SEVENOAKS DISTRICT
STATELY HOMES, CASTLES & TOWERS
Kent is home to various stately homes, country houses, castles, and towers, some of which have intriguing stories of hauntings throughout history. Notable figures like Sir Winston Churchill and Charles Darwin are linked to some of these locations. Additionally, there are lesser-known treasures that hold their own surprises.
Here is what has been found so far in the Sevenoaks District
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Please note that not all of these sites are publicly accessible, as some may be located on private property. Be sure to check in advance and obtain permission if necessary. Do not trespass!
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If you know of any sites that are missing or have heard reports of paranormal activity at any stately homes Castle & Towers not mentioned here, please get in touch. Thank you.
CHIDDINGSTONE CASTLE
HILL HOATH ROAD, CHIDDINGSTONE, EDENBRIDGE TN8
**PARANORMAL ACTIVITY**
Every castle has its ghost stories, and Chiddingstone is no exception. These ghost stories pertain to the grounds rather than the castle itself.
The ghost of a lady, believed to be a member of the Streatfeild family, is said to wander the castle. Ann, the daughter of the Earl of Leicester, married into the Streatfeild family in the 1700s and was fond of the castle. Witnesses have reported sightings of her ghost riding her horse along the lane leading to the castle, identifiable by her three-cornered hat and riding habit.
The other apparition is even more famous: the ghost of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII. Witnesses claim to have seen her on the small bridge crossing the River Eden within the castle grounds and under the great oak tree, where it is said that Henry courted her. Her ghost reportedly appears most often during the Christmas season. Anne had connections with Chiddingstone, as her father purchased property in the village in the early 1500s.
**HISTORY**
Chiddingstone Castle is a Grade II listed building located in the village of Chiddingstone, near Edenbridge, Kent, approximately 35 miles south of London and in the upper valley of the River Medway.
The first structure on the castle site was a timber-framed dwelling built in the early 16th century by Richard Streatfeild, an iron master and wool merchant. Little remains of this original building, as it was rebuilt in 1679 by Henry Streatfeild (1639-1719) in red brick, following the Restoration style.
The property was known as High Street House or High Street Mansion because it faced the village's High Street. In the 19th century, the grounds surrounding the house were remodelled, leading to the current road diversion through the village.
In the early 19th century, Henry Streatfeild (1757-1829), the son of Henry Streatfeild (1706-1762) and Lady Anne Sidney, undertook a Gothic-style rebuilding of the house; however, the design was not completed before his death. In 1835, Streatfeild's son, another Henry Streatfeild (1784-1852), hired an architect to renovate further.
From the early 16th century until the end of the 19th century, the property remained in the hands of the Streatfeild family, now renamed Chiddingstone Castle. However, the family ceased to live there after 1900, and the property was sold to Lord Astor in 1938.
During the Second World War, the castle accommodated Canadian Forces members before becoming Long Dene School, which it remained until 1954.
In 1955, Denys Eyre Bower (1905-1977) purchased the castle to display his collections. Before this, Bower had worked as a bank clerk and took over Cavendish Hood Antiques Dealers in Baker Street, London, in 1943. The redevelopment of Baker Street prompted Bower's move to Chiddingstone Castle, where he aimed to showcase his collections to the public.
In 1957, Bower was convicted of attempted murder of his girlfriend and attempted suicide, resulting in a life sentence. However, he was released in 1962 after solicitor Ruth Eldridge successfully proved a miscarriage of justice. Upon returning to Chiddingstone Castle, with the help of Eldridge and her sister Mary, he continued to welcome visitors until he died in 1977.
Bower bequeathed the castle and his collections to the nation, forming the Denys Eyre Bower Bequest. The castle and its 35 acres (140,000 m²) of grounds have since been held in trust for the public and are open for visitation.
CHARTWELL
MAPLETON RD, WESTERHAM TN16
**PARANORMAL ACTIVITY**
Many visitors have reported occasionally smelling cigar smoke as they tour the rooms, and some claim to have seen Churchill sitting in an armchair. Others wonder if they too have encountered the ghost of his father, as Churchill did in one of the most fascinating ghost stories associated with Chartwell, recounted by Churchill himself in an article entitled "The Dream."
**HISTORY**
The Chartwell estate has origins that date back to the 14th century. In 1382, William-at-Well sold the property, which was then called Well Street. It changed hands several times and was auctioned in 1836 as a substantial brick-built manor.
In 1848, John Campbell-Colquhoun purchased the estate. The Campbell-Colquhouns significantly enlarged the house, and by 1922, when it was advertised for sale, it was described as an "imposing" mansion.
Winston Churchill bought Chartwell in September 1922 and lived there on and off for over forty years, until shortly before his death in January 1965. During the 1930s, while excluded from political office, Chartwell became the center of his world. He would gather at the dining table with those who could support his campaign against German rearmament and the British government's policy of appeasement. In his study, he composed speeches and wrote books, and in the garden, he built walls, constructed lakes, and painted.
Chartwell was largely unused during the Second World War, but Churchill returned after losing the 1945 election. In 1946, when financial constraints forced him to consider selling the estate, the National Trust acquired it with funds raised by a consortium of Churchill's friends, led by Lord Camrose, on the condition that Churchill retained a life tenancy.
When Churchill became Prime Minister again in 1953, the house served as his refuge and retreat, especially after he suffered a devastating stroke. However, in October 1964, he left for the last time and died at his London home, 28 Hyde Park Gate, on January 24, 1965. After his death, Lady Churchill surrendered her lease on the house, and the Trust opened it to the public in 1966.
