![Lympstone Manor](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Lympstone_Manor.jpg)
Lympstone Manor (formerly Courtlands House) in
Exmouth
Exmouth is a harbor, port town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and seaside resort, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe and southeast of Exeter.
In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the List of town ...
, England, is a building of historical significance and is
Grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
on the English Heritage Register. It was mainly built in the 1760s around an older building which had been used as a farmhouse. At this time the owner was Charles Baring, a wealthy banker who had just been married. It was the residence of many notable people for the next two centuries. Today it is a hotel, restaurant and vineyard.
Early residents
![Sale ad for Courtlands House Lympstone 1828](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Sale_ad_for_Courtlands_House_Lympstone_1828.jpg)
Charles Baring (1741-1829) was born in 1741 in Larkbeare House in
Exmouth
Exmouth is a harbor, port town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and seaside resort, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe and southeast of Exeter.
In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the List of town ...
. His father was
John Baring, a wealthy merchant. Charles entered the banking business with his brothers
Francis
Francis may refer to:
People
*Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome
*Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Francis (surname)
Places
* Rural M ...
and John who foundered the famous Baring Bank. In 1767 he married Margaret Gould (1743-1803), who was the daughter and heiress of William Drake Gould of
Lew Trenchard
Lewtrenchard is a village and civil parish in the West Devon district, in the county of Devon, England. Most of the larger village of Lewdown is in the parish. In the Domesday Book of 1086, a manor of Lew is recorded in this area and two rivers h ...
Manor. It is about this time that Courtlands House was transformed by Charles from a farmhouse to a mansion. The couple had nine children, seven daughters and two sons.
Margaret died in 1803 at Courtlands House. There is a memorial to her in Lympstone Church which survives today. Soon after this Charles sold Courtlands House to Lambert Blair. He died in 1815 and the house was sold to Sir Walter Roberts.
Sir Walter Roberts 2nd Baronet (1776-1828) was born in 1776. His father was Sir Thomas Roberts 1st Baronet of Glassenbury, Kent. He inherited his father’s property in 1817. He died in 1828 and the house was sold. The advertisement for the sale described it as follows.
"''"A freehold estate consisting of a mansion house of handsome elevation called Courtlands with lawn, pleasure ground, garden, shrubberies and stables, coach house, graperies, hothouses, greenhouse and all other suitable offices and buildings."''
The next owner was William Francis Spicer (1763-1853), who previously owned Weare House. His father was William Spicer, a Member of Parliament. He died in 1853 and as he had no living children the property was inherited by Richard Heaviside, his great nephew who changed his name to Richard William Spicer in accordance with the Will.
Richard seems to have rented the house to wealthy tenants for some time. The 1861 Census records John Wood, a landed proprietor and his wife Harriet as the occupants.
Later occupants
The Browne family had purchased the property by 1862. Octavius Browne (1809-1876) was born in 1809 in London. His father was William Loder Browne. His brother was
Hablot Knight Browne
Hablot Knight Browne (10 July 1815 – 8 July 1882) was an English artist and illustrator. Well-known by his pen name, Phiz, he illustrated books by Charles Dickens, Charles Lever, and Harrison Ainsworth.
Early life
Of Huguenot ancestry, Hablot ...
who became famous for his illustrations of
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
novels. In 1843 he married Martha Swete Cummins in Brixton and the couple lived there for several years. In 1847 he took his family to Australia to seek his fortune. He became quite wealthy and built a house in
St Kilda,
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. He became part of the social set which included the famous diarist
Georgiana McCrae
Georgiana Huntly McCrae (15 March 1804 – 24 May 1890) was an English-Australian painter and diarist.
Early life
Born in London, she was the illegitimate daughter of George Gordon, the Marquess of Huntly, son and heir to Alexander, 4th Duk ...
. She painted a portrait of him which is show
here![William Lethbridge of Courtlands House](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/William_Lethbridge_of_Courtlands_House.jpg)
He sold his house in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
and returned to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in 1854. He lived in
Badgworth
Badgworth is a village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England, south west of Axbridge. According to the 2011 census it had a population of 525.
The village is home to an equestrian centre known as the Badgworth Arena.
...
