William Arnold ( fl. 1595–1637) was an important

master mason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England. As a stonemason and architect, William Arnold was head of a migrating band of professional Somerset stonemasons who worked on many houses. Arnold was known to have been living in

Charlton Musgrove Charlton Musgrove is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north east of Wincanton in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 398. The parish includes the hamlets of Barrow, Holbrook, Southmarsh, and par ...

near

Wincanton Wincanton ( or ) is a small town and electoral ward in South Somerset, southwest England. The town lies off the A303 road, a main route between London and South West England, and has some light industry. The town and electoral ward has a populati ...

in 1595 where he was

church warden A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish or congregation of the Anglican Communion or Catholic Church, usually working as a part-time volunteer. In the Anglican tradition, holders of these positions are ''ex officio'' members of the parish b ...

. His first known commission was for the design of

Montacute House Montacute House is a late Elizabethan mansion with a garden in Montacute, South Somerset. An example of English architecture during a period that was moving from the medieval Gothic to the Renaissance Classical, and one of few prodigy house ...

in c1598. This is one of the finest

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personifi ...

mansions in the country and was designed for Sir Edward Phelips. Other works include the remodelling of a hunting lodge at

Cranborne Cranborne is a village in East Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the parish had a population of 779, remaining unchanged from 2001. The appropriate electoral ward is called 'Crane'. This ward includes Wimborne St. Giles in the west and so ...

to form a

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

for

Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, (1 June 156324 May 1612), was an English statesman noted for his direction of the government during the Union of the Crowns, as Tudor England gave way to Stuart period, Stuart rule (1603). Lord Salisbury s ...

in 1607–1610. He was then commissioned in 1610–1613 by

Dorothy Wadham Dorothy Wadham (; ''née'' Petre) (1534/1535 – 16 May 1618) was the foundress of Wadham College, Oxford. She has the distinction of being the first woman who was not a member of the Royal Family or titled aristocracy to found a college at Ox ...

, a Somerset resident, to design and oversee the building of

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...

. Wadham College is widely regarded as the last major public building in the UK to have been built according to the mediaeval principles of a supervising master mason. His last known work was remodelling

Dunster Castle Dunster Castle is a former motte and bailey castle, now a English country house, country house, in the village of Dunster, Somerset, England. The castle lies on the top of a steep hill called the Tor, and has been fortified since the late Anglo- ...

in 1617 for the owner George Luttrell. The interiors were completely modernised in the 1680s, and the exterior work only partially survives as

Anthony Salvin Anthony Salvin (17 October 1799 – 17 December 1881) was an English architect. He gained a reputation as an expert on medieval buildings and applied this expertise to his new buildings and his restorations. He restored castles and country h ...

remodelled and extended the castle in 1868.

Gallery of architectural work

File:Montacute House Apr 2002.JPG, Montacute House, Somerset, south front File:Montacute House - geograph.org.uk - 31226.jpg, Montacute House, Somerset, from north-east File:Wadham College.jpg, Wadham College, Oxford, gatehouse File:Wadham.jpg, Wadham College, Oxford, quad File:Wadh8.JPG, Wadham College, Oxford, hall File:Wadham 3.jpg, Wadham College, Oxford, chapel File:Wadh.jpg, Wadham College, Oxford, exterior of hall File:Dunster Castle 04.jpg, Dunster Castle, remodelled by

, Arnold's work is visible on the right

References

16th-century births 17th-century deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 16th-century English architects 17th-century English architects Architects from Somerset People associated with Wadham College, Oxford {{UK-architect-stub