The history and owners of Ightham Mote

1360 onwards

The Cawnes

The Cawnes are the earliest known owners. Having moved here in about 1360, Thomas Cawne, also shown in the records as Couen, de Coven, Cawen, is the first known owner of Ightham Mote. 

Early years 

Thomas, and his brothers Richard and John, were the sons of Richard de Coven, a tailor from Staffordshire. Owning a number of tenements in Wolverhampton, Richard was ‘town gentry’ and relatively well off. 

The hundred years war 

Thomas Cawne was ambitious and decided to seek his fortune in the military rather than follow in the family business. He became a prominent soldier during the political instability in France during the 1350s and by 1357 he was captain of the fortress of the Neuberg, just outside Rouen in Normandy. As only a small number of captains were recorded during the 100 Years War, the fact that Thomas Cawne is amongst them shows just how important he was to the war effort, and he was knighted for his services. 

Social network 

Cawne’s network of friends and acquaintances originally centred near his home in Staffordshire, however, after he enlisted in the military, his circle of friends moved to London and its neighbouring counties. 

The business of war often required people to travel between the capital and the channel, which made Kent an attractive place to live. It was in Kent that he married Lora Moraunt, daughter of Sir Thomas Moraunt of Chevening. They settled at Ightham Mote with their two children, Robert and Thomas. 

Robert Cawne 

After Sir Thomas Cawne died, his eldest son Robert inherited Ightham Mote. He was certainly a character and was sent to the Tower of London for trying to kill his wife Marjory by throwing her into a well. He was eventually pardoned by the king, but little is known of him afterwards. 

(Based on research by PhD student Gemma Minnihan)  

1389 onwards

The Hautes

The Hautes were a family with influence. Owning several estates, including Ightham Mote, they were a prominent and influential Kent family.  

Teenage possession 

Nicholas Haute became one of the wealthiest men in Kent aged just 16 years old, as heir to his grandfather’s estates. In 1389, he married Alice Cawne, who would eventually inherit Ightham Mote from her brother Robert. Throughout his life, he held important offices both in the county and in the King's service, and served as Sheriff of Kent, and as Member of Parliament for the county. Sir Nicholas Haute died c.1415-16 and his eldest son William inherited Ightham Mote. 

A man who'd stop at nothing 

William Haute Esq inherited Ightham Mote in 1416. In c.1419, William married Margaret, the daughter of Sir Hugh Berwick, bringing more land and income into the Haute family. Margaret died in c.1427, and in 1429, William remarried. His second wife, Joan Woodville, was from another powerful family, and in 1469 history would see her become aunt to the Queen of England. Sir William was a notable composer of polyphonic music, the first ‘Gentleman Composer’ ever to be officially recorded. 

The rebel? 

Richard Haute inherited Ightham Mote in 1462. As cousin to Elizabeth Woodville, who married King Edward IV in 1464, this close connection to the royal family made Richard an important figure in the county and at court. As his status rose, Richard embarked on the programme of building works, which would turn the 15th-century manor of Ightham Mote into a property of considerable distinction. A fashionable home with inner and outer courtyards, reception rooms and guest accommodation of very high quality. 

Inherited too young? 

Edward was just 11 years old when he inherited Ightham Mote in 1487. He was not very careful with his money and amassed large debts. In 1514, some of his property was confiscated, whilst he had to sell other properties in 1518. He mortgaged Ightham Mote, but was forced to sell later that year, soon finding himself in Ludgate debtor’s prison before fleeing to Ireland.

1521

Royal Courtier Richard Clement

Richard Clement owned Ightham Mote for 17 years, from 1521 until his death in 1538, and led an interesting life. With two wives, at least two mistresses, three illegitimate children and a career at court he had quite a reputation. 

Who was Richard Clement? 

A self-made man, he found himself in the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII. He was listed as a page 1503, but by the time Henry VII died in April 1509, he was named at his funeral as ‘a gentilman of the household’. With the accession of Henry VIII, he lost his post at court, but before July 1509, his financial future was assured by marrying a rich older widow Anne Whittlebury, from Northampton. 

Life after marriage 

In Northampton, Clement took the role of landowner and was also a ‘Commissioner of Sewers’. At Court he was a ‘Gentleman Usher’ and he fought at the Battle of the Spurs in 1513. By 1521, he was back in Kent, purchasing Ightham Mote for £400, with the assistance of a consortium of local friends and important names of Kent. 

