Welbeck Abbey in the

Dukeries The Dukeries is an area of the county of Nottinghamshire so called because it contained four ducal seats. It is south of Worksop, which has been called its "gateway". The area was included within the ancient Sherwood Forest. The ducal seats wer ...

in North Nottinghamshire was the site of a monastery belonging to the

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

order in England and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, a

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

residence of the Dukes of Portland. It is one of four contiguous ducal estates in North Nottinghamshire and the house is a

grade I 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 ...

building.

History

The estate was mentioned in the Domesday Book, where it is recorded as belonging to Hugh fitzBaldric. Thomas de Cuckney founded the religious house in 1140. It was an abbey of

canons, dedicated to St James the Great. The abbey was enriched by gifts from the Goushills, D’Eyncourts, Bassets, and other families from Nottinghamshire and it received a considerable grant from

King Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassa ...

. In 1393 the abbey came under serious investigation by King Richard II.

Pardon to William Broun of Norton by Welbeck of suit of the King’s peace for felonies, treasons and other offences under the following circumstances: Robert Veel, keeper of the rolls of the King’s Bench, and John Wynchecombe, appointed by the king to take carts for the carriage of the rolls, being directed on Saturday before the feast of St Katherine last by
Walter Clopton Sir Walter Clopton (died 1400) was an English lawyer, and Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1388 until his death in 1400. Life Little is known of his origin and early years, but he was probably from Clapton, near Crewkerne in Somerset. His f ...
, Chief Justice, and other justices to carry the said rolls from York to Nottingham, where upon by reason of excessive rainfall affecting the roads, they could not without additional horses reach Nottingham, where upon by virtue of their commission and the justices order they took at Norton aforesaid two horses of John Levet and John Turnour of Norton, to be paid for in due course. There upon the said William Broun, John Northeryn, Robert Bocher, all of Norton, and Hugh Matt, servant of John Baukwell, Abbot of Welbeck, with divers other evil doers came armed with bows and arrows, sticks and swords, and at dusk of the same day raised all the men of Norton to insurrection, pursued the said Robert and John to Warsop and instigated by Simon de Castleton, canon of Welbeck, and John Worsop, vicar of Cuckney and canon of Welbeck, assaulted them, shot at and pierced the books in the carriage and took the horses, and would have carried the same away but that by the grace of God and their help they made too good a defence.

With so much wealth at his disposal, the Abbot of Welbeck was an influential man, and in 1512 all the houses of the order in England were placed under his care. In 1538, the abbot, Richard Bentley was awarded a pension of £50 (equivalent to £ as of ),, and the 17 canons received pensions of between £40 (equivalent to £ as of ) and £4 (equivalent to £ as of ) a year. WelbeckAbbeyJonesViews1829

At the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the site was granted by

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...

to Richard Whalley, of

Screveton Screveton (pronounced locally "Screveeton" or "Screeton") is an English Civil parishes in England, parish and village in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire, with about 100 inhabitants, increasing (including Kneeton) to 191 at the 2011 Cen ...

. After being owned by a City of London clothier, the abbey was purchased by Gilbert, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury for the sum of £555 6s 6d (equivalent to £ as of ) in 1599, and sold to Sir Charles Cavendish, son of Bess of Hardwick in 1607. It passed to his son William Cavendish, later first Duke of Newcastle; it became the seat of the dukes. Members of the Cavendish family converted it into a

and added a riding house in the 17th century to the design of Robert Smythson and his son John. Only basements and inner walls were retained from the original fabric of the old abbey buildings. In the 18th century, it passed through an heiress into the Bentinck family and became the seat of the Earls and Dukes of Portland.

