SuffolkHenry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, KG was an English nobleman of the Tudor period and the father of Lady Jane Grey.-Henry VIII's reign:...
executed in 1554, Lord Edward Grey and Lord Thomas Grey executed in 1555.
Lord John Grey, himself once condemned to death, had been disallowed as sole surviving male heir of his father. - Lord John's son Henry later Lord Grey of GrobyHenry Grey, 1st Baron Grey of GrobyHenry Grey, 1st Lord Grey of Groby , courtier, administrator and local politician, was the only surviving son of Lord John Grey of Pirgo, Essex, and Mary, daughter of Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu and Magdalen Dacre....
. - Henry's grandson Henry Grey, later earl of StamfordEarl of StamfordEarl of Stamford was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for Henry Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Groby. This Grey family descended through Lord John Grey, of Pirgo, Essex, younger son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, and younger brother of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk Earl...
, who in 1621 sold Pirgo to:
- Sir Thomas CheekThomas CheekSir Thomas Cheek or Cheke was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in every parliament between 1604 and 1653....
who died in 1659. The manor passed through various descendants but ultimately to his granddaughter Ann, daughter of Thomas Cheeke, and wife of ; - Sir Thomas TippingSir Thomas Tipping, 1st BaronetSir Thomas Tipping was a late 17th century English baronet and Member of Parliament.Sir Thomas was the second son, but tenth child, of Sir Thomas Tipping of Wheatfield Park in Oxfordshire by his wife, Elizabeth, daughter and co-heiress of Sir White Beconshaw of Moyles Court at Ellingham in Hampshire...
. His younger daughter, Katherine, married; - Thomas ArcherThomas Archer, 1st Baron ArcherThomas Archer, 1st Baron Archer was an English Member of Parliament, who was created Baron Archer in 1747.He was the son and heir of Andrew Archer of Umberslade Hall in Tanworth in Arden, Warwickshire and his wife Elizabeth Dashwood...
. In 1790 the trustees of their four granddaughters sold Pirgo to Edward R. Howe.
New house
In 1852 a new house was built on the site. The house and 600 acres (2.4 km²) of neighbouring farms were sold to Albert FytcheAlbert Fytche
Lieutenant-General Albert Fytche CSI , for whom is named the bird Bambusicola fytchii, served as Chief Commissioner of the British Crown Colony of Burma from February 1867 to April 1871. Commissioned in the 1830s, he was promoted to Captain in the 1840s...
in 1873. The house came within the metropolitan green belt and was demolished by 1941.