Ginge Manor, Oxfordshire, England

Ginge Manor or Ginge Manor House is a manor house at West Ginge in the civil parish of West Hendred in the English county of Oxfordshire (formerly Berkshire), 3.9 miles (6.3 km) by road to the southeast of Wantage. It became a Grade II listed building on 25 October 1951. It is the family seat of the Viscount Astor and is currently occupied by William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor and his wife Annabel Astor, Viscountess Astor, who is the mother of Samantha Cameron, the wife of Prime Minister Cameron.

History

A manor at Ginge was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and stated to be under the patronage of Abingdon Abbey, and both were then and for many centuries afterwards part of the county of Berkshire. In the time of the Saxons the lands belonged to three proprietors of the name of Selva, Topius, and Borda; and at the General Survey to Robert de Gernon, or Grino, whose son and heir was William de Montfitchet, Head of the Barony of Stansted. Upon his death, in the reign of Henry II, William's son Gilbert de Montfitchet was said to have "granted half the Manor of Ginges (with the exception of the outer wood called Westfrid) with all its appurtenances to God and Saint Mary, Saint John the Baptist, and the poor of the holy house of the Hospital of Jerusalem, and the brethren in the same house, serving God, in free and pure alms", meaning that he ceded half of the manor to the church. His son Richard, seems to have given the Brethren the other part of this Manor, for in King John's Confirmation Charter it says, "The Vill of Ginnges with the Church and all its appurtenances."

During the time of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile in the 1260s it was known to have been owned by Robert, son of Andrew le Blund. It is mentioned again in 1431, when it was owned by Alice, wife of Walter Gyffard, who passed it onto her son William Gyffard upon her death on 24 April 1431. In 1614, the manor was sold by Sir John Horton and his wife Lady Jane, daughter of Serjeant Hanham of Wimbourne for £1400 to Minister Benedict Winchombe of Noke, Oxfordshire.

Architecture

The estate includes a "magnificent manor" house and servant quarters, which is a "humble" three bedroom cottage, amongst several other features including several barns and old farm cottages.[9] Several of the barns in the area have been converted into residences. The estate has gardens, an outdoor swimming pool and a tennis court. The current manor house dates to the early 17th century, square and built from red brick, with an early 18th-century cross-wing on the left side and a 20th-century extension on the right wing. The rear has a 6 panel door framed with wooden Doric pilasters. The interior features a "dog-leg staircase with barley-sugar twist and fluted balusters, moulded handrail and panelled dado."

EAST GINGE (fn. 68) is not mentioned by name in the Domesday Survey. In the early 12th century it appears to have belonged to two Normans, Geoffrey son of Hamo Brito and Bertram son of Alantre. (fn. 69) It was seized into the king's hands during the wars in Normandy, and from 1157 onwards was granted out to various tenants to hold for fixed terms or at pleasure. Rollo de Dinan held it in 1158 (fn. 70) and till 1186. (fn. 71) In 1187 it was granted to Alan de Viteri. (fn. 72) In 1203 Richard Morin had a grant of half the vill, (fn. 73) the other half being granted in 1210 to Peter Bertram or son of Bertram. (fn. 74) Richard and Peter seem to have held the vill (fn. 75) till 1221, when the whole of it was granted to Bertram de Guarcli in order that he might maintain himself in the king's service till the time of the king's majority. (fn. 76) In 1233 the sheriff was ordered to allow Bertram to hold the manor peaceably till the king should command otherwise. (fn. 77) Two years later Bertram pledged it for three years to William de Waltham in aid of his journey to the Holy Land. (fn. 78) He was dead in 1236, when the custody of his lands and heirs was granted to his brother Peter. (fn. 79) East Ginge, however, was granted almost immediately to two new tenants. One half was given to Urian de St. Peter to hold for life 'unless the land of England and Normandy should become one.' (fn. 80) The second was granted in 1237 to William Gernun to hold for half a knight's fee 'until the king should restore it to the right heirs of his free will or by a peace.' (fn. 81)