Modern history

Welbeck Abbey (aerial 2013) (geograph 3637265)

One of the oldest parts of the building, the Oxford Wing, burned down in October 1900; most of the contents were saved. The wing was rebuilt, to the designs of Ernest George, by 1905. Archduke Franz Ferdinand accepted an invitation from the 6th Duke of Portland to stay at Welbeck Abbey and arrived with his wife, Sophie von Hohenberg, by train at Worksop on 22 November 1913 ten months before his assassination, which triggered World War I. The Archduke narrowly avoided being killed in a hunting accident during his stay when a loader fell and caused a shotgun to go off within feet of the Archduke and his host.BBC News 25 November 2013: ''Could Franz Ferdinand Welbeck gun accident have halted WWI?'' Accessed 25 November 2013
/ref> Over the course of the War between 1914 and 1919, the kitchen block was used as an army hospital. After World War II, Welbeck was let by the Dukes to the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

and was operated as Welbeck College, an army training college, until 2005, when the college, since closed, moved to a purpose-built facility at Woodhouse Eaves near Loughborough. Bill Bryson describes his visit to the Abbey while it was occupied by the Ministry of Defence in Chapter 15 of his book ''

Notes from a Small Island ''Notes from a Small Island'' is a humorous travel book on Great Britain by American author Bill Bryson, first published in 1995. Overview Bryson wrote ''Notes from a Small Island'' when he decided to move back to his native United States, but ...

''. Lady Anne, the unmarried elder daughter of the 7th Duke, lived at Welbeck Woodhouse, and owned most of the estate until her death in late 2008 when William Henry Marcello Parente (born 1951) inherited, son of her younger sister, Lady Margaret (1918–1955) and her husband Gaetano Parente, Prince of Castel Viscardo. Since the Ministry of Defence moved out in 2005, Welbeck Abbey has been his home.Charles Mosley, ed., ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage'', 107th edition, 3 volumes (Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 3, page 3336 The family-controlled Welbeck Estates Company and the charitable Harley Foundation have converted some estate buildings to new uses, and there is access to them from the A60 road on the western side of the estate. They include the Dukeries Garden Centre in the estate glasshouses, the

School of Artisan Food The School of Artisan Food is a cooking school sited on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire. Founded in 2009 by Alison Swan Parente, the school aims to teach the 'lost skills' of artisan food production. History The School was founded in 2 ...

in the former Fire Stables, the

Harley Gallery and Foundation The Harley Gallery and Foundation is an educational charity situated on the ducal estate of Welbeck Abbey in North Nottinghamshire. The Harley Foundation The Harley Foundation was set up in 1977 by Ivy, Duchess of Portland, "to encourage creat ...

and the Welbeck Farm shop in the former estate gasworks, and a range of craft workshops, designed by

John Outram John Outram (born 21 June 1934) is a British architect. He established a practice in London in 1974 and produced a series of buildings in which polychromy and Classical allusions were well to the fore. Among his works are the temple-like Storm ...

in a former kitchen garden. Pedestrian access across the Welbeck estate is confined to footpaths forming part of the

Robin Hood Way The Robin Hood Way is a waymarked long-distance footpath in the Midlands of England. Length The Robin Hood Way runs for . Route The Robin Hood way commemorates the famous folklore figure Robin Hood and starts from Nottingham Castle running ...

. The first No Direction Home Festival was held at Welbeck Abbey over the weekend of 8 to 10 June 2012. The End of the Road affiliated festival was headlined by Richard Hawley, The Low Anthem and Andrew Bird. In 2016 it was used as the location for the BBC's baking series '' Bake Off: Crème de la Crème''.

