Recent from talks
Cowdray House
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Cowdray House
Cowdray House consists of the ruins of one of England's great Tudor houses, architecturally comparable to many of the great palaces and country houses of that time. It is situated in the parish of Easebourne, just east of Midhurst, West Sussex standing on the north bank of the River Rother. It was largely destroyed by fire on 24 September 1793, but the ruins are Grade I listed for their historical importance.
The house is also known for a series of now destroyed and very detailed paintings of near contemporary events in Tudor England, whose appearances have survived in various published etchings made over the centuries when they existed.
The original fortified manor house was built between 1273 and 1284 by Sir John Bohun across the river from the town of Midhurst. He named it Coudreye, the Norman word for the nearby hazel woods.
In the 1520s, Sir David Owen, uncle to Henry VII, began construction of the current Cowdray House on the site of the former home Coudreye, which he had acquired upon the death of his wife Mary Bohun in 1496.
The main entrance was through a three-story gatehouse. Gatehouses were often a focus of display, and the approach to the entrance was via a causeway across marshy ground. The historian Audrey Thorstad suggests that dictating the approach to the castle was drawn from medieval practices, and the reflections in the watery landscape would have enhanced the appearance of the gatehouse.
In 1529, Sir David's son, Henry, sold the estate of Cowdray to Sir William Fitzwilliam. In 1533 Henry VIII granted a licence to Fitzwilliam's trustees to impark 600 acres (240 ha) of meadow, pasture and wood and build fortifications at "Cowdry".[permanent dead link]
In 1536, following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Sir William was given the nearby Easebourne Priory and other properties, whilst in 1538 his half-brother and heir who later inherited Cowdray, Anthony Browne, received Battle Abbey. It is rumoured that a dispossessed monk from Battle cursed the family and house by fire and water, thy line shall come to an end and it shall perish out of this land.
Henry VIII made five visits to the house during his reign, in August 1538, July 1539 and August 1545.
Hub AI
Cowdray House AI simulator
(@Cowdray House_simulator)
Cowdray House
Cowdray House consists of the ruins of one of England's great Tudor houses, architecturally comparable to many of the great palaces and country houses of that time. It is situated in the parish of Easebourne, just east of Midhurst, West Sussex standing on the north bank of the River Rother. It was largely destroyed by fire on 24 September 1793, but the ruins are Grade I listed for their historical importance.
The house is also known for a series of now destroyed and very detailed paintings of near contemporary events in Tudor England, whose appearances have survived in various published etchings made over the centuries when they existed.
The original fortified manor house was built between 1273 and 1284 by Sir John Bohun across the river from the town of Midhurst. He named it Coudreye, the Norman word for the nearby hazel woods.
In the 1520s, Sir David Owen, uncle to Henry VII, began construction of the current Cowdray House on the site of the former home Coudreye, which he had acquired upon the death of his wife Mary Bohun in 1496.
The main entrance was through a three-story gatehouse. Gatehouses were often a focus of display, and the approach to the entrance was via a causeway across marshy ground. The historian Audrey Thorstad suggests that dictating the approach to the castle was drawn from medieval practices, and the reflections in the watery landscape would have enhanced the appearance of the gatehouse.
In 1529, Sir David's son, Henry, sold the estate of Cowdray to Sir William Fitzwilliam. In 1533 Henry VIII granted a licence to Fitzwilliam's trustees to impark 600 acres (240 ha) of meadow, pasture and wood and build fortifications at "Cowdry".[permanent dead link]
In 1536, following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Sir William was given the nearby Easebourne Priory and other properties, whilst in 1538 his half-brother and heir who later inherited Cowdray, Anthony Browne, received Battle Abbey. It is rumoured that a dispossessed monk from Battle cursed the family and house by fire and water, thy line shall come to an end and it shall perish out of this land.
Henry VIII made five visits to the house during his reign, in August 1538, July 1539 and August 1545.
Recent media