Cothelstone Manor 2.8

Cothelstone Manor in Cothelstone, Somerset, England was built in the mid-16th century, largely demolished by the parliamentary troops in 1646 and rebuilt by E.J. Esdaile in 1855–56.It is closely associated with the Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, which is a Grade I listed building, and contains memorials to many of the owners of Cothelstone Manor including: Sir Matthew de Stawell, died 1379, and his wife Elizabeth, and John Stawell, died 1603. The Stawell family lived at Cothelstone from 1066 until 1791.HistoryCothelstone Manor was given to Sir Adam de Coveston by William the Conqueror, and there has been a house on the site since, during which time it has been in the hands of only two families.During the Civil War, John Stawell the lord of the manor fought on the side of the royalists and in 1646 went to London with a copy of his terms of surrender from Sir Thomas Fairfax. He was imprisoned for high treason and Cromwell ordered the destruction of his Elizabethan house by cannon fire. Only the left-hand wing and ground floor of the central block remaining and abandoned. In 1651 the lands were advertised for sale. After Charles II was crowned King of England and Ireland at Westminster Abbey in 1661, Sir John Stawell regained his place in parliament as Knight for Somerset however he died the following year.His son, another John Stawell, was also a royalist, but during the Bloody Assizes following the Monmouth Rebellion he objected to the harsh treatment handed out by Judge Jeffreys. Stawell refused to provide accommodation for Jeffreys who then ordered two prisoners, Colonel Bovett and Thomas Blackmore to be hanged on the gateway of the manor.