Chartwell is a Grade I listed building due to its historical significance rather than its architectural merit. The Churchill family cherished Chartwell as a home and a place that truly inspired Sir Winston. The house remains much as it was when the family lived there, filled with pictures, books, and personal mementos that reflect this influential family's career and varied interests. The studio houses the most extensive collection of Churchill's paintings.
A popular self-service restaurant offers fresh produce from the Chartwell kitchen garden, and the shop sells Churchill memorabilia and other interesting local items. On selected days, the estate hosts free talks and tours, studio talks, as well as children's trails and activities.
EYNSFORD CASTLE
GIBSON PLACE, EYNSFORD DA4
**PARANORMAL ACTIVITY**
The castle is reported to be haunted. Witnesses have described a specific cold spot in the earthworks of the empty moat and have reported sightings of manifestations, although details about these manifestations and their locations are unclear.
In January 2018, a father walking with his son captured what is thought to be a black figure, possibly a monk, within the castle grounds. More information about this report can be found HERE. However, this sighting has been disputed, so it's up to you to decide whether to debunk it, as SkepticBoots suggested HERE.
**HISTORY**
The castle was founded shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066. An earlier Saxon building, a timber watchtower on an artificial motte, existed on the site, but no evidence of this remains today.
This castle is a rare example of an early Norman "enclosure castle" not altered by later construction.
The stonework of its curtain wall, which still stands at 30 feet in some places, dates back to around 1100 and was built over an 11th-century timber motte and bailey.
It was initially constructed by William de Eynsford I, a Norman knight for King John and sheriff of Kent. The impressive curtain wall was completed between 1085 and 1087.
In 1130, the wall was heightened, and a gate tower was added to strengthen the castle's defences. Around this time, a hall, which provided accommodation for the Eynsford family, along with other associated buildings, was erected inside the castle walls. These structures were reconstructed around 1250 following a fire.
Later, the castle became the subject of a contentious inheritance dispute when the Eynsford family line ended in 1261, when the last William de Eynsford died; his only daughter, Maud, had married into the Criol family. The castle and its estate were divided between the Kirkeby and Criol families, leading to significant conflict.
This dispute culminated in 1312 when Nicholas de Criol and his supporters broke into Eynsford Castle and vandalised it in protest against Judge William Inge, who had purchased the castle from the Kirkeby family. They smashed doors and windows, and cattle were let loose inside, causing considerable damage. After this incident, the castle was never inhabited again. By the 18th century, many buildings had fallen into disrepair, used only as stables and kennels for hunting dogs.
Eventually, the castle came under the ownership of the Hart Dyke family of nearby Lullingstone Castle and for a time, it served as a manorial court, but the buildings continued to decline.
By the mid-18th century, the castle was again used as stables and kennel facilities for hunting hounds.
Interest in Eynsford Castle grew in 1835 when antiquarians began noting it. An architect, Edward Cresy, was hired to clear the site of the 18th-century stables and kennel buildings. Cresy published a survey of the ruins, documenting several features of the castle that have since crumbled.
The castle was taken into state guardianship in 1948. Stuart Rigold excavated it in the 1950s and 1960s, followed by further work conducted by Valerie Horsman in the 1980s.
In the 21st century, Eynsford Castle is under the control of English Heritage and open to visitors; the ruins are protected under UK law as an ancient monument.
HEVER CASTLE
HEVER RD, HEVER, EDENBRIDGE TN8
**PARANORMAL ACTIVITY**
The ghostly apparition of Anne Boleyn has been seen at Hever Castle many times throughout the years. She is often spotted wandering the gardens, perhaps returning to where she spent many happy years and began her journey that would change the course of England's history. If you hope to catch a glimpse of her ghost, it is believed that she appears most often on Christmas Eve.
There have also been reports of a male apparition seen in one of the castle's bedrooms, with some claiming it is King Henry VIII, while others believe it to be an angry older man.
The long gallery is said to be haunted by an unknown, unhappy ghost who wanders the space, often groaning and throwing objects about. Additionally, there have been sightings of a male figure on horseback in a room on the castle's second floor. Many visitors have reported hearing unexplained bumps, bangs, and groans.
Furthermore, Thomas Boleyn's ghost has been seen in the village, travelling in a ghostly horse-drawn carriage.
**HISTORY**
Hever Castle is located in the village of Hever, near Edenbridge.
It was built around 1270; the castle originally consisted of a walled bailey surrounded by a moat.
In 1460, a wealthy London merchant named Henry Bullen purchased the castle and converted it into a Tudor dwelling. His son, Thomas, changed the family surname to Boleyn and later married Elizabeth Howard, the daughter of the Duke of Norfolk. Thomas and Elizabeth had several children, one of whom was Anne Boleyn. It is uncertain whether Anne was born in the castle, but she likely was.
It was at Hever that Henry VIII first laid eyes on her during an affair with Anne's sister, Mary, while still married to Catherine of Aragon. Henry was confident that Anne would offer only token resistance; however, Anne was strong-willed and had different ideas. If Henry wanted her, he needed to show his commitment by marrying her first. This initiated a game of cat and mouse as Henry fought for her affection.
With their marriage, Henry III took ownership of the castle, and after Anne's execution, Hever Castle came into the ownership of another of Henry VIII's wives, Anne of Cleves.
From 1557 onward, it changed hands among several families, including the Waldegraves, the Humphreys, and the Meade Waldos.
Over time, the castle fell into decline until William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor (1848-1919), an American-English attorney, politician, hotelier, publisher, and philanthropist, inherited a vast wealth from his father in 1890, bought Hever Castle in 1903.
