Reddish House
Encyclopedia
Reddish House, also known as Reddish Manor in the village of Broad Chalke
in Wiltshire
, England
is an early 18th century manor house
possibly built in its current form for Jeremiah Cray, a clothier. It is a Grade II listed structure by English Heritage
.
Whilst the history of the property can be traced to the early 16th century, the house as it currently stands appears to have been developed in the early 18th century, when owned by a series of three absentee landlords all sharing the name Jeremiah Clay. The construction and design appear to show a melange of influences of Charles II
(1660–1685); William and Mary
(1689–1702); and Queen Anne
(1702–1714).
, serjeant-at-law
and Attorney-General to the Queen consort
, Elizabeth of York
. After his death in 1522 it passed to his only son, Thomas Elyot
a diplomat and author. The 50 acre farm was taken by the crown at the Dissolution of the Monasteries
, it is surmised that this was because Sir Thomas Elyot had gifted it as part of an endowment to Salisbury Cathedral
. In 1560 Queen Elizabeth I granted it to William Reddiche who already owned several properties in the village as a 'Free tenant
' of the Earl of Pembroke
in Wilton.
William Reddiche of Maiden Bradley was married to Alice Dyer, daughter of Sir James Dyer
, a judge
and Speaker of the House of Commons.
During the Dissolution period (circa 1530s) the farm appears to have been leased by John Penny. He died in 1555 bequeathing to his son the 80 sheep, grazing rights, sown crops and farm equipment.
it was inhabited by a series of lessees. These appear to include the descendants of John Penny because in 1630 a new lease was granted to John Penny.
The absentee Reddish family who owned the house and farm included Christopher Reddish (circa 1599); Edward Reddish (circa 1628); his sons William Reddish (circa 1662) and James Reddish who sold it to Jeremiah Cray.
In 1696 James Reddish sold the house and farm to Jeremiah Cray of Ibsley
Hampshire, another absentee landlord who owned several estates including 'Cray's Farm' at Verwood
.
In 1786 Jeremiah Cray's estates were shared by his two daughters, Sarah and Margaret - wives of Sir Alexander Grant, 7th Baronet
and Percival Lewis respectively. In 1806 the house was sold to George Young from Horton
in Dorset who became the first resident owner for 246 years.
is buried in the village churchyard, his headstone was carved by Eric Gill
.
Society photographer and artist Sir Cecil Beaton
bought Reddish house in 1948 and transformed the interior. Beaton added rooms on the eastern side, extended the parlour southwards, and introduced many new fittings. Greta Garbo
was a visitor. The upper floor had been equipped for illegal cock-fighting at the beginning of the 20th century but Beaton used the cages as wardrobes to store the costumes from his set design of My Fair Lady
. He remained at the house until his death in 1980 and is buried in the churchyard.
In 1980 Ursula Henderson bought the house from the estate of Cecil Beaton and lived there until 1987 when she moved to the neighbouring village of Bishopstone
before her death in 1989. She was born Ursula von Pannwitz and was once styled Countess of Chichester from her first marriage to John Buxton Pelham, 8th Earl of Chichester who died on active service in 1944.
The house was owned and extensively renovated by musicians Robert Fripp
and Toyah Willcox
from December 1987 until July 1999.
Broad Chalke
Broad Chalke, sometimes spelled Broadchalke , Broad Chalk or Broadchalk, is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about 8 miles west of the city of Salisbury. The 2001 Census recorded a parish population of 652 but this has now risen to around 850...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, 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...
is an early 18th century manor house
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...
possibly built in its current form for Jeremiah Cray, a clothier. It is a Grade II listed structure by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
Whilst the history of the property can be traced to the early 16th century, the house as it currently stands appears to have been developed in the early 18th century, when owned by a series of three absentee landlords all sharing the name Jeremiah Clay. The construction and design appear to show a melange of influences of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
(1660–1685); William and Mary
William and Mary
The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the coregency over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, of King William III & II and Queen Mary II...
(1689–1702); and Queen Anne
Queen Anne
"Queen Anne" generally refers to Anne, Queen of Great Britain , Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1702, and of Great Britain from 1707.Queen Anne may also refer to:-Uses relating to Queen Anne of Great Britain:...
