Chenies Manor House facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chenies Manor House
Chenies Manor House
Alternative names	Chenies Palace
General information
Type	Country house
Architectural style	Tudor
Location	Chenies, Buckinghamshire
Country	England
Construction started	1460
Client	Sir John Cheyne

Chenies Manor House is a beautiful old building in Chenies, England. It's a special kind of country house built in the Tudor style. For a long time, people called it "Chenies Palace," but it was never actually a home for kings or queens, or even a bishop! The Cheney family owned this land since 1180. Later, it passed to the Russell family in 1526. They became the Earls and then Dukes of Bedford. Even though the Russells moved to Woburn Abbey later, their family mausoleum (a special burial place) is still at Chenies parish church.

John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford made the house much better. He wanted it big enough to host the king. He probably built it between 1530 and 1550. A much larger part of the house, which included royal rooms, was later taken down. Russell became very important to the kings and queens. He got rich and owned many properties. By 1608, Woburn Abbey became the family's main home. Chenies was then not used as much. The parts of the house you see today are the ones that were still useful.

There's an undercroft (an underground room) from the old medieval manor house. This part is a scheduled ancient monument, meaning it's protected.

History of Chenies Manor House

The house sits on a high spot in the area. It's about 400 yards south of the River Chess. This river marks the border between Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. People lived here even in Roman times. A Roman villa was found nearby, used from the 1st to 4th centuries AD.

A house was first recorded here in 1165. Back then, the place was called Isenhampstead. The church of St Michael is right next to the manor. Parts of the church are from the 12th century. A watermill also stood on the nearby river in the 12th century.

Early Owners: The Cheyne Family

The first recorded Cheyne to own the property was Alexander Cheyne. His son, John, became a sheriff (a top law officer) in 1278. He was also made a knight. When he died in 1285, the house was given to King Edward I to pay off debts. The king stayed at Isenhampstead in 1290. This suggests it was a big house even then.

The estate was called Isenhampsted Chenies by 1321. This helped tell it apart from another place called Isenhampstead Latimer. The property passed through several Cheyne family members. One owner, Sir John Cheyne, was sentenced to death in 1397. His punishment was changed to life in prison because he was a Lollard (someone who followed a religious movement).

The estate eventually passed to Anne Sapcote. She married John Broughton. After he died, she married John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford in 1526. This is how the property came into the hands of the important Russell family.

Chenies Manor House, showing the modern driveway approach from the east.

The Russell Family and Royal Visits

John Russell, first Earl of Bedford

John Russell was a rising star in Tudor England. He served kings Henry VII, Henry VIII, and Edward VI. He was rewarded well for his loyalty. He fought in wars, became a knight, and joined the royal household. He was also a diplomat, a member of parliament, and a privy councillor. He became Lord High Admiral and Keeper of the Privy Seal. In 1539, he became Baron Russell of Chenies. In 1550, he was made Earl of Bedford.

When he married Anne and got Chenies, the king gave him the nearby Manor of Amersham as a wedding gift. Russell made many improvements to the house. He was likely responsible for building the south wing.

King Henry VIII visited the manor several times. He came with his court, which could be 1000 people! In 1534, he visited with Anne Boleyn and Princess Elizabeth. In 1541, he came with Katherine Howard.

A writer named Sir John Leland visited in 1544. He wrote that Lord Russell had changed the old house a lot. He said much of it was new, made of brick and timber. He also mentioned that the house had two deer parks.

John Russell died in 1555. His son, Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford, took over. Francis had been imprisoned and exiled for trying to put Lady Jane Grey on the throne. But he regained royal favor. When Queen Elizabeth I became queen, he became a trusted government member. In 1560, Francis restyled the house and made it his main home. Queen Elizabeth visited in July 1570 and stayed for four weeks! Records show repairs were made to prepare for her visit.

Francis died in 1585 with many debts. An inventory (a list of items) of Chenies was made. It showed the house had nine main bedrooms, three kitchens, and an armoury for fifty men. There were also separate buildings for servants. Francis's widow died in 1601. Her will said Chenies was empty and unfurnished.

Francis's grandson, Edward Russell, 3rd Earl of Bedford, inherited the estate. He was involved in a rebellion against the queen. As a result, he was fined and kept under house arrest at Chenies for a time. The family's luck improved after 1603 when James I became king. Edward's wife, Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford, became a lady-in-waiting to the queen. By 1608, Chenies was only used by servants, and the Russell family never lived there again.

