Halswell House is a Grade I listed country house in Goathurst, Somerset, England. [1] [2]
Halswell House is a Grade I listed country house in Goathurst, Somerset, England. [1] [2]
The Domesday Book of 1086 lists the holder of the manor of Halswell as Roger Arundel, whose tenant was Wido. It descended from Roger to Henry de Newburgh, whose tenant in 1285 was Taunton Priory. [3]
Peter de Halswell was the holder in 1285, and held by the feudal tenure of 1/4 of a knight's fee. William de Halswell held the manor in 1303 as 1/8 of a knight's fee. William Halswell was living in 1394 and appears to have been the holder in 1428. The descent is uncertain thereafter until Nicholas Halswell (c.1512-1564), MP for Bridgwater in 1553 and 1563, the son of John Halswell by his wife Mary Est. Nicholas' son by his wife Margery Tremayle (d.1573) was Robert Halswell (d.1570), who built Halswell House, whose eldest son by his wife Susan Brouncker (daughter of Henry Brouncker of Melksham, Wiltshire, Sheriff of Wiltshire) was Sir Nicholas Halswell (1566-1633), MP for Bridgwater in 1604. [4] His eldest son Robert Halswell (d.1626), MP for Bridgwater in 1614, [5] predeceased him, and thus Sir Nicholas's heir was his eldest surviving son Henry Halswell (d.1636). Sir Nicholas had settled much of his property, including Halswell, onto Henry in 1628 in order to escape his creditors. Henry died unmarried and without progeny when his heir became his brother Rev. Hugh Halswell (d. 1672), rector of Cheriton, Hampshire and proctor of Oxford University, who left a sole daughter Jane Halswell (d.1650) his sole heiress. Jane married John Tynte of Chelvey Court, Brockley, Somerset, and left a son Sir Halswell Tynte, 1st Baronet (d.1702), whose inheritance became the manor of Halswell. [6]
In 1667 the manor was put into trust for Jane Halswell's son Sir Halswell Tynte, 1st Baronet (1649–1702), MP for Bridgwater 1679–1689. [7] Rev. Sir John Tynte, 2nd Baronet (1683–1710), rector of Goathurst, married Jane Kemeys of the Kemeys family of Cefn Mably. He was succeeded successively by his three sons: Sir Halsewell Tynte, 3rd Baronet (1705–30), of Halswell and Cefnmabli, whose two daughters died young; Rev. Sir John Tynte, 4th Baronet (1707–1740), also rector of Goathurst, who died unmarried and Sir Charles Kemys Tynte, 5th Baronet (1710–1785), who died without progeny leaving Halswell to a niece who adopted the name Kemys Tynte. Cefn Mably remained in the hands of the Kemeys Tynte family until 1923. Archived 23 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine
In 1916 the Kemeys-Tynte's reclaimed the dormant Barony of Wharton through petition to the House of Lords. The Halswell estate was finally sold by Lord Wharton and broken up through as series of auctions between 1948 and 1950. The estate buildings and much of the Tudor manor were subdivided into flats, probably saving the house from the destruction that was sweeping through other historic houses from that time until the 1970s. The Baroque house, too large and draughty for such habitation was left untouched and used as a warehouse. The bulk of the house was bought by a succession of owners who attempted to reunite the fragmented ownership of the estate, the last was a property developer and hotelier who bought Halswell in 2004 and went bankrupt in 2012.
British businessman and art collector Edward Strachan bought the estate in 2013 and has begun a comprehensive process of restoration of the house, outbuildings, gardens and eighteenth-century landscape parkland with the intention of opening the house to the public when the restorations are complete. By the end of 2013 the derelict eighteenth-century lake system called Mill Wood, containing follies, bridges, dams and waterfalls was purchased by the same owner and reunited with the house for the first time since the estate was broken up in 1950. This has been re-planted with trees and the follies are being restored.
Halswell Park was developed between 1745 and 1785 as a setting for Halswell House. The 17-acre (69,000 m2) pleasure garden was created by Sir Charles Kemeys Tynte, and ranks in importance with some of the finest landscape gardens in Europe. In 1740 the grounds covered 30 acres (12 ha) but this had been expanded to 132 acres (53 ha) by 1800. It included tree plantations and avenues with a canal later converted into a lake. [8] The park, which is listed, Grade II, on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England, [9] is on the Heritage at Risk Register. [10]
The grounds contain many fanciful buildings, fish ponds, cascades and bridges, [11] including the Temple of Harmony which stands in Mill Wood. Completed in 1767, it is Grade II listed [12] and has been fully restored. It is open to the public on Sundays from May until September.
