©Crown
Cothay Manor:
A Country House Restored
Cothay Manor, five miles west of Wellington in
Somerset, on the banks of the river Tone, is said to be the most
perfect, small, classic medieval manor remaining in England. Hidden
for centuries, it has remained virtually untouched since it was
enlarged at the end of the Wars of the Roses in 1485 – and its Grade
I status means that it will stay that way.
The house’s origins are well documented. Originally, the de Cothay
family built a hall house on the site of the present manor. In the
archives it is mentioned as the hall house of Adam de Cothay. The de
Cothays lasted until 1453 when they sold the house to the Bluett
family.
The Bluetts were lords of the manor of Kittisford, and it was
Richard Bluett, the youngest son, that enlarged Cothay in 1485. The
property was owned by the Bluetts until 1605 when they sold to
William Every and in 1609, William built the West wing. William had
two sons but they both sadly died before their father, leaving him
with no heir. William left Cothay to a distant cousin, who had
seventeen other manors, and Cothay was by no means the most
important. It was let to tenants for the best part of 190 years, and
deteriorated into a run-down farmhouse. It is said that there was a
man in the next village who died as recently as ten years ago, who
claimed that he was born on a pallet of hay in the Great Hall!
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