Rycote Manor, Oxfordshire, England

Rycote Manor, Oxfordshire, England

Rycote Park, near Thame in Oxfordshire, was the site of a mansion originally built in Tudor times for Sir Richard Fowler, Giles Heron or John, Baron Williams of Thame - which one is not known. It was almost completely demolished in June 1807 and all that remains today is part of the south-west tower. The fourteenth-century Rycote Chapel, built for the medieval owners of the estate, has survived with many of its original medieval fittings.

The Tudor mansion at Rycote was arguably the dominant country house in early modern Oxfordshire and played host to six English kings and queens, including Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The mansion archive was destroyed on a bonfire, but the Bodleian Library holds many manuscripts, letters, accounts, drawings and maps relating to Rycote.

Rycote Magna

Hugh de Bolebec
Earliest known owner of the manor of Rycote Magna. Recorded in the 1086 Domesday survey of England as holding four hides, with land for four ploughs and three villans (Williams, Domesday, vol. 1, p. 433).

Walter de Bolebec Probably inherited from Hugh de Bolebec, early 12th century (Pipe Rolls, vol. 35, p. xli).

Hugh de Bolebec (d. 1164-1165) Son and heir of Walter de Bolebec (Pipe Rolls, vol. 35, p. xli).

Walter de Bolebec Son of Hugh de Bolebec (d. 1164-1165) (Pipe Rolls, vol. 35, p. xli). A minor in 1165 in the guardianship of his uncle Walter de Bolebec (Pipe Rolls, vol. 35, pp. xxxix-xli)

The Visdelou family

Recorded as holding a knight's fee in Rycote of the honour of Wallingford, 1166 (Red Book of the Exchequer, vol. 1, pp. 308-9; Farrer, Honors, vol. 1, p. 56). William Farrer claims that the record in the Red Book of the Exchequer, which cites Walchelin Visdelou as the holder of the fee, may be incorrect and that it was possibly Humphrey Visdelou (Farrer, Honors, vol. 1, p. 56). Unclear as to how or when the manor may have come into their possession. In 1176 the manor is recorded as being in the possession of Henry II (Farrer, Honors, vol. 1, p. 56; Pipe Rolls, vol. 25, p. 136).

Hugh de Malaunay

Granted Rycote Magna by Prince John in 1189. The grant was confirmed in 1199 following John's accession to the throne (Cartae Antiquae, PRS vol. 33 ns, p. 118).

The de Rycote family

In May 1200 Fulk de Rycote and his wife Matilda (neé Visdelou) acquired Rycote Magna from Hugh de Malaunay for fifty marks of silver (Salter, Oxon. Fines, p. 12; Craig, 'Marbury Ancestry', p. 164). The descent of Rycote Magna through the de Rycote family, however, is not entirely clear. In 1212 Alexander, son of Richard, is recorded as holding one knight's fee in Rycote (Book of Fees, pt 1, p. 119). The Victoria County History of Buckinghamshire then cites a Fulk de Rycote as being lord of Rycote and a supporter of King John in 1215 (VCH Bucks., vol. 4, p. 325). William Farrer records that a Fulk de Rycote was restored to his lands in 1217 (Farrer, Honors, vol. 1, p. 58). The Victoria County History of Buckinghamshire claims that the Fulk de Rycote who was lord of Rycote in 1215 died c.1233 (VCH Bucks., vol. 4, p. 325). F.N. Craig also asserts that the Fulk de Rycote who acquired Rycote Magna in 1200 died c.1233 (Craig, 'Marbury Ancestry', p. 169). It is clear that a Fulk de Rycote was active in the 1220s. A Fulk de Rycote is recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls in 1221, 1224 and 1231; in the Sandford Cartulary of the Knights Templar, c.1225; and as a justice of the assize in 1223 and 1229 (Curia Regis 5-6 Henry III, p. 16; Curia Regis 7-9 Henry III, pp. 292, 435; Curia Regis 14-17 Henry III, p. 275; MS. Wood empt. 10, fols. 40v-41r; Patent Rolls Henry III 1216-24, p. 395; Patent Rolls Henry III 1225-32, p. 349). The 1221 entry in the Curia Regis Rolls records that Fulk was the son of Richard de Rycote (Curia Regis 5-6 Henry III, p. 16). This may indicate that Fulk was possibly the brother of Alexander who held the knight's fee in Rycote in 1212. The death of a Fulk de Rycote, c.1233, is confirmed by an entry in the Close Rolls in 1233 for the appointment of a new coroner for Oxfordshire in place of the late Fulk de Rycote (Close Rolls Henry III 1231-4, p. 275).

A Fulk de Rycote is recorded as holding the knight's fee in Rycote Magna in 1235-1236 (Book of Fees, pt 1, p. 446). Craig claims that this Fulk de Rycote had come of age by 1250 and died in 1302 (Craig, 'Marbury Ancestry', pp. 164, 169). His date of birth would therefore not be later than 1229. He is said to be the son of William de Rycote (VCH Bucks., vol. 4, p. 325; Craig, 'Marbury Ancestry', p. 169). Craig also asserts that William de Rycote was the son of Fulk de Rycote (d. c.1233) and Margaret Visdelou (Craig, 'Marbury Ancestry', p. 169). The Fulk de Rycote who died in 1302 married Margaret, daughter of Sir Adam le Despenser (Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 6, p. 78). The marriage produced a son, Fulk (b. 1295), and a daughter Lady Cecilia de Scalebrok (Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 6, p. 78). It is probable that there were two Fulk de Rycotes who lived between 1233 and 1302. In 1244 a Fulk de Rycote is named as a surety for the bail of Geoffrey de Stocwell (Close Rolls Henry III 1242-7, p. 274). If this is the same Fulk de Rycote who died in 1302, it would place his date of birth as being no later than 1223. It would also entail that he would have been aged at least seventy-two upon the birth of Fulk de Rycote in 1295.

