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The History of Cowdray House
The History of Cowdray House
I would like to thank Heather Ongley and Bridget Howard of the Cowdray Heritage Trust for helping me with this project, especially Bridget who helped bring the visit of Queen Elizabeth to life by showing me round Cowdray. Mr Rex Harris let me use his photo of the Cowdray fountain. Thank you!
Contents
1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 2 3 This Report .................................................................................................................. 1 Cowdray House ........................................................................................................... 1 The Visit of Elizabeth I ................................................................................................. 1
How I Researched This Project ........................................................................................... 2 Cowdray House ................................................................................................................... 3 3.1 3.2 The Middle Ages .......................................................................................................... 3 Tudors and Stuarts ...................................................................................................... 3 King Henry VIII Comes to Stay.............................................................................. 3
King Henry VIII Comes to Stay Again ........................................................................... 7 King Edward VI Visits ................................................................................................... 7 Sir William Dies............................................................................................................ 7 Queen Elizabeth Comes to Stay .................................................................................. 7 Remember, remember ............................................................................................. 7 The Civil War ............................................................................................................... 7 A Country House ......................................................................................................... 8
3.10 The Fire ........................................................................................................................ 8 3.11 The Victorians.............................................................................................................. 8 3.12 Von Ribbentrop ........................................................................................................... 9 3.13 Left Alone .................................................................................................................... 9 3.14 Television Fame ......................................................................................................... 10 3.15 Repair ........................................................................................................................ 10 4 About Cowdray ................................................................................................................. 11 4.1 4.2 4.3 Location ..................................................................................................................... 11 Water......................................................................................................................... 11 Features ..................................................................................................................... 11 Causeway ........................................................................................................... 12 Courtyard ........................................................................................................... 12 Buck Hall............................................................................................................. 14
4.3.4 4.3.5 4.3.6 4.3.7 4.3.8 4.3.9 4.3.10 4.3.11 4.3.12 4.3.13 4.4 5
Great Staircase ................................................................................................... 16 Kitchen ............................................................................................................... 17 Waiters ............................................................................................................... 24 Tower ................................................................................................................. 24 Pantry ................................................................................................................. 25 Buttery ............................................................................................................... 25 Garderobes and the Gong Farmer ..................................................................... 25 Chapel ................................................................................................................ 26 Porch .................................................................................................................. 27 The Cellar ........................................................................................................... 27
The Visit of Queen Elizabeth I........................................................................................... 30 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Saturday 15th August 1591 ........................................................................................ 32 Sunday 16th August 1591 .......................................................................................... 32 Monday 17th August 1591 ......................................................................................... 32 Tuesday 18th August 1591 ......................................................................................... 32 Wednesday 19th August 1591 ................................................................................... 33 Thursday 20th August 1591 ....................................................................................... 33 Friday 21st August 1591 ............................................................................................. 33 Queen Elizabeth Oak ................................................................................................. 34
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1 Introduction
1.1 This Report
This report has been written as the Year 5 History project for the Summer term of 2011. The project was to research the history of a building in West Sussex and an historical event, writing up both in a report. This report has been presented in a model of Viscount Montagues head which was a different part of the project. For my project the building I have chosen to write about is Cowdray House in Midhurst. The event I have chosen to write about is the visit of Queen Elizabeth I to Cowdray House. I chose this building because I had been there before and found it very interesting. In one building there are lots to see and lots of links to interesting parts of history, from medieval times, Henry VIII to Guy Fawkes.
3 Cowdray House
Cowdray House is now a ruin. It is mainly the creation of Sir David Owen, who had married into the de Bohun family and Sir Anthony Browne.
3.2.1 King Henry VIII Comes to Stay Sir William Fitzwilliam was a childhood friend of Henry VIII. Sir William Fitzwilliam was made Earl of Southampton. He was also made Lord High Admiral of the fleet, Treasurer to the Royal Household and Lord privy Seal. King Henry VIII visited Cowdray many times.
Figure 1: King Henry VIII and Me (King Henry is the one with a beard)
After inheriting the house in 1542, Sir Anthony Browne had lots of paintings painted for his dining hall to show the events of Henry VIII war in France. The most famous one shows a view of the Solent with the forces of the French King Francis who wanted to take the crown from Henry VIII for the Pope. This painting is of 19th July 1545 and shows the Mary Rose sinking. Sir Anthony Browne was Master of the Kings Horse at this time. Sir William Fitzpatrick and Sir Anthony Browne gave evidence against Anne Boleyn that lead to her being beheaded. Sir William had told King Henry VIII that Anne of Cleves was beautiful but his half-brother Sir Anthony Browne didnt agree. The King agreed with Sir Anthony.
In the middle of the Picture is Sir Anthony Browne following King Henry.
Figure 3: King Henry VIII and Sir Anthony Browne on his white horse
Next to the dining hall in Cowdray is the parlour where Henry VIII would have spent lots of time, probably keeping his toes warm against this fireplace:
Figure 7: Graffiti
3.15 Repair
In 1996 the Cowdray Heritage Trust was set up. Money from the lottery and local people allowed the ruins to be made safe for the public. The repairs also helped to protect the ruins. This is why all the walls have red tiles on the top.
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4 About Cowdray
4.1 Location
Cowdray is in a good position for farming, hunting and fishing. Only wealthy people were allowed to hunt boar or deer would be living in the woods. Fish would come from the river or Benbow Pond.
4.2 Water
Drinking water was collected in the conduit house. This is a small building near the main house. Pipes went from the conduit house to the fountain in the main courtyard.
4.3 Features
This is a plan of the house by Mr Hope in 1913.
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4.3.1 Causeway The causeway a long and straight road above the nearby fields which are very wet and boggy. The cause way made the house look very impressive as people came from the town.
4.3.2 Courtyard The courtyard was in the middle of the building and had a very impressive fountain which is now in the Victoria and Albert museum.
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It is thought that this was made by the same man who made Henry VIII tomb.
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4.3.3 Buck Hall It was known as buck hall after the set of eleven life-size decorative carvings of stags which lined the walls. The floor was paved with marble and the roof was of steeply pitched oak. The white and gold architectural features on the side walls were painted by Roberti (17331808) with classical scenes by goupy (1729-63) of Diana and her nymphs, the fable of Actaeon and Perseus and Andromeda.
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4.3.4 Great Staircase The great staircase would have had some impressive windows and would have been very grand.
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4.3.5 Kitchen The Kitchen is a hexagonal tower and slightly away from the main house. This meant that it did not burn down in the fire and is very much like it would have been in Tudor times. 4.3.5.1 The Kitchen The kitchen has a range for heating lots of saucepans, frying pans and skillets over burning wood. There are also several hearths in which meats could be roasted. The meat could be roasted on a spit and small boys would have been made to turn the handle of the spit to make sure the meat cooked.
In the middle of the kitchen is a stone pump. The pump was used to supply all of the water for cooking and washing in the kitchen. It was not safe to drink and everyone would have drunk beer. Even children would have drunk beer because the fermentation killed off the germs and bugs that might have made them ill. On the internet I found a letter from Antony Browne , Viscount Montague, to Sir William More in 1590 in which Viscount Montague says: He has just suffered a 'sore and extraordinary evacuation both downward violently and upward'.
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The range has a big iron top and is heated by wood burned underneath. The smoke from the fires and the steam from the cooking went up the chimney. It would have been a servants job to keep the fires burning. The pots are made of clay, with metal pans for frying.
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This hearth in this photo had a spit which would have been turned to make sure the meat did not burn on one side and be raw on the other.
The roasting hearth has a big metal rod for holding a whole pig, a small cow or other animals. The rod could be moved onto the different rungs of the fire to control how hot it was getting. Many things could be cooked at the same time and water could be boiled in a pot or cauldron at the same time.
