Stagenhoe is a

Grade II listed 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, H ...

stately home and surrounding gardens located in the village of

St Paul's Walden St Paul's Walden is a village and civil parish in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. The village lies about south of Hitchin, its post town. The largest settlement in the parish is the village of Whitwell, and the parish ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

. It is approximately south of

Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district of Hertfordshire, England. The town dates from at least the 7th century. It lies in the valley of the River Hiz at the north-eastern end of the Chiltern Hills ...

. It was the family seat of the

Earl of Caithness Earl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and it has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to hav ...

. Socialite Lady Euphemia Sinclair spent her childhood there and became a friend of

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...

, whose family were neighbours. It is one of two large manors with fine grounds in the village, the other being the historic home of the

Bowes-Lyon The Bowes-Lyon family descends from George Bowes of Gibside and Streatlam Castle ''(1701–1760)'', a County Durham landowner and politician, through John Bowes, 9th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, chief of the Clan Lyon. Following the marr ...

family,

St Paul's Walden Bury St. Paul's Walden Bury is an English country house and surrounding gardens in the village of St Paul's Walden in Hertfordshire. The house is a Grade II* listed, and the gardens Grade I. A home of the Bowes-Lyon family, it is possibly the site ...

History

Records about the manor of Stagenhoe date back to before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

of 1066, when it was one 'hide' (approximately 120 acres). In 1595 (37th Eliz.), the manor of Stagenhoe was conveyed to William Hale, of King's Walden. His seventh son and eleventh child, John Hale, was knighted in 1660, built Stagenhoe Manor House about that time, was sheriff of the county in 1663, and died in 1672. Dame Elizabeth was the wife of this John Hale, and died one year after him. They were the last of the Hales of Stagenhoe; their daughter, Rose, who died 1695, carried the property to Sir John Austen, of Hall Place, Bexley, he died 1689. His son, Sir Robert Austen (died 1706) sold it to the Heyshams. The house of 1650 or 1660 was burnt in 1737, and a new house was built by Mr. G. T. Heysham, about 1740. In 1703, the manor and surrounding park was sold to Robert Heynsham, a Member of parliament and it remained within his family until 1833. In about 1869, it was sold to another parliamentarian

James Sinclair, 14th Earl of Caithness James Sinclair, 14th Earl of Caithness, (16 August 1821 – 28 March 1881), styled Lord Berriedale from 1823 to 1855, was a Scottish Liberal politician, scientist and inventor. Life Caithness was the son of Alexander Sinclair, 13th Earl of Cait ...

The House

The current manor was built in the 18th century, after a fire in about 1737. It has many 19th-century and later additions, including extensions to the rear and a porch on the west side. The main feature is the stuccoed south facade. The property was listed in 1968. Having passed out of private hands, the house is much altered internally. It is now used as
Brainkind
neurological centre. The grounds contain a registered campsite with five caravan pitches.

References

External links

Sue Ryder Care - Stagenhoe

{{coord , 51, 53, 27, N, 0, 16, 45, W, display=title Grade II listed buildings in Hertfordshire Grade II listed houses Houses in Hertfordshire