Fulk de Rycote (b. 1295) was proved to be of age on 6 December 1317 (Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 6, p. 78). The document records his date of birth as 16 November 1295 and that he was baptised in the chapel at Rycote (Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 6, p. 78). He appears to have died between 23 December 1360 and 25 January 1361. On 23 December 1360 Fulk de Rycote is cited as holding the knight's fee in Rycote whilst on 25 January 1361 John de Rycote is recorded as having paid homage to Prince Edward for the manor which he held by knight's service (Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 10 p. 519; Black Prince's Register, vol. 4, p. 371). However, an entry in Inquisitions Post Mortem, stating that Fulk de Rycote held the knight's fee in Rycote in May 1372, may indicate an alternative descent of the manor (Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 13, p. 98). John de Rycote's date of birth is unclear. Prince Edward's order for the restoration of his lands, on 4 February 1361, states that he was of full age (Black Prince's Register, vol. 4, p. 372). An entry in the Close Rolls of April 1348 records a John de Rycote as owing a debt of £100 with a Fulk de Holcote to William de Osberton (Close Rolls Edward III 1346-9, p. 508). The Wiltshire feet of fines for 1380 cites a 1372 concord identifying John de Rycote as the son of Fulk de Rycote and the father of John de Rycote (Wilts. Fines, p. 5; Craig, 'Marbury Ancestry', p. 170). The elder John de Rycote is said to have married Elizabeth Gernon by whom, in addition to his son John, he had a daughter Katharine (Craig, 'Marbury Ancestry', p. 170; VCH Oxon., vol. 7, p. 128). A John de Rycote died prior to 25 August 1400, on which date the sheriff of Oxford was issued orders to cause elections to replace the deceased John de Rycote and Thomas Barentyn as verderers in Rockingham forest (Close Rolls Henry IV 1399-1402, p. 167). The Victoria County History of Oxfordshire also cites a mutilated deed of 1398-9 which states that the lands of the deceased John de Rycote were in the possession of Nicholas Clerke (VCH Oxon., vol. 7, p. 128). Nicholas Clerke married Katharine de Rycote, daughter of John de Rycote and Elizabeth Gernon (Craig, 'Marbury Ancestry', p. 171; Carter, Quatremains, p. 38). Nicholas Clerke took the de Rycote surname (Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 20, p. 103).

Nicholas Englefield (d. 1415)

Inherited Rycote Magna through marriage to Joan, daughter of Nicholas de Rycote (formerly Clerke) and Katherine de Rycote (Carter, Quatremains, p. 38). The marriage produced three daughters: Sybil, Cecily and Agnes (Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 20, p. 103). Katharine de Rycote predeceased Englefield and he was granted Rycote Magna for life by his father-in-law Nicholas de Rycote (Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 20, p. 103). The manor was to revert back to Nicholas de Rycote upon Englefield's death. He married secondly Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Quatremains and Joan Russell (Carter, Quatremains, pp. 16-19). The marriage produced a son, John Englefield, who is recorded as being four years of age in May 1415, and a daughter Isabel (Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 20, p. 103; Macnamara, Memorials of the Danvers Family, pp. 171, 215). Comptroller of the Household to Richard II (MS. Gough Oxon. 31, fol. 60v). Died 1 April 1415 (Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 20, p. 103).

Richard Quatremains (c.1392-1477)

Third son and heir of Thomas Quatremains and his wife Joan, daughter of John Russell (Driver, 'Richard Quatremains', p. 88). Inherited Rycote Magna through marriage to Nicholas Englefield's daughter Sybil (Carter, Quatremains, p. 36). Sybil inherited Rycote as the heir of her grandfather Nicholas de Rycote (Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 20, p. 103). Controller of the subsidy of three shillings on the tun of wine and twelve pence in the pound of the port of London, 1422-1445 (Driver, 'Richard Quatremains', pp. 89, 94). MP for Oxfordshire, 1432, 1433 and 1472 (Davenport, Lords Lieutenant, p. 118). High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, 1436-1437 and 1454-1455 (Peters, Lord Lieutenants, p. 60). Founded, with his wife Sybil, the Guild of St Christopher in Thame, 12 December 1447 (Patent Rolls Henry VI 1446-52, pp. 180-1). Granted the office of Controller of the Petty Custom of the port of London, December 1448 (Driver, 'Richard Quatremains', p. 95). Consecrated Rycote Chapel in 1449 (MS. Gough Oxon. 31, fol. 220r). Died 6 September 1477; tomb Thame church (Carter, Quatremains, pp. 52-3).

