MANORS.
Alfred d'Epaignes held
GOATHURST in 1086 (fn. 50) and the overlordship
descended with his lordship of Nether Stowey
until 1571 or later. (fn. 51) Walter d'Epaignes held the
larger part of the manor in 1086 under his
brother Alfred and Ansger held the remainder,
both in succession to Alwine, the tenant of the
whole in 1066. (fn. 52) In 1166 Hugh son of Malger of
Goathurst held a knight's fee. (fn. 53) Roger of
Goathurst had succeeded by 1198 and died
probably c. 1208. (fn. 54) Another Roger of Goathurst,
alive in 1276, (fn. 55) was succeeded by William of
Goathurst, probably his son, between 1286 and
1292. (fn. 56) William held the fee in 1303 and his son
Roger in 1316. (fn. 57) Roger died c. 1325 (fn. 58) and was
followed by Walter of Goathurst who had been
succeeded by his son Richard by 1360. (fn. 59) Richard's daughter and heir Joan married John
Fittelton who in 1378–9 acquired an estate in
Goathurst from John Popham. (fn. 60) Richard was
apparently dead by 1382 when the manor was
settled on John and Joan and their children. (fn. 61)
John had died by 1412 when his son John, a
minor, was permitted to marry Isabel, daughter
of William Paulet of Beere. John later granted
the manor to William. (fn. 62) William Paulet held the
fee in 1428, having secured a quitclaim from
Joan Fittelton's heirs. (fn. 63) He devised Goathurst in
trust for his wife Margaret and after her death
to his grandson John Fittelton. (fn. 64) In 1431 William was dead and his trustees were holding the
manor. (fn. 65) John Fittelton died in 1435 leaving, as
heirs to Goathurst, Joan and Agnes Sydenham,
descendants of William of Goathurst. (fn. 66) Both
Joan and Agnes released their rights in the
manor to William Paulet of Melcombe who
granted it to his son Sir John (d. 1437). (fn. 67) In 1456
John's son, also John, settled it on his brother
William (d. 1483), (fn. 68) from whom it passed in the
direct male line to John (d. 1542), (fn. 69) William (d.
1571), (fn. 70) and Edward Paulet (d. 1580). (fn. 71) Edward's widow Alice married Thomas Jenkins
and they held Goathurst until it was settled on
Edward's daughter Elizabeth for her marriage
to her kinsman Sir George Paulet c. 1584. (fn. 72) In
1612 the manor was given to their son Edward
but Sir George (d. 1644) and Elizabeth retained
part of the capital messuage, which was settled
on Sir George's second wife Mary Trowbridge
(d. 1647). (fn. 73) Edward died in 1635 leaving five
daughters: Alice, Jane, Anne, Mary, and
Katharine. (fn. 74)
Alice died unmarried in 1643 (fn. 75) and the manor
descended as four shares which were all eventually sold to the Tyntes, owners of the Halswell
estate. (fn. 76) Jane Paulet married John Payne, (fn. 77) who
outlived her and was succeeded in 1674 by their
son Paulet Payne (d. 1707). The Paynes' quarter
share descended with Rhode in North Petherton
until 1787 when the lordship was probably
settled on Thomas Jeane (d. 1791) and his son
John (d. 1798). John's heir in 1798 was his sister
Elizabeth who married Robert, son of John
Buncombe. (fn. 78) Her son Thomas Jeane Buncombe
sold his Goathurst estate to Sir Charles KemeysTynte between 1827 and 1831. (fn. 79) Anne Paulet
married first William Bragg (d. 1641) (fn. 80) and
secondly Henry Trenchard. By 1662 they had
been succeeded by her elder son William
Bragg. (fn. 81) William (d. 1713) was succeeded by his
grandson William Bragg (d. 1726), whose
brother John sold his share of Goathurst to Sir
Halswell Tynte in 1730. (fn. 82) Mary Paulet married
first John Buncombe and second John Glassbrook, and in 1691 succeeded to the share of her
sister Katharine. (fn. 83) Mary died in 1706 having
outlived her eldest son John Buncombe and was
followed, under the terms of a settlement, by her
daughter Millicent Buncombe (d. 1708), wife of
Richard Stevens, and then by her younger son
Edward Buncombe. (fn. 84) In 1712 Edward settled his
share on his son John who sold off what remained of the land with his half share of the
lordship to Sir Charles Kemeys-Tynte in 1753. (fn. 85)
The capital messuage was recorded in 1612. (fn. 86)
It lay east of the church and was occupied by
John and Mary Buncombe in the mid 17th
century. (fn. 87) After the sale of their estate to Sir
Charles Kemeys-Tynte in 1753 it was leased to
John Buncombe for three years. (fn. 88) John died c.
