This was not the house of the poet, but of his son, Sir Thomas. The house has been so extensively rebuilt, especially in the 17th and 18th centuries, that I doubt any of the original is visible.
Wow David, where are you now? Here in Northmoor, because now I’m at my home in England again, I have a friend, Julie, who is also a historian. She stumbled on a rumour of a fisherman’s daughter marrying a duke and then within 2 generations their decedents were in Blenheim. She’s just written the book. I’ve got a fascination with the Moores, a Knight Templar and his lady who are buried in the Northmoor church. I haven’t found many people who can tell me anything about them. Wish I knew more. 🙂
I can not tell you much about Sir Thomas de la More, MP for Oxfordshire several times. He was a loyal follower of Edward II. He was the patron of Geoffrey le Baker, who appears to have taken some material for his chronicle of Edward’s reign from Sir Thomas.
Sir Thomas was present at the abdication. Baker writes —
You, noble knight, Sir Thomas de la More, with your wisdom and distinguished presence, being in attendance on the bishop of Winchester, were an ornament to the company; I am but the interpreter, as it were, of what you saw and wrote down in French.
The bishop in question was Sir Thomas’s relation and patron, John Stratford, later Archbishop of Canterbury.
Which duke would that be? There weren’t many dukes around, and none come to mind as having any relationship with the early generations of the Churchill family.
Oops, Viscount! There, you see? There’s the entire reason why I should never be a historian, (thank goodness my own family records are written down to 1218 – by other people!). Anyway, William Flower Viscount Ashbrook, married Betty Ridge, sometimes Rudge, right here at Northmoor’s St Denny’s Church in 1766. Julie tells me that the Viscount was an orphan by the time of his marriage. I asked her that right away because, can you imagine the scandal? 🙂
He was at Christ Church, not Magdalen. The title was an Irish one, so he was not a member of the House of Lords, in all probability. He had no notable kin. Totally undistinguished family. The Irish estate and its grand house were sold in the 1920s, as the creditors were pressing.
The wife died at Shipston-on-Stour, a village with no resident gentry, as far as I know. The manor was owned by the Dean and Chapter of Worcester. Why was she there? Being nursed at the rectory? Who was the rector, I wonder.
I’ll ask Julie. She’s go the complete history and is close to publishing I think. Fascinating, isn’t it? I think Viscountess Ashbrook did marry again after William died. I think Julie said she did. Gosh, I wish I knew the story better. 🙂
According to the death notice in one of the monthly magazines, she died as the dowager Viscountess. There is no mention of any second marriage in such excellent works of fiction as Debrett’s Peerage. Unfortunately, the family was too utterly obscure for any of them to rate an entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.
David Harley
This was not the house of the poet, but of his son, Sir Thomas. The house has been so extensively rebuilt, especially in the 17th and 18th centuries, that I doubt any of the original is visible.
David Harley
A quick search reveals details of the changes.
http://gohistoric.com/places/chaucers-house-woodstock
Veronica
Gosh, that’s interesting. We live really close to Blenheim and it’s a popular house to visit in Woodstock. Thanks for this. 🙂
David Harley
My pleasure. I lived in Oxford for 20 years, and I am a historian. I tend to know things and, if I don’t, I find out.
Veronica
Wow David, where are you now? Here in Northmoor, because now I’m at my home in England again, I have a friend, Julie, who is also a historian. She stumbled on a rumour of a fisherman’s daughter marrying a duke and then within 2 generations their decedents were in Blenheim. She’s just written the book. I’ve got a fascination with the Moores, a Knight Templar and his lady who are buried in the Northmoor church. I haven’t found many people who can tell me anything about them. Wish I knew more. 🙂
David Harley
I am in darkest Indiana.
I can not tell you much about Sir Thomas de la More, MP for Oxfordshire several times. He was a loyal follower of Edward II. He was the patron of Geoffrey le Baker, who appears to have taken some material for his chronicle of Edward’s reign from Sir Thomas.
Sir Thomas was present at the abdication. Baker writes —
You, noble knight, Sir Thomas de la More, with your wisdom and distinguished presence, being in attendance on the bishop of Winchester, were an ornament to the company; I am but the interpreter, as it were, of what you saw and wrote down in French.
The bishop in question was Sir Thomas’s relation and patron, John Stratford, later Archbishop of Canterbury.
David Harley
Which duke would that be? There weren’t many dukes around, and none come to mind as having any relationship with the early generations of the Churchill family.
Veronica
Oops, Viscount! There, you see? There’s the entire reason why I should never be a historian, (thank goodness my own family records are written down to 1218 – by other people!). Anyway, William Flower Viscount Ashbrook, married Betty Ridge, sometimes Rudge, right here at Northmoor’s St Denny’s Church in 1766. Julie tells me that the Viscount was an orphan by the time of his marriage. I asked her that right away because, can you imagine the scandal? 🙂
David Harley
See page 135
http://books.google.com/books?id=mKTQAAAAMAAJ
He was at Christ Church, not Magdalen. The title was an Irish one, so he was not a member of the House of Lords, in all probability. He had no notable kin. Totally undistinguished family. The Irish estate and its grand house were sold in the 1920s, as the creditors were pressing.
The wife died at Shipston-on-Stour, a village with no resident gentry, as far as I know. The manor was owned by the Dean and Chapter of Worcester. Why was she there? Being nursed at the rectory? Who was the rector, I wonder.
Veronica
I’ll ask Julie. She’s go the complete history and is close to publishing I think. Fascinating, isn’t it? I think Viscountess Ashbrook did marry again after William died. I think Julie said she did. Gosh, I wish I knew the story better. 🙂
David Harley
According to the death notice in one of the monthly magazines, she died as the dowager Viscountess. There is no mention of any second marriage in such excellent works of fiction as Debrett’s Peerage. Unfortunately, the family was too utterly obscure for any of them to rate an entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.