Sir Richard Fowler (c.1471-1528)

Inherited Rycote Magna following the deaths of his father, Richard Fowler (d. 1478), and Sybil Quatremains (d. 1483), his father's aunt, heirs under the terms of Richard Quatremains's will (Lee, Thame, pp. 294-5, 299-300). He presumably inherited Rycote Parva from the Quatremains for he is recorded as selling both Rycote Magna and Rycote Parva to Sir John Heron in 1521 (BL Arundel MS 26, fol 76b). Married Julian (pronounced Gillian) who died in 1527 and was buried in the aisle of Great Haseley Church (MS. Gough Oxon. 31, fol. 95). Knighted, 17 November 1501, upon the marriage of Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon (MS. Gough Oxon. 30, fol. 234v). Sheriff of Oxfordshire, 1501-1502 (Peters, Lord Lieutenants, p. 71). Channel 4's Time Team argued that the Tudor mansion was probably built by him. According to John Leland, Fowler was "very onthrift and sold al his landes leving his children ful smaul lyvinges (MS. Top. Gen. e. 9, fol. 9v). Buried at Trinity church, Queenhithe Ward, London (MS. Gough Oxon. 30, fol. 234v).

Sir John Heron (d. 1522)

Purchased both Rycote Magna and Rycote Parva from Sir Richard Fowler in 1521 (BL Arundel MS 26, fol 76b). Treasurer of the chamber to Henry VII and Henry VIII (MS. Gough Oxon. 31, fol. 98v). Knighted by Henry VIII, c.1515 (Carter, 'John Heron', ODNB). Died 15 January 1522; buried Whitefriars, London (Carter, 'John Heron', ODNB).

Giles Heron (d. 1540)

Inherited Rycote upon the death of his father Sir John Heron in 1522. Married Cecily, daughter of Sir Thomas More (House of Commons 1509-58, vol. 2, p. 350). Foreman of the Middlesex grand jury which indicted Anne Boleyn in 1536 (Ives, Anne Boleyn, p. 338). Executed for treason in August 1540 (House of Commons 1509-58, vol. 2, p. 350).

Rycote Parva

Geoffrey de Mandeville

Married firstly Athelaise, and secondly Lesceline (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 5, pp. 116-17).
Recorded in the 1086 Domesday survey in possession of one hide and one virgate of land, land for one plough in demesne, with one villan and five acres of meadow in Rycote Parva (Williams, Domesday, vol. 1, p. 439). Constable of the Tower of London (Hollister, 'Geoffrey de Mandeville', ODNB). Sheriff of London, Essex, Middlesex and Hertfordshire (Hollister, 'Geoffrey de Mandeville', ODNB).

William de Mandeville (d. 1105-1116)

Son and heir of Geoffrey de Mandeville and his first wife Athelaise (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 5, p. 114). Married Margaret daughter of Eudo de Ryes, Royal dapifer. Constable of the Tower of London (Hollister, 'Geoffrey de Mandeville', ODNB).

Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex (d. 1144)

Son of William de Mandeville (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 5, p. 114). Married Rohese, daughter of Aubrey de Vere, Master Chamberlain of England. Created Earl of Essex by King Stephen, 1139-1140, and Constable of the Tower (Hollister, 'Geoffrey de Mandeville', ODNB). Deserted Stephen in 1141; granted the earldom of Essex with the offices of Constable of the Tower and Sheriff and Chief Justice of Essex by the Empress Matilda. Realigned himself with Stephen by Christmas 1141; granted further lands, custody of the Tower and the offices of Sheriff and Justice of London, Middlesex, Hertfordshire and Essex (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 5, p. 115). Obtained another charter from Matilda, c.1142, confirming his grants from Stephen with the further office of Dapifer. Arrested by Stephen and stripped of his lands in 1143 (Hollister, 'Geoffrey de Mandeville', ODNB). Rebelled and was mortally wounded attacking Burwell Castle in August 1144 (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 5, p. 116).

Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex (d. 1166)

Son and heir of Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex (d. 1144) (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 5, p. 116). Restored by Henry II to the earldom of Essex and ancestral lands in 1156 (Hollister, 'Geoffrey de Mandeville', ODNB). At the Council of Clarendon, January 1164. Justice in the Eyre for the eastern counties, 1166. Married Eustache, c.1158, but later divorced. Died 21 October 1166; buried Walden Abbey (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 5, p. 117).

William de Mandeville, Earl of Essex (d. 1189)

Brother of Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex (d. 1166) (Keefe, 'William de Mandeville', ODNB). Married Hawisa, Countess of Aumale (d. 1213/14) (Keefe, 'William de Mandeville', ODNB). On Crusade with Philip, Count of Flanders, to the Holy Land, 1177-1178 (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 5, p. 118). Carried the crown at the coronation of Richard I, 3 September 1189 (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 5, p. 118). Appointed Justiciar of England, September 1189 (Keefe, 'William de Mandeville', ODNB). Died on embassy to France and buried in the Cistercian Abbey of Mortemer (Keefe, 'William de Mandeville', ODNB). Having no children his lands and titles passed to his aunt Beatrice de Say. Her son Geoffrey failed to pay the 7000 marks required by the Crown to enter the inheritance, and was debarred (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 5, pp. 120-1).