Architecture

Part of the Welbeck Estate buildings - geograph

The

5th Duke of Portland William John Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland (17 September 1800 – 6 December 1879), styled Lord John Bentinck before 1824 and Marquess of Titchfield between 1824 and 1854, was a British Army officer and peer, most remembered for ...

undertook the most substantial building works at Welbeck. The kitchen gardens covered and were surrounded by high walls with recesses in which braziers could be placed to hasten the ripening of fruit. One of the walls, a peach wall, measured over in length. An immense riding house was built which was 396' long, 108' wide and 50' high,'At the time it was the second largest riding house in the world, exceeded only by the huge Manege adjacent to the Kremlin in Moscow'. Nearby was a tan gallops of . It was lit by 4,000 gas jets and was heated to enable training at night and in winter. The 'Tan Gallops' is named after the spongy oak chips that covered its floor. They were a by-product from leather tanning and a good surface for the horses to run on. A tunnel, more than one thousand yards in length, led from the house to the riding school. It was wide enough for several people to walk side by side. Parallel to it was another, more roughly constructed and used by workmen. A longer, more elaborate tunnel, one and a half miles long, intended as a carriage drive broad enough for two carriages to pass, led towards Worksop. This tunnel was abandoned in the late 19th century when a section forming part of the lake dam failed. Remaining stretches of tunnel survive on either side of the lake. The tunnel's skylights can be seen from the

footpath which follows its course and a masonry entrance can be seen between two lodges at the northeastern limit of the park. The 5th Duke excavated to create a number of extensions to the mansion. Although cited as being "underground rooms", these apartments are strictly "below ground", as they are not covered by earth or lawn; their flat roofs and skylights are visible in aerial photographs, although at ground level they are concealed from most directions by shrubbery. The largest is a great hall, long and wide intended as a chapel but used as a picture gallery and occasionally as a ballroom. There is a suite of five adjacent rooms constructed to house the duke's library. Welbeck Abbey - Picture Gallery by George Washington Wilson (died 1893)

Welbeck Abbey - Picture Gallery by George Washington Wilson (died 1893)

The duke made many alterations to the house above ground. Elaborate bathrooms were added. New lodges were built at the park entrances. The work cost prodigious sums and employed thousands of men – masons, bricklayers, joiners, plumbers. While there were disputes from time to time (wages, hours) the duke got on well with his employees and earned the nickname 'the workman's friend'. He created employment for skilled and unskilled workers. By 1879 Welbeck was in a state of disrepair. The only habitable rooms were the four or five rooms used by the 5th Duke in the west wing. All were painted pink, with parquet floors, all bare and without furniture and almost every room had a water closet in the corner. The house was repaired by the 6th Duke, and became notable as a centre of late Victorian and Edwardian upper-class society. The duke was a keen horse-owner, and almhouses he constructed on the estate are known as the Winnings, funded by money won by his horses in seven high purse races from 1888 to 1890. The abbey, its attached picture gallery and the chapel and library are

listed Grade I 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 National Heritage List for England, and its surrounding landscaped park is listed Grade II on the

Register of Historic Parks and Gardens The Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by Historic England ...

. The two pairs of lodges flanking the north and south drives respectively are each listed Grade II*. The grotto is listed Grade II as is the sunken garden and rose arbor. The Chapel and Titchfield Library are listed Grade I.

Welbeck Woodhouse

A smaller house known as Welbeck Woodhouse was built on the northern side of the estate for the Marquess of Titchfield (the courtesy title held by the 7th Duke prior to his succession to the Dukedom) in 1930–31. This was built to a design by

Walter Brierley Walter Henry Brierley (1862–1926) was a York architect who practised in the city for 40 years. He is known as "the Yorkshire Lutyens" or the "Lutyens of the North". He is also credited with being a leading exponent of the "Wrenaissance" ...

but executed after Brierley's death by his partner James Hervey Rutherford. Entry for Welbeck Abbey in register of Historic Parks and Gardens
/ref> This house was subsequently the main home of the Cavendish-Bentinck family on the estate when the main house was leased to the MoD.