He invested time, money, and creativity into restoring it. He commissioned the construction of the 'Tudor Village,' now known as the 'Astor Wing,' along with the magnificent gardens and lake. Astor's wealth and vision allowed him to create a lavish family home, indulging his passion for history. The estate features mazes, gardens, a lake, an annual events program that includes jousting tournaments and archery displays in the summer, and a patchwork and quilting exhibition every September.
The castle has been Grade I listed since 10 September 1954, which was after the addition of the Tudor village, "a picturesque cluster of guest cottages"
In 1983, the Astor family sold the castle to John Guthrie (1906-1992), chairman of the family-run business, Broadland Properties Limited.
The castle was used for music videos. The Loggia on the lake was the location for a peace conference in the comedy-drama The Great. Other productions filmed on the property include The Princess Bride and Inkheart.
The castle has become a venue for a triathlon. The Castles to Country Houses exhibition showcases a collection of 1/12-scale model houses from the medieval to the Victorian periods.
Visitors can explore three floors filled with antique furniture inside the castle, Anne Boleyn's prayer books, instruments of torture, and an extensive collection of Tudor paintings. There is also a museum dedicated to the Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry. The remains of the original country house timbers are still visible within the stone walls of the fortification. At the same time, the gatehouse is the only original part of the castle, featuring the oldest working portcullis in England.
The castle grounds include a yew maze planted in 1904 and a water maze, which opened in 1999; the objective is to reach the centre's folly without getting wet. Additionally, the children's adventure playground has a tower maze. The gardens contain various features, including an Italianate garden (with a fernery), rose gardens, an herb garden, and topiary.
IGHTHAM MOTE
MOTE RD, IVY HATCH, SEVENOAKS TN15
**PARANORMAL ACTIVITY**
There is said to be a ghost of a Grey lady, one story is the Staunch Catholic Dame Dorothy Selby. She heard about the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 to blow up the houses of Parliament by Guy Fawkes and sent a letter to warn her cousin, Lord Monteagle, not to attend Parliament on the 5th. This letter fell into the wrong hands, resulting in the plot being uncovered and arrests made, and it is said that unhappy friends of the plotters heard about her letter and, in revenge, they bricked her up alive in secret at the manor and left her to die.
In 1870, the owners of the manor felt a coldness in the tower bedroom and asked workers to investigate. It was during this time that they discovered the skeleton of a woman within a small space behind the wall panels. To this day, the tower bedroom is said to be unearthly cold.
Another story is that in 1552, Sir Thomas Browne was a resident. It is said that his priest had an affair with one of the servant girls and the priest committed suicide following the scandal when the affair was exposed, so to punish the girl Sir Thomas had the girl bricked up in the wall of the manor, so some believe the grey lady is not the Dame but the serving girl instead.
There are other stories of undesirable visitors visiting the manor who would be dropped through a trap door into the darkness beneath it and left to die, and the room above the main gate is now said to be haunted by one of those unwanted visitors
**HISTORY**
Nestled at the bottom of a path in Ightham sits a 14th-century timber-framed manor house, on its little island surrounded by water. Built around 700 years ago, this house has seen many changes and has been owned by medieval knights, courtiers to Henry VIII and high-society Victorians. It is the most complete medieval country house in England. It has a painted Tudor ceiling, a tranquil lake, and tower views, and it is the only Grade I listed dog kennel in England!....
The original builder, although unknown, was someone of wealth.
The first known owner was Thomas Cawne (also shown in the records as Couen, de Coven, Cawen). Thomas was the son of Richard de Coven, a tailor from Staffordshire, a 'town gentry' and relatively well off.
As a young man, Thomas was a mischief-maker. In 1345, he, his brothers, and four other men were charged with hunting and poaching deer in John de Sutton's park at Sedgely in Staffordshire. They were also charged with stealing money and assaulting de Sutton's servant.
Leaving his family home in Staffordshire, the ambitious young Thomas Cawen decided to seek his fortune in the military rather than follow in the family business. There is no evidence of his early military service, but he became a prominent soldier by exploiting the political instability in France during the 1350s.
By 1357, as captain of the fortress of the Neuberg, just outside Rouen in Normandy, he had a pivotal foothold in the region. The business of war often required people to travel between the capital and the channel, which made Kent an attractive place to live. In Kent, he married Lora Moraunt, daughter of Sir Thomas Moraunt of Chevening. They settled at Ightham Mote with their two children, Robert and Thomas.
After Sir Thomas Cawne died, his eldest son Robert inherited Ightham Mote. He was certainly a character—he spent time in the Tower of London for trying to kill his wife, Marjory, by throwing her into a well. The King eventually pardoned him, but little is known of him afterwards.
Sir Nicholas Haute, an English knight, landowner, and politician, was the next man at Ightam. At 16, he became one of the county's wealthiest men as heir to his grandfather's estates. However, it wasn't until 1379, when he was 21, that he could inherit the knighthood. His mother retained a lifetime income from the family estate, so it wasn't until she died in 1391 that he received his full inheritance.
In 1389, he married Alice Cawne, who eventually inherited Ightham Mote from her brother Robert.
After Alice died, Sir Nicholas Haute married Eleanor Tyrell, thus allying himself with another important landowning family.
Throughout his life, he held important offices in the county and the King's service, including Sheriff of Kent and Member of Parliament for the county. Sir Nicholas Haute died in 1416, and his eldest son William inherited the family estates, including Ightham Mote, although he probably lived at Bishopbourne, near Canterbury.
In c.1419, William married Margaret, the daughter of Sir Hugh Berwick, bringing more land and income into the Haute family. Margaret died in c.1427, and in 1429, William remarried his second wife, Joan Woodville, from another powerful family. In 1469, history would see her become aunt to the Queen of England. As a condition of the marriage, William agreed to disinherit his daughter by his first wife, although he did say she didn't have to join a convent.
Richard Haute then inherited Ightham Mote in 1462. As a cousin to Elizabeth Woodville, who married King Edward IV in 1464, this close connection to the royal family made Richard a critical figure in the county and Court.
As his status rose, Richard embarked on a programme of building works that would turn the 15th-century manor of Ightham Mote into a property of considerable distinction—a fashionable home with inner and outer courtyards, reception rooms, and very high-quality guest accommodation.
In 1483, after being accused of rebellion, King Richard III seized his estates, and Ightham Mote was given to James Haute for good service. However, in 1485, Richard Haute was pardoned, and his estates were returned.
If you thought Nicholas was young to have inherited at 16, Edward Haute was a mere 11 years old in 1487 when he inherited Ightham Mote from his father Richard. Edward either did not have a business head, lived outside his means or perhaps a combination of both, as he amassed large debts. 1514 some of his property was confiscated, whilst he had to sell other properties in 1518. He mortgaged Ightham Mote, but was forced to sell later that year, and a little while later, he found himself in Ludgate debtors' prison before fleeing to Ireland.
Then we have Richard Clement. He was a self-made man with many influential friends who saw him move from a 'gentry' birth in East Sussex to the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII.
As a page in the Privy Chamber of Henry VII, in Northampton, Clement took the role of landowner and was also a 'Commissioner of Sewers'. Back at Court, he was a 'Gentleman Usher' and fought at the Battle of the Spurs in 1513.
By 1521, he was back in Kent, purchasing Ightham Mote for £400, with the assistance of a consortium of local friends and important names of Kent. He embarked on a frenzy of building work at The Mote, stained glass windows, and the painted ceiling in the guest suite, all to show allegiance to Henry VIII or perhaps to expect a Royal visitor.
In November 1528, his wife died, but by 1530 he had acquired the hand of the Lady Anne Grey, widow of Lord John Grey, hoping to gain further connections at Court. He was ambitious and keen to react to any local disturbance or disorder. He used his knowledge of law throughout his land purchases and sales, always trying to gain an advantage and make his name known, so by 1529, he had done sufficient notable works to ensure that Henry VIII knighted him. He was appointed 'Commissioner for the Peace' several times, firstly in 1531. Something of an irony, when in 1534, he summoned 200 men to 'peacekeeping' duties at Shipbourne, ending up in the Star Chamber as a defendant and being dispatched to the Fleet! He was also present at the magnificent Coronation of Anne Boleyn in 1533 and then had a hand in her demise in 1536.
He died in 1538, making provision for his 'bastard' daughters and others. He left the residue of his estate to his wife, Lady Anne Grey, and was buried next to his first wife in Ightham Church.
The Selby family owned Ightham Mote for nearly 300 years (1591-1889). Originally from Northumberland, the early Selbys were law enforcement officers on the borders between England and Scotland in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
Dame Dorothy was granted permission to worship at home as her husband, Sir William Shelby, was suffering from gout in his later years and found it increasingly difficult to get to the parish church. Controversial at the time as the Selbys had fallen out with the local minister, Mr Grimes, who accused Sir William of favouring Catholics.
Sir William and Dame Dorothy had no children. According to Sir William's will, Ightham Mote passed to various Selby cousins, and during this period, the Selby men mostly married into local families – the Rayneys of Great Comp, the Amhursts of Bayhall in Pembury, the Giffords of Pennis in Fawkenham and the Westons of Willesley in Cranbrook.
By the end of the 18th century, Ightham Mote had passed to more distant cousins—the Brownes of Suffolk and Shropshire, who changed their name to Selby to inherit the house.
Thomas Selby, the owner of Ightham Mote from 1791–1820, disinherited his only son, Charles, who had become a missionary in the Isles of Scilly. Why was he disinherited? It appears that he may have upset some crucial people on Scilly, as well as fathering an illegitimate son. Thomas, Charles and his sister died in 1820, and Thomas's wife inherited his life interest until 1845.
In 1845, Ightham Mote passed to an even more distant cousin, Prideaux John Selby, a well-respected naturalist living in Northumberland. The contents of Ightham Mote were sold, with the proceeds benefiting the children of Charles, the disinherited son.
Prideaux's daughter, Marianne, and her second husband, Major Robert Luard-Selby, resided at Ightham Mote during the Victorian era. Marianne commissioned the architect Norman Shaw to build the Great Hall.
By 1889, after almost 300 years, the Selby family had run out of money. After Marianne and her son and heir, the son by her first marriage, died, the executors sold the Ightham Mote estate.
Charles Henry Robinson, who last owned the manor, left Ightham Mote to the National Trust in 1985. After 15 years of renovations, it was opened to the public and hosts many activities throughout the year.
KNOLE PLACE & GARDEN
SEVENOAKS, KENT, TN15
**PARANORMAL ACTIVITY**
One ghost is named 'Black Knight' or, as he was otherwise known, Richard Sackville, the 3rd Earl of Dorset. Testimonies from the past have seen his ghost roaming the medieval quarters of the house, said to be whenever a misfortune is about to befall Knole, and when things are well at Knole, he can be sighted riding silently on horseback among the leafy shadows. The nickname 'Black Knight' is probably derived from his portrait in the ballroom, where he is fitted head to toe in black medieval finery. But he was, in fact, a most colourful figure in his day. While at Knole, he lived a life of splendor and vanity, fully indulging his passion for cock fighting, greyhound racing, mistresses, and fashionable clothing.