Geoffrey Fitz Peter (or Fitzpiers), Earl of Essex (d. 1213)

Son of Peter and Maud of Ludgershall (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 5, p. 122) Married firstly Beatrice (d. 1197), daughter of William de Say (d. 1177), the eldest son of Beatrice de Say. He married secondly Aveline (d. c.1225) widow of William de Munchensi and daughter of Roger de Clare, Earl of Hertford (West, 'Geoffrey Fitz Peter', ODNB). Successfully claimed the de Mandeville lands and earldom of Essex through his marriage to Beatrice de Say (West, 'Geoffrey Fitz Peter', ODNB). Justice of the Forest, 1185-1189. Sheriff of Northamptonshire, 1184-1189 and 1191-1194. Sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire, 1190-1193. Under sheriff of Staffordshire, 1197-1198. Justiciar of England, 1198-1213. Sheriff of Yorkshire, 1198-1204 Sheriff of Staffordshire, 1198-1204. Girded with the sword of the earldom of Essex at the coronation of King John, 27 May 1199. Sheriff of Westmorland, 1199-1200. Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, 1199-1204. Sheriff of Hampshire, 1201-1204. Sheriff of Shropshire, 1201-1204 (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 5, pp. 122-4). Died 2 October 1213 (MS. Gough Oxon. 31, fol. 53r). Gave his children the name de Mandeville.

Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex (d. 1216)

Son and heir of Geoffrey Fitz Peter, Earl of Essex (d. 1213) and Beatrice de Say. Granted his inheritance by King John, 4 November 1213. Married firstly Maud, daughter of Robert Fitz Wauter and secondly Isabella, Countess of Gloucester, the divorced wife of King John. Rebelled with the barons against John in April 1215. Excommunicated by the Pope and his lands seized, 16 December 1215. Died of wounds sustained in a tournament in February 1216 and buried at Trinity Priory, Aldgate (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 5, pp. 126-9).

William de Mandeville, Earl of Essex (d. 1227)

Brother of Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex (d. 1216). Married Christine (d. 1232), sister of his brother's first wife Maud. Joined the revolt of the barons against King John in 1215. Restored to lands after affirming loyalty to Henry III, 4 October 1217. Died 8 January 1227, buried at Shouldham Priory with his heart buried at Walden Abbey (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 5, pp. 130-3). William de Mandeville's lands and titles passed to his sister Maud (d. 1236), wife of Henry de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, and High Constable of England. It is unclear as to when Rycote Parva may have passed from the de Mandevilles' possession (MS. Gough Oxon. 31, fols. 57v-8).

Isabel de Bolebec, Countess of Oxford (c.1164-1245)

Held one knight's fee in Rycote Parva, 1235-1236 (Book of Fees, pt 1, p. 450). Gilbert de Stanford held one knight's fee in Rycote Parva from the Countess of Oxford, 1242-1243 (Book of Fees, pt 2, p. 829). Daughter of Hugh de Bolebec (d. 1164-1165). Her first husband was Henry de Nonant. She married secondly Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford (d. 1221) (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 10, p. 212). Died 3 February 1245 (DeAragon, 'Isabel de Bolebec', ODNB).

Hugh de Vere, 4th Earl of Oxford (d. 1263)

Son and heir of Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford, and his wife Isabel de Bolebec, Countess of Oxford. Probably inherited Rycote Parva from his mother. Married Hawise, daughter of Saher de Quincy, Earl of Winchester. Died prior to 23 December 1263 (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 10, pp. 213-15).

Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford (c.1240-1296)

Son and heir of Hugh de Vere, 4th Earl of Oxford, and his wife Hawise (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 10, p. 216). Adam de Stanford is recorded as holding in Rycote Parva five hides of land with appurtenances of which three virgates were placed in villeinage of the Earl of Oxford, 1279 (Rotuli Hundredorum, vol. 2, p. 756). It is not clear as to when Rycote Parva passed from the possession of the de Veres. It appears that a Fulk de Rycote held land in Rycote Parva in 1316 (Feudal Aids, vol. 4, p. 171). In 1346 John de Spencer is recorded as holding half a knight's fee in Rycote Parva (Feudal Aids, vol. 4, p. 176).

Richard Quatremains (c.1392-1477)

Third son and heir of Thomas Quatremains and his wife Joan, daughter of John Russell (Driver, 'Richard Quatremains', p. 88). Inherited Rycote Magna through marriage to Nicholas Englefield's daughter Sybil (Carter, Quatremains, p. 36). Sybil inherited Rycote as the heir of her grandfather Nicholas de Rycote (Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 20, p. 103). Recorded as owning lands and tenements in Rycote Parva in 1428 (Feudal Aids, vol. 4, p. 193). It is not clear how, when or if Quatremains may have acquired the manor of Rycote Parva. Controller of the subsidy of three shillings on the tun of wine and twelve pence in the pound of the port of London, 1422-1445 (Driver, 'Richard Quatremains', pp. 89, 94). MP for Oxfordshire, 1432, 1433 and 1472 (Davenport, Lords Lieutenant, p. 118). High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, 1436-1437 and 1454-1455 (Peters, Lord Lieutenants, p. 60). Founded, with his wife Sybil, the Guild of St Christopher in Thame, 12 December 1447 (Patent Rolls Henry VI 1446-1452, pp. 180-1). Granted the office of Controller of the Petty Custom of the port of London, December 1448 (Driver, 'Richard Quatremains', p. 95). Consecrated Rycote Chapel in 1449 (MS. Gough Oxon. 31, fol. 220r). Died 6 September 1477; tomb Thame church (Carter, Quatremains, pp. 52-3).