List of owners and occupiers

* ca 1086 Hugh FitzBaldric * 1140 – 1538

canons in the Abbey of St. James

Abbots of Welbeck Abbey

* Berengar, occurs between 1153 and 1169 * Adam, occurs between 1183 and 1194 * Richard, occurs between 1194 and 1224 * William, occurs 1229, 1236, 1243 * Richard, occurs 1250, 1252, 1256–7 * Adam, occurs 1263, 1272, 1276 * Thomas, occurs 1281, 1292 * John de Duckmanton, 1309 * John de Cestrefeld, 1310 * William de Kendall, 1316 * John de Nottingham, 1322 * William de Aslakeden, 1335 * Robert Spalding, 1341 * John de Wirksop, 1349 * Hugh de Langley, 1360 * George de Gamelston, occurs 1369, 1383, 1387 * William de Staveley, occurs 1389 * John Bankwell, occurs 1393 * John de Norton, occurs 1412, dies 1450 * John Greene, 1450 * William Burton, occurs 1475, 1482 * John Lancaster alias Acastre, occurs 1488, 1491 * John Copper, occurs 1492 * Thomas Wydur, occurs 1494, 1497, 1500 * Robert, occurs 1502 * Thomas Wilkinson, 1503 * John Maxey, 1520, died 1536 * Richard Bentley, surrendered 1538

Manor owners

* 1538 – 1558 Richard Whalley of

* 1558 – 1595 Edward Osborne of London, ''citizen and clothworker'' * 1595 – 1599 Robert Booth and Ranulph Catterall * 1599 – 1607 Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury and Mary Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury * 1607 – 1617

Sir Charles Cavendish Sir Charles Cavendish (13 Aug 15914 Feb 1653) was an English aristocrat, Member of Parliament for Nottingham, and patron. Described as 'a little, weak, crooked man’ by John Aubrey, he studied mathematics himself, as well as supporting others ...

* 1617 – 1676 William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne * 1676 – 1691 Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne * 1691 – 1711 John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Lady Margaret Cavendish * 1711 – 1734 Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer and

Lady Henrietta Cavendish Holles Henrietta Harley, Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer (''née'' Lady Henrietta Cavendish Holles; 11 February 1694 – 9 December 1755) was an English noblewoman, the only child and heiress of John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle and his wife, t ...

* 1734 – 1785 William Bentinck, 2nd Duke of Portland and Margaret Bentinck, Duchess of Portland * 1785 – 1809 William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland * 1809 – 1854 William Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland * 1854 – 1879 William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland * 1879 – 1943

William John Arthur Charles James Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland William John Arthur Charles James Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland, (28 December 1857 – 26 April 1943), known as William Cavendish-Bentinck until 1879, was a British landowner, courtier, and Conservative politician. He notably se ...

* 1943 – 1977

William Arthur Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of Portland William Arthur Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of Portland, (16 March 1893 – 21 March 1977), styled Marquess of Titchfield until 1943, was a British peer and Conservative Party politician. Biography Portland was the elder son of William Cave ...

and Ivy Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland ** 1943 – 2005

(leasing the majority of the abbey from the 7th Duke and his successors) * 1977 – 2008 Lady Anne Cavendish-Bentinck * 1992 – present

Parente Parente is a surname in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese and may refer to: *Pietro Parente (1891–1986), Italian theologian and cardinal *Álvaro Parente, Portuguese racecar driver * Carol-Lynn Parente, executive producer of Sesame Street * Willi ...

family (Princes di Castel Viscardo in Italy), descendants of the 7th Duke, occupying part of the abbey

References

External links

*
History of Welbeck Abbey from Worksop Heritage Trail Welbeck Abbey entry from The DiCamillo Companion to British & Irish Country HousesThe Harley GalleryWelbeck Farm ShopHistoric Photos of Welbeck Abbey
{{Authority control 1140 establishments in England 1538 disestablishments in England Bassetlaw District Bolsover District Christian monasteries established in the 12th century The Dukeries Ernest George buildings Gardens by Humphry Repton Grade I listed churches in Nottinghamshire Grade I listed houses Grade II listed buildings in Nottinghamshire Grade II listed parks and gardens in Nottinghamshire Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation Monasteries in Nottinghamshire Premonstratensian monasteries in England Religious organizations established in the 1140s Tunnels in England Bentinck family