1756 and the house, described as the mansion
house or the court house, was occupied by the
estate steward and his widow until c. 1810. (fn. 89) In
1811 it became the rectory house. (fn. 90) In the later
20th century it was divided into two dwellings
known as Dower House and Church Close.
Plan of Halswell
In the 17th century the house appears to have had
a central range of one storey with two-storeyed
projecting cross wings. The central range has a
coved plaster ceiling with a projecting cornice
moulding and the elaborate arms of the Paulet
family. A two-storeyed block was built between
the projections of the cross wings in the 18th
century. The northern cross wing was demolished in 1871 when the house was remodelled to
designs by C. Knowles of Bridgwater. He left
part of the south cross wing and adjacent, possibly 18th-century, service rooms but rebuilt and
extended the wing westward to make a new
staircase and other rooms. (fn. 91)
Roger Arundel held HALSWELL in 1086 (fn. 92)
and the overlordship descended with that of
Huish Champflower to Henry de Newburgh. (fn. 93)
Henry gave a mesne tenancy to Taunton priory,
which was recorded only in 1285. (fn. 94) In 1565 and
1633 the manor was said to be held as of
Goathurst. (fn. 95)
Alweard occupied Halswell in 1066, and in
1086 Wido held it of Roger. (fn. 96) Peter of Halswell,
who successfully claimed in 1280 to be heir to
Ralph son of Robert (d. by 1242–3), in 1285 held
Halswell for ¼ knight's fee. (fn. 97) In 1303 William
of Halswell held 1/8 knight's fee (fn. 98) and had land
in Halswell in 1314 and 1327. (fn. 99) He or a namesake
died between 1329 (fn. 1) and 1346, and another William Halswell was recorded in 1394 and may
have held the fee in 1428. (fn. 2) Thereafter the descent is obscure but both John and Robert
Halswell were recorded in the early 15th century
and another Robert later in the century was said
to be father of John whose son Nicholas held the
manor on his death in 1564. (fn. 3) Nicholas's widow
Margery held Halswell until her death in 1573
when she was succeeded by Sir Nicholas, son of
her son Robert (d. 1570). (fn. 4) Sir Nicholas (d. 1633)
conveyed Halswell to his eldest surviving son
Henry in 1628. (fn. 5) Henry died unmarried in 1636
and was followed by his only surviving brother
the Revd. Hugh Halswell. (fn. 6) Hugh (d. 1672)
appears to have settled Halswell on his daughter
Jane (d. 1650), who married John Tynte, and in
1667 the manor was put in trust for her son
Halswell Tynte. (fn. 7) Halswell (cr. Bt. 1673) died in
1702 and was succeeded by his eldest surviving
son Sir John (d. 1710) (fn. 8) who was followed in turn
by his sons Sir Halswell (d. 1730), the Revd. Sir
John (d. 1740), and Sir Charles (d. 1785), and
by his daughter's child Jane Hassell, wife of John
Johnson. Johnson took the name Kemeys-Tynte
on his wife's succession. From Jane (d. 1825) the
estate passed in the direct male line to Charles
Kemeys (d. 1860), Charles John (d. 1882), Charles Kemeys (d. 1891), Halswell Milborne (d.
