Treasurer's House

This article is about the house in Somerset. For the supposedly haunted house in York, see Treasurer's House, York.
Treasurer's House

The great hall and parlour wing.
Location within Somerset
General information
Town or city Martock
Country England
Coordinates 50°58′10″N 2°46′21″W / 50.9695°N 2.7726°W
Completed 13th century

The Treasurer's House is a National Trust-owned property in Martock, in the English county of Somerset. It has been designated as a grade I listed building.[1] Apart from the Bishop's Palace, Wells it is the oldest house in the county.[2]

History

The Treasurer's House is a medieval priest's house built from Hamstone during the 13th century. It is mentioned as the parsonage attached to the village Church of All Saints. In 1227 it was acquired by Hugh of Wells the treasurer of Wells Cathedral who became the rector and patron of the church.[3][4] In 1297 John Langton, who was a chancellor of England and Bishop of Chichester, received the Great Seal of the Realm which was stored at at the "court at Martock".[5]

The Bishop of Bath owned the building, which was known as Martock Priory, until 1849 when it was transferred to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.[5] It was then privately owned. In 1943 it was bought by Harold St George Gray, the librarian-curator of the Museum for the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society to preserve it.[6] His wife bequeathed it to the National Trust in 1970.[1][5]

Architecture

The building has undergone various extensions and alterations since it was built.[7] The building has a T shaped plan with the west projecting wing being a hall added in the late 13th century.[1][3] The great hall has a 15th-century four bay open arch-braced collar-truss timber roof.[1][8] The roof was covered with slate from local quarries until it was thatched in the mid 19th century. The current clay tiles were used in the early 20th century.[3]

The kitchen block was added in the late 15th century or early 16th century and has no direct connection with the rest of the house.[1][8] The Solar Block is the oldest part of the building dating from around 1250.[9][10] It is separated from the hall by a screens passage.[8]

The walls of one of the private chambers on the upper floor were covered with 16th century limewash which was removed to expose a 13th-century wall painting with a depiction of Jesus on the cross and two other figures.[11] The crucifixion scene with rosettes and vine leaf decoration was uncovered in the 1990s.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "The Treasurer's House". National Heritage List for England. English Heritage. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "Treasurer's House". Martock Online. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Emery, Anthony (2006). Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales, 1300-1500, Volume 3. Cambridge University Press. p. 589. ISBN 9781139449199.
  4. ↑ "Martock". Martock. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 R.W. Dunning (editor), A.P. Baggs, R.J.E. Bush (1978). "Parishes: Martock". A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 4. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  6. ↑ "Museums and Art Galleries". Western Daily Press. 12 June 1943. p. 4. Retrieved 16 April 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
  7. ↑ Richardson, Miranda. "Martock" (PDF). English Heritage Extensive Urban Survey. Somerset County Council. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Greeves, Lydia (2006). History and Landscape: The Guide to National Trust Properties in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. National Trust Books. p. 391. ISBN 978-