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135-528: Knole ( / n oʊ l / ) is a British country house and former archbishop's palace owned by the National Trust . It is situated within Knole Park , a 1,000-acre (400-hectare) park located immediately to the south-east of Sevenoaks in west Kent . The house ranks in the top five of England's largest houses, under any measure used, occupying a total of 4 acres (1.6 ha). The current house dates back to

270-450: A château or a Schloss can be a fortified or unfortified building, a country house, similar to an Ansitz , is usually unfortified. If fortified, it is called a castle, but not all buildings with the name "castle" are fortified (for example Highclere Castle in Hampshire ). The term stately home is subject to debate, and avoided by historians and other academics. As a description of

405-670: A town house . This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country. However, the term also encompasses houses that were, and often still are, the full-time residence for the landed gentry who dominated rural Britain until the Reform Act 1832 . Frequently, the formal business of the counties was transacted in these country houses, having functional antecedents in manor houses . With large numbers of indoor and outdoor staff, country houses were important as places of employment for many rural communities. In turn, until

540-403: A backdrop of massive land transfers associated with the dissolution of the monasteries and broader assaults on church wealth. Cranmer was, therefore, unable to withstand repeated demands from Henry VIII for exchanges of land. This was a long-term process stretching between 1536 and 1546, so that there is no need to imagine that Henry wanted Knole, specifically, for example as a deer park. In 1537

675-507: A boy' from the young Edward Sackville in the double portrait; 'Archduchess Harriet' from a picture of Mary, fourth countess of Somerset in Lord Sackville's private collection and 'Orlando as Ambassador' from a portrait of Lionel Sackville, the first duke of Dorset by Rosalba Carriera. On her father's death in 1928, the house and estate went to Lionel's younger brother, Charles (1870–1962). However, if Vita had to leave Knole, Orlando remained;

810-539: A commission headed by the Lord Treasurer , Thomas Sackville. This is unlikely to have been a coincidence. Sackville's descendants, the Earls and Dukes of Dorset and Barons Sackville , have owned or lived in the property ever since. Thomas Sackville, at that time Lord Buckhurst, had considered a number of other sites to build a house commensurate with his elevated status in court and government. However, he could not overlook

945-573: A copy of the Raphael Cartoons . Reynolds's portraits in the house include a late self-portrait in doctoral robes and depictions of Samuel Johnson , Oliver Goldsmith and Wang-y-tong , a Chinese page boy who was taken into the Sackville household. There are also survivals from the English Renaissance: an Italianate staircase of great delicacy and the vividly carved overmantel and fireplace in

1080-688: A country house, the term was first used in a poem by Felicia Hemans , "The Homes of England", originally published in Blackwood's Magazine in 1827. In the 20th century, the term was later popularised in a song by Noël Coward , and in modern usage it often implies a country house that is open to visitors at least some of the time. In England, the terms "country house" and "stately home" are sometimes used vaguely and interchangeably; however, many country houses such as Ascott in Buckinghamshire were deliberately designed not to be stately, and to harmonise with

1215-480: A department of the Roman Curia , the word emeritus is added to his former title, and he is called archbishop emeritus of his former see. Until 1970, such archbishops were transferred to a titular see. There can be several archbishops emeriti of the same see: the 2008 Annuario Pontificio listed three living archbishops emeriti of Taipei . There is no archbishop emeritus of a titular see; an archbishop who holds

1350-429: A different titular archbishopric, he was appointed as an archbishop ad personam . The distinction between metropolitan sees and non-metropolitan archiepiscopal sees exists for titular sees as well as for residential ones. The Annuario Pontificio marks titular sees of the former class with the abbreviation Metr. and the others with Arciv. Many of the titular sees to which nuncios and heads of departments of

1485-821: A distinguished career at court under Elizabeth and then been appointed Lord High Treasurer to James VI and I , he had the resources to undertake such a programme. Perhaps, with his renovations to the state rooms at Knole, Sackville hoped to receive a visit by the King, but this does not seem to have occurred and the lord treasurer himself died during the building work, in April 1608, at the age of about 72. Thomas Sackville's Jacobean great house, like others such as Hatfield and Audley End , have been called "monuments to private greed". Unlike any surviving English great house apart from Haddon Hall , Knole today still looks as it did when Thomas died, having managed "to remain motionless like this since

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1620-428: A fortunate few; it was the centre of its own world, providing employment to hundreds of people in the vicinity of its estate . In previous eras, when state benefits were unheard of, those working on an estate were among the most fortunate, receiving secured employment and rent-free accommodation. At the summit of this category of people was the indoor staff of the country house. Unlike many of their contemporaries prior to

1755-401: A grant can be given when someone who already holds the rank of archbishop is transferred to a see that, though its present-day importance may be greater than the person's former see, is not archiepiscopal. The bishop transferred is then known as the archbishop-bishop of his new see. An example is Gianfranco Gardin , appointed Archbishop-Bishop of Treviso on 21 December 2009. The title borne by

1890-473: A maid in the laundry, and John Morockoe, who worked in the kitchen. Both are described as "Blackamoors". In 1623, a large part of Knole House burnt down. Edward, a relatively moderate royalist, was away from Knole in the summer of 1642, when he and his cousin and factotum Sir John Sackville fell under suspicion of stockpiling arms and preparing local men to fight for Charles I during the Civil War. The rumours of

2025-553: A metropolitan. The Oriental Orthodox custom generally agrees with the Slavic rather than the Greek with respect to the archbishop/metropolitan distinction. Instead of the term archbishop , Eastern Catholic Churches sometimes use the word archeparch by analogy with eparch , the term used for a diocesan (or eparchial) bishop. However, the word archeparch is not found in the Code of Canons of

2160-524: A mixture of high architecture , often as interpreted by a local architect or surveyor, and determined by practicality as much as by the whims of architectural taste. An example of this is Brympton d'Evercy in Somerset, a house of many periods that is unified architecturally by the continuing use of the same mellow, local Ham Hill stone . The fashionable William Kent redesigned Rousham House only to have it quickly and drastically altered to provide space for

2295-529: A nearby antiques shop that advertised Pablo Fanque 's Circus Royal. Knole also appears in the 2008 film The Other Boleyn Girl , along with nearby Penshurst Place and Dover Castle . It has been featured in several other films including Burke and Hare (2010), Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides . The British Film Institute has a freely-available, family home film from 1961, showing how

2430-403: A network of properties around Sevenoaks, including the manor of Chevening, and adjoining property in the parishes of Knockholt and Halstead, all just to the north of Sevenoaks. Lennard had already pressurised Rolf to sell the lease before his sudden death but, at the same point, Lord Buckhurst was also competing for the lease. Knole was a significant addition to Lennard's local land-holdings when it

2565-562: A new entrance tower. These were long thought to be the work of one of Bourchier's successors, but the detailed study by Alden Gregory suggests that Bourchier was responsible. He took advantage of the political stability that followed the restoration of Edward IV in 1471 to invest further in his property. After Cardinal Bourchier's death in 1486, Knole was occupied by the next four archbishops: John Morton (1487–1500), Henry Deane (1501–1503), William Warham (1504–1532) and finally Thomas Cranmer . Sir Thomas More appeared in revels there at

2700-507: A parliamentary army with some distinction during the English Civil War . Since Dudley had originally granted a 99-year lease, Thomas Sackville could only take it back by buying out the remaining 51 years of the lease for £4,000, which he did in 1603. Lennard was happy to sell, not only because of his mounting debts but also because he wished to gain the Dacre title , which he did in 1604 from

2835-522: A rectangular ornamented chest with the keyboard at the top. Its date of construction is not known, but an early guidebook refers to a marked date of 1623 (although no such date mark is still apparent) – a date in the 1620s has been suggested. The pitch of the organ is sharp (A460 Hz) and the foot-pumped bellows remain in working order. The National Trust has a digital record of most of its Knole collection. It contains internationally important collections, particularly of 17th-century state furniture. The house

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2970-450: A speech to Charles I and his peers in Oxford, in 1642: 'For my particular, in these wars I have suffered as much as any, my Houses have been searcht, my Armes taken thence, and my sonne and heire committed to prison; yet I shall wave these discourtesies, because I know there was a necessity they should be so.' Parliament established County Committees to govern the counties under its control. For

3105-463: A substantial property in the area, Otford Palace , but the drier, healthier site of Knole attracted him. Archbishop Bourchier probably began building work by making substantial renovations of an existing house. Between 1456 and 1486, Bourchier and his bailiff for the Otford bailiwick, John Grymesdyche, oversaw substantial building work on the current house. The remodelled house must have been suitable for

3240-471: A titular see keeps it until death or until transferred to another see. In the Anglican Communion , retired archbishops formally revert to being addressed as "bishop" and styled "The Right Reverend", although they may be appointed "archbishop emeritus" by their province on retirement, in which case they retain the title "archbishop" and the style "The Most Reverend", as a right. Archbishop Desmond Tutu

3375-427: Is always carried before him by a priest-chaplain, and (like other archbishops) is a two-barred processional cross. However, the archbishop of Canterbury is also entitled to be preceded by the ancient primatial cross of Canterbury (still in ceremonial use) which is of an ornate historical design, made of precious metal, and with precious stones inserted, but unlike his metropolitical cross (or those of other archbishops) it

3510-435: Is an oft repeated myth that Knole is a calendar house , which had 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances and seven courtyards. While the number of rooms is approximately correct, the number of staircases has been reduced by internal renovations and changes. Traditionally, there have been seven spaces called courts – Green Court, Stable Court, Stone Court, Water Court, Queen's Court, Pheasant Court and Men's Court. This definition

3645-619: Is cared for and opened by the National Trust , which has owned the house since it was donated by The 4th Baron Sackville in 1947; however, the Trust owns only the house and an adjoining modest park – overall 52 acres (21 ha). Much of the house is lived in by the Sackville-Wests: the Sackville family or the family trust own the remainder of the deer park but permit commercialised access and certain charitable and sporting community events. There

3780-471: Is followed also by the Roman Catholic Church, but in others no distinction is made and "The Most Reverend" and "Your Excellency" are used for archbishops and bishops alike.) Anglican archbishops are entitled to be preceded by a server carrying an archiepiscopal processional cross (with two bars instead of one) in liturgical processions. The archbishop of Canterbury 's metropolitical processional cross

3915-508: Is known of any property he had on the estate. Two other families, the Grovehursts and the Ashburnhams, are known to have held the estate in succession until the 1360s, and the manor of Knole is first mentioned in 1364. In 1419, the estate, which then spread over 800 acres, had been bought by Thomas Langley , Bishop of Durham, and by 1429, he had extended it to 1,500 acres. The estate remained in

4050-505: Is located on well-drained soils of the Lower Greensand . It was close enough to London to allow easy access for owners who were involved with affairs of state, and it was on "sounde, parfaite, holesome grounde", in the words of Henry VIII . It also had a plentiful supply of spring water. The knoll of land in front of the house gives it a sheltered position. The wooded nature of the landscape could provide not only timber but also grazing for

4185-931: Is not double-barred. Archbishops exist in all traditional denominations of the Eastern Christianity , including the Eastern Orthodox Church , the Oriental Orthodox Churches , Church of the East and the Eastern Catholic Churches In the Eastern Orthodox churches, the office and title of archbishop can be traced from the 4th and 5th century. Historically, the title was used variously, in terms of rank and jurisdiction. In some Eastern Orthodox churches, archbishops are ranked above metropolitans in precedence , while in others that order

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4320-409: Is only that the catalogue is tedious, not that it is finished. There are ninety-nine pages more of it … . And so on and so on. Although its complex history reveals Knole to have been the result of many periods of development, its national importance is primarily for its 17th-century structure. As Newton puts it: At the time of Sackville's rebuilding, little notice was taken of his work. It was not at

4455-473: Is politics; they talk politics; and they make politics, quite spontaneously. There are no written terms for distinguishing between vast country palaces and comparatively small country houses; the descriptive terms, which can include castle , manor and court , provide no firm clue and are often only used because of a historical connection with the site of such a building. Therefore, for ease or explanation, Britain's country houses can be categorised according to

4590-541: Is reversed. Primates of autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches below patriarchal rank are generally designated as archbishops. In the Greek Orthodox Church , archbishops are ranked above metropolitans in precedence . The reverse is true for some Slavic Orthodox churches ( Russian Orthodox , Bulgarian Orthodox ) and also for Romanian Orthodox Church , where metropolitans rank above archbishops. In terms of jurisdiction, there are two basic types of archbishops in

4725-481: Is somewhat loose, with additional courtyards such as Brewhouse Yard and Carpenters Yard not included. In January 2012, the National Trust launched a seven-year plan to conserve and restore the house, including a public appeal for £2.7M. Knole has a 26 acres (11 ha) walled garden (30 including the 'footprint' of the house). It has the unusual – and essentially medieval feature of a smaller walled garden inside

4860-600: Is the Archdiocese of Hobart in Australia , associated with the Metropolitan ecclesiastical province of Melbourne , but not part of it. The ordinary of such an archdiocese is an archbishop. In the Anglican Communion , non-metropolitan archiepiscopal sees are much less common. The Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem , established in 1841, was raised to the status of a non-metropolitan archiepiscopal see in 1957, but reduced to

4995-581: Is the ITV series Downton Abbey . Archbishop The word archbishop ( / ˌ ɑːr tʃ ˈ b ɪ ʃ ə p / ) comes via the Latin archiepiscopus . This in turn comes from the Greek αρχιεπίσκοπος , which has as components the etymons αρχι -, meaning 'chief', επί , 'over', and σκοπός , 'guardian, watcher'. The earliest appearance of neither the title nor the role can be traced. The title of "metropolitan"

5130-476: Is the northern range of Stone Court. The upper floors contain a series of high-status apartments, and these are demonstrated by a number of structural features, such as the series of large garderobe towers protruding on the north side and the cellars below, which contain some late-15th-century wall paintings. In 2013, Knole was granted £7.75m by the Heritage Lottery Fund for conservation and repair work to

5265-517: The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches . All Catholic metropolitans are archbishops, but not all archbishops are metropolitans, though most are. As well as the much more numerous metropolitan sees, there are 77 Catholic sees that have archiepiscopal rank. In some cases, such a see is the only one in a country, such as Luxembourg or Monaco , too small to be divided into several dioceses so as to form an ecclesiastical province. In others,

5400-510: The Jack Cade Rebellion. Saye and Sele was executed on the authority of a hastily assembled commission initiated by Henry VI in response to the demands of Cade's rebels when they arrived in London. James Fiennes's heir, William, second Baron Saye and Sele , sold the property for 400 marks (£266 13s 4d) in 1456 to The Most Rev. Thomas Bourchier , Archbishop of Canterbury . He already had

5535-504: The Patriarchate of Constantinople , honorary archiepiscopal titles were also granted to those diocesan bishops who were exempt from jurisdictions of local metropolitans, and transferred to the direct jurisdiction of the patriarchal throne. Such titular hierarchs were contentiously styled as " autocephalous archbishops " (self-headed, just in terms of not having a metropolitan, but without connotations to real autocephaly ). For example, until

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5670-858: The Serbian Orthodox Church , both types were represented: the head of the autonomous Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric is styled Archbishop of Ohrid and invested with regional jurisdiction over all diocesan bishops in North Macedonia , while former diocesan bishop (late Amfilohije Radović ) of the Eparchy of Montenegro and the Littoral , with seat in Cetinje , was personally given only the honorary title Archbishop of Cetinje , but without any jurisdiction over other diocesan bishops in Montenegro . Historically, within

5805-399: The agricultural depressions of the 1870s , the estates, of which country houses were the hub, provided their owners with incomes. However, the late 19th and early 20th centuries were the swansong of the traditional English country house lifestyle. Increased taxation and the effects of World War I led to the demolition of hundreds of houses ; those that remained had to adapt to survive. While

5940-552: The 1850s, with the English economy booming, new mansions were built in one of the many revivalist architectural styles popular throughout the 19th century. The builders of these new houses were able to take advantage of the political unrest in Europe that gave rise to a large trade in architectural salvage. This new wave of country house building is exemplified by the Rothschild properties in

6075-419: The 18th century with houses such as Castle Howard , Kedleston Hall and Holkham Hall . Such building reached its zenith from the late 17th century until the mid-18th century; these houses were often completely built or rebuilt in their entirety by one eminent architect in the most fashionable architectural style of the day and often have a suite of Baroque state apartments, typically in enfilade , reserved for

6210-474: The 20th century, they slept in proper beds, wore well-made adequate clothes and received three proper meals a day, plus a small wage. In an era when many still died from malnutrition or lack of medicine, the long working hours were a small price to pay. As a result of the aristocratic habit of only marrying within the aristocracy, and whenever possible to a sole heiress, many owners of country houses owned several country mansions, and would visit each according to

6345-422: The 3rd Duke was a much more significant character for Knole. An avid collector with the means to satisfy his acquisitiveness, he not only brought back various old masters from his Grand Tour in 1770, but also became a discerning patron for contemporary artists. Sir Joshua Reynolds painted a full-length portrait and the duke also acquired several other paintings by Reynolds, eleven of which are still on display in

6480-457: The 3rd Earl, Lady Anne Clifford , lived at Knole for a time during the couple's conflict over her inheritance from her father, George Clifford, third earl of Cumberland . A catalogue of the household of the Earl and Countess of Dorset at Knole from this time survives. It records the names and roles of servants and indicates where they sat at dinner. The list includes two African servants, Grace Robinson,

6615-487: The 3rd Lord Sackville. As she was not philoprogenitive, this was as well, but the thought hung heavily on her at this time. Woolf gave her a fantastical version of Knole and, when Vita had read it, she wrote to Virginia, 'You made me cry with your passages about Knole, you wretch.' This sentiment may be heightened by the uses of Vita as a historical model for some of the photos in the original Hogarth edition. Three of these are, in fact, adapted from pictures at Knole: 'Orlando as

6750-647: The 400 years since 1600. Knole is located at the southern end of Sevenoaks , in the Weald of west Kent . To the north, the land slopes down to the Darenth valley and the narrow fertile pays of Holmesdale , at the foot of the North Downs . The land around Sevenoaks itself has sandy soils, with woodland that was used in the Middle Ages in the traditional Wealden way, for pannage , rough pasture and timber. The Knole estate

6885-631: The 5th century. Episcopal sees are generally arranged in groups in which one see's bishop has certain powers and duties of oversight over the others. He is known as the metropolitan archbishop of that see. In the Catholic Church , canon 436 of the Code of Canon Law indicates what these powers and duties are for a Latin Church metropolitan archbishop, while those of the head of an autonomous ( sui iuris ) Eastern Catholic Churches are indicated in canon 157 of

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7020-597: The Beatles ' videos that accompanied the release of " Penny Lane " and " Strawberry Fields Forever ". The stone archway through which the four Beatles rode on horses can still be seen on the southeastern side of the Bird House, which itself is on the southeastern side of Knole House. The same visit to Knole Park inspired another Beatles song, " Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! ," which John Lennon wrote after buying an 1843 poster in

7155-618: The Civil War. He practised quiet retrenchment, despite taking part in some public work following the Restoration of Charles II , including membership of the commission for the trial of the regicides . However, his marriage to Lady Frances Cranfield, daughter of Lionel Cranfield , was important for Knole. When her brother died, she inherited the Middlesex estates, including Copt Hall in Essex. Richard died at Knole on 27 August 1677. but his son, Charles,

7290-460: The Crown . Mary gave the residence back to her Archbishop of Canterbury, Reginald Cardinal Pole , but with their deaths in 1558 the house reverted to the Crown. In the early 1560s, Queen Elizabeth I gave Knole to Robert Dudley , but he returned it in 1566. However, he had already granted a lease (1 February 1566) to one Thomas Rolf. Under this the ' manor and mansion-house' of Knole and the park, with

7425-520: The Eastern Orthodox Church: real archbishops and honorary archbishops. Real archbishops are primates of autocephalous or autonomous (regional) churches, and they have actual jurisdiction over other bishops, while honorary archbishops are in fact just diocesan bishops with honorary titles of archbishops and no jurisdiction outside their own diocese. The honorary title is usually conferred to bishops of historically important sees . For example, in

7560-646: The Great Chamber. The 'Sackville leopards', holding heraldic shields in their paws and forming finials on the balusters of the principal stair (constructed 1605–1608) of the house, are derived from the Sackville coat of arms. The chapel-room with its crypt seems to pre-date this period and has contemporary pews. The organ , in the late medieval private chapel at Knole, is arguably the oldest playable organ in England. The organ has four ranks of oak pipes (Stopped Diapason 8, Principal 4, Twelfth 22/3 and Fifteenth 2) contained in

7695-773: The House. As part of this work, in 2014, archaeologists found that the late-medieval wall and roof timbers, and the oak beams beneath floors, particularly near fireplaces, had been scorched and carved with scratched marks. Initial media coverage focused on these being apotropaic marks , or "witch marks", to prevent witches and demons from coming down the chimney. This is one of a series of possible interpretations of such marks, which are now being found increasingly on medieval and renaissance building across England, including at Sissinghurst . However, all interpretations suggest they were apotropaic rituals to ward off fire damage or evil spirits. Since many of these are late-medieval marks, covered up during

7830-518: The Knole estate but also rented fields from local landowners, including, surprisingly, Lady Sackville (Sir John's wife). Some accounts for the period survive. They show, for example, a gift of a few pounds to goodman Skinner for 'looking to Knole Parkgate.' Other expenditure was seen as much more extravagant, including £3091 for the Household, called the 'seraglio' by local enemies. Committee meetings were held in

7965-586: The Parke of knoll, the charge of new building of the said house and making planting and furnishing of the said ponds yards gardens orchards and wilderness about Seaven yeares past Thirty thosand pounds at the least yet exstant uppon Accounpts. All wch are now in the Earle of dorsetts owne occupacon and are worth to bee sold." The second earl did not enjoy Knole for long, since he died in January 1609. His two sons, in turn, inherited

8100-542: The Reynolds Room. John Frederick's only son, George, the fourth duke, died in 1815 aged 21, and Knole was then left by the third Duke's widow in 1825 to their daughter Mary, Countess of Plymouth. She died childless in 1864, leaving it to her sister Countess De La Warr and her heirs male. It ultimately passed to the latter's fourth son, Mortimer Sackville-West, 1st Baron Sackville , and thence to his successors. However, Lord Sackville's resources were insufficient to maintain

8235-464: The Roman Curia who are not cardinals are assigned are not of archiepiscopal rank. In that case the person who is appointed to such a position is given the personal title of archbishop ( ad personam ). They are usually referred to as archbishop of the see, not as its archbishop-bishop. If an archbishop resigns his see without being transferred to another, as in the case of retirement or assignment to head

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8370-524: The appointment of his successor, Henry found his properties in nearby Otford and Knole useful residences for his daughter Mary , at the time of the protracted divorce from her mother, Catherine of Aragon . She was at Knole from 27 November 1532 to 5 March 1533. Warham's successor as archbishop, Thomas Cranmer, acquired all the temporalities of the See of Canterbury. However, these brought with them substantial debts and complex demands of land management, set against

8505-438: The archbishop by 1459, when he first stayed there, but he based himself there increasingly in his later years, particularly after 1480, when, at the age of about 69, he appointed a suffragan. In 1480, Thomas Cardinal Bourchier, as he had become in 1473, gave the house to the Archdiocese of Canterbury . In subsequent years, Knole House continued to be enlarged, with the addition of a large courtyard, now known as Green Court, and

8640-467: The best-known examples of the showy prodigy house , often built with the intention of attracting the monarch to visit. By the reign of Charles I , Inigo Jones and his form of Palladianism had changed the face of English domestic architecture completely, with the use of turrets and towers as an architectural reference to the earlier castles and fortified houses completely disappearing. The Palladian style, in various forms, interrupted briefly by baroque ,

8775-519: The cache of arms reached Parliament in an intercepted letter for which Sir John was notionally the source. On Sunday 14 August 1642, Parliament sent three troops of horse under Colonel Edwin Sandys, a member of a Kentish puritan family, to seize these arms from Knole. Sir John was in the congregation for the parish Sunday service and Sandys waited with his troops outside the church until it had finished. Local people tried to rescue him but they quickly judged that

8910-520: The circumstances of their creation. The great houses are the largest of the country houses; in truth palaces, built by the country's most powerful – these were designed to display their owners' power or ambitions to power. Really large unfortified or barely fortified houses began to take over from the traditional castles of the crown and magnates during the Tudor period, with vast houses such as Hampton Court Palace and Burghley House , and continued until

9045-466: The country saw the building of the first of the unfortified great houses. Henry VIII 's Dissolution of the Monasteries saw many former ecclesiastical properties granted to the King's favourites, who then converted them into private country houses. Woburn Abbey , Forde Abbey and many other mansions with abbey or priory in their name became private houses during this period. Other terms used in

9180-416: The court of Archbishop Morton, whose cognizance (motto) of Benedictus Deus appears above and to either side of a large late Tudor fireplace there. Henry VII was an occasional visitor, as in early October and midwinter 1490. Cardinal Bourchier had enclosed the park with a pale to make a deer park and it seems that Henry VIII used to visit Archbishop Warham to hunt deer. After the death of Warham and before

9315-426: The dark Kentish ragstone . However, Town asserts its importance, arguing that 'what Sackville achieved at Knole was a remarkable synthesis of what was inherited from the existing fabric and what was newly built.' He had taken a great, late-medieval house for a series of archbishops of Canterbury, usually among the most powerful men in the state, which had already experienced other changes of function and occupancy during

9450-399: The deer, and also Panthurst Park and other lands, were demised to the latter for the term of ninety-nine years at a rent of £200. The landlord was to do all repairs, and reserved the very unusual right (to himself and his heirs and assigns) to occupy the mansion-house as often as he or they chose to do so, but this right did not extend to the gate-house, nor to certain other premises. The tenant

9585-428: The design of the wing around the next corner. These varying "improvements", often criticised at the time, today are the qualities that make English country houses unique. Wealthy and influential people, often bored with their formal duties, go to the country in order to get out of London, the ugliest and most uncomfortable city in the world; they invented the long week-end to stay away as long as possible. Their métier

9720-498: The early 17th century, balanced between growth and decay." Thomas's son, Robert Sackville, second earl of Dorset, took over the titles and estates, gave a description of his father's work on re-modelling Knole: "late re-edified wth a barne, stable, dovehouse and other edifices, together wth divers Courts, the gardens orchards and wilderness invironed wth a stone wall, well planted wth choise frute, and beawtified wth ponds, and manie other pleasureable delights and devises are situate wthin

9855-427: The early 1970s, hundreds of country houses were demolished . Houses that survived destruction are now mostly Grade I or II listed as buildings of historic interest with restrictions on restoration and re-creation work. However such work is usually very expensive. Several houses have been restored, some over many years. For example at Copped Hall where the restoration started in 1995 continues to this day. Although

9990-442: The early-17th-century rebuilding of Knole, it is fanciful to link them to James I 's interest in witchcraft, particularly since, after the publication of his book Daemonologie (1597), he later became much more sceptical about the existence of witches. The many state rooms open to the public contain a collection of 17th-century royal Stuart furniture, perquisites from the 6th Earl's service as Lord Chamberlain to William III in

10125-451: The end of the 8th century, bishop of Amorium was under the jurisdiction of metropolitan of Pessinus , but he was later exempt and placed under direct patriarchal jurisdiction. On that occasion, he was given an honorary title of an autocephalous archbishop , but with no jurisdiction over other bishops. Sometime later ( c.  814 ), metropolitan province of Amorium was created, and local archbishop finally gained regional jurisdiction as

10260-413: The expenditure of £1 17s 4d for the 'carpenters and others employed in taking away the rails and levelling the ground in the chapel at Knole'. Nevertheless, the committee had moved to Aylesford Priory before April 1645. When Edward Sackville died in 1652, his son Richard inherited not only the earldom, but estates in substantial debt, not least owing to fines imposed by Parliament for his father's role in

10395-530: The first 12 to 18 months of its operation, the Kent Committee was based at Knole, until its obvious disadvantage, being at one end of a very large county, led to its removal first to Aylesford and then to Maidstone. Apart from the committee, the county treasury was based here, along with a bodyguard of between 75 and 150 men and the so-called 'Household'. To provision its varied occupants, the Committee not only used

10530-461: The forefront of architectural development and, in 1673, John Evelyn called it '‘a great old fashioned house', quite unlike the classical style favoured by Inigo Jones and also illustrated by Thomas Howard, the first earl of Suffolk 's almost contemporary rebuilding of Audley End. Knole may no longer look much like Bourchier's late-medieval house, but it can still give the impression of a sombre, squat, complex of houses, not least thanks to its use of

10665-456: The hands of the Langley family, it seems, until the mid-1440s when it had been acquired by James Fiennes , first Lord Saye and Sele . The circumstances of this transfer are not known, but it is clear that Lord Saye and Sele was also enlarging the estate by further, sometimes forcible, purchases of adjoining parcels of land. For example, in 1448 one Reginald Peckham was forced to sell land at Seal (at

10800-580: The heir to the earl of Middlesex's estates, he obtained the new creation earl of Middlesex in 1674. In January 1688, his son, Lionel Sackville , was born at Knole. When Charles died in 1706, Lionel inherited. Lionel Sackville was a key supporter of the Hanoverian Succession and was rewarded by George I with the Garter in 1714 and the dukedom of Dorset in 1720. In 1730, Sir Robert Walpole appointed him lord lieutenant of Ireland . Much later, in 1757, he

10935-473: The home counties and Bletchley Park (rebuilt in several styles, and famous for its code-breaking role in World War II). The slow decline of the English country house coincided with the rise not just of taxation, but also of modern industry, along with the agricultural depression of the 1870s. By 1880, this had led some owners into financial shortfalls as they tried to balance maintenance of their estates with

11070-462: The house and its possessions. He began selling a number of the heirlooms to enable him to keep the estate going. The Sackville-West descendants included writer Vita Sackville-West . Her Knole and the Sackvilles , published 1922, is regarded as a classic in the literature of English country houses. Its rather romantic style is sometimes of dubious historical accuracy but it is based upon full access to

11205-398: The house is set in its 1,000-acre (400 ha) deer park . This has generally been kept in traditional condition; however, the controlled deer population does not have access to all parts. Due to the rich woodland, Knole Park is a Site of Special Scientific Interest . The park hosts the annual Knole Run, a schools cross-country race. Knole was the setting for the filming in January 1967 of

