Chenies Manor House
The Manor House at Chenies has a rich and interesting history, with links to royalty over its circa 800 year timeline.
The Cheyne family owned the manor from 1185, although in the late 13th century the family were obliged to surrender the manor to Edward I in payment of debts.
There are some surviving documents referring to Edward’s ownership of the manor, including a royal visit to Chenies before Easter of 1290.
The accounts list the preparations of the Easter feast in detail, and mention the boiling of 450 eggs for distribution to the locals. Possibly the first mention of giving eggs as a gift at Easter.
By 1296 Sir John Cheyne was able to win back his ancestral lands and he built a fortified brick manor house, part of which can be seen today in the crenulated buildings.
By 1526, the house passed, by marriage, to the Russell family.
John Russell (pictured above) was a rising man in Tudor England, who from a modest gentry background created a dynasty by being a loyal servant to Henry VII, Henry VIII, and Edward VI, for which he was well rewarded.
Sir John Russell became the 1st Earl of Bedford, the progenitor of all the subsequent Earls and Dukes of Bedford.
Henry VIII and Elizabeth I were visitors at the Manor and would have been accommodated in a grander wing, where the barns now stand.
Henry VIII is known to have visited the manor several times, with a court and retinue which might amount to 1000 persons.
In 1534 he attended when married to Anne Boleyn, and visited again in 1541 with Katherine Howard as his consort.
Queen Elizabeth I stayed for a month in 1570. It may have been during this time that she lost some gold aglet jewellery beneath the shade of an oak tree in the grounds of the house (Now named the Elizabeth Oak).
As noted in the Tudor Queen's wardrobe inventory: “Item – lost from the face of a gown, in our wearing the same at Cheynes, July anno 12 (1570), one pair of small aglets, enamelled blue, parcel of 183 pair.”
Chenies Manor was the Russell’s principal seat until the 4th Earl, Francis, decided to move the family seat to Woburn around 1627.
The house was then occupied by family member, then after various tenants and stewards until the death of the 12th Duke of Bedford, Hastings Russell, when some of the family estate was sold to pay for Death Duties.
The Chiltern Antiques Group, gathered in the Long Room at Chenies Manor in 1965, to hear Miss D. K. Millington on the subject of ‘Small antiques in our homes’, which described her collection of Victorian teaspoons.
The group later became the first constituent body of NADFAS, now The Arts Society, and has maintained a close connection with the house ever since.
Chenies Manor House was bought in 1956 by Colonel and Mrs Macleod Matthews and in the 1970s, during the course of their restoration work, the house was opened to help raise money for the repair of the church roof.
The experience encouraged more regular openings, using NADFAS volunteers as guides and a former tractor shed as a tearoom.
This, a shop and other visitor facilities have been improved over time to provide a destination well worth visiting, with its house tours and five acres of gardens,
Chenies Manor House, as perhaps is now its tradition, remains a family home, Charles and Boo Macleod Matthews, continue to open the house to the public and make it available for filming, events and weddings.
We welcomed Tony Robinson and the Time Team crew during 2004 to carry out a dig that would feature in an episode dedicated to Chenies Manor House.
Broadcast in January 2005 on Channel 4, the dig revealed some surprising insights into the past construction of the Manor House and grounds.
We're delighted to be able to feature the episode here for your enjoyment. We think you'll find it fascinating!