History of The Vyne

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Early history

1268: First known reference to The Vyne appears in a medieval document. Over time the spelling changes between 'Vyne' and 'Vine'. 

1337: A chantry chapel is founded on the estate. Chantry chapels were used to pray for the souls of the dead, usually the donor, so that they could atone for sins committed during their lifetime. 

1386: The Sandys family become owners of The Vyne through marriage. 

1420: Joanna, the daughter of Walter Sandys, marries William Brocas, the owner of the neighbouring Beaurepaire estate, and The Vyne passes into Brocas ownership. 

1488: Sir William Sandys 'recovers' The Vyne from the Brocas family, and the Sandys remain at the mansion until 1653. 

1496: It was a tradition to give the eldest son the same first name as the father, so when William Sandys (I) dies in 1496, William Sandys (II) inherits. Savvy and diplomatic, he goes onto have a successful career in the court of Henry VIII, at a time when others were falling foul of this feisty Tudor monarch.

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Royal connections

1509: Henry VIII visits with Catherine of Aragon. William Sandys was a supporter of Catherine, even when Henry divorced her in favour of Anne Boleyn. The King visits again in 1510, 1531 and 1535. 

1520: Gaining the titles of Treasurer to the Marquess of Dorset, Treasurer of Calais and Knight of the Garter in 1512, 1517 and 1518 respectively, William Sandys (II) in 1520 is one of three chief commissioners who prepare for Henry VIII and François I to meet at the Field of the Cloth of Gold. The purpose of the meeting was to improve relations between the two monarchs and pave the way for a peacekeeping agreement known as The Treaty of London. 

1526: William Sandys (II) becomes Henry VIII's Lord Chamberlain. During the 1520s, The Vyne is expanded into a Tudor palace. 

1535: On a visit believed to have impacted the course of the Reformation, Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn visit The Vyne in October 1535. It has been argued that the visit influenced William to remain loyal during the uprising known as the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536. 

1540: William Sandys (II) dies aged 70. He has managed to avoid getting on the wrong side of Henry VIII despite retaining his Catholic faith and preferring Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. 

1569: William Sandys (III) entertains Elizabeth I at The Vyne. Here, the queen signs a warrant temporarily transferring Mary, Queen of Scots from the custody of the Earl of Shrewsbury to that of the Earl of Huntingdon. 

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The Tower, Civil War and the Chutes arrive

1601: In February, William Sandys (III) was fined £5,000 and sent to the Tower of London for his part in the Earl of Essex's insurrection. In September that same year, Sir Walter Raleigh used The Vyne to host the French Ambassador, the Duc de Biron, who was visited by Elizabeth I. 

1623: It is likely William was released from the Tower after paying his fine. After his death in 1623, his son, also called William (IV) inherits. Six years later, The Vyne passes to William's half-sister Elizabeth, who became Baroness Sandys in her own right. Her son, Colonel Henry Sandys, appears to have lived at The Vyne. 

1643: Henry Sandys fights for the ill-fated Charles I during the Civil War. As a result, The Vyne is occupied for two days by Parliamentary troops under the command of Sir William Waller during the siege of Basing House. Badly wounded, Henry Sandys IV dies near Alresford in 1644. 

1653: Chaloner Chute buys The Vyne from the impoverished Sandys family. He demolishes two thirds of it, clearing the area which is the north lawn you see today. 

1659: In January, Chaloner is elected the Speaker of the House of Commons, only to die in February. His son by his first wife, also called Chaloner, expected to inherit. However, Chaloner's second wife Lady Dacre felt her inheritance of £900 and the family’s London home was not enough. She took her son-in-law to court for the sum of £4,000 and won. 

1666: When Chaloner II died at the age of 36, Lady Dacre revived her claim against her grandson, Chaloner III, who was then only 10 years old. He died of unknown causes aged 29. 

1685: Chaloner’s brother, Edward, inherits The Vyne. He marries a wealthy heiress, Katherine Keck. It was only after her father paid off the final ‘debt’ to Lady Dacre, that the Chutes were finally allowed to move back into The Vyne. 

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Grand furnishings and interiors

1722: Edward dies and his son Anthony inherits. Anthony installed sash windows, had Portland stone paving laid in the Stone Gallery and acquired grand pieces of furniture which still remain in the house. 

1740: Between 1740-46, Anthony's brother John tours Europe. He becomes close friends with Horace Walpole and poet Thomas Gray. He also begins to accumulate precious items which now form part of The Vyne's historic collection. These include a set of lattimo plates and a casket set with semi-precious stones, known as the Pietra Dura. 