The second resident ghost is said to be of Lady Anne Clifford, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Cumberland (1590-1676) and wife of the 'Black Knight,' who is said to walk the dark avenue of chestnut and oak trees to the north of Knole's grand gatehouse. After Richard's death, Lady Anne had to endure the shame of his indebted legacy for a further 52 years, and it's believed that her hatred of the man has kept her spirit at Knole all these years.
Then, finally, we have the watcher in the Archbishop's garden, next to St Nicholas Church (opposite the main entrance to Knole). A gardener is said always to get the feeling of being nervous or unsettled here, but it's something you just get used to. However, if you are still here when it gets dark, you often get a distinct and sometimes overpowering feeling of being watched. Several times I have had to finish what I was doing to go and work elsewhere in the larger gardens…'
This area is likely to have been consecrated ground and used for burial. So, the 'garden' may have been the last resting place for many of Sir William Fiennes' ancestors, and who wouldn't be upset by the sale of the ancestral home for a quick profit?
Now that the National Trust has undertaken work and associated excavation on the original Manor House, new information from Knole's history is coming to light. Evidence has been revealed here, possibly pointing to our ghostly watchers' origins, as several so-called 'cellars,' complete with heavy doors and iron locks, have been found. These may have been used when Catholic discipline was needed. Many so-called heretics may have ended their days here after suffering the misery of forced confinement in these damp and squalid conditions...maybe we will never know!
**HISTORY**
Once a palace to archbishops and a former royal property of the Tudor dynasty, Knole, in Sevenoaks, was a place of extraordinary wealth and grandeur. It is one of England's most important, complete, yet fragile historic houses at the heart of Kent's last remaining medieval deer parks.
Over 500 years old, this National Trust house wears the marks of six centuries of history with quiet dignity. It occupies four acres and ranks in the top five of England's largest houses. Its Grade I listing reflects its mix of late-medieval to Stuart structures, particularly its central façade and staterooms.
Robert de Knole was the earliest recorded owner of the estate's core in the 1290s. However, nothing is known of any property he had on the estate.
Two other families, the Grovehursts and the Ashburnhams, are known to have held the estate in succession until the 1360s, and the manor of Knole is first mentioned in 1364.
In 1419, Thomas Langley, Bishop of Durham, bought the estate, which covered 800 acres; by 1429, he had extended it to 1,500 acres.
The estate remained in the hands of the Langley family until the mid-1440s, when it was acquired by James Fiennes, first Lord Say(e) and Sele. The circumstances of this transfer are unknown, but it is clear that Lord Saye was also enlarging the estate by further, sometimes forcible, purchasing adjoining parcels of land. For example, in 1448, one Reginald Peckham was forced to sell land at Seal (at the northeastern end of the current estate) to Saye "on threat of death."
Lord Saye and Sele seems to have begun a building project at Knole, but it was incomplete by his death in 1450. His ruthless exploitation of his powerful position in Kent was a motivating factor in the Jack Cade Rebellion. Lord Saye was executed on the authority of a hastily assembled commission initiated by King Henry VI in response to the demands of Cade's rebels when they arrived in London.
James Fiennes' heir, William, second Baron Saye and Sele, sold the property for 400 marks (£266 13s 4d) in 1456 to Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury. He already had a substantial property in the area, Otford Palace, but Knole's drier, healthier site attracted him. Bourchier probably began building work by making significant renovations to an existing house. Between 1456 and 1486, Bourchier and his bailiff for the Otford bailiwick, John Grymesdyche, oversaw substantial building work on the current home. The remodelled house must have been suitable for the Archbishop by 1459, when he first stayed there. Still, he based himself there increasingly in his later years, particularly after 1480, when he appointed a suffragan at age 69.
In the following years, Knole House continued to be enlarged, with the addition of a large courtyard, now known as Green Court, and a new entrance tower. He took advantage of the political stability that followed the restoration of King Edward IV in 1471 to invest further in his property, and he had enclosed the park with a palisade to make a deer park.
In 1480, Bourchier gave the house to the See of Canterbury.
After Bourchier died in 1486, Knole was occupied by the subsequent four archbishops: John Morton (1487–1500), Sir Thomas More, who appeared in revels there at the court of Archbishop Morton, whose cognisance (motto) of Benedictus Deus appears above and to either side of an enormous late Tudor fireplace.
King Henry VII was an occasional visitor in early October and midwinter 1490.
His successor was Henry Deane (1501–1503), followed by William Warham (1504–1532).
King Henry VIII used to visit Archbishop Warham to hunt deer. After Warham's death and before his successor's appointment, Henry found his properties in nearby Otford and Knole useful residences for his daughter Mary, who was at the time of her protracted divorce from her mother, Catherine of Aragon. She was at Knole from 27 November 1532 to 5 March 1533.
Warham's successor as Archbishop, Thomas Cranmer, acquired all the temporalities of the See of Canterbury. However, these brought substantial debts and complex land management demands, set against a backdrop of massive land transfers associated with the dissolution of the monasteries and broader assaults on church wealth. Therefore, Cranmer could not withstand repeated demands from the King for land exchanges, a long-term process stretching between 1536 and 1546. Henry wanted Knole, specifically, as a deer park.
In 1537, the manor of Knole, five other manors and several chantries essentially forming the Archbishop's bailiwick of Otford, were "exchanged" with King Henry. In return, Cranmer received a package primarily consisting of former abbeys and priories between Canterbury and Dover.