Sir Richard Fowler (c.1471-1528)

Inherited Rycote Magna following the deaths of his father, Richard Fowler (d. 1478), and Sybil Quatremains (d. 1483), his father's aunt, heirs under the terms of Richard Quatremains's will (Lee, Thame, pp. 294-5, 299-300). He presumably inherited Rycote Parva from the Quatremains for he is recorded as selling both Rycote Magna and Rycote Parva to Sir John Heron in 1521 (BL Arundel MS 26, fol 76b). Married Julian (pronounced Gillian) who died in 1527 and was buried in the isle of Great Haseley Church (MS. Gough Oxon. 31, fol. 95). Knighted, 17 November 1501, upon the marriage of Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon (MS. Gough Oxon. 30, fol. 234v). Sheriff of Oxfordshire, 1501-1502 (Peters, Lord Lieutenants, p. 71). Channel 4's Time Team argued that the Tudor mansion was probably built by him. According to John Leland, Fowler was "very onthrift and sold al his landes leving his children ful smaul lyvinges (MS. Top. Gen. e. 9, fol. 9v). Buried at Trinity church, Queenhithe Ward, London (MS. Gough Oxon. 30, fol. 234v).

Sir John Heron (d. 1522)

Purchased both Rycote Magna and Rycote Parva from Sir Richard Fowler in 1521 (BL Arundel MS 26, fol 76b). Treasurer of the chamber to Henry VII and Henry VIII (MS. Gough Oxon. 31, fol. 98v). Knighted by Henry VIII, c.1515 (Carter, 'John Heron', ODNB). Died 15 January 1522; buried Whitefriars, London (Carter, 'John Heron', ODNB).

Giles Heron (d. 1540)

Inherited Rycote upon the death of his father Sir John Heron in 1522. Married Cecily, daughter of Sir Thomas More (House of Commons 1509-58, vol. 2, p. 350). Foreman of the Middlesex grand jury which indicted Anne Boleyn in 1536 (Ives, Anne Boleyn, p. 338). Executed for treason in August 1540 (House of Commons 1509-58, vol. 2, p. 350).

Rycote Park

Rycote Park was created, by royal licence, from the manors of Rycote Magna and Rycote Parva in December 1539. Learn more about its owners from the Tudor period to the present day.

John, Baron Williams of Thame (1500-1559)

Purchased the combined manors of Rycote Magna and Rycote Parva from Giles Heron in 1539 (LP Henry VIII, vol. 15, p. 215).
Granted licence to create a park of two hundred acres at Rycote on 10 December 1539 (LP Henry VIII, vol. 14 pt 2, p. 300). His first wife, whom he married prior to 4 July 1524, was Elizabeth (d. 1556), daughter of Thomas Bledlow and widow of Andrew Edmonds (LP Henry VIII, vol. 4 pt 1, p. 230). Williams had three sons, all of whom predeceased him, and two daughters, Margery and Isabel, by his first wife (MS. Dugdale 28, fol. 65). He married secondly Margaret (d. 1587), daughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Baron Wentworth. They had no surviving children. A daughter apparently died in infancy (MS. Dugdale 28, fol. 65). Appointed Master of the Jewels to Henry VIII in 1535. Williams at first held the office jointly with Thomas Cromwell but became sole Master upon Cromwell's execution in 1540 (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 12 pt. 2, p. 650). Knighted by Henry VIII prior to 28 June 1539 (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 12 pt. 2, p. 651). Received the visit of Henry VIII and his fifth wife Katherine Howard to Rycote during their summer progress in August 1540 (LP Henry VIII, vol. 15, p. 499). Treasurer of the Court of Augmentations, 1544-1554 (LP Henry VIII, vol. 19 pt. 1, p. 643; Richards, Augmentations, p. 249). Following the death of Edward VI in July 1553, Williams proclaimed Edward's half-sister Mary in Oxfordshire and is said to have raised six or seven thousand men in the county in support of her claim to the throne (Nichols, Jane and Mary, pp. 3, 9). Created Baron Williams of Thame by Queen Mary in April 1554 (Nichols, Jane and Mary, p. 72). Upon the orders of Queen Mary, he was present at the burnings of the Oxford Martyrs Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer in October 1555 and of Thomas Cranmer in March 1556 (Foxe, Actes and Monuments, book 11, pp. 1769, 1885). In May 1554 he was ordered by Queen Mary to assist Sir Henry Bedingfield in escorting the future Queen Elizabeth from the Tower of London to her imprisonment at the Royal Manor of Woodstock, Oxfordshire. En route to Woodstock, Elizabeth was entertained by Williams at Rycote (BL Add. MS 34563, fols. 13-14). John Foxe claims that Williams again entertained Elizabeth at Rycote the following May on her journey to Hampton Court Palace (Foxe, Actes and Monuments, book 12, p. 2096). Appointed President of the Council of the Marches of Wales by Elizabeth I, February 1559 (CSP Dom. 1547-80, p. 123). Died at Ludlow Castle, Shropshire, 14 October 1559; buried Thame Church, Oxfordshire (MS. Dugdale 28, fols. 65-6).

