Kettlethorpe Hall is a Victorian house in Kettlethorpe, Lincolnshire, noted for its connection to Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster. It encloses fragments of the former manor house including the medieval gatehouse, within the surviving moat. [1] It is a Grade II listed building. [2]
Sir Hugh Swynford (died in 1371) married Katherine Roet, whose sister Philippa is believed to have been the wife of Geoffrey Chaucer. Lady Katherine became governess to the children of John of Gaunt, the third surviving son of Edward III, and also Gaunt's mistress. Their four children, the Beauforts, were eventually legitimised when Gaunt took Lady Katherine as his third wife, in 1396. She at one time lived at Kettlethorpe Hall.
The present house was built in the early 1700s for Charles Hall, MP, whose grandfather had acquired the estate by marriage. [2] He died without issue and bequeathed Kettlethorpe to his half-brother's son, Charles Amcotts, MP of Harrington Hall. He in turn left it to his sister Anna-Maria, who had married Sir Wharton Emerson, who changed his name to Amcotts. After passing by marriage to Sir William Amcotts-Ingilby it was inherited by Weston Cracroft Amcotts, MP, who carried out extensive remodelling of the house in 1863. It then further passed down in the family to Sir Weston Cracroft-Amcotts, who sold it in 1961.
The house contains walls, some carved heads and a small oak-panelled room dating from the 17th century. In the old tower is an early 18th-century panelled dining room with a late 18th-century marble fireplace. The drawing room's stucco ceiling is 18th-century, and the library and front hall are Victorian. [3]
The moat and its cleaning was one of the most widely used examples in the MPs' expenses claims scandal during 2009. This contributed to the retirement of its owner, the 3rd Viscount Hailsham, from the House of Commons and the granting to him of a life peerage allowing him to sit in the House of Lords. [4]
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son of King Edward III of England, and the father of King Henry IV. Because of Gaunt's royal origin, advantageous marriages, and some generous land grants, he was one of the richest men of his era, and was an influential figure during the reigns of both his father and his nephew, Richard II. As Duke of Lancaster, he is the founder of the royal House of Lancaster, whose members would ascend the throne after his death. His birthplace, Ghent in Flanders, then known in English as Gaunt, was the origin of his name.
Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster was the third wife of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the fourth son of King Edward III.
Joan Beaufort was the youngest of the four legitimised children and only daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, by his mistress, later wife, Katherine de Roet. She married Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland and in her widowhood became a powerful landowner in the north of England.
Philippa de Roet was an English courtier, the sister of Katherine Swynford and the wife of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer.
Katherine is a 1954 historical novel by American author Anya Seton. It tells the story of the historically important, 14th-century love affair in England between the eponymous Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the third surviving son of King Edward III.
Thomas Chaucer was an English courtier and politician. The son of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer and his wife Philippa Roet, Thomas was linked socially and by family to senior members of the English nobility, though he was himself a commoner. Elected fifteen times to the Parliament of England, he was Speaker of the House of Commons for five parliaments in the early 15th century.
Kentwell Hall is a stately home in Long Melford, Suffolk, England. It includes the hall, outbuildings, a rare-breeds farm and gardens. Most of the current building facade dates from the mid-16th century, but the origins of Kentwell are much earlier, with references in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Beverston Castle, also known as Beverstone Castle or Tetbury Castle, was constructed as a medieval stone fortress in the village of Beverston, Gloucestershire, England. The property is a mix of manor house, various small buildings, extensive gardens and the medieval ruins of the fortified building. The castle was founded in 1229 by Maurice de Gaunt.
Elizabeth of Lancaster was the third child of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and his first wife Blanche of Lancaster. Elizabeth was made a Lady of the Garter in 1378.
Elton Hall is a baronial hall in Elton, Cambridgeshire. It has been the ancestral home of the Proby family since 1660.
Sir William Amcotts-Ingilby, 2nd Baronet was a British politician.
Richard le Despenser, 4th Baron Burghersh, K.B was the son and heir of Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester (1373–1400), by Constance of York.
Grantham House is a town house, built in 1380, which is owned by the National Trust. It is in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England.
Weston Cracroft Amcotts was an English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1874.
Kettlethorpe is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated 10 miles (16 km) west of Lincoln. The villages of Drinsey Nook and Laughterton lie within Kettlethorpe parish. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 426.
Paon de Roet, also called Paon de Roët, Sir Payn Roelt, Payne Roet and sometimes Gilles Roet, was a herald and knight from Hainaut who was involved in the early stages of the Hundred Years' War. He became attached to the court of King Edward III of England through the king's marriage to Philippa of Hainaut.
Lieutenant-Commander John Cracroft-Amcotts, DSC, DL, JP was an English landowner, soldier and local politician, who served as vice-chairman of Kesteven County Council and High Sheriff of Lincolnshire.
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Weston Cracroft-Amcotts, MC, DL, JP was an English land-owner, soldier and local politician, who served as Chairman of Lindsey County Council and High Sheriff of Lincolnshire.
Charles Amcotts (1729–1777), was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1754 and 1777.
South Rauceby Hall, South Rauceby, Lincolnshire, England is a country house dating from the mid-19th century. It was designed by William Burn in 1842 for Anthony Peacock Willson. Inherited by the Cracroft-Amcotts family, it remains a private home. It is a Grade II listed building.