During the 1520s he embarked on a frenzy of building work including the stained-glass windows and painted ceiling in the guest suite, all to show allegiance to Henry VIII, or perhaps because he was expecting a royal visitor.  

In November 1528, his wife died, but by 1530 he had acquired the hand of the Lady Anne Grey, widow of Lord John Grey, hoping to gain further connections at court. 

A force to be reckoned with 

Richard used his knowledge of the law throughout his land purchases and sales, always to try to gain his advantage. By 1529 he had done sufficient notable works to ensure that he was knighted by Henry VIII. He was present at the Coronation of Anne Boleyn in 1533, then had a hand in her demise in 1536. 

He died in 1538, leaving the residue of his estate to his wife, the Lady Anne Grey, and was buried next to his first wife in Ightham Church.

1591–1889

The Selbys

The Selbys were Ightham Mote's longest owners, living here for nearly 300 years. Originally from Northumberland, the early Selbys were law enforcement officers on the borders between England and Scotland in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. 

Where there’s a will 

Sir William and Dame Dorothy had no children, and according to the first Sir William’s will, Ightham Mote passed to various Selby cousins. During this period, the Selby men mostly married into local families – the Rayneys of Great Comp, the Amhursts of Bayhall in Pembury, the Giffords of Pennis in Fawkenham and the Westons of Willesley in Cranbrook. By the end of the 18th century, Ightham Mote had passed to more distant cousins – the Brownes of Suffolk and Shropshire, who changed their name to Selby in order to inherit the house. 

Scandal  

Thomas Selby, the owner of Ightham Mote from 1791–1820, disinherited his only son Charles, who had become a missionary in the Isles of Scilly. The reasons are unknown, but he appears to have upset some important people on Scilly, as well as fathering an illegitimate son. Thomas, Charles and his sister all died in 1820 and Thomas’s wife inherited a life interest until 1845.  

The end of an era 

In 1845, Ightham Mote passed to an even more distant cousin, Prideaux John Selby, who was a well-respected naturalist living in Northumberland. The contents of Ightham Mote were sold, with the proceeds of sale benefitting the children of Charles, the disinherited son. 

The Victorian era saw Prideaux’s daughter Marianne in residence at Ightham Mote. With her second husband, Major Robert Luard-Selby, she commissioned the architect Norman Shaw to work on the Great Hall. But by 1889, after almost 300 years, the Selby family had run out of money. After the deaths of Marianne and her son and heir, the son by her first marriage, the executors sold the Ightham Mote estate.  

20th century

Local businessmen to the rescue

Ightham Mote may have been lost forever if it wasn’t for three local businessmen, who banded together at the last moment to save the house. With the house up for sale and in a sorry state of repair, they came up with a rescue plan. 

Everything must go 

Ightham Mote and its contents were put up for sale in October 1951. The two farms on the estate were sold quickly, but the dilapidated house was less of an enticing proposition to buyers. It was in danger of being demolished in order to sell the lead from its roofs. 

Local saviours 

Three local businessmen came to the rescue. William Durling, John Goodwin and John Baldock bought Ightham Mote for £5,500, saving it from destruction. Durling had carried out repairs to the house, Goodwin owned the neighbouring farm, and Baldock ran a nearby chemist’s shop. The three men had no real idea of what they would do with the house, but they felt compelled to rescue it purely out of their love of its ancient charm. 

Listed status 

Knowing that they were just temporary guardians, they needed to find a long-term solution and an owner who would care for Ightham Mote. It just so happened that there was another way the house could be protected. 

The Town and Country Planning Acts of 1944 and 1947 created 'Salvage Lists' to protect bomb damaged buildings with special architectural or historical interest. Although Ightham Mote hadn't been damaged by bombs, on 1 August 1952 it was recognised as being of national importance and given Grade I Listed Building status. This offered the highest level of protection, meaning that it couldn't be demolished, extended or altered without special permission from the government. 

We don’t know if the local businessmen were responsible for Ightham Mote being recognised as a building of exceptional interest, but their temporary ownership allowed time for the house to receive government protection, and for a buyer who was passionate about Ightham Mote to come along.