Chelsea Manor House was once the

demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...

of the main manor of the medieval parish now roughly commensurate with the district of

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an area in West London, England, due south-west of Kilometre zero#Great Britain, Charing Cross by approximately . It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the SW postcode area, south-western p ...

. It was a residence acquired by

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

in 1536, and was the site of two subsequent houses. Today, the area is covered by residential streets.

Owner-occupiers

In 1536 or 1537, timber frames were moved from Whitehall to Chelsea for the King's and Queen's new closets. Records indicate ongoing maintenance work in the 1540s. In November 1538, plants like bay and rosemary were sent from the Charterhouse to the King's gardener for his Chelsea garden. The property featured gardens on the north side and, by the mid-16th century, a walled 'great garden' on the east side. The garden records for Chelsea, particularly one from 1545–6, detail Queen Katherine Parr's gardener, John Colman, receiving 8''d''. a day, while two women weeders earned 4''d''. a day; he was also paid for sowing seeds. Another record highlights the creation of the privy garden, involving five women weeders working for 32 days and a person hired to mow the paths. A gardener from Westminster provided two rosemary banks and six lavender borders; within that year, 29 gardeners and six women weeders were employed, with orders placed for 29 cherry trees, five filbert trees, five damson trees, and two peach trees. 200 damask roses, 11,000 whitethorn bushes, and 64,000 privet plants for hedges were acquired. In May 1541 Queen Katharine Howard and Princess Elizabeth were oftentimes travelling by barge to and from Chelsea together. In 1544, Chelsea was bestowed on Queen Katherine Parr as a lifetime grant, included in her jointure. Katherine was reportedly passionate about gardens and took a keen interest in the gardens of her dower estates, especially those in Chelsea. Following the King's death, she relocated from the court, and she spent a significant amount of time at Chelsea, both as a widow and later as the wife of Sir Thomas Seymour. She died in 1548 at Sudeley, and in her will she left everything to her fourth husband, Thomas Seymour. It was home to

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

, as Princess, between 1536 and 1548, and then to

Anne of Cleves Anne of Cleves (; 28 June or 22 September 1515 – 16 July 1557) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 6 January to 12 July 1540 as the Wives of Henry VIII, fourth wife of Henry VIII. Little is known about Anne before 1527, ...

, who died there in 1557. Following Queen Katherine's death in 1548, the manor was inhabited by Crown lessees or individuals granted residence by the sovereign until 1638. Among them was John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, who occupied the manor from 1551 to 1553 and conducted meetings of the King's council in Chelsea. Jane Guildford, Duchess of Northumberland, successfully petitioned for a grant of Chelsea to her for life, after it had been confiscated by the Crown after her husband, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland’s attainder. Other notable Crown lessees were Anne, Duchess of Somerset, until her death in 1587; and from 1591 the Lord High Admiral, Lord Howard of Effingham (later the

Earl of Nottingham :''See also Earl of Winchilsea'' Earl of Nottingham is a title that has been created seven times in the Peerage of England. It was first created for John de Mowbray, 1st Earl of Nottingham, John de Mowbray in 1377, at the coronation of Richard ...

). His wife, Katherine Carey, was a close friend and relative of the Queen, and, as the Nottinghams resided at Chelsea, Queen Elizabeth made frequent visits to dine with them. Other famous owners included: the 1st Duke of Hamilton; the 1st Viscount Newhaven;

Sir Hans Sloane Sir Hans Sloane, 1st Baronet, (16 April 1660 – 11 January 1753), was an Irish physician, naturalist, and collector. He had a collection of 71,000 items which he bequeathed to the British nation, thus providing the foundation of the British ...

; and the Lord Bishops of Winchester. Three houses in turn existed, the last of which was demolished in 1825 by the 2nd Earl Cadogan and replaced with fashionable residential streets – the Cadogan family and its enterprises have kept ownership of some of these properties. As a Crown possession for a hundred years, the house served as a residence for members of the Royal Family, high-ranking courtiers, and royal ministers, thus establishing Chelsea's prominent status in the area.

References

External links

History of Chelsea Manor
1536 establishments in England Buildings and structures completed in 1536 1825 disestablishments in England Buildings and structures demolished in 1825 Former buildings and structures in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Demolished buildings and structures in London Tudor royal palaces in England Palaces in England Royal residences in England Royal residences in the United Kingdom Former palaces in England Anne of Cleves Catherine Howard Elizabeth I Catherine Parr {{London-struct-stub