1899), and Charles T. H. Kemeys-Tynte, in
whose favour the barony of Wharton was revived
in 1916. Lord Wharton was succeeded in 1934
by his son Charles J. H. Kemeys-Tynte, but he
had vested the estate in Hoare's Bank which sold
it in 1950 and it was broken up. (fn. 9) Lord Wharton
was described as lord of the manor in 1939 but
there is no further record of the lordship. (fn. 10)
Halswell Court was mentioned in 1318 when
an oratory was licensed there. (fn. 11) Comprising
north, east, and south ranges around three sides
of a courtyard, it is of rubble, in places rendered,
with the north front of ashlar. Probably the
central part of the east range was by the mid
17th century the main range of a house which
had wings running westwards from both ends
and possibly a west range, which is suggested by
the cellars beneath the later service court. Building is known to have been undertaken c. 1536 (fn. 12)
and lias, freestone, and tile were brought by sea
through Bridgwater between 1595 and 1610. (fn. 13)
The east, south, and part of the north ranges of
the early 17th-century house survive, but the
remainder of the north range was replaced in
1689 (fn. 14) by a block containing the principal rooms,
possibly designed by William Taylor of London. (fn. 15) The block has a north front of three
storeys and seven bays. The three central bays
are recessed and the window surrounds and
doorcase are in baroque style. The principal
staircase has a moulded string and twisted balusters, the secondary stair has heavy turned
balusters and ball finials on the newels. Many
of the ceilings have coved cornices and ornate
plasterwork. (fn. 16)
In the mid 18th century, probably in 1754 to
designs by Francis Cartwright of Blandford, (fn. 17)
alterations were made to the west front. Canted
bays were added to the ground floor of the block
of 1689 and a tall screen of rendered brick with
ornamental niches was built across the service
court. Both court and house were given heavily
rusticated doorways. The presumed western
range of the earlier house may have been demolished then. During the 18th century a
brick-cased staircase was added in the south-east
corner of the court and rooms on the first floor
of the east wing were panelled and refenestrated. (fn. 18) A servants' hall was built in the
court in 1771 (fn. 19) and other minor intrusions were
made in the court in the 19th century.
In 1923 the house was severely damaged by
fire. The block of 1689 was completely gutted
and one outer wall collapsed. (fn. 20) It was rebuilt in
1924–6 under the direction of George and T. S.
Vickery of London, (fn. 21) the principal rooms in
much the same form as before the fire except
that Chinese wallpaper was used in the former
chintz room. At about the same time mullioned
windows replaced sashes in the older parts of the
house. The house was converted into flats in the
1950s; some rooms were divided, but most of
them were later reunited.
Extensive 18th-century outbuildings include a
symmetrical stable block with gabled cross
wings in brick and a castellated central gateway
in stone. Facing it is a brick riding school,
possibly designed by John Johnson c. 1770, (fn. 22)
behind which is a 17th-century circular pigeon
house of rubble with a bell-shaped roof. To the
north a stepped pyramid was built in the 1740s
to cover the main water supply for the house.
The stream ran east of the house, and probably
in the later 17th century it was used to create a
straight-sided canal beside the house. A formal
parterre with terraces, known as the Lawn, was
laid out in front of the new north range. Other
features of the formal design included a triple
gateway leading to a straight wide avenue to the
west and other walled enclosures, and two pavilions, one perhaps facing down a walk beside the
canal. (fn. 23) The layout, probably put in hand by Sir
Halswell (d. 1702) or his son Sir John (d. 1710),
was converted to a 'natural' landscape by Sir
Charles Kemeys-Tynte who inherited in 1740.
By 1756 (fn. 24) the canal had become a gently curving
lake bridged towards its southern end and
dammed at its northern, the water flowing into
a circular pool below the dam. The dam was
faced with an arched rustic screen presumably
to match the rockwork grotto built at the head
of the lake in 1753. The formal terrace was
reduced in size in 1769. (fn. 25) The circular pond was
filled in before 1842 but the gardens beside the
house remained a mixture of formal and informal planting until the mid 20th century.
St. John's hospital, Bridgwater had a holding
called Playfield by 1362 and another elsewhere
in the parish. (fn. 26)