Simpson's Place
Encyclopedia
Simpson's Manor, or Simpson's Place, was a moated medieval manor house
in Bromley
, Kent
, England, with evidence of habitation going back to the reign of Edward I
(r. 1272-1307). It was demolished around 1870 but survives in the name of a (minor) local road - Simpson's Place.
) with John de Bankewell holding a charter of free warren to his lands there. His descendant Thomas de Bankewell is recorded as dying as a fief in 1352 (during Edward III
's reign). The land eventually passed to the Clark family, and during the reign of Henry V
(1413–1422) William Clark applied for a license to build a fortified manor house with crenellated
walls and a deep moat
(the latter being recorded as "supplied and nourished with a living spring").
John Simpson acquired the manor in the latter part of the reign of Henry VI
(r. 1422–1461), made improvements to the site and gave his name to it. His descendent Nicholas Simpson (fl.
1530-1541) was the barber to Henry VIII and featured in the painting "Henry VIII Presenting a Charter to the Barber Surgeons Company" by Hans Holbein the younger
. It is thought that he had a "huge and very handsome red-brick chimney" added to the house.
The manor eventually passed from Nicholas Simpson to Alexander Bassett to Sir Humphrey Style Of Langley, esquire
and Sheriff of Kent, (d. 1557), the estate being then held in a form of tenure called socage
. It remained in the Styles family until the death of another Sir Humphrey Style in 1659. Over, the succeeding century or so, it passed through the hands of several other families and was converted into a farmhouse sometime previous to 1796, eventually falling into disrepair and being demolished around 1870.
walls surrounded on all sides by a deep moat
. Access was by a drawbridge on the northern side. The foundations of the walls were of "large flints intermixed with stone and cemented with strong lime mortar". and there were strong buttresses securing the angles into the moat. The Lord of the domain
would have lived in apartements either within the outer walls or, more likely, in a separate structure within the central courtyard - the latter would have been more defensible. There was also a small terrace projecting from the eastern side of the house. Topographically, the house was situated "under the brow of a low hill" which would not have been the best location from the point of view of defense.
There was also a suggestion, at the time, that the manor was haunted, with unexplained noises "being heard in and about the house" as if furniture was being dropped and broken. There were also reported ghostly sightings of a lady in white accompanied by a gentleman in dark clothes and a wide-brimmed hat.
A later account of 1831 by Henry Warren suggested that the building was remote from the public road and little known, but well worthy of notice due to its antiquity and picturesque quality. However the structure had by then fallen into a poor state of repair, evidenced by a review which described Simpson's Place as "an ancient edifice now condemned to be pulled down". Freeman, writing a few years later in 1838, also described the manor house as "timestricken", the rooms being "exceedingly large and lofty" and the staircases "very wide. He also confirmed its derelict state.
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...
in Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England, with evidence of habitation going back to the reign of Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
(r. 1272-1307). It was demolished around 1870 but survives in the name of a (minor) local road - Simpson's Place.
History of the site
Historical records show that the site belonged to the "Bankewell" (aka "Banquelle" or "de Banquelle") family as far back as 1302 (during the reign of Edward IEdward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
) with John de Bankewell holding a charter of free warren to his lands there. His descendant Thomas de Bankewell is recorded as dying as a fief in 1352 (during Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
's reign). The land eventually passed to the Clark family, and during the reign of Henry V
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
(1413–1422) William Clark applied for a license to build a fortified manor house with crenellated
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
walls and a deep moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
(the latter being recorded as "supplied and nourished with a living spring").
John Simpson acquired the manor in the latter part of the reign of Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
(r. 1422–1461), made improvements to the site and gave his name to it. His descendent Nicholas Simpson (fl.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1530-1541) was the barber to Henry VIII and featured in the painting "Henry VIII Presenting a Charter to the Barber Surgeons Company" by Hans Holbein the younger
Hans Holbein the Younger
Hans Holbein the Younger was a German artist and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style. He is best known as one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He also produced religious art, satire and Reformation propaganda, and made a significant contribution to the history...