(1702–1714).
16th century
In the early 16th century Littlecote farm was bought from John Littlecote by Sir Richard ElyotRichard Elyot
Sir Richard Elyot, SL was an English landowner and judge. He held large estates in Wiltshire and in 1503 became serjeant-at-law and Attorney-General to the Queen consort, Elizabeth of York...
, serjeant-at-law
Serjeant-at-law
The Serjeants-at-Law was an order of barristers at the English bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law , or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writs dating to 1300 which identify them as descended from figures in France prior to the Norman Conquest...
and Attorney-General to the Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
, Elizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York was Queen consort of England as spouse of King Henry VII from 1486 until 1503, and mother of King Henry VIII of England....
. After his death in 1522 it passed to his only son, Thomas Elyot
Thomas Elyot
Sir Thomas Elyot was an English diplomat and scholar.-Early Life:Thomas was the child of Sir Richard Elyot's first marriage with Alice De la Mare, but neither the date nor place of his birth is accurately known...
a diplomat and author. The 50 acre farm was taken by the crown 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...
, it is surmised that this was because Sir Thomas Elyot had gifted it as part of an endowment to Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture....
. In 1560 Queen Elizabeth I granted it to William Reddiche who already owned several properties in the village as a 'Free tenant
Free tenant
Free Tenants, also known as Free Peasants, were peasants in Medieval England who occupied a unique place in the Medieval hierarchy. They were characterised by the low rents they paid to their Manorial Lord as well as being subject to fewer laws and ties than villeins.-Definition:One of the major...
' of the Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke is a title created ten times, all in the Peerage of England. It was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, which is the site of Earldom's original seat Pembroke Castle...
in Wilton.
William Reddiche of Maiden Bradley was married to Alice Dyer, daughter of Sir James Dyer
James Dyer
Sir James Dyer was a judge and Speaker of the House of Commons during the reign of Edward VI of England.Dyer was knighted at Whitehall on 9 April 1553, Strand Inn, preparatory 1520s, Middle Temple abt. 1530, called to the bar 1537?, bencher 1540s, serjeant-at-law 17 Oct...
, a judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
and Speaker of the House of Commons.
During the Dissolution period (circa 1530s) the farm appears to have been leased by John Penny. He died in 1555 bequeathing to his son the 80 sheep, grazing rights, sown crops and farm equipment.
17th century
The Reddish/Reddiche family owned the estate from 1560 until 1696 but as they lived in Maiden BradleyMaiden Bradley
Maiden Bradley with Yarnfield is a small Wiltshire civil parish near the Somerset border and the home of the Duke of Somerset. The B3092 road that joins Frome to Mere runs through the middle of the village of Maiden Bradley....
it was inhabited by a series of lessees. These appear to include the descendants of John Penny because in 1630 a new lease was granted to John Penny.
The absentee Reddish family who owned the house and farm included Christopher Reddish (circa 1599); Edward Reddish (circa 1628); his sons William Reddish (circa 1662) and James Reddish who sold it to Jeremiah Cray.
In 1696 James Reddish sold the house and farm to Jeremiah Cray of Ibsley
Ibsley
Ibsley is a village in Hampshire, England. It is about 2.5 miles north of the town of Ringwood.-Overview:The village of Ibsley lies to the east of the River Avon on the main road between Ringwood and Fordingbridge, and has some picturesque thatched cottages...
Hampshire, another absentee landlord who owned several estates including 'Cray's Farm' at Verwood
Verwood
Verwood is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. The town lies north of Bournemouth and north of Poole. The town has a population of 14,820 according to latest figures from Dorset County Council, making it the largest town in Dorset without an upper school in terms of population.-Early...
.