Chenies, south western corner, viewed from the south. At left is the oldest surviving part of the building; at right is the south facade showing its lack of windows

Later Years and Changes

In 1627, the estate went to Edward's cousin, Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford. He supported the Parliament in the conflict with the king. Francis died before the English Civil War began. His son, William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford, also supported Parliament. Chenies was even used as a base for Parliament's soldiers. Graffiti found in the old undercroft suggests it might have been a prison then.

William later became Duke of Bedford in 1694. By this time, the Russell family had developed other estates, especially in London. Chenies became less important to them. However, the family continues to be buried in the Bedford Chapel at Chenies parish church.

In 1728, what is now the west wing was rented out as a farmhouse. The south wing was mostly empty. In 1735, the manager said Chenies was a "very large old house." He thought it was not worth much and should be pulled down. In 1746, a report was made about the number of windows because of a new window tax. This tax made people want fewer windows. This might explain why the sunny south side of the house has so few windows today. The entire north part of the house might have been taken down around this time.

Chenies, south range, viewed from the south east

By 1760, the south wing was divided into five separate homes. The manager suggested tearing down the whole building. But some repairs were done instead. Around 1830, an architect named Edward Blore helped with more renovations. In 1840, a Tudor building attached to the west wing was rebuilt.

The manor stayed with the Russells until it was sold in 1954. Today, the Macleod Matthews family owns it and lives there. It is open to the public at certain times. The house has a medieval well, a dungeon, and a secret priest hole. It's known for its 23 unique brick chimneys. The gardens are also famous, with a physic garden (for medicinal plants) and two mazes. The house overlooks the valley of the River Chess.

Uncovering Chenies Manor's Secrets

The manor has changed a lot over time. There aren't many old records showing these changes. So, it's hard to know the exact age of the buildings or how they fit into the original Tudor house. An expert named Nikolaus Pevsner visited in the 1960s. He called it "a fascinating puzzle."

View across the gardens to the west of the manor, looking at the oldest surviving part which is now the west wing

Archaeological Discoveries by Time Team

In 2004, the TV show Time Team did an archaeological dig at Chenies Manor. They wanted to find out about parts of the manor that were no longer there. They knew the existing west and south wings were part of a much larger building. People thought there might have been a quadrangle (a courtyard with buildings on all four sides). This would have included north and east wings and a grand gatehouse. These parts were likely taken down when the house was no longer owned by such a rich family.

Time Team first looked at the area where an old Tudor wall stood on the east side. They thought it might have been part of an eastern wing. But they didn't find any evidence of a big building there. Then, they looked at the northern side. Here, they did find evidence of a large Tudor building. It lined up with the nearby St Michael's church, just as old stories had said. This building wasn't just one side of a quadrangle. It stretched far to the west of the current west wing.

Dating the Buildings

The team used a method called dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) to find out when the timbers in the west and south wings were cut. This helped them figure out when the buildings were constructed.

They found that the south wing was built later, but still in the Tudor period. Seven timbers from the roof of the long gallery were cut between 1547 and 1552. This means the building was likely constructed in 1552. A large beam from the floor was also tested. It was cut between 1540 and 1572. This fits with the roof's date. The floor design was very old, making it the earliest dated floor of its kind.

Three timbers from the roof of the southern part of the western wing were cut between 1537 and 1538. The northern part of the roof had timbers cut between 1515 and 1550. These dates matched, and both roof sections looked similar. The ceilings were built at the same time as the rooms.

The evidence from the roof timbers suggests that the south wing didn't exist when King Henry VIII visited. The building might have been shaped like a 'T' then. The long top of the 'T' would be the demolished buildings, and the vertical bar would be the existing south wing.

The original Tudor building was probably much larger, perhaps six times the size of what remains today. During the dig, they also found pottery from the 12th and 13th centuries. This shows that people lived on the site even back then. One piece of pottery was even from the early Bronze Age!

Chenies Manor on Screen

Chenies Manor has been used many times in television shows and films. It appeared in To Play the King and Midsomer Murders. It was also used for scenes in classic stories like those by Jane Austen. More recently, it was in the TV show Little Dorrit in 2008, based on the book by Charles Dickens.

In 1999, it was the big house in the film Tom's Midnight Garden. In 2007, it was a location for the Woody Allen film Cassandra's Dream. Actors Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell filmed scenes in the garden area.

The gardens are famous for their tulips. They are promoted by the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

Images for kids

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  Chenies Manor House

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  Chenies Manor House, showing the modern driveway approach from the east.

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  John Russell, first Earl of Bedford

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  Chenies, south western corner, viewed from the south. At left is the oldest surviving part of the building; at right is the south facade showing its lack of windows

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  Chenies, south range, viewed from the south east

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  View across the gardens to the west of the manor, looking at the oldest surviving part which is now the west wing