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The family of the house would have eaten the more expensive foods and meats and the servants would have eaten the less expensive foods and leftovers. The meat available was venison, beef, pork, veal, goat, lamb, rabbit, hare, mutton, swans, herons and poultry. Some of these would have been farmed on Viscount Montagues land and others would have been hunted in his woods and forest. Only the rich were allowed to hunt. Being next to the river Rother meant that Cowdray could have some fish from there. Other fish would have come from carp ponds or from the sea. Fish eaten at Cowdray included salmon, eels, crab, oysters, cod, pike and herring. Pike, eels and trout can still be caught in the river Rother.
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Some poultry would have been farmed, but others would have been caught in nets or traps. As well as geese and chickens, the Tudors ate pigeons, ducks and all sorts of birds. Eggs were cooked as they were or made into custards and jellies.
One hearth was used to heat large cauldrons over a fire. These would be used to make stews and soups. 4.3.5.2 The Chef Viscount Montagues chef was a very famous chef called Robert May. Robert May has been called the father of English Cookery because he wrote a booked called The Accomplift Cook on the Art & Mystery of COOKERY which was the first cookery book. He had trained in France and was one of the very few professional chefs in Tudor times. 21
Wealthy people came to eat at Cowdray to taste the food of Robert May. Having such a famous chef was a way that Viscount Montague could show off his power and wealth. It would be like having Gordon Ramsay cooking for you today.
In his book he suggests the following Christmas menu, which is what Viscount Montague might have eaten at Cowdray:
Oysters 1. A Collar of brawn 2. Stewed Broth of Mutton marrow bones 3. A grand Sallet 4. A pottage of caponets 5. A breast of veal in stoffado 6. A boil'd partridge 7. A chine of beef, or surloin roast 8. Minced pies 9. A Jegote of mutton with anchove sauce 10. A made dish of sweetbread 11. A swan roast 12. A pasty of venison 13. A kid with a pudding in his belly 14. A steak pie 15. A hanch of venison roasted 16. A turkey roast and stuck with cloves 22
17. A made dish of chickens in puff paste 18. Two bran geese roasted, one larded 19. Two large capons, one larded 20. A Custard
This is his recipe for cooking pallets, noses and lips of animals from that book.
To dress Pallets, Noses, and Lips of any Beast, Steer, Oxe, or Calf. Take the pallats, lips, or noses, and boil them very tender, then blanch them, and cut them in little square pieces as broad as a sixpence, or like lard, fry them in sweet butter, and being fryed, pour away the butter, and put to it some anchovies, grated nutmeg, mutton gravy, and salt; give it a warm on the fire, and then dish it in a clean dish with the bottom first rubbed with a clove of garlick, run it over with beaten butter, juyce of oranges, fried parsley, or fried marrow in yolks of two eggs, and sage leaves. Sometimes add yolks of eggs strained, and then it is a fricase.
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4.3.6 Waiters Lots of people worked in the kitchen. People prepared food, cooked food, cleaned up, and kept the fires burning and lots of other jobs. Once the food was ready it was passed through a hatch to the waiters would take the food to the house. Every piece of food leaving the kitchen was written in the book of a clerk who checked and counted the food. The hatch from the kitchen is outside. There is no roof. This was to stop the smells and smoke from the kitchen reaching the house.
4.3.7 Tower I counted seventy-four steps to the top of the spiral staircase of the kitchen tower. From the top of the tower you can see the rest of the house and Cowdray Park. The tower has battlements or crenulations like the rest of the house. Sir William had to get special permission from the King to build these as it was illegal to build houses with crenulations. The King did not want other people having castles. If the King gave Sir William permission he must have trusted him.
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4.3.8 Pantry The pantry is near the kitchen and is where they kept all the bread and dry goods. The word pantry comes from the French word for bread.