18th century
Jeremiah Cray died in 1709 (or 1710) bequeathing most of his estates to either his brother Alexander or his nephew John Cray. In 1725 John Cray passed it to his own son Jeremiah who died in 1731 and whose own son, another Jeremiah Cray (the third Jeremiah) died in 1786. During the Cray ownership Reddish had been inhabited and farmed by a series of lessees including a mercer John Coombs from 1702–1706, and George Northover for over 50 years and James Lawes.In 1786 Jeremiah Cray's estates were shared by his two daughters, Sarah and Margaret - wives of Sir Alexander Grant, 7th Baronet
Grant Baronets
-Grant Baronets, of Dalvey, Elgin :Created 10 August 1688, in the baronetage of Nova Scotia.*Sir James Grant, 1st Baronet, died 1695*Sir Ludovic Grant, 2nd Baronet, died 4 January 1701*Sir Sweton Grant, 3rd Baronet, died 1752...
and Percival Lewis respectively. In 1806 the house was sold to George Young from Horton
Horton, Dorset
Horton is a village in East Dorset, England, situated on the boundary between the chalk downland of Cranborne Chase and the heathland of the New Forest, ten miles north of Poole...
in Dorset who became the first resident owner for 246 years.
19th century
In 1806 Reddish house was sold to George Young who bequeathed it to his son George Bland Young in 1828 and on to George Edgar Young in 1893.20th century
The house was inhabited by Norah Young until 1918, and by Major C.A. Wells until 1929 when it was purchased by R.W. Williamson to amalgamate the 100 acres into the neighbouring 'Knowle farm'. In 1935 Claude Williamson sold the house and its 2.5 acre gardens to Dr. Lucius Wood and his wife Clare who lived there from 1935 until 1947, running his General Practice and dentistry. Their son, the artist Christopher WoodChristopher Wood (English painter)
John Christopher Wood , often called Kit Wood, was an English painter born in Knowsley, near Liverpool.-Biography:-Early life:Christopher Wood was born in Knowsley to Doctor Lucius and Clare Wood...
is buried in the village churchyard, his headstone was carved by Eric Gill
Eric Gill
Arthur Eric Rowton Gill was a British sculptor, typeface designer, stonecutter and printmaker, who was associated with the Arts and Crafts movement...
.
Society photographer and artist Sir Cecil Beaton
Cecil Beaton
Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, CBE was an English fashion and portrait photographer, diarist, painter, interior designer and an Academy Award-winning stage and costume designer for films and the theatre...
bought Reddish house in 1948 and transformed the interior. Beaton added rooms on the eastern side, extended the parlour southwards, and introduced many new fittings. Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
was a visitor. The upper floor had been equipped for illegal cock-fighting at the beginning of the 20th century but Beaton used the cages as wardrobes to store the costumes from his set design of My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
. He remained at the house until his death in 1980 and is buried in the churchyard.
In 1980 Ursula Henderson bought the house from the estate of Cecil Beaton and lived there until 1987 when she moved to the neighbouring village of Bishopstone
Bishopstone, Salisbury
Bishopstone is a civil parish in Wiltshire, England, one of the villages in the River Ebble valley. It is located about south-west of Salisbury. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 614....
before her death in 1989. She was born Ursula von Pannwitz and was once styled Countess of Chichester from her first marriage to John Buxton Pelham, 8th Earl of Chichester who died on active service in 1944.
The house was owned and extensively renovated by musicians Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
and Toyah Willcox
Toyah Willcox
Toyah Ann Willcox is an English actress and singer. In a career spanning more than thirty years Toyah has had 13 top 40 singles, released 22 studio albums, written two books, appeared in over forty stage plays and ten feature films, as well as voicing and presenting numerous television shows...
from December 1987 until July 1999.
Reading
- Anon, 1980, Reddish House Broadchalke Wiltshire. The Property of the Late Sir Cecil Beaton, C.B.E. London, Christie, Manson & Woods. Catalogue of the sale of Cecil Beaton's works of art, furniture, silver, pictures, porcelain and garden effects on Monday 9 June 1980 and Tuesday 10 June 1980 by Christie's the auctioneers.
- Anon, "Reddish House, Broad Chalke (Wiltshire)" Country Life volume 121, pages 540 and 596
- Beaton, Cecil, introduction by Vickers, Hugo, 2003 The Unexpurgated Beaton: The Cecil Beaton Diaries as He Wrote Them, 1970-1980 London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson
- Field, Horace and Bunney, Michael, 1928, "Reddish House, Broad Chalke" in English Domestic Architecture of the XVII and XVIII Centuries London: J. H. Jansen, 108
- Sills, Stephen and Huniford, James, 2003, "Cecil Beaton's Reddish House" Architectural Digest January 2003