The Treasurer's House is a

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

-owned property in

Martock Martock is a large village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated on the edge of the Somerset Levels, north-west of Yeovil in the South Somerset district. The parish includes Hurst, approximately one ...

, in the English county of

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

. It has been designated as a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. Apart from the

Bishop's Palace, Wells The Bishop's Palace is the residence of the bishop of Bath and Wells in Wells, Somerset, Wells, Somerset, England. The palace is adjacent to Wells Cathedral and has been the residence of the bishops since the early thirteenth century. It has bee ...

it is the oldest house in the county. The original 13th-century buildings have been added to several times, including a 15th-century great hall which has an arch-braced-collar truss roof. Several of the rooms have wall paintings which have been uncovered and restored since the

were given the building in 1970. The house belonged to the

Bishop of Bath and Wells The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the overwhelmingly greater part of the (ceremonial) county of Somerset and a small area of D ...

and at one time was used to store the

Great Seal of the Realm The Great Seal of the Realm is a seal that is used in the United Kingdom to symbolise the sovereign's approval of state documents. It is also known as the Great Seal of the United Kingdom (known prior to the Treaty of Union of 1707 as the Gr ...

when John Langton was the

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of England.

History

The Treasurer's House is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

priest's house built from

Hamstone Hamstone is a honey-coloured building stone from Ham Hill, Somerset, England. It is a well-cemented medium to coarse grained limestone characterised by marked bedding planes of clay inclusions and less well-cemented material which weather dif ...

during the 13th century. The solar block, which was built around 1250 survives as the oldest part of the building, making it the second oldest inhabited house in Somerset. It is mentioned as the parsonage attached to the village Church of All Saints. In 1227 it was acquired by

Hugh of Wells Hugh of Wells (died 7 February 1235) was a medieval Bishop of Lincoln. He began his career in the diocese of Bath, where he served two successive bishops, before joining royal service under King John of England. He served in the royal administra ...

the treasurer of

Wells Cathedral Wells Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Bath and Wells and the mother church of the diocese of Bath and Wells. There are daily Church of England services in ...

who became the rector and patron of the church. The great hall was added in 1293. In 1297 John Langton, who was a

of England and

Bishop of Chichester The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the counties of East Sussex, East and West Sussex. The Episcopal see, see is based in t ...

, received the

which was stored at the "court at Martock". The kitchen was added in the 15th century. The

Bishop of Bath The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the overwhelmingly greater part of the (ceremonial) county of Somerset and a small area of Do ...

owned the building, which was known as Martock Priory, until 1849 when it was transferred to the

Ecclesiastical Commissioners The Ecclesiastical Commissioners were, in England and Wales, a body corporate, whose full title was Ecclesiastical and Church Estates Commissioners for England. The commissioners were authorised to determine the distribution of revenues of the Ch ...

. It was then privately owned and a small wing added. In 1943 it was bought by Harold St George Gray, the librarian-curator of the

Museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

for the

Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society The Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society was founded in 1849. The Society bought Taunton Castle in 1874, and leases it to Somerset County Council to house the Museum of Somerset. A substantial proportion of the items held by the Muse ...

to preserve it. His wife bequeathed it to the

in 1970. In 1987 it was designated as a Grade I

Architecture

The building has undergone various extensions and alterations since it was built. The building has a T-shaped plan, with the west projecting wing being a hall added in the late 13th century. The great hall has a 15th-century four-bay open arch-braced collar-truss timber roof. The roof was covered with slate from local quarries until it was thatched in the mid 19th century. The current clay tiles were used in the early 20th century. The kitchen block was added in the late 15th century or early 16th century and has no direct connection with the rest of the house. The

Solar Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

Block is the oldest part of the building dating from around 1250. It has a

plate tracery Tracery is an architecture, architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of Molding (decorative), moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the s ...

window with a

Trefoil A trefoil () is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings, used in architecture, Pagan and Christian symbolism, among other areas. The term is also applied to other symbols with a threefold shape. A similar shape with f ...

cusping surrounded by wall paintings. The solar separated from the hall by a screens passage. The walls of one of the private chambers on the upper floor were covered with 16th century

limewash Whitewash, calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, asbestis or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime (calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk (calcium carbonate, CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes us ...

which was removed in 1995, to expose a 13th-century wall painting with a depiction of Jesus on the cross and two other figures. The crucifixion scene with rosettes and vine leaf decoration was uncovered in the 1990s.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Treasurer's House, Martock
Treasurer's House information at the National Trust
Houses completed in the 13th century Houses in Somerset National Trust properties in Somerset Grade I listed houses in Somerset Grade I listed buildings in South Somerset Museums in Somerset Historic house museums in Somerset Hamstone buildings

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links