Knole was granted to Edward Seymour, the Duke of Somerset, in August 1547, at the start of his nephew King Edward VI's reign, but following Seymour's execution in 1549, it reverted to the crown. Mary gave the residence back to her Archbishop of Canterbury, Reginald Pole, but with their deaths in 1558, the house reverted to the crown.
In the early 1560s, Queen Elizabeth I gave Knole to Robert Dudley, but he returned it in 1566. However, he had already granted one Thomas Rolf a lease (1 February 1566). Under this, the 'manor and mansion-house' of Knole and the park, with the deer, Panthurst Park and other lands, were demised to the latter for ninety-nine years at a rent of £200. The landlord was to do all repairs and reserved the very unusual right (to himself and his heirs and assigns) to occupy the mansion-house as often as he or they chose, but this right did not extend to the gate-house, nor certain other premises. The tenant was given power to alter or rebuild the mansion-house.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth had possibly granted the estate to her cousin Thomas Sackville, who at that time held the title of Lord Buckhurst.
There was certainly competition at that time for the Knole estate.
Mr. Rolf died very soon after, and the lease's residue was purchased by a wealthy local lawyer, John Lennard (of Chevening). He had gradually built up a network of properties around Sevenoaks, including the manor of Chevening and adjoining property in the parishes of Knockholt and Halstead, all just to the north of Sevenoaks.
Lennard had already pressured Rolf to sell the lease before his sudden death, but Lord Buckhurst was also competing for the lease at the same time. Knole was a significant addition to Lennard's local landholdings when it was confirmed, around 1570. However, Buckhurst was still able to insist upon some rights on the estate, including the ownership of at least some of the deer in the park.
Lennard moved to Knole but gave his son Sampson, Lord Dacre's son-in-law, a sub-lease.
The Knole estate was worth much to Sampson, bringing him in 1599 rents worth £218, 6s, and 8d. One of Sampson Lennard's daughters, Margaret, married Sir Thomas Waller, a lieutenant of Dover Castle at one time, and the younger son of a critical Kent family, with their seat at Groombridge. An unusual term in the marriage covenant stipulated that Margaret and Thomas should live at Knole, where Margaret gave birth to her son William. The baptism is recorded in the Sevenoaks parish register for 3 December. In 1613,
William inherited his father's baronetcy, becoming Sir William Waller. He later commanded a parliamentary army with some distinction during the Civil War.
Since Dudley had initially been granted a 99-year lease, Thomas Sackville could only take it back by buying out the remaining 51 years for £4000, which he did in 1603. Lennard was happy to sell, not only because of his mounting debts but also because he wished to gain the Dacre title, which he did in 1604 from a commission headed by the lord treasurer, Thomas Sackville, which was unlikely to have been a coincidence.
Thomas Sackville made it the aristocratic treasure house for the Sackville family, who were prominent and influential in court circles.
Knole's showrooms were designed to impress visitors and to display the Sackville family's wealth and status.
Thomas's son, Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset, took over the titles and estates after his death. He did not enjoy Knole for long, since he died in January 1609 and his two sons, in turn, inherited the title and estates, first Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset (1589–1624) and then the much more politically significant Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset (1590-1652). None of these earls lived permanently at Knole. In the 2nd Earl's case, this was undoubtedly due to the renovations. The 3rd Earl mainly lived at court, though he is known to have kept his hunting horses and hounds there. His wife, Anne Clifford, lived there during the conflict over her inheritance from her father, George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland.
In 1623, a large part of Knole House burnt down. Edward was a relatively moderate royalist and was away from Knole in the summer of 1642, when he and his cousin, Sir John Sackville, fell under suspicion of stockpiling arms and preparing local men to fight for Charles I during the English Civil War. The rumours of the cache of arms reached Parliament in an intercepted letter for which Sir John was the nominal source.
On Sunday, 14 August 1642, Parliament sent three troops of horse under Colonel Edwin Sandys, a member of a Kentish puritan family, to seize these arms from Knole. Sir John was in the congregation for the parish Sunday service, and Sandys waited with his troops outside the church until it had finished. Local people tried to rescue him, but they quickly judged that the forces were too strong for them, and Sir John was arrested and taken to the Fleet prison.
Sandys' troops then moved to Knole, where, according to the Earl of Dorset's steward, they caused damage worth £ 186. The arms they had taken away from there were five wagonloads. Still, the arms were primarily of more interest to antiquarians than to soldiers. They included, for example, thirteen old French pistols, of which four have locks and the other nine have none.
Sandys claimed that he had seized 'complete arms for 500 or 600 men,' but this was untrue. Nevertheless, the House of Lords resolved that 'such arms as are fit to be used for the Service of the Kingdom are to be employed.'
Edward accepted the seizures and damage to Knole as an inevitable part of the Civil War, as he explained in a speech to Charles I and his peers in Oxford, in 1642: 'For my particular, in these wars I have suffered as much as any; my houses have been searched, my arms taken and my son and heir committed to prison; yet I shall wave these discourtesies because I know there was a necessity they should be so.'
Parliament established County Committees to govern the counties under its control. For the first 12 to 18 months of its operation, the Kent Committee was based at Knole, until its obvious disadvantage, being at one end of a huge county, led to its removal first to Aylesford and then to Maidstone. Apart from the Committee, the county treasury was based here, along with a bodyguard of 75 and 150 men and the so-called 'Household.' To provide its varied occupants, the Committee used the Knole estate and rented fields from local landowners, including, surprisingly, Lady Sackville (Sir John's wife).