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
for some time and then in about 1862 he purchased Courtlands House. He died in 1876 and his wife Martha continued to live at the house. She is shown in the 1881 Census as living there with her three unmarried daughters and seven servants. She sold the house in about 1886 to William Lethbridge.
William Lethbridge (1825-1901) was a barrister and very wealthy shareholder. He was born in 1825 into fairly moderate circumstances but acquired a large fortune. His father died when he was young and the family were forced to leave their farm which was called Wood House in Exeter. He was academically brilliant and obtained a scholarship to the University of Cambridge and later became a barrister.
One of his University friends asked him to join his family business
W. H. Smith
WHSmith (also written WH Smith, and known colloquially as Smith's and formerly as W. H. Smith & Son) is a British retailer, headquartered in Swindon, England, which operates a chain of high street, railway station, airport, port, hospital and ...
which was the enormous newspaper and bookselling firm. He did very well here and moved into the upper classes. He became the friend of the Canadian High Commissioner
Sir Alexander Galt
Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, (September 6, 1817 – September 19, 1893) was a politician and a father of the Canadian Confederation.
Early life
Galt was born in Chelsea, England on September 6, 1817. He was the son of John Galt, a Scottish ...
who persuaded him to invest in the Canadian
North Western Coal and Navigation Company
The North Western Coal and Navigation Company, also known as Alberta Railway and Coal Company or Alberta Railway and Irrigation Company, was a coal mining company formed in London, England in 1882 by Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, one of Canada's Fat ...
which made huge profits.
![Charlotte Margaret Lothian Adams](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Charlotte_Margaret_Lothian_Adams.jpg)
In 1886 when he bought Courtlands House he was an extremely wealthy man. He did not marry but he lived there with his sister Mary Marshall Lethbridge. When he died in 1901 Mary inherited the house but she sold it shortly after to Mrs Mary Bridget Johnston, a wealthy widow.
Mary Bridget Johnston (1840-1908) was the widow of Thomas Johnson of Broomsleigh,
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
. She was born in 1840 in
West Malling
West Malling ( , historically Town Malling) is a market town in the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent, England. It has a population of 2,590.
Landmarks
West Malling contains several historic buildings, including St Leonard's Tower, a Norma ...
,
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
. Her father was Edward Thomas Luck, a landowner. In 1861 she married Thomas Johnson but the couple had no children. When she died in 1908 Courtlands House was inherited by her cousin
General Sir George Luck. He did not live there but appears to have rented it to wealthy tenants. The first one was the Thornycroft family.
Charles Edward Thornycroft (1849-1927) and his wife Edith remained there until 1920. They are recorded in the 1911 Census as living there with their unmarried daughter Ruth and eight servants. After them Commander Henry William Allen Adams (1884-1862) and his new bride Charlotte were the residents of Courtland House. Both of them had been married before. Charlotte was the daughter of
George Coats, 1st Baron Glentanar
George Coats, 1st Baron Glentanar (11 February 1849 – 26 November 1918), was a Scottish cotton manufacturer.
Background
Coats was the son of Thomas Coats and Margaret Glen, daughter of Thomas Glen, of Thornhill Johnstone, Renfrewshire. He was t ...
. She married first William Lionel Charles Walrond but he died in 1915. She then married Commander Adams in 1920. The couple remained at Courtlands until about 1923 when Sir Thomas Garbutt Knott became the owner.
Sir Thomas Garbutt Knott (1879-1949) was the owner of the house for the next 25 years. He was born in 1879 in
Tynemouth
Tynemouth () is a coastal town in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, North East England. It is located on the north side of the mouth of the River Tyne, hence its name. It is 8 mi (13 km) east-northeast of Newcastle upon T ...
,
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
. His father was
Sir James Knott the famous shipping magnate who set up the Prince Line in 1895.
[Sir James Knott Trust website]
Online reference
/ref> Thomas married in 1907 an American divorcee Sarah Elizabeth Fowler but marriage did not last and they were divorced in 1924. He served in World War 1 by joining the New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
forces. Both of his brothers were killed in the War. He lived at Courtlands House until his death in 1949.
References
External links
Lympstone Manor website
{{coord, 50.6403, -3.4180, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Exmouth
Hotels in Devon