. It is thought that he had a "huge and very handsome red-brick chimney" added to the house.
The manor eventually passed from Nicholas Simpson to Alexander Bassett to Sir Humphrey Style Of Langley, esquire
Esquire
Esquire is a term of West European origin . Depending on the country, the term has different meanings...
and Sheriff of Kent, (d. 1557), the estate being then held in a form of tenure called socage
Socage
Socage was one of the feudal duties and hence land tenure forms in the feudal system. A farmer, for example, held the land in exchange for a clearly defined, fixed payment to be made at specified intervals to his feudal lord, who in turn had his own feudal obligations, to the farmer and to the Crown...
. It remained in the Styles family until the death of another Sir Humphrey Style in 1659. Over, the succeeding century or so, it passed through the hands of several other families and was converted into a farmhouse sometime previous to 1796, eventually falling into disrepair and being demolished around 1870.
The original Manor House
According to Dunkin. the original castle-like manor house was probably square in shape with fortified crenellatedBattlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
walls surrounded on all sides by a deep moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
. Access was by a drawbridge on the northern side. The foundations of the walls were of "large flints intermixed with stone and cemented with strong lime mortar". and there were strong buttresses securing the angles into the moat. The Lord of the domain
Demesne
In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
would have lived in apartements either within the outer walls or, more likely, in a separate structure within the central courtyard - the latter would have been more defensible. There was also a small terrace projecting from the eastern side of the house. Topographically, the house was situated "under the brow of a low hill" which would not have been the best location from the point of view of defense.
The 19th century Manor House
An account written in 1815 by Dunkin describes the existing manor house as formed of brick and timber, with evidence to suggest that it had been built in the 16th century on the foundations of a much older structure. Many of the original 16th century features were still apparent - such as the old fireplace in the hall, the original doorways, and wainscotting - but they were "much disfigured" by alterations carried out some years beforehand to convert the manor to a farmhouse. The northern and western sections of the moat had by then been filled in by the tenant, Jeremiah Ringer - who gives his name to the present nearby "Ringer's road".There was also a suggestion, at the time, that the manor was haunted, with unexplained noises "being heard in and about the house" as if furniture was being dropped and broken. There were also reported ghostly sightings of a lady in white accompanied by a gentleman in dark clothes and a wide-brimmed hat.
A later account of 1831 by Henry Warren suggested that the building was remote from the public road and little known, but well worthy of notice due to its antiquity and picturesque quality. However the structure had by then fallen into a poor state of repair, evidenced by a review which described Simpson's Place as "an ancient edifice now condemned to be pulled down". Freeman, writing a few years later in 1838, also described the manor house as "timestricken", the rooms being "exceedingly large and lofty" and the staircases "very wide. He also confirmed its derelict state.
Present day
The former site of Simpson's manor house is now partially occupied by a Quaker meeting house at the junction of Ringer's road and Ravensbourne road.Further reading
- Philipott, John. Visitation of the County of Kent (1619).
- Lysons, Daniel. The Environs of London: volume 4 (1796).
- Dunkin, John. Outlines of the history and antiquities of Bromley in Kent (1815).
- Warren, Henry. Lithographic illustrations of the Ravensbourne, Kent (1831).
- Freeman, Charles. The History, antiquities, improvements of the parish of Bromley, Kent (William Beckley, 1832).
- Strong, Edward. A History of Bromley in Kent (Edward Strong, 1858) pp112 ff.
- Walford, Edward. Greater London. A Narrative of Its History, Its People, and Its Places. Volume 2, p93 (1883)
- Clinch, George. Antiquarian Jottings relating to Bromley, Hayes, Keston and West Wickham in Kent (1889).
- Ditchfield, P. H. & Clinch, George. Memorials of old Kent (Bemrose & sons, limited, 1907) pp. 203–205.
External links
- Simpson's Place (fortifiedengland.com)
- Simpson's Place (English Heritage).