11340-435: The household. These houses were always an alternative residence to a London house. During the 18th and 19th centuries, for the highest echelons of English society, the country house served as a place for relaxing, hunting and running the country with one's equals at the end of the week, with some houses having their own theatre where performances were staged. The country house, however, was not just an oasis of pleasure for

11475-551: The immediately preceding war then in World War I, were now paying far higher rates of tax, and agricultural incomes had dropped. Thus, the solution for many was to hold contents auctions and then demolish the house and sell its stone, fireplaces , and panelling . This is what happened to many of Britain's finest houses. Despite this slow decline, so necessary was the country house for entertaining and prestige that in 1917 Viscount Lee of Fareham donated his country house Chequers to

11610-438: The income they provided. Some relied on funds from secondary sources such as banking and trade while others, like the severely impoverished Duke of Marlborough , sought to marry American heiresses to save their country houses and lifestyles. The ultimate demise began immediately following World War I . The members of the huge staff required to maintain large houses had either left to fight and never returned, departed to work in

11745-429: The incumbent, was assigned also to a titular see , which he held until the moment of succession. Since then, the title of Coadjutor Archbishop of the see is considered sufficient and more appropriate. The rank of archbishop is conferred on some bishops who are not ordinaries of an archdiocese. They hold the rank not because of the see that they head but because it has been granted to them personally ( ad personam ). Such

11880-484: The landscape, while some of the great houses such as Kedleston Hall and Holkham Hall were built as "power houses" to dominate the landscape, and were most certainly intended to be "stately" and impressive. In his book Historic Houses: Conversations in Stately Homes , the author and journalist Robert Harling documents nineteen "stately homes"; these range in size from the vast Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard to

12015-497: The later 1920s, her lover. Woolf wrote Orlando over the winter of 1927–1928, an experimental, though accessible, novel which drew on the history of the house and Sackville-West's ancestors, particularly as presented in Vita's book. The Sackville family custom of following the Salic rules of primogeniture was to prevent Vita from inheriting Knole upon the death of her father Lionel (1867–1928),

12150-540: The latter two are ducal palaces, Montacute, although built by a Master of the Rolls to Queen Elizabeth I, was occupied for the next 400 years by his descendants, who were gentry without a London townhouse , rather than aristocracy. They finally ran out of funds in the early 20th century. However, the vast majority of English country houses, often owned at different times by gentlemen and peers , are an evolution of one or more styles with facades and wings in different styles in

12285-523: The manor of Knole, and five other manors and a number of advowsons and chantries largely forming the archbishop's bailiwick of Otford, were 'exchanged' with Henry VIII. In return, Cranmer received a package primarily consisting of former abbeys and priories between Canterbury and Dover. Knole was granted to Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset , in August 1547 at the start of his nephew Edward VI 's reign, but following Somerset's execution in 1549 it reverted to

12420-672: The manuscripts and books at that time in the House's collection, though many are now in the Kent County Archives (originally at the Centre for Kentish Studies ; hence CKS in some catalogue records, and now at the Kent History and Library Centre ) in Maidstone. It was soon after this book's publication, in December 1922, that Vita first met Virginia Woolf who, became a friend and, for a while in

12555-402: The meat needs of a grand household. Moreover, it made an excellent deer park , being emparked before the end of the 15th century. The dry valley between the house and the settlement of Sevenoaks also makes a natural deer course, for a combined race and hunt between two dogs and fallow deer. The earliest recorded owner of the core of the estate, in the 1290s, was Robert de Knole. However, nothing

12690-500: The mid-15th century, with major additions in the 16th and, particularly, the early 17th centuries. Its Grade I listing reflects its mix of late-medieval to Stuart structures and particularly its central façade and state rooms. In 2019, an extensive conservation project, "Inspired by Knole", was completed to restore and develop the structures of the buildings and thus help to conserve its important collections. The surrounding deer park has also survived with varying degrees of management in

12825-639: The minuscule Ebberston Hall , and in architecture from the Jacobean Renaissance of Hatfield House to the eccentricities of Sezincote . The book's collection of stately homes also includes George IV's Brighton town palace, the Royal Pavilion . The country houses of England have evolved over the last five hundred years. Before this time, larger houses were usually fortified, reflecting the position of their owners as feudal lords , de facto overlords of their manors . The Tudor period of stability in

12960-416: The most eminent guests, the entertainment of whom was of paramount importance in establishing and maintaining the power of the owner. The common denominator of this category of English country houses is that they were designed to be lived in with a certain degree of ceremony and pomp. It was not unusual for the family to have a small suite of rooms for withdrawing in privacy away from the multitude that lived in

13095-426: The multiple advantages of Knole: a good supply of spring water (rare for a house on a hill), plentiful timber, a deer park and close enough proximity to London. He immediately began a large building programme. This was supposed to have been completed within two years, employing some 200 workmen, but the partially-surviving accounts show that there was continuing, vast expenditure even in 1608–1609. Since Sackville had had

13230-399: The munitions factories, or filled the void left by the fighting men in other workplaces. Of those who returned after the war, many left the countryside for better-paid jobs in towns. The final blow for many country houses came following World War II ; having been requisitioned during the war, they were returned to the owners in poor repair. Many estate owners, having lost their heirs, if not in

13365-468: The names of houses to describe their origin or importance include palace , castle , court , hall , mansion , park , house , manor , and place . It was during the second half of the reign of Elizabeth I , and under her successor, James I , that the first architect-designed mansions, thought of today as epitomising the English country house, began to make their appearance. Burghley House , Longleat House , and Hatfield House are among

13500-402: The nation for the use of a prime minister who might not possess one of his or her own. Chequers still fulfills that need today as do both Chevening House and Dorneywood , donated for sole use of high-ranking ministers of the Crown. Today, many country houses have become hotels, schools, hospitals and museums, while others have survived as conserved ruins, but from the early 20th century until

13635-451: The north-eastern end of the current estate) to Saye "on threat of death". Forcible land transfers recur in the later history of the house, including that between Archbishop Thomas Cranmer and Henry VIII. Lord Saye and Sele seems to have begun a building project at Knole, but it was incomplete by his death in 1450. His ruthless exploitation of his powerful position in Kent was a motivating factor in