When Edward Sackville died in 1652, his son Richard inherited not only the earldom but estates in substantial debt, not least owing to fines imposed by Parliament for his father's role in the Civil War.
He practised quiet retrenchment, despite participating in some public work following the Restoration of Charles II, including commission membership for the trial of the regicides. However, his marriage to Lady Frances Cranfield, daughter of Lionel Cranfield, was necessary for Knole. She inherited the Middlesex estates when her brother died, including Copt Hall in Essex.
Richard died at Knole on 27 August 1677. His son, Charles, the 6th Earl of Dorset (1643–1706), sold Copt Hall in 1701. Many contents were then moved to Knole, substantially enriching the collection. These include the copies by Daniel Mytens of Raphael cartoons in the Cartoon Gallery and many portraits and pieces of furniture. Along with John Frederick Sackville, the 3rd Duke of Dorset (1745–1799), Charles is now seen as one of the two principal collectors responsible for the remarkable holdings of Knole House.
Over more than 400 years, Sackville's descendants, the Earls and Dukes of Dorset and Barons Sackville, have owned or lived in the property ever since. Rebuilding and then furnishing Knole in two further bursts of activity. First, at the end of the 17th century, when the 6th Earl acquired Stuart furniture and textiles from royal palaces, and again at the end of the 18th century, with the 3rd Duke's art collection.
The Sackvilles gradually withdrew into the heart of the house, leaving many rooms unused and treasures covered. This helps explain Knole's relative lack of modernisation (central heating was never installed in the showrooms, for example) and the survival of its collections.
Vita Sackville-West (1892–1962) was an English poet, novelist, and garden designer who grew up there, recounts a legend that it is a calendar house: 'its seven courtyards correspond to the days of the week, its fifty-two staircases to the weeks of the year, its three hundred and sixty-five rooms to the days of the year, but unknown of anyone has ever been troubled to verify it.
It has been undergoing an extensive conservation project to restore and develop the buildings' structures, which will help conserve its important collections.
The surrounding deer park has also survived with varying management degrees in the 400 years since 1600.
Nowadays, the house is mostly cared for and opened by the National Trust, which has owned it since it was donated by Charles Sackville-West, 4th Baron Sackville, in 1947; however, the Trust owns only half the house and an adjoining modest park—overall, 52 acres. The Sackville-Wests have kept more than half the house. Lord Robert Sackville-West, 7th Baron Sackville, or his family trust owns the remaining gardens and estate but permits commercialised access and certain charitable and sporting community events.
PENSHURST PLACE
PENSHURST, TONBRIDGE, KENT TN11
**PARANORMAL ACTIVITY**
Reports indicate that Penshurst Place is haunted by the apparitions of Sir Philip Sidney and an Elizabethan woman. One apparition was seen walking the staircase within the house, while the other was seen in the Lime Walk, an avenue lined with large-leaved lime trees loosely connecting the Visitor Entrance to the house.
The village is also rumoured to have a ghostly figure. This apparition is said to reenact the journey he took during his life to see his secret love, the vicar's daughter.
Several sightings in 2004 reported a man dressed in black and holding a bag or case.
**HISTORY**
The ancient village of Penshurst is located within the manor of the same name. Historically, the manor has been referred to as Penecestre or Penchester, a name adopted by Stephen de Penecestre, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, who owned the manor toward the end of the 13th century.
The current manor house was built in 1341 for Sir John de Pulteney, a London merchant and four-time Lord Mayor, who desired a country residence easily accessible from London.
King Henry IV's third son, John of Lancaster, the Duke of Bedford (1389 – 1435), had occupied Penshurst during his lifetime.
It then fell into the hands of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, who aided King Richard III in claiming the throne in 1483. However, he led a revolt against Richard and was executed later that same year. His titles and the Dukedom were forfeited.
His son, Edward Stafford, was restored to the title upon Henry VII's accession to the throne in 1485. A second hall, known as the Buckingham Building, was named after the owner, the Duke of Buckingham.
Edward Stafford, the 3rd Duke of Buckingham, was executed in 1521 by King Henry VIII following a lavish feast held at Penshurst Place, which the Duke hosted in honour of Henry, due to his opposition to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, The Duke's body remained in the Crown Estate for the rest of Henry's reign.
Historically, King Henry used Penshurst Place as a hunting lodge while visiting with his courtier, Brandon. The property is also just a few miles from Hever Castle, the childhood home of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn.
In 1550, King Edward VI granted the house and estate to Sir Ralph Fane. Two years later, however, it was forfeited when Sir Ralph was executed for treason after being accused of conspiring with Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and former Lord Protector, against John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, the new man in control of King Edward VI's government.
Penshurst Place was enlarged after 1552 when King Edward VI granted the house to Sir William Sidney (1482–1554), a courtier to King Henry VIII.
The property has since remained the ancestral home of the Sidney family and is also notable as the birthplace of the famous Elizabethan poet, courtier, and soldier, Sir Philip Sidney.
By the 19th century, the building was falling into disrepair.
In 1818, Sir John Shelley-Sidney and his son Philip became its new occupants and began restoration efforts.
The house had suffered neglect during World War I.
Many TV shows and movies have been filmed at Penshurst. The original medieval structure is one of England's most complete surviving examples of 14th-century domestic architecture.
Many family members of the Sidney family are buried or commemorated in the Sidney Chapel at St. John the Baptist Church in Penshurst.
Today, part of the house and its gardens are open to the public.