4.3.9 Buttery The buttery is where the buttes or barrels were kept. The name is nothing to do with butter. The barrels of beer would have been brought here from the brewery and poured out into big pitchers to be taken to the table. The wine was too special to be kept with the beer.
4.3.10 Garderobes and the Gong Farmer The garderobes were the toilets of the day. Rather than just going to the toilet and having things plop to the ground, Cowdray was quite clever in that things fell down hollow walls and into pits. Water could rinse the pits and flush things into the river. This is the same river used for fishing and washing. Every now and again the Gong Farmer would come and scrape out the pits and use the contents as fertiliser.
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4.3.11 Chapel The chapel was very ornate. The plasterwork had images of cherubs and religious figures. It would have been very impressive before the fire. Some of the decoration is still visible. The decoration would have been made by travelling tradesmen.
The British Library has this picture of the monument of Sir Anthony Browne. It was drawn in 1780 by Samuel Hieronomous Grimm.
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4.3.12 Porch The roof of the porch is very ornate and has very complicated stonework and plasterwork. It was a bit of showing-off by the Viscount Montague. Even today it is very special so it would have made Tudor people gasp.
4.3.13 The Cellar The cellar was where the expensive wines and spirits would have been kept. The master of the cellar would have had to account for every drop of the wine. He looks really cross in the picture because a bottle has broken and he would have been to blame.
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The Clarke of my Kitchen will that he provide apparel for the boys of the Kitchen, hays for my
warreners, nets necessary for fishing the river and stews; entrails of beasts and cheese curds for wildfowl, oats and barley for poultry, rye for baking of red deer, The Yeoman Usher of my Great Chamber and the place to be swept and kept clean and sweet, with perfumes, flowers, herbs, and boughs in their season
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The Queen brought her own cooks. The cooks were not allowed to turn their backs on the Queens food and had to bow when they backed away from it. Because the food was going to become part of the Queen they had to treat it as if it was the Queen. The Yeomen slept in the dining room next to Buck Hall. They protected the Queen. The Queen had a room above the dining room where she received important guests. Anyone going to meet the Queen had to pass the Yeomen. This room has a large window that would have been very impressive (and expensive). The Queen had a private room as her bedroom. Nobody was allowed into this room except to help dress the Queen. Before the Queen visited her people would have visited to make sure that the house was clean and safe and that the entertainment was going to be good. The Queen had to be entertained well or she might get bored and cross. Many years before hand Viscount Montague had tried to dissuade the Queen from visiting Cowdray, saying that the roads in Sussex were very rough and the journey very hilly. Sir William More had told the Queen not to visit Cowdray. He thought that she would be assassinated by a Catholic. Viscount Montague would have been worried that the keen was kept happy. If the Queen was unhappy he would have been in big trouble. If the Queen said that she liked something like a piece of furniture Viscount Montague would have had to offer it to her as a present. The Queen was worried that Viscount Montague might have been plotting against her. Her people would have searched the house whilst she was there looking for signs of a plot or evidence of treason. The Queen had people who went into towns and bought things like food for the Queens visit. They had to make sure that people didnt put up their prices because the Queen was buying it. These people were called Purveyors. Queen Elizabeth had to keep ruling the country and so lots of messengers would have been coming to Cowdray or leaving Cowdray. The royal household kept a Bouche of the Court and Book of the Diet to list all of the food that could be given to people.
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Figure 31: The Queen Elizabeth Oak and me (I am in the blue fleece)
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6 Conclusion
Cowdray is really special. I thought of doing my project on Cowdray because my Dad had taken me there. The more I looked into things, the more interesting things became. Cowdray is really, really interesting and I think we should do a school trip there.
When Bridget showed me round I was daydreaming about Elizabeth I visiting. It was easy to see how she would have found it and the smells and sounds that would have accompanied her visit.
I really look forward to going there again soon. I wish I could have lived there as long as I didnt have to clean the garderobes!
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7 List of Owners
From Nigel Sadler.
