The 1535 Progress: Ewelme Manor, Oxfordshire

The maner place of Ewelme is in the valley of the village: the base court of it is fair, and is buildid of brike and tymbre.
John Leland

In the fifteenth century, the Duke and Duchess of Suffolk, William and Alice de la Pole, enlarged and improved the manor house at Ewelme, which, after the execution of their grandson, Edmund de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, in 1513, was forfeited to the Crown. Most of the Earl’s confiscated estates and titles were re-granted in 1514 to Charles Brandon, newly created Duke of Suffolk and one of the king’s favourite companions. Twelve years later, in 1525, Henry VIII granted the manor of Ewelme to Charles and his wife Mary, the King’s sister.

Henry and Anne visited on 13 August 1531, en route to Woodstock, and again on 27 August 1532, as they returned to Windsor after the summer progress. However, by 1535, Suffolk’s lack of enthusiasm for Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn was repaid by his temporary fall from favour. Hence, Henry asked for the property back in exchange for lands elsewhere, and during the course of the 1535 progress, on 12 and 13 July, he and Anne inspected the manor.

The Duke claimed to have spent £1000 on Ewelme, but the property failed to impress the royal couple. It was noted that when ‘The King himself viewed Ewelme when lately there’, he found the manor ‘in great decay’ and in need of large sums of money to repair it. Even so, Ewelme once more became a royal residence and was used by the King as a lesser house, where he retreated for greater privacy with a select group of friends while on hunting trips.

Minor repairs carried out at the time of Henry and Anne’s visit provide some clues as to the layout of the buildings. There were the customary King’s and Queen’s apartments, with the Queen’s side comprising the watching chamber, presence chamber, bedchamber, and chapel. The King’s apartments contained a watching chamber, presence chamber, dining chamber, privy chamber, and bedchamber.

Leland’s account of Ewelme, recorded in 1542, testifies to its grandeur:

The maner place of Ewelme is in the valley of the village: the base court of it is fair, and is buildid of brike and tymbre. The inner part of the house is sette with in a fair mote, and is buildid richely of brike and stone. The haul of it is fair and hath great barres of iren overthuart it instede of crosse beames. The parler by is exceeding fair and lightstum: and so be al the lodginges there. The commune saying is that that Duk John [John de la Pole] made about the beginning of King Henry the vij [VII] tymes most of the goodly buildings withyn the mote.

In the early years of Elizabeth I’s reign, the residence was said to have been in such a sorry state that demolition was thought to be the only solution. However, some minor repairs were carried out that extended the life of the house, and the Queen visited Ewelme on a few occasions. However, the minor alterations were not sufficient to save the house, and by James I’s reign, the ‘capital mansion’ was completely ruined.

The Remains of Ewelme Manor

In 1612, a survey of the remains recorded the existence of a gatehouse outside the moat. It also mentioned several brick buildings, one of which held the monthly Court of the Honor. This range survived into the eighteenth century and was engraved by Samuel and Nathaniel Buck in 1727. It probably originally stood within the base court and is likely to have adjoined the brick gatehouse. It consisted of six chambers on the ground floor and five on the first, a lower hall and an upper hall, all heated by fireplaces. It was partially demolished sometime after the engraving was made; however, the walls of the hall and its roof still survive, and it is now incorporated into a house that is mainly Georgian in appearance.

Set back from the street, this house sits behind a low brick wall surrounded by open fields. At a glance, it looks like a simple nineteenth-century farmhouse, but its angle buttresses reveal something of its ancient past.

This is not the only building of interest in Ewelme. Over a twenty-year period, William and Alice de la Pole also rebuilt the church, established the Almshouse, and founded the school, all of which still stand as a testament to the splendour of the De La Poles’ former estate.

Visitor Information    

I visited the small Oxfordshire village of Ewleme at about the prettiest time of the year. Surely, there are no two months more delightful in England than May and June when nature’s mantel is in full bloom, vibrant colours fill the air, and the sweet scent of fragrant blossom fills the air.

The village is another perfect rural idyll, although sadly, generations of established families are dying out. As well-heeled commuters buy up the ever-more-expensive local property, children whose forefathers have lived in the area for generations are forced to move elsewhere. Today, prosperous businessmen, statesmen, and landed gentry keep immaculate houses that front onto quiet village lanes.

We recommend heading uphill toward the church and parking directly outside the gate. The village sits snugly on the side of a hill, and when you look out over the churchyard, you will already have a feel for just what an agreeable spot this is. It is not hard to see why a palace grew up here, surrounded by parkland for hunting and a plentiful supply of water, which runs along the bottom of the valley, close to where the old palace once stood.

The current parish church lies half a mile or so uphill from the original manor. Still, as the house Henry and Anne stayed in had its own private chapel, it is difficult to say with certainty that the royal couple visited here in person, although they no doubt saw it as they passed to and from their hunting trips.

Nevertheless, the medieval gems inside are not to be missed, particularly the stunning marble memento-mori tomb of Alice de la Pole, Duchess of Suffolk. The wall paintings in St John’s Chapel have been restored more recently but are accurate to the chapel’s original decoration. In the central aisle of the knave, you will also find the brass plaque marking the site of the tomb of the five-year-old Edward Norris, son of Sir Henry, who was once bailiff and keeper of the park at Ewelme.

Outside, head to the west doors; you are now standing in the short gallery that leads to and from the almshouses. The door leading to the almshouses is often shut, but our local guide assured us that the public does have access, so make sure you push it open and head down the short flight of stairs.

These stairs have seen countless generations of almsmen trek up and down to St John’s chapel inside the church to say prayers for Lady Alice’s soul. Although this tradition has long since been lost, the almshouses today continue the tradition of sheltering elderly inhabitants. Standing inside the small, galleried courtyard, you will soon be planning how to move in yourself! It is a haven of tranquillity and perfectly maintained. 

Continue around the gallery, heading out via a corridor on the right. This leads you into the formal garden. Enjoy its charms before turning left and walking down to the road. Here, you will find the other great medieval survivor of the village – the school.

The original aim of the school was to take the brightest boys from the estate to educate and prepare them for a university place at nearby Oxford. The school continues to serve as such and is in immaculate condition; the coats of arms of the founding family can be seen on the side fronting the road.

Next, turn right, heading down the High Street, back through the centre of the village. Just after Parson’s Lane, opposite Ewelme Preschool, is a red-brick wall marking the boundary of the current manor house; close to its main entrance, the manor of Ewelme once stood. I was lucky enough to be there on Spring Bank Holiday when the village fete was being held in the manor grounds, a worthy stop for tea and homemade cakes alone! In the adjacent field, the vague imprint of the moat is still visible. However, generally speaking, the manor house is privately owned and inaccessible to the public.

If you wish to rest and refresh, retrace your steps for a few metres before turning left up Parson’s Lane by King’s Pool, reputedly called so because Catherine Howard once playfully pushed Henry into it. We wish we could have seen that or perhaps pushed him in ourselves! Plotting revenge aside, continue up the lane back toward the church until you find Ewelme Stores, where you may finally take your ease.

As a side note, leading historian David Starkey believes that Henry VIII was likely conceived at Ewelme because his parents, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, spent much time at the manor house in late September and early October 1490 (Henry was born on 21 June 1491).

Postcode for St Mary Church: OX10 6HP and for Ewelme School: OX10 6HU.

To listen to the podcast episode associated with this blog, click here.

THE NEXT STOP ON YOUR PROGRESS IS ABINGDON: Click here to continue.

Other Nearby Tudor Locations of Interest

Grey’s Court (9 mIles)