RAMSHURST MANOR HOUSE
POWDERMILL LANE LEIGH TN11
No Website - Private Residence
**PARANORMAL ACTIVITY**
The first haunting story account comes from 1857, when the Reynolds family moved in. Right from the start of living there, Mrs Reynolds and the staff started to hear knockings, footsteps, and mysterious voices. The voices were normally heard coming from an empty room, sometimes raised, sometimes not much more than a murmur. On occasion, there was the sound of screaming.
Mrs Reynolds went to pick up a friend, Miss Stephens, whom she was having to stay there, and she had Psychic abilities.
As they returned in the coach to Ramhurst, Miss Stephens saw an elderly couple standing at the front door, dressed in clothes from days gone by. Miss Stephens did not say anything to her friend to prevent her from being alarmed.
Over the next two weeks, Miss Stephens saw the couple three times in the house. They told her they were husband and wife, and their name was Children. They were devoted to the house, and they had spent much time and effort improving it, and it troubled them that it was no longer in the family but in the hands of strangers who had not the same care for it.
Shortly after this, Mrs. Reynolds was to have her first meeting with Dame Children.
Miss Stevens had several more meetings and conversations with the couple and learned that the husband’s name was Richard and that he had died in 1753. However, a mystery appeared when it was discovered that there was no trace of any family called Children ever having lived at Ramhurst. A former family nurse, who had been at the manor for many years, knew vaguely of a man called Children, but not at Ramhurst.
Fourteen months after the hauntings commenced, a ghost hunter, Robert Dale Owen, became interested and thoroughly researched the subject. After painstaking investigations, he discovered that Richard Children had inherited the house from his uncle in 1718 and was the only member of the family to live there. He died in 1753, at the age of 83. The house remained in the family but was not lived in again until 1816, when the family sold it.
Shortly afterwards, the Reynolds Family left Ramhurst, and nothing more has been reported of Richard Children and his wife, although one article reported that a medium was called in, and she said the spirits were at the door wanting to leave, so maybe she helped them move on.
for a more indepth read on this story, check out Mysterious Britains report HERE.
**HISTORY**
In 1292, Ramhurst is referred to as Rammeshirst, which probably signified ‘Ravenswood’. One Gilbert de Remherst is named in a suit in 1313 as possessing one house and 30 acres of land in Leigh and Tonbridge.
During the reign of Edward I (late 13th century), Ramhurst passed to the Culpepers,
The manor itself was built by Roland, a friend of Edward of Woodstock (1330 –1376), known as the Black Prince, the eldest son and heir apparent of King Edward III of England., who used it a shooting box.
Walter Culpepper, paid respective aid for it to King Edward III as the sixth part of a knight's fee. It continued in the family for several generations, and was eventually sold to the Lewknor family.
During Henry VIII Reign he used it for shooting parties.
It passed by sale to Mr. William Saxby, who then conveyed it by sale to George Children.
George, who was High Sheriff of Kent in 1698, died without any direct Heirs in 1718, and by will devised the bulk of his estate to Richard Children, eldest son of his late uncle, William Children, of Hedcorn, and his heirs.
In 1748, Richard Children settled himself at Ramhurst, married Anne, daughter of John Saxby, in the parish of Leeds. They had four sons and two daughters. He died in 1753, and it was passed to his son, John Children of Tunbridge.
In 1816, in consequence of events, they lost all their property and were compelled to sell Ramhurst, though a somewhat spacious mansion, not as a family residence but as a farmhouse.
The next owner found was Sir John Shelley Sidney."1st Baronet Shelley Sidney of Penhurst Place," Viscounts de l'Isle (1771–1849)
It consisted of a large farmhouse, plus additional farm buildings: stabling for eight and a coach house with a granary over, a store, a three-bay open shed, one loose box, a similar shed, a barn with two lean-to open sheds, another barn with lean-to and cake house, a Cowhouse for 10 and calf pens with two lean-to open sheds. A double wagon shed, three ovens with a cooling room, and stores, becoming part of the Penshurst Place estate.
Tenant farmers occupied the land while it was in the Sidney family's ownership. Sir John was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son, Philip (1800–1851), who had already been elevated to the peerage as Baron De L'Isle and Dudley.
In 1857, a high-ranking Field officer in the British Army, named Reynolds and his family moved into Ramshurst Manor but due to the paranormal activity, didnt stay long.
In 1921, the 200-acre farm, with an old manor house, was briefly occupied by Mr Henry Maskell, but still formed part of the Penshurst Estate. Then it was sold for £8,000 to Mr. David Rogers, of Hawden Farm, a well-known hop grower.
In 1930, Mrs Ruth Knowles, the founder of the Friendship, 'the World Explorers’ Movement, saved the tithe barns from being dismantled and shipped to America. These barns are fine examples of the craft of the 14th-century shipbuilders, who used their trade around the county when they had no shipbuilding work. She may have been part of the Woodcraft Folk, but I have found little information about her.
In 1932, she made arrangements with the Rotary Club to turn the tithe barns into hostels for young people in her movement. In July 1932, she had parties of senior boys and girls from Germany staying there, who made friendships with British seniors.
On the death of Henry Haskell in 1936. The manor was sold to Lord Kindersley. (1871 – 1954) He was succeeded by his son Brigadier Hugh Kenyon Molesworth Kindersley, 2nd Baron Kindersley of West Hoathly CBE MC (1899 – 1976)
Ramhurst Manor House, its Coach House, the large barn, the smaller barn, and the garden walls form a group that was given a Grade II listing on September 10, 1954.
In 1973, it was the home of the Hon. Mrs G. Kitson, who bred Arabian horses.
The farm and manor have since been separated, and different residents now occupy the buildings.