13770-435: The oath of allegiance to William and Mary . Charles stood by him with generous gifts of money, despite Dryden's bitterness about his treatment at court. On one occasion, dining at Knole, Dryden found a hundred-pound note under his plate. Not only Dryden but several other poets of the age appear to have been guests at Knole. The so-called 'Poet's Parlour' is today part of the private Sackville-West family apartments at Knole. As

13905-440: The original manuscript of what Vita's son, Nigel Nicolson called, 'the longest and most charming love-letter in literature' is there. It is perhaps fairer to see it as a work of consolation to Vita, though it is one that also contains a number of barbed comments about Knole and the Sackvilles , with its altered versions of letters and lists: Already – it is an effect lists have upon us – we are beginning to yawn. But if we stop, it

14040-507: The other nine have none'. Sandys claimed that he had seized 'compleat armes for 500 or 600 men', but this is untrue. Nevertheless, the House of Lords resolved that 'such [arms] as are fit to be made use of for the Service of the Kingdom are to be employed'. In addition, the House was sequestrated. Edward accepted the seizures and damage to Knole as an inevitable part of the Civil War, as he explained in

14175-432: The outer one ( Hortus Conclusus ). It contains many other features from earlier ages which have been taken out of most country-house gardens: various landscapers have been employed to elaborate the design of its large gardens with distinctive features. These features include clair-voies , a patte d'oie , two avenues, and bosquet hedges. The herb garden by the orangery was designed in 1963 by Margaret Brownlow . Overall

14310-468: The owner of a "power house" or a small manor, the inhabitants of the English country house have become collectively referred to as the ruling class, because this is exactly what they did in varying degrees, whether by having high political influence and power in national government, or in the day-to-day running of their own localities or "county" in such offices as lord/deputy lieutenant , magistrates , or occasionally even clergy. The Country house mystery

14445-521: The owner's twelve children. Canons Ashby , home to poet John Dryden 's family, is another example of architectural evolution: a medieval farmhouse enlarged in the Tudor era around a courtyard, given grandiose plaster ceilings in the Stuart period , and then having Georgian façades added in the 18th century. The whole is a glorious mismatch of styles and fashions that seamlessly blend together. These could be called

14580-502: The ownership or management of some houses has been transferred to a private trust , most notably at Chatsworth , other houses have transferred art works and furnishings under the Acceptance in Lieu scheme to ownership by various national or local museums, but retained for display in the building. This enables the former owners to offset tax, the payment of which would otherwise have necessitated

14715-527: The park looked at that time. A 1950 film made by the Sevenoaks Ciné Society, an amateur group, features the house in Hikers' Haunt . 51°15′58″N 0°12′22″E  /  51.266°N 0.206°E  / 51.266; 0.206 English 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

14850-457: The private sale of the art works. For example, tapestries and furniture at Houghton Hall are now owned by the Victoria and Albert Museum . In addition, increasing numbers of country houses hold licences for weddings and civil ceremonies . Another source of income is to use the house as a venue for parties, a film location or a corporate entertainment venue. While many country houses are open to

14985-467: The public and derive income through that means, they remain homes, in some cases inhabited by the descendants of their original owners. The lifestyles of those living and working in a country house in the early 20th century were recreated in a BBC television programme, The Edwardian Country House , filmed at Manderston House in Scotland. Another television programme which features life in country houses

15120-504: The remarkable holdings of Knole House. Charles was an important figure in the late Stuart court; Vita Sackville-West calls him 'one of the most jovial and debonair figures in the Knole portrait-gallery.' He was a poet and patron who became Charles II's lord chamberlain and 'unofficial minister of the arts', with the 'poets' parlour' in Knole becoming a venue for literary society to converse. After 1688, John Dryden ceased to be poet laureate , owing to his catholic views which meant he refused

15255-452: The room now known as Poets' Parlour where, in addition to using the existing furnishings, £153 was spent on sheets, table linen and carpets and £22 on silverware, candlesticks, glasses, jugs and drinking horns. Additional beds were also brought from Kippington, Thomas Farnaby 's sequestered house from the other side of Sevenoaks. One indication of the religious issues involved in the War is shown from

15390-468: The royal court. These include three state beds, silver furniture (comprising a pair of torchieres, mirror and dressing table, being rare survivors of this type), outstanding tapestries and textiles , and the Knole Settee . The art collection includes portraits by Van Dyck , Gainsborough , Sir Peter Lely , Sir Godfrey Kneller and Sir Joshua Reynolds (the last being a personal friend of the 3rd Duke), and

15525-459: The season: Grouse shooting in Scotland , pheasant shooting and fox hunting in England. The Earl of Rosebery , for instance, had Dalmeny House in Scotland, Mentmore Towers in Buckinghamshire, and another house near Epsom just for the racing season. For many, this way of life, which began a steady decline in 1914, continued well into the 20th century, and for a few continues to this day. In

15660-444: The second category of Britain's country houses are those that belonged to the squirearchy or landed gentry . These tend either to have evolved from medieval hall houses, with rooms added as required, or were purpose-built by relatively unknown local architects. Smaller, and far greater in number than the "power houses", these were still the epicentre of their own estate, but were often the only residence of their owner. However, whether

15795-488: The shield has two bars instead of one. Such a cross may be borne before him in liturgical processions. In processions and other occasions where strict protocol is observed, archbishops are ranked higher than diocesan bishops in the order of precedence . In the Anglican Communion , archbishops are styled "The Most Reverend" and addressed as "Your Grace", while bishops are styled "The Right Reverend" and addressed as "My Lord" or "Your Lordship". (In some countries, this usage

15930-462: The sixteenth century, and made it a Jacobean country house. Sackville recommended the "very excellent surveyor" John Thorpe to survey and make "plots" in 1605 for the rebuilding of Ampthill for Anne of Denmark and Prince Henry , and may have employed him on his own building projects. Beyond the Jacobean facade, plentiful evidence still exists of the earlier house. One of the main surviving elements

16065-496: The sixth earl of Dorset (1643–1706), sold Copt Hall in 1701. Many of the contents were then moved to Knole, substantially enriching the collection. These include the copies by Daniel Mytens of Raphael cartoons in the Cartoon Gallery and many portraits and pieces of furniture. Along with John Frederick Sackville , the third duke of Dorset (1745–1799), Charles can now be seen as one of the two principal collectors responsible for