1160 About 1160, Geldwin Fitz Savaric built a set of buildings in a walled enclosure in top of St. Ann's Hill. Through marriage the site became the property of Frank de Bohun in 1187 1273-84 Between 1273-84, Sir John Bohun built another house on the site of the present ruins of Cowdray. Not much is known about it and no trace remains 1311-15 The earlier Bohun house on St. Ann's Hill was destroyed 1492 The Bohun family died out and through marriage the house became the property of Sir David Owen 1520-29 The Bohun house was pulled down by Sir David Owen and he started to build Cowdray. He built the hall, dining parlour and room above, the two-storied block beyond, the chapel, buttery and pantry and also the kitchen tower, north range and half the west front 1529 Henry Owen sold Cowdray over his father's head to William FitzWilliam for 2,000, though his father was allowed to stay there until his death in 1535 1535 After Sir David Owen's death, Sir William FitzWilliam took residence at Cowdray and with a special licence from Henry VIII to empark and fortify the house; he built the porch, south range and gatehouse 1537 Sir William was created Earl of Southampton and afterwards received many visits from Henry VIII 1539 After a further visit by Henry VIII, the Earl put the Royal oat of arms over the porch, extended the chapel and made several additions to Cowdray 1542 Sir William FitzWilliam died and the estates passed to his half-brother, Sir Anthony Browne 1548 On Sir Anthony's death, his son, also called Anthony, inherited Cowdray 1554 Queen Mary bestows the title of Viscount Montague on Sir Anthony Browne 1591 Queen Elizabeth I spent a week at Cowdray 1592 First Viscount died and the Second Viscount Montague took over. He built the large bays on the northeast side of the court and drew up a book of household rules 1629 Third Viscount Montague took possession 1643-44 The Civil War in England meant that the house and estates were taken over and in 1644 all the plate and treasure was seized and sold. At one point Cowdray was under threat of demolition, but fortunately it was saved, though much damage was done while it was occupied by troops
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1682 Fourth Viscount Montague took over. He decorated the chapel 1708 Fifth Viscount Montague 1717 Sixth Viscount Montague made many alterations to windows and doors throughout Cowdray 1767 Seventh Viscount Montague 1787 Eighth Viscount Montague takes over 1793 September 24th, Cowdray is destroyed by fire and at the beginning of October, the Eighth Viscount is drowned. The title of Ninth Viscount Montague went to the second brother, though he did not own the house 1797 Estate when to William Stephen Poyntz, by marriage. He moved into the enlarged keepers lodge in the park 1843 After Mr. Poyntz death, his daughters sold the estate for 300,000 to the Sixth Earl of Egmont 1873 The Seventh Earl of Egmont took over and pulled down the keepers lodge and replaced it with a much large building 1897 Eighth Earl of Egmont took over 1908 Eighth Earl sold the Cowdray estates to Sir Weetman Dickinson Pearson, bart., who in 1910 became Baron Cowdray of Midhurst and in 1917, Viscount Cowdray. It his he who saved the ruins from any more neglect 1927 The Second Viscount Cowdray inherited the estates 1933 Third Viscount Cowdray inherits estates from his father 1995 Forth Viscount Cowdray inherits estates
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8 Bibliography
The Internet Visit to Cowdray castle The Private Character Of Queen Elizabeth By Frederick Chamberlin, Quiller-Couch and Wilson 1923 The Progress and Public Processions of Queen Elizabeth by John Nicols Cowdray: the History of a Great English House by Mrs. Charles Roundell The Portable Queen: the Progreses, Pagaents and Entertainments of Queen Elizabeth I by Jayne Elisabeth Archer, Elizabeth Goldring & Sarah Kinght National Archives online. The Accomplift Cook on the Art & Mystery of COOKERY by Robert May A Book of Orders and Rules by Anthony Viscount Montague, 1595 Victoria and Albert Museum Object Records Midhurst, Yesterday and Today.
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