From that date the two moieties of the manor were never reunited. Urian de St. Peter was succeeded in his share by Ralph le Visconte of Dynham, (fn. 82) who was holding it in 1275 (fn. 83) and 1285 (fn. 84) and had evidently received a grant in fee. Before 1300 he granted his estate in East Ginge to Alan Plukenet and his wife Joan in tail. (fn. 85) They had a son Alan, (fn. 86) who died without issue. (fn. 87) His sister and heir Joan Bohun (fn. 88) granted her land here to Godfrey Morice, first for life (fn. 89) and afterwards in fee. (fn. 90) In 1335 he had a further release of it from Richard de la Bere, (fn. 91) a kinsman of Alan Plukenet, who had succeeded to his estates. (fn. 92) Maud, widow of Godfrey Morice, who held jointly with him for life, died in 1360, (fn. 93) and the estate was inherited by William Morice, nephew of Godfrey. (fn. 94) He died fifteen years later, (fn. 95) leaving a daughter and heir Alice wife of Walter Frome. (fn. 96) She had seisin of East Ginge on her father's death, (fn. 97) but must have died without issue, for the estate reverted to members of the Morice family. In 1401–2 Walter Morice was in possession, (fn. 98) and William Morice had succeeded him in 1428. (fn. 99) Evidently the line ended in an heiress, for Alice wife of Walter Giffard was the next owner. (fn. 100) She died in 1431, leaving a son and heir William Giffard. (fn. 101) The Giffard family was seated at 'Rodenhurst,' Wilts., (fn. 102) and remained in possession of this moiety of the manor for a considerable time. William Giffard 'the elder' put it into settlement in 1454. (fn. 103) He was probably succeeded by the Walter Giffard who heads the heraldic pedigree of the family. (fn. 104) Walter had a son Edward and Edward a son Morris, who was in possession in 1521. (fn. 105) He was married three times, and by his first and third wives had sons both called Thomas. (fn. 106) The elder Thomas died without issue in 1539, (fn. 107) and was succeeded by his step-brother. The latter died in 1575, when his heir was his son John. (fn. 108) In 1588 John Giffard settled the manor in tail male on his son William. (fn. 109) The latter sold it in 1609 to Philip Allen, (fn. 110) who conveyed it twelve years later to William Eyston and others. (fn. 111) They conveyed it to Richard Tubb in 1626.
The Tubb family held the manor for a century. John Tubb was lord in 1684 (fn. 113) and another John in 1735. (fn. 114) In 1743 Mary widow of John Tubb and her son John Tubb, jun., conveyed the manor to Edward Towsey of Wantage. (fn. 115) The latter was still in possession in 1769, (fn. 116) but in 1774 it was settled on the marriage of Elizabeth daughter and heir of John Bishop of Wallingford with Charles Toovey of Wallingford. (fn. 117) Charles and Elizabeth Toovey sold it in 1789 to his brother-in-law William May, who by will in 1797 devised it to his son William. (fn. 118) On the death of the younger William's widow East Ginge passed to his nephew Mr. May-Ellis, whose widow Eliza Ellis died in 1864, leaving the manor in trust for sale. Her trustee having predeceased her, Ann wife of Stephen Hemsted, her only sister, inherited. (fn. 119) Ann died in 1876, and her son Stephen Hemsted sold the manor in the next year to John Allin. (fn. 120) His representatives conveyed it in 1897 to the late Lord Wantage, (fn. 121) on whose death without issue in 1901 it passed to his widow. Lady Wantage conveyed it in March 1912 to Mr. A. K. Loyd. (fn. 122)

The second moiety of the manor remained for some time in the Gernun family, (fn. 123) from whom it passed to the Benhams of Edmundsthorp Benham in Kingsclere, Hants. (fn. 124) In 1316 John Benham was returned as one of the landowners of the vill, (fn. 125) but he held at his death nothing in East Ginge but a rent of 6 marks from tenements held of Sir John Gernun, kt. (fn. 126) His son Richard, (fn. 127) however, held the whole of the Gernun estate here in fee. (fn. 128) It followed the descent of Edmundsthorp Benham till the death of Richard's great grandson William Benham in 1466. (fn. 129) He left five daughters and co-heirs, by his first wife Joan wife of William More, Alice wife of John Brown and Margaret wife of William Cooke, and by his second wife another Joan who married Ellis Gold, and Elizabeth who married an Edwardes. (fn. 130) The moiety of the manor was divided among the five co-heirs, (fn. 131) and not all of their shares can subsequently be traced. That of William More and Joan was inherited by their son John and sold by him to Thomas Halys, (fn. 132) who died in possession in 1520. (fn. 133) He had two daughters and co-heirs, Agnes wife of Clement Rede and Mary wife of James Halys. (fn. 134) Agnes, who subsequently became the wife of Thomas Gold, (fn. 135) had a release from her sister of her share in the estate, (fn. 136) which she granted in 1555 to Edward Mordaunt in trust for her son-in-law William Barnes and his son Thomas. (fn. 137) William Barnes died in 1561, (fn. 138) and Thomas granted his lands in East Ginge to William Greenway and Peter Greenway. (fn. 139) John Greenway, father of William and Peter, (fn. 140) had already purchased another of the five shares from Mary Hunsdon, the daughter of Joan Benham and Ellis Gold. (fn. 141) Two fifths of the estate thus became the possession of the Greenway family. It is possible that they purchased also the share of Alice wife of John Brown, which had been conveyed to Richard Fettiplace in 1503 and belonged to John Fettiplace in 1569. (fn. 142) Peter Greenway died in possession of a capital messuage, a water-mill and 8 virgates of land here in 1608. (fn. 143) His son and heir, also named Peter, was then eleven years old. (fn. 144) Another Peter Greenway died in 1630 seised of one messuage and one virgate in East Ginge. (fn. 145) The family was still living here in the reign of Queen Anne, when Sir Oliver Greenway was a churchwarden. (fn. 146) Their lands afterwards came into the possession of the Curzon family of Waterperry, Oxfordshire. (fn. 147) On the sale of the Curzon estates in the early 19th century East Ginge was purchased by a farmer named Belcher. (fn. 148) He subsequently sold it in small parcels.

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