The Manor House,

Sutton Courtenay Sutton Courtenay is a village and civil parish on the River Thames south of Abingdon-on-Thames and northwest of Didcot. Historically part of Berkshire, it has been administered as part of Oxfordshire since the 1974 boundary changes. The 20 ...

, is a Grade II* listed building in the Oxfordshire village, located southwest of the village green and hidden from the main road by trees. It is across the street from

The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay The Abbey in Sutton Courtenay is a medieval courtyard house in the English county of Oxfordshire (formerly Berkshire). It is located in the Vale of White Horse near the River Thames, across the road from the twelfth-century Norman Hall and the ...

, a medieval

courtyard house A courtyard house is a type of house—often a large house—where the main part of the building is disposed around a central courtyard. Many houses that have courtyards are not courtyard houses of the type covered by this article. For example, la ...

History and description

The south wing of the building is believed to originate from the 13th century, with a 15th-century extension to the east and a north wing dating to about 1670. This creates a U-shaped plan around a courtyard which faces onto a garden leading to the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

. The main east wing has five

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aest ...

s and a

cruck A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which support the roof of a building, historically used in England and Wales. This type of timber framing consists of long, generally naturally curved, timber members that lean inwards ...

truss frame. Inside there is a 16th-century arched stone fireplace in the dining room. A late-17th-century dog leg staircase connects the ground floor to the attic. Information from original listing text, 6 August 1952. The south wing has a barrel-vaulted cellar beneath it and a hall and gallery including 15th-century woodwork. From ''A History of the County of Berkshire'' Volume 4 (1924), pages 369-379. The building was known as Brunces Court (or Brunts Court) from an early period, having been in the ownership of John Brouns and family since at least the mid 14th century. His great-grandson Richard Brunse passed possessions to his daughter Agnes, wife of William Hulse. Their grandson Thomas Hulse died in 1613 "seised of a mansion or capital messuage and lands". Hulse left his estate to his daughters, including Mary Hulse who married Edmund Wollascot. The Wollascots probably remained living at Brunts Court throughout the 17th century. Thomas Wollascot was living there in 1664. William Wollascot was recorded as having lands there in 1717. In 1886 the Manor House was purchased by James Lloyd-Lindsay, 1st

Baron Wantage Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight ...

who gave the property to the grandson of the 25th

Earl of Crawford Earl of Crawford is one of the most ancient extant titles in Great Britain, having been created in the Peerage of Scotland for Sir David Lindsay in 1398. It is the premier earldom recorded on the Union Roll. Early history Sir David Lindsay, who ...

, Colonel Harry Lindsay, and his wife in 1895. Lindsay and his wife Norah became known as hosts of young intellectuals in their riverside garden. The Manor was purchased from the Lindsay family in 1945 by newspaper owner

David Astor Francis David Langhorne Astor, CH (5 March 1912 – 7 December 2001) was an English newspaper publisher, editor of ''The Observer'' at the height of its circulation and influence, and member of the Astor family, "the landlords of New York". Ea ...

, who lived there until his death in 2001.

References

Grade II* listed buildings in Oxfordshire Houses in Oxfordshire Grade II* listed houses {{Oxfordshire-struct-stub