The contents of the house were sold in 1948, and the house itself in 1950 when the rest of the estate was auctioned off. Part of the house was converted into flats. The Halswell Park Trust was established with the aim of acquiring the buildings and surrounding land of Halswell Park, restoring them and opening them to the public. In 1998, the Somerset Buildings Preservation Trust restored Robin Hood's Hut (Grade II), [13] which has views over Somerset, the Bristol Channel and South Wales. Robin Hood's Hut is now owned by the Landmark Trust, who let the building on short holiday leases.[ citation needed ] In December 2006, the rock band Radiohead used the house to record part of their album In Rainbows . [14] [15]
Baron Wharton is a title in the Peerage of England, originally granted by letters patent to the heirs male of the 1st Baron, which was forfeited in 1729 when the last male-line heir was declared an outlaw. The Barony was erroneously revived in 1916 by writ of summons, thanks to an 1844 decision in the House of Lords based on absence of documentation. As such, the current Barony of Wharton could more accurately be listed as a new Barony, created in 1916, with the precedence of the older Barony.
Bridgwater is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2024 by Ashley Fox of the Conservative Party. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Elisabeth Dorothy Kemys-Tynte, 10th Baroness Wharton, an English peer, was the daughter of Charles Theodore Halswell Kemeys-Tynte, 8th Baron Wharton. She inherited the barony from her brother John Kemeys-Tynte, 9th Baron Wharton.
Goathurst is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Somerset, around 3 miles from the town of Bridgwater. The parish includes the hamlets of Andersfield and Huntstile. The village is on the route of the Samaritans Way South West.
The Temple of Harmony is an 18th-century folly in the grounds of Halswell House, Goathurst, Somerset, England. Built in 1767, it is a replica of the 1st-century Temple of Fortuna Virilis in Rome. The Temple stands in Mill Wood, a 17-acre pleasure garden in the grounds of Halswell House, and was built for Sir Charles Kemeys-Tynte in 1767 to designs by Thomas Prowse, with features by Robert Adam and Thomas Stocking. The Temple was dedicated to the memory of a mutual friend, Peregrine Palmer, formerly MP for Oxford University.
Robin Hood's Hut is a small pavilion in the grounds of Halswell House, Goathurst, Somerset, in the west of England.
Colonel Sir Guy Theophilus Halswell Campbell, 5th Baronet OBE, MC was a British soldier. Sir Guy's branch of the Campbell baronets, of St Cross Mede, were created in 1815 with Sir Guy Campbell, 1st Baronet.
The Grade I listed buildings in Somerset, England, demonstrate the history and diversity of its architecture. The ceremonial county of Somerset consists of a non-metropolitan county, administered by Somerset County Council, which is divided into five districts, and two unitary authorities. The districts of Somerset are West Somerset, South Somerset, Taunton Deane, Mendip and Sedgemoor. The two administratively independent unitary authorities, which were established on 1 April 1996 following the breakup of the county of Avon, are North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset. These unitary authorities include areas that were once part of Somerset before the creation of Avon in 1974.
Sir Charles Kemeys, 3rd Baronet was a Welsh landowner in the late 17th century and early 18th century in south Wales and MP for both Monmouthshire and Monmouth Boroughs.
The Church of St Edward King and Martyr in Goathurst, Somerset, England dates from the 14th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.
Sir John Northcote, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1676. He supported the Parliamentarian cause in the English Civil War.
Charles Kemeys Kemeys Tynte or Charles Kemeys Kemeys-Tynte was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1820 to 1837.
There have been two baronetcies created for persons with the surname Tynte, one in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of Ireland. Both are extinct.
Chelvey Court in the village of Chelvey near Brockley in the English county of Somerset was a large manor house built between 1618 and 1660 for Edward and John Tynte. It is a Grade II* listed building.
Sir Charles Kemys Tynte, 5th Baronet, of Halswell House, near Bridgwater, Somerset and Cefn Mably, Glamorganshire, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1745 and 1774.
Sir Paulet St John, 1st Baronet was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1734 and 1754.
Sir Charles Kemeys, 4th Baronet (1688–1735) was a British Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1713 and 1734.
Sir Halswell Tynte, 3rd Baronet, of Halswell House, Goathurst, Somerset, was an English Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1727 to 1730.
Sir Halswell Tynte, 1st Baronet (1649–1702) of Halswell House, Goathurst, Somerset, was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1679 to 1685.