Henry, 1st Baron Norris of Rycote (c.1525-1601)

Inherited Rycote in 1559 through his marriage to Margery (d. 1599), eldest daughter of John, Baron Williams of Thame. They married prior to 26 August 1544 and had six sons, five of whom predeceased them, and one daughter (House of Commons 1509-58, vol. 3, p. 19). A witness to Edward VI's alteration of the succession in favour of Lady Jane Grey in June 1553 (Nichols, Jane and Mary, p. 100). Knighted by Elizabeth I during her visit to Rycote, 6 September 1566 (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 9, p. 644). Served as Elizabeth I's ambassador to France, 1566-1571(CSP Foreign, Elizabeth, 1566-8, pp. 151-2; CSP Foreign, Elizabeth, 1569-71, p. 367). Created Baron Norris of Rycote by Elizabeth I, 6 May 1572 (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 9, p. 644). Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire and Berkshire, jointly with Sir Francis Knollys and then with Sir William Knollys, c.1585-1599 (House of Commons 1558-1603, vol. 3, p. 136). Died 27 June 1601; buried Rycote Chapel (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 9, p. 645).

Francis Norris, Earl of Berkshire (1579-1622)

Inherited Rycote upon the death of his grandfather Henry, 1st Baron Norris of Rycote, whom he succeeded as 2nd Baron Norris of Rycote in June 1601. Son of William Norris (d. 1579), eldest son of Henry, 1st Baron Norris of Rycote, and his wife Elizabeth (d. 1611), daughter of Sir Richard Morrison. Married c.April 1599 Lady Bridget de Vere, daughter of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. The had one daughter Elizabeth (d. 1645). Appointed to the delegation to receive Queen Anne into England following the accession of her husband James I (VI of Scotland) to the English throne (Calendar of Hatfield Mss., pt 15, p. 90). Created a Knight of the Bath by James I, 5 January 1604 (MS. Gough Oxon. 31, fols. 167v-168r). One of the lords appointed to accompany the embassy of Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham, to Spain, February 1605 (McClure, Letters of John Chamberlain, vol. 1, p. 205). Created Viscount Thame and Earl of Berkshire by James I, January 1621 (CSP Dom. 1619-23, p. 216). Committed to the Fleet Prison by the House of Lords for striking Lord Scrope in the House whilst the Prince of Wales was in attendance, February 1621 (JHL, vol. 3, pp. 19-20). Died 31 January 1622, having purposefully shot himself with a crossbow (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 9, p. 648; CSP Dom. 1619-23, p. 342).

Elizabeth Wray, suo jure Baroness Norris of Rycote (d. 1645)

Inherited Rycote as the sole daughter and legitimate heir of Francis Norris, Earl of Berkshire (1579-1622). Married, in 1622, Edward Wray, son of Sir William Wray and groom of the bedchamber to James I, in secret without the King's permission. Wray was arrested, imprisoned and dismissed from his post (CSP Dom. 1619-23, p. 366). The Wrays restored to favour by 1625; Charles I's court at Rycote whilst Parliament was being held in Oxford due to an outbreak of the plague in London, July 1625 (CSP Dom. 1625-6, pp. 77-80). Died in 1645; buried in Westminster Abbey (Dalton, The Wrays, p. 202). Edward Wray died 20 March 1658; buried at Wytham Abbey (MS. Gough Oxon. 31, fol. 258).

Montague Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey (1607/8-1666)

Son of Robert Bertie, 1st Earl of Lindsey (1582-1642) and Elizabeth Montagu (d. 1654). Acquired Rycote through marriage to his second wife Bridget Wray, suo jure Baroness Norris of Rycote (d. 1657), the only daughter of Edward Wray and Elizabeth Wray, suo jure Baroness Norris. According to Thomas Delafield, the marriage took place 8 November 1648 at Rycote Chapel (MS. Gough Oxon. 30, fol. 274). Bridget Wray's first husband was Edward Sackville, son of Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset. He was killed during the English Civil War, near Abingdon, in April 1646 (MS. Gough Oxon. 30, fol. 263). Fought on the Royalist side during the Civil War; his father Robert Bertie, 1st Earl of Lindsey, killed at the battle of Edgehill, 23 October 1642; at Oxford for the Royalist surrender in 1646 (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 8, p. 19; Smith, 'Montague Bertie', ODNB). Accompanied the body of Charles I to Windsor following the King's execution in January 1649 (MS. Gough Oxon. 31, fol. 192v). Appointed to the Privy Council and served as Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire and Lord Great Chamberlain following the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 (Smith, 'Montague Bertie', ODNB). Died 25 July 1666; buried at the Berties' Lincolnshire seat Grimsthorpe (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 8, p. 20).