16200-472: The status of an ordinary bishopric again in 1976. In 2014 it was again elevated to the status of non-metropolitan archbishopric, with its ordinary bearing the title "Archbishop in Jerusalem", despite having no ex officio right to be the metropolitan of the province. Until 1970, a coadjutor archbishop, one who has special faculties and the right to succeed to the leadership of a see on the death or resignation of

16335-588: The successor of such an archbishop-bishop is merely that of Bishop of the see, unless he also is granted the personal title of Archbishop. Another example is Arthur Roche , who was Bishop of Leeds until his appointment as Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments . Roche remained a bishop by virtue of his position as bishop emeritus of Leeds – rather than being transferred to

16470-526: The title "Most Reverend" was only for archbishops, while bishops were styled as "Right Reverend". This practice is still followed by Catholic bishops in the United Kingdom to mirror that of the Church of England . In Roman Catholic heraldry , an archbishop has an ecclesiastical hat called a galero with ten tassels on each side of his coat of arms , while a bishop has only six. The archiepiscopal cross behind

16605-419: The title and estates, first Richard Sackville, third earl of Dorset (1589–1624) and then the much more politically significant Edward Sackville, fourth earl of Dorset (1590–1652). None of these earls lived permanently at Knole. In the first earl's case, this was no doubt due to the renovations. The third earl lived mostly at court, though he is known to have kept his hunting horses and hounds there. The wife of

16740-541: The title of archdiocese is for historical reasons attributed to a see that was once of greater importance. Some of these archdioceses are suffragans of a metropolitan archdiocese; examples are the Archdiocese of Avignon , which is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Marseille , and the Archdiocese of Trnava , Slovakia . Others are immediately subject to the Holy See and not to any metropolitan archdiocese. These are usually "aggregated" to an ecclesiastical province. An example

16875-539: The troops were too strong for them, and Sir John was arrested and taken to the Fleet prison . Sandys's troops then moved to Knole where, according to the earl of Dorset's steward, they caused damage to the value of £186, and 'The Armes they have wholie taken awaie there being five wagenloads of them ( sic passim ).' In fact, the arms were largely of more interest to antiquarians than to soldiers; they included, for example, thirteen 'old French pistolls whereof four have locks [and]

17010-488: The true English country house. Wilton House , one of England's grandest houses, is in a remarkably similar vein; although, while the Drydens, mere squires, at Canons Ashby employed a local architect, at Wilton the mighty Earls of Pembroke employed the finest architects of the day: first Holbein , 150 years later Inigo Jones, and then Wyatt followed by Chambers. Each employed a different style of architecture, seemingly unaware of

17145-485: The use in liturgical ceremonies of the pallium , but only within the province over which they have oversight. Roman Catholic bishops and archbishops are styled "The Most Reverend" and addressed as "Your Excellency" in most cases. In English-speaking countries (except the United States), a Catholic archbishop is addressed as "Your Grace", while a Catholic bishop is addressed as "Your Lordship". Before December 12, 1930,

17280-475: The younger son of an important Kent family, with their seat at Groombridge . An unusual term in the marriage covenant stipulated that Margaret and Thomas should live at Knole which is where Margaret gave birth to her son William, probably in 1598. The baptism is recorded in the Sevenoaks parish register for 3 December. In 1613, William inherited his father's baronetcy, becoming Sir William Waller . He later commanded

17415-511: Was a popular genre of English detective fiction in the 1920s and 1930s; set in the residence of the gentry and often involving a murder in a country house temporarily isolated by a snowstorm or similar with the suspects all at a weekend house party. Following the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, a third category of country houses was built as newly rich industrialists and bankers were eager to display their wealth and taste. By

17550-491: Was a prominent example, as archbishop emeritus of Cape Town. Former archbishops who have not received the status of archbishop emeritus may still be informally addressed as "archbishop" as a courtesy, unless they are subsequently appointed to a bishopric (not an arch bishopric), in which case the courtesy ceases. While there is no difference between the official dress of archbishops, as such, and that of other bishops, Roman Catholic metropolitan archbishops are distinguished by

17685-500: Was apparently well known by the 4th century, when there are references in the canons of the First Council of Nicæa of 325 and Council of Antioch of 341 , though the term seems to be used generally for all higher ranks of bishop, including patriarchs. The term "archbishop" does not appear in the modern sense until the 6th century, although the role, above ordinary bishops but below patriarchs, seems to be established for metropolitans by

17820-665: Was attacked in Knole Park by a mob protesting against the Militia Bill . However, he was saved by the arrival of a small cavalry force and died peacefully in Knole House in 1765. His wife, Elizabeth, had been a maid of honour to Queen Anne. Her great friend, Lady Betty Germain(e), lived at Knole for such a long time that her bedroom, sitting room and china closet are, to this day, named after her. Lionel's son, Charles, 2nd Duke of Dorset, only survived his father by four years, but his grandson

17955-476: Was confirmed, around 1570. However, Buckhurst was still able to insist upon some rights on the estate, including the ownership of at least some of the deer in the park. John moved to Knole, but gave his son Sampson, Lord Dacre's son-in-law, a sub-lease. The Knole estate was worth a great deal to Sampson, bringing him in 1599 rents worth £218, 6s and 8d. One of Sampson Lennard's daughters, Margaret, married Sir Thomas Waller, at one time lieutenant of Dover Castle and

18090-476: Was given power to alter or rebuild the mansion-house at his pleasure. Meanwhile, Elizabeth had possibly granted the estate to her cousin Thomas Sackville who, at that time, had the title of Lord Buckhurst. There was competition at that time for the Knole estate. Rolf died very soon after, and the residue of the lease was bought by a wealthy local lawyer, John Lennard (of Chevening ). He had gradually built up

18225-422: Was to predominate until the second half of the 18th century when, influenced by ancient Greek styles, it gradually evolved into the neoclassicism championed by such architects as Robert Adam . Some of the best known of England's country houses were the work of only one architect/designer, built in a relatively short, particular time: Montacute House , Chatsworth House , and Blenheim Palace are examples. While

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