Rycote House (also Rycote Manor) the manor of Rycote, Oxfordshire, England, was a Tudor (and later Georgian) country house. First built in the early 16th century, the present site was rebuilt in the 1920s. [1]
Rycote is a large house built of brick and limestone rubble arranged around three sides of a courtyard. The main wing has two storeys with attics and a 4-centre arched entrance. It is a Grade II* listed building. [2]
Carved masonry has been found from a substantial house that stood here in the 14th century. [3] Rycote House was a great Tudor country house that was built here early in the 16th century, probably for Sir John Heron, Treasurer of the Chamber to first Henry VII and then Henry VIII, [4] who bought the manor of Rycote on his retirement in 1521. [5] The exact origins of the house remain uncertain, however. [6] Henry VIII and his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, honeymooned here in 1540. [7] Pictures from circa 1674-1685 [8] and 1714 show that the main part of the house was arranged around a courtyard. [3] It had stepped gables, a gatehouse and polygonal corner turrets with cupolas and was surrounded by a moat. [3] Tudor buildings were constructed on a symmetrical pattern, with a focal central part being the Great Hall. Archaeologist Julian Munby analysed the bricks as being small and slim and typically from the Tudor period; some of the bricks were recycled from rubble masonry.
According to historian Robin Bush, the palace was built between 1500 and 1530, and then sold by the original owner to pay off debts. [9] In 1542 Rycote was bought by Sir John Williams, Master of the Jewels to Henry VIII and later created Baron Williams of Thame. [10] Baron Williams died without a male heir, so Rycote became part of the Norreys family estates, descending to his son-in-law Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys. [1] [11]
Elizabeth I came to Rycote on 28 September 1592 and was presented with jewels during a country house entertainment. [12] Charles I visited Rycote in 1625. [3] In 1682 James Bertie, 5th Baron Norreys of Rycote, was created 1st Earl of Abingdon. He died in 1699 and a memorial to him was erected in the chapel in 1767. [3]
It was long believed that Rycote House burned down in 1745 and that its remains were demolished in 1807, [13] apart from one corner turret and some outbuildings. [3] However, in 2001 Channel 4's Time Team investigated Rycote Park looking for the remains of the Tudor Rycote House [7] and established that Rycote had been rebuilt after the fire. The Bodleian Library in Oxford holds records of sales of contents and fabric from Rycote, indicating that the Tudor house was sold by lot for removal between 1779 and 1802.
In about 1920 the extensive stables were converted into the present Rycote House. [1] Later, Rycote belonged to the Member of Parliament and prominent Rugby Union player Alfred St. George Hamersley (1848–1929). In the chapel, there is a memorial to Hamersley made by the sculptor Eric Gill. [3]
Thame is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about 13 miles (21 km) east of the city of Oxford and 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Aylesbury. It derives its name from the River Thame which flows along the north side of the town and forms part of the county border with Buckinghamshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Moreton south of the town. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 11,561. Thame was founded in the Anglo-Saxon era and was in the kingdom of Wessex.
Earl of Abingdon is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created on 30 November 1682 for James Bertie, 5th Baron Norreys of Rycote. He was the eldest son of Montagu Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey by his second marriage to Bridget, 4th Baroness Norreys de Rycote, and the younger half-brother of Robert Bertie, 3rd Earl of Lindsey. His mother's family descended from Sir Henry Norris, who represented Berkshire and Oxfordshire in the House of Commons and served as Ambassador to France. In 1572 he was summoned by writ to Parliament as Lord Norreys de Rycote. He was succeeded by his grandson, the second Baron. In 1621, he created Viscount Thame and Earl of Berkshire in the Peerage of England. He had no sons and on his death in 1624 the viscountcy and earldom became extinct. He was succeeded in the barony by his daughter Elizabeth, the third holder of the title. On her death, the title passed to her daughter, the aforementioned Bridget, the fourth Baroness, and second wife of the second Earl of Lindsey.
Willoughby Bertie, 4th Earl of Abingdon, styled Lord Norreys from 1745 to 1760, was an English peer and music patron.
Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys of Rycote in Oxfordshire, was an English politician and diplomat, who belonged to an old Berkshire family, many members of which had held positions at the English court.
Henry Norris was an English courtier who was Groom of the Stool in the privy chamber of King Henry VIII. While a close servant of the King, he also supported the faction in court led by Queen Anne Boleyn, and when Anne fell out of favour, he was among those accused of treason and adultery with her. He was found guilty and executed, together with the Queen's brother, George Boleyn, Sir Francis Weston, William Brereton and Mark Smeaton. Most historical authorities argue that the accusations were untrue and part of a plot to get rid of Anne.
Stadhampton is a village and civil parish about 7 miles southeast of Oxford in South Oxfordshire, England. Stadhampton is close to the River Thame, a tributary of the River Thames. The village was first mentioned by name in 1146, and was in the ownership of the bishops of Lincoln, the crown, and various Oxford colleges for most of subsequent history. The village includes several buildings of historical and architectural interest, including a parish church with features dating back to the 12th-century.
Beckley is a village in Oxfordshire about 4.5 miles (7 km) northeast of the centre of Oxford. Beckley is part of the civil parish of Beckley and Stowood. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 608. The village is 400 feet (120 m) above sea level on the northern brow of a hill overlooking Otmoor. The hill is the highest part of the parish, rising to 463 feet (141 m) south of the village near Stow Wood. On the eastern brow of the hill is Oxford transmitting station, a television relay mast that is a local landmark.
Norreys may refer to various members of, or estates belonging to, a landed family chiefly seated in the English counties of Berkshire and Lancashire and the Irish county of Cork.
Bainton is a hamlet comprising a cluster of farms in the civil parish of Stoke Lyne, about 3 miles (5 km) north of the centre of Bicester.
Bayworth is a hamlet in the civil parish of Sunningwell about 3 miles (5 km) south of Oxford. Bayworth was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.
Chesterton is a village and civil parish on Gagle Brook, a tributary of the Langford Brook in north Oxfordshire. The village is about 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) southwest of the market town of Bicester. The village has sometimes been called Great Chesterton to distinguish it from the hamlet of Little Chesterton, about 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) to the south in the same parish. The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 850.
Great Haseley is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England. The village is about 4.5 miles (7 km) southwest of Thame. The parish includes the hamlets of Latchford, Little Haseley and North Weston and the house, chapel and park of Rycote. The parish stretches 6 miles (10 km) along a northeast — southwest axis, bounded by the River Thame in the north, Haseley Brook in the south and partly by a boundary hedge with Little Milton parish in the west. The 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 511.
Sydenham is a village and civil parish about 3 miles (5 km) southeast of Thame in Oxfordshire. To the south the parish is bounded by the ancient Lower Icknield Way, and on its other sides largely by brooks that merge as Cuttle Brook, a tributary of the River Thame. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 451.
Mary Fiennes (1495–1531) was an English courtier. She was the wife of Henry Norris. Norris was executed for treason as one of the alleged lovers of her cousin, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England. Mary lived for six years at the French court as a Maid of Honour to queens consort Mary Tudor, wife of Louis XII; and Claude of France, wife of Francis I.
Bridget Norris, Countess of Berkshire was an English noblewoman, the daughter of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. Bridget was brought up by her maternal grandfather, the powerful statesman William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley. She was also styled Lady Norris of Rycote and Viscountess Thame. She married Francis Norris, 1st Earl of Berkshire; however, the marriage was not a success, and they separated in 1606.
Francis Norris, 1st Earl of Berkshire was an English nobleman and courtier.
Rycote is a hamlet 2.5 miles (4.0 km) southwest of Thame in Oxfordshire. The Oxfordshire Way long-distance path passes through.
John Williams, 1st Baron Williams of Thame was Master of the Jewels and Lord President of the Council of the Welsh Marches. He was summoned to parliament as Lord Williams of Thame on 17 February 1554.
Sir Henry Norris (1554–1599) was an English soldier and politician during the Tudor period.
Margery Norris was a courtier to Queen Elizabeth I. She, her husband and her six sons all served the crown and they have a huge monument in Westminster Abbey.
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