James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon (1653-1699)

Succeeded to the Rycote estate and the Norris barony by right of his mother Bridget, suo jure Baroness Norris of Rycote (d. 1657), wife of Montague Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey. Married firstly, on 1 February 1672, Eleanora (d. 1691), daughter of Sir Henry Lee of Ditchley (MS. Wood diaries 16, fol. 12; MS. Rawl. 400f, fol. 51r). The marriage produced six sons and three daughters. He married secondly, on 15 April 1698, Catherine, Dowager Viscountess Wenman (Cokayne, Complete Peerage, vol. 1, p. 46). Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, 1674-1687, 1689-1697 (Davenport, Lords Lieutenant, p. 7; CSP Dom. 1689-90, p. 21; CSP Dom. 1697, p. 123) Created Earl of Abingdon by Charles II, 23 November 1682 (CSP Dom. 1682, p. 550) Deserted James II and joined William, Prince of Orange, at Exeter, 14 November 1688 (Beddard, Kingdom Without a King, p. 21). Voted, in the House of Lords, against the motion declaring James II to have abdicated the throne upon his flight to France, 6 February 1689 (JHL, vol. 14, p. 119). He then subsequently recorded his dissent in the House of Lords upon the Act which recognised William III and Mary II as joint monarchs in succession to James II, 8 April 1690 (JHL, vol. 14, p. 455). Died 22 May 1699; buried Rycote Chapel (Cokayne, Complete Peerage, vol. 1, p. 46).

Montagu Venables-Bertie, 2nd Earl of Abingdon (1673-1743)

Inherited the earldom of Abingdon together with Rycote upon the death of his father James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon in 1699. Educated at Christ Church, Oxford (MS. Top. Oxon. b. 177, fol. 22). Adopted the surname Venables-Bertie on his marriage to Anne (d. 1715), daughter of Peter Venables; married secondly Mary (d. 1757), daughter of James Gould and widow of Charles Churchill, with whom he had one son James, Lord Norris (1717-1718) (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 1, p. 47). Commissioned captain, at the age of 12, of a troop of horse raised by the University of Oxford during the Duke of Monmouth’s rebellion in 1685 (MS. Wood D. 19(3), fol. 76). MP for Berkshire, 1689 (MS. Gough Oxon. 30, fol. 203). MP for Oxfordshire, 1690, 1695 and 1698-1699 (MS. D.D. Risley c. 1; Davenport, Lords Lieutenant, p. 125). High Steward of Oxford, 1699-1743 (Peters, Lord Lieutenants , p. 11). Constable of the Tower, 1702-1705 (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 1, p. 46). Chief Justice in Eyre south of the Trent, 1702-1706, 1711-1715 (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 1, p. 46). Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, 1702-1705, 1712-1715 (Davenport, Lords Lieutenant, p. 8). Privy Councillor to Queen Anne, 1702, and to George I, 1714 (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 1, p. 46). On 8 October 1705 Thomas Hearne recorded in his diary that the Earl was removed from all of his offices by Queen Anne (MS. Hearne's diaries 4, p. 171). One of the Lord Justices, Regents of the Realm, in the intervening period between the death of Queen Anne and the arrival in Great Britain of George I, August-September, 1714 (MS. Gough Oxon. 31, fol. 204). In 1715 Thomas Hearne perceived him to be a fellow Jacobite sympathiser. During the Jacobite rising of 1715, Hearne wrote in his diary on 22 September that "a List of Horses in Oxford that are for K. James is taken, & that K. George sent lately to the Earl of Abbingdon to raise the militia of the County of Oxford, but that he refused it. On Friday last was a very great Meeting of honest Gentleman at the said Earl's seat at Rycaut" (MS. Hearne's diaries 55, pp. 120-1). Died 16 June 1743; buried Rycote Chapel (MS. Gough Oxon. 31, fol. 210).

Willoughby Bertie, 3rd Earl of Abingdon (1692-1760)

Inherited Rycote and the earldom from his uncle, the 2nd Earl, in 1743. Son of the Hon. James Bertie and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of George Willoughby, 7th Baron Willoughby of Parham (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 1, p. 47). Matriculated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, 1707 (Aston, History of the University of Oxford, vol. 5, p. 141). Married Anna Maria, daughter of Sir John Collins (House of Commons 1715-54, vol. 1, p. 460). MP for Westbury, March-June 1715 (House of Commons 1715-54, vol. 1, p. 460). High Steward of Abingdon and Wallingford, 1743 (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 1, p. 48). Much of the Tudor mansion at Rycote destroyed by fire on the night of 12 November 1745. The Earl's ten year old son and heir James, Lord Norris, was killed in the fire (MS. Gough Oxon. 31, fol. 215). Died 10 June 1760; buried Rycote Chapel.

Willoughby Bertie, 4th Earl of Abingdon (1740-1799)

Born 16 January 1740. The second son and heir of Willoughby Bertie, 3rd Earl of Abingdon, his wife Anna Maria (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 1, p. 48). A keen musician from an early age; credited with the composition of one hundred and twenty musical works (McCulloch, 'Musical Oeuvre', pp. 9-27). Earned a reputation for "peculiarly eccentric" speeches in the House of Lords (Gent. Magazine (Oct. 1799), p. 903). A vocal critic of the administration led by Frederick, Lord North, and its "cruel and unjust" war against Britain's rebelling American colonies (Bertie, Affairs of America, p. 1). In 1768 he spent £5,000 "and upwards, in the repairing, amending, improving, and furnishing" of Rycote (MS. Top. Oxon. b. 177, fol. 51). In the 1770s he is documented as paying over £3,000, throughout the course of several years, to secure the services of Lancelot "Capability" Brown to landscape the grounds (Stroud, Capability Brown, p. 142). Upon his succession to the earldom of Abingdon he inherited a financial mess. He was forced to hold auctions of all the household goods at Rycote in 1779 and 1780 in an attempt to pay his debts (MS. Top. Oxon. b. 121, fols. 26-41, 65-75). Despite the liquidation of assets and attempts to increase his income, the Earl died insolvent (MS. D.D. Bertie c. 2/17, p. 11). Died 26 September 1799; buried Rycote Chapel (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 1, p. 48).