1745: After Anthony, his eldest brother Francis was next in line to inherit. Francis’ death in 1745 meant that his younger brother John was next in line. A fan of travel, fashion and leisure, John at first did not look forward to taking on the responsibility of managing what he called a 'mouldering' estate. 

1754: To help visualise his ideas for renovation, John invites artist Johann Heinrich Müntz to the estate. Müntz's drawings and watercolours of The Vyne present the house in an idealised way, somewhere between the reality of the mid-1750s and Chute's vision for it. 

1768: Argued to be 'the most delicate of their kind in England', white and crimson brocatelle wall hangings are bought in Genoa and later hung in the Large and Further Drawing Rooms. You can still see them today, although you'll notice the white parts have gone a golden colour with age. 

1769-1771: Nationally renowned, and made from an early type of plaster, The Vyne's staircase hall was designed by John Chute to complement the portico on the north facade. John also starts to create a chapel tomb chamber, or 'columbarium'. The effigy lying on top of the tomb chest depicts Chaloner Chute. 

1776: John had no direct heirs and when he dies, The Vyne passes to Thomas Lobb, who is the son of John's cousin Elizabeth. Taking on the name of Chute, he finishes the tomb chamber in a more simplistic way than John had envisaged. 

1790: William John Chute inherits the estate and neglects its upkeep, focusing instead on outdoor leisure pursuits. 

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The Duke of Wellington, memoirs and the Wiggett Chutes

1803: Three-year-old Caroline Wiggett was a second cousin of William's mother. She was taken in by William and his wife Elizabeth, who had remained childless after 10 years of marriage. Caroline goes on to write memoirs of her time at The Vyne in the early 19th century, giving a unique window into this period in the estate’s history. 

1817: Moving to nearby Stratfield Saye, the Duke of Wellington becomes a regular guest at The Vyne. 

1824: William John Chute dies, and his brother Reverend Thomas Chute inherits. Caroline records in her memoirs that all the laughter left The Vyne after William John died. 

1827: Thomas and his brother William John had no direct heirs, and prior to their deaths had bequeathed The Vyne to William Lyde Wiggett on the condition that he took on the family name of Chute. A distant relation, he was chosen because the brothers believed he would look after the estate. Although William inherited in 1827, he allowed Elizabeth, William John's widow, to remain at The Vyne and 'Wiggett Chute' didn't move in until her death. 

1842: After Elizabeth Chute dies, William Lyde Wiggett Chute and his family move into The Vyne. Wiggett Chute finds that the estate needs a lot of work and carries out alterations to the house. He brought running water to the upstairs rooms for the first time and introduced passages and stairs designed to keep owners and servants apart. The cost of all this work meant that the family were unable to entertain society and therefore couldn’t accept invitations elsewhere. This isolation is perhaps the reason why none of Wiggett Chute's daughters ever married. 

1850: In the 1850s and 60s, Wiggett Chute's wife Martha and their daughter Elizabeth painted watercolours of the house. This is how we know how the rooms were laid out at this time. 

1879: After his father's death, Chaloner inherits The Vyne and nine years later in 1888 later publishes his book ‘History of The Vyne’. 

1892: Chaloner dies and his son Charles inherits. Charles would be the last private owner of The Vyne.

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Two wars and the end of private ownership

1893-1907: While Charles Chute was completing his education and pursuing his career as a barrister in London, The Vyne was leased to the Leyland family who owned a large transatlantic shipping company. Their family albums contain some of the earliest photographic records of the property. 

1914: A Staff Captain and Brigade Major during the later years of the war, Charles was awarded the Military Cross, the third highest military honour. He was also awarded two campaign medals: the Victory Medal and the British War Medal, awarded to all soldiers who fought in the First World War.  

1918: At the end of the First World War, Charles was welcomed home by a banner above the main gates. 

1920: Charles lets The Vyne to Australian educationalist Lucie James, who turns it into a girl's boarding school. Electric lighting is installed in the house during the same year. 

1930: The Chute family move back in. 

1940: During the Second World War, Charles agreed for pupils at Tormore Boys’ School to be evacuated to The Vyne. Charles had met the headmaster of the school in France during the First World War. 

1952: Charles becomes a baronet. 

1956: Charles dies, leaving The Vyne estate in the care of the National Trust. Charles' wife Laura Joan Baker chooses to live in one of the houses on the estate until her death in 1959.