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Harleyford Manor is a country house near Marlow in
.
The
When William died in 1783 his son Sir William Clayton (1762-1834) 4th Baronet inherited the property. He was also a Member of Parliament and a wealthy landowner. In 1785 he married Lady Mary East, daughter of Sir William East, 1st Baronet of Hall Place, 
In 1795 a book called "The New Print Magazine : Being a Collection of Picturesque Views and Beautiful Scenes in the Several Counties of England and Wales" was published. It contained an engraving of Harleyford Manor which is shown.
William was in the 1st Regiment of Buckinghamshire Yeomanry Cavalry in about 1800 and he had several portraits of himself made in his uniform. Two of these are shown. One is a coloured portrait and the other is an engraving of him in front of Harleyford Manor.
When William died in 1834 his eldest son General Sir William Robert Claytonin (1786-1866) inherited the house. He had a prominent career in the army and in 1815 was at the
Online reference
/ref>
Harleyford Manor is a country house near Marlow in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...
.
The house is listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...
, and its gardens are also listed Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
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An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape ...
to the south west of the house, the ice house to the north east, and the dairy
A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...
to the north, and the temple to the north east are all listed Grade II.
In addition to the buildings, two statues of Robert Clayton, to the west and to the east of the house, are also listed Grade II.
History
The house was designed bySir Robert Taylor
Sir Robert Taylor (1714 – 27 September 1788) was an English architect and sculptor who worked in London and the south of England.
Early life
Born at Woodford, Essex, Taylor followed in his father's footsteps and started working as a stonema ...
in the Georgian style
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover, George I, George II, Ge ...
and built for William Clayton, a Member of Parliament, in 1753. The house remained in the Clayton family until 1950. The present owners, who have owned the property since 1952, converted the property to office use in 1988. They operate a large marina and offer boat mooring services but plan to convert the property into flats.
The Clayton family
The Clayton family who owned Harleyford Manor from the time it was built in 1753 until 1950 were notable wealthy landowners. William Clayton (1718-1783) who was the originator of the house was the second son ofSir William Clayton, 1st Baronet
Sir William Clayton, 1st Baronet (died 1744) of Marden Park, Surrey and later Harleyford, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1715 to 1744.
Clayton was the eldest surviving son of William Clayton of Hambleden, Buck ...
. He was a Member of Parliament for Bletchingley from 1745 to 1761, and for Great Marlow from 1761 to 1783.
He frequently entertained at Harleyford Manor and there are several historical documents which record these occasions. In 1759 Elizabeth Montagu
Elizabeth Montagu (née Robinson; 2 October 1718 – 25 August 1800) was a British social reformer, patron of the arts, salonnière, literary critic and writer, who helped to organize and lead the Blue Stockings Society. Her parents were bot ...
, the notable social reformer made the following comments:
The Royal family were also visitors to the house. In 1780 a letter records that the King, Queen, Princesses and Princes all visited Harleyford Manor. The King and Queen at this time were George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
and Queen Charlotte
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her death in 1818. The Acts of Un ...
. Two years later Queen Charlotte records a recent visit that she made to Harleyford Manor. She said.
When William died in 1783 his son Sir William Clayton (1762-1834) 4th Baronet inherited the property. He was also a Member of Parliament and a wealthy landowner. In 1785 he married Lady Mary East, daughter of Sir William East, 1st Baronet of Hall Place, Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
. The couple had five sons and two daughters.
In 1795 a book called "The New Print Magazine : Being a Collection of Picturesque Views and Beautiful Scenes in the Several Counties of England and Wales" was published. It contained an engraving of Harleyford Manor which is shown.
William was in the 1st Regiment of Buckinghamshire Yeomanry Cavalry in about 1800 and he had several portraits of himself made in his uniform. Two of these are shown. One is a coloured portrait and the other is an engraving of him in front of Harleyford Manor.
When William died in 1834 his eldest son General Sir William Robert Claytonin (1786-1866) inherited the house. He had a prominent career in the army and in 1815 was at the Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...
. In 1817 he married Alicia Hugh Massy, daughter. and heir of Lt.-Col. Hugh O'Donel, MP of Tralee. The couple had two sons and two daughters.
Sir William Robert Clayton (1842-1914) 6th Baronet married Aimee Gertrude Mackenzie who was the daughter of Edward Mackenzie of Fawley Court Court Henley.
Sir Gilbert Augustus Clayton-East (1846-1925) passed the house to his son Sir George Frederick Lancelot Clayton East (1872-1926) when he died in 1925. His son was the owner for only one year as he died in 1926 and it was inherited by his son Sir Robert Alan Clayton-East-Clayton (1908-1932). He died young at the age of 24 leaving no children. The house was then inherited by his kinsman Sir Harold Dudley Philip Clayton (1877-1951). He sold the house in 1950.Country Life Illustrated, Vol 108, 1950, p. 319Online reference
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References
{{coord, 51.553267, N, 0.808941, W, region:GB-BKM_type:landmark, display=title Grade I listed buildings in Buckinghamshire Country houses in Buckinghamshire Grade I listed houses Grade II listed parks and gardens in Buckinghamshire Grade II listed buildings in Buckinghamshire Buildings and structures on the River Thames Georgian architecture in England Marlow, Buckinghamshire Robert Taylor buildings