Montagu Bertie, 5th Earl of Abingdon (1784-1854)

Inherited Rycote upon the death of his father, the 4th Earl, in 1799. Married firstly Emily (1776-1838), daughter of Henry Gage, 3rd Viscount Gage, and secondly Frederica Augusta (d. 1884), daughter of Lord Mark Robert Kerr. Demolished and auctioned off the Tudor mansion, in lots, in 1807. Former stables converted to become the current Rycote House. Wytham Abbey becomes the primary residence of the earls of Abingdon. Cup bearer at the coronation of George IV, 1821. Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire. High Steward of Abingdon. Died 16 October 1854; buried Rycote Chapel (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 1, pp. 48-9).

Montagu Bertie, 6th Earl of Abingdon (1808-1884)

Son of the 5th Earl of Abingdon and his first wife Emily. Inherited Rycote from his father in 1854. Married Elizabeth Lavinia (d. 1858), daughter of George Granville Harcourt. MP for Oxfordshire, 1830-1831, 1832-52. MP for Abingdon, 1852-1854. Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire, 1855-1881. High Steward of Oxford and Abingdon. Died 8 February 1884 (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 1, p. 49).

Montagu Arthur Bertie, 7th Earl of Abingdon (1836-1928)

Inherited Rycote upon the death of his father, the 6th Earl, in 1884. Married firstly Caroline (d. 1873) daughter of Charles Towneley and secondly Gwendoline, daughter of Sir James Charlemagne Dormer, with whom he had two sons and two daughters (Who Was Who). Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal Berkshire Militia, 1863-1880 (Cokayne, Peerage, vol. 1, p. 49). Died 10 March 1928 (Who Was Who) Last descendant of the Norris and Bertie families to own Rycote.

Alfred St. George Hamersley (1848-1929)

Purchased Rycote in 1911 from the 7th Earl of Abingdon (Brown & Guest, Thame, p. 144). Son of Hugh Hamersley and Mary Anne Phillips (Who Was Who). Married Isabella Maud daughter of Hastings Snow (Who Was Who). Represented England Rugby Union team on four occasions, playing in the first ever international match against Scotland in 1871 and captaining the side in 1874 (Tyrrell, 'An Oxfordshire Sporting Gentleman', pp. 228-30). Called to the Bar in 1873 (Who Was Who). Emigrated to New Zealand in 1875 where in 1879, as Vice-President, he was a founding member of the Canterbury Rugby Union (Tyrrell, 'An Oxfordshire Sporting Gentleman', pp. 230-1). In 1888 moved to Vancouver, Canada, where he served as a legal advisor to the Canadian Pacific Railway and to the Corporation of the City of Vancouver (Tyrrell, 'An Oxfordshire Sporting Gentleman', p. 231; Who Was Who). 1905 returned to England (Tyrrell, 'An Oxfordshire Sporting Gentleman', pp. 231-2). Conservative MP for Woodstock Division, Oxfordshire, 1910-1918 (Who Was Who). Raised the 128th, 132nd, 135th and 156th Oxfordshire Heavy Batteries for service in the First World War (MS. Top. Oxon. c. 529, fol. 95). Died 25 February 1929 (Who Was Who).

Cecil Michaelis (1913-1997)

Purchased the estate in 1935 (Musson, 'A Palace Reborn', p. 135). Born 19 August 1913, in Cabourg, France, the son of Sir Maximilian Michaelis (d. 1932). Artist educated at the Ruskin School, Oxford, and in Paris. Founded Rycotewood College in 1937. He married firstly, in 1935, Marie-Alix Dard, by whom he had two sons and a daughter; secondly in 1947 Lil Lobuf (d. 1987), and thirdly in 1988 Amata Mettenheimer. Died 3 May 1997 (The Independent, Obituary, 19 May 1997).

Maximilian and Dominic Michaelis

Sons of Cecil Michaelis. They lived in the house, which was divided between them, from the 1960s (Musson, 'A Palace Reborn', p. 136).

Bernard and Sarah Taylor

Taylor Family Crest Taylor Family Shield Taylor Family Badge Purchased Rycote Park in 2000. Bernard Taylor is Chairman of Evercore Partners, Ltd., and Vice-Chairman, Evercore Partners Inc. Deputy Steward of the University of Oxford. Member of Council of the University of Oxford, 2003-2011. Graduate and Honorary fellow of St. John's College, Oxford. Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Royal Commissioner and Chairman of the Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. Chairman of Isis Innovation Ltd. Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire. Sarah Taylor is a graduate of Wadham College, Oxford. Trustee of the Oxfordshire Victoria County History. Visitor of the Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum. Chairman of the League of Friends of Thame Community Hospital. Vice Chairman of the Historic Houses Association Thames and Chiltern Branch.

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