Twickenham Park was an estate in

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

in south-west

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

History

The New Park of Richmond, later called Twickenham Park, passed to Edward Bacon in 1574 and to the English

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...

, in 1593. In 1608 the property passed to

Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford ( Harington; 1580–1627) was a major aristocratic patron of the arts and literature in the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras, the primary non-royal performer in contemporary court masques, a letter-writer, and a ...

. The courtier and poet

Cecily Bulstrode Cecily Bulstrode (15844 August 1609) was a courtier and subject of poetry. She was the daughter of Edward Bulstrode (1550–1595) and Cecily Croke; she was a cousin of Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford, in whose household she was a member in 1605. ...

died at Twickenham Park on 4 August 1609. In 1618 the Countess Bedford gave it to a relative, Sir William Harrington,

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, ne ...

. Harrington sold it to Mary Home, Countess of Home, a cousin of Lady Bedford, in 1621. The property was acquired from the Countess of Home by

Sir Thomas Nott Sir Thomas Nott (11 December 1606 – 1681) was an English royalist army officer and an original fellow of the Royal Society. In 1640, he acquired the remainder of the crown lease of Twickenham Park, Middlesex which he sold in 1659.Stephen Porter, ...

, a Royalist Army officer, in 1640. Nott remained there until 1659 when he sold it to a Mr Henry Murray. In 1668 Murray sold it to

John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton (1602 – 26 August 1678) was an English royalist soldier, politician and diplomat, of the Bruton branch of the Berkeley family. From 1648 he was closely associated with James, Duke of York, and ...

, another Royalist Army officer, who died in 1678. In 1685 the Berkeley family sold the property to

Robert Brudenell, 2nd Earl of Cardigan Robert Brudenell, 2nd Earl of Cardigan, 2nd Baron Brudenell (5 March 1607 – 16 July 1703) was an English nobleman. Origins He was born on 5 March 1607, the son of Thomas Brudenell, 1st Earl of Cardigan (c. 1593–1663) by his wife Mary Tresha ...

. The property was then bought by Sir Thomas Vernon,

for Whitchurch, in 1698 and by

Algernon Coote, 6th Earl of Mountrath Algernon Coote, 6th Earl of Mountrath PC (Ire) (6 June 1689 – 27 August 1744), styled The Honourable Algernon Coote until 1720, was an Anglo-Irish peer who sat as a Member of Parliament in the Parliament of Ireland as well as in the Parliam ...

in 1743. In 1766 the property passed to the Harriet Pelham-Holles, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, who set about

mixed farming Mixed farming is a type of farming which involves both the growing of crops and the raising of livestock. Such agriculture occurs across Asia and in countries such as India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Afghanistan, South Africa, China, Central Europe, Can ...

in the park, and in 1788 it passed to Lord Frederick Cavendish, a British Army officer. Following Cavendish's death in October 1803 the house passed to

Sir William Abdy, 7th Baronet Sir William Abdy, 7th Baronet (1779 – 16 April 1868) was a British politician and baronet. Background Born in Marylebone, he was the only son of Sir William Abdy, 6th Baronet, and his wife Mary Gordon, daughter of James Gordon. In 1803, he succ ...

. Abdy sold the house at auction to Francis Gosling who in turn demolished it in 1809.

References

Sources

*"VERNON, Thomas (1666–1726), of Twickenham Park, Mdx." in Hayton, D W; Cruickshanks, Eveline; Handley, Stuart. (eds.) (2002) ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690–1715''.

Boydell and Brewer Boydell & Brewer is an academic press based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, that specializes in publishing historical and critical works. In addition to British and general history, the company publishes three series devoted to studies, edition ...

. {{coord, 51.45769, N, 0.33069, W, region:GB-BKM_type:landmark, display=title Country houses in London History of Middlesex History of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Twickenham Demolished buildings and structures in London Buildings and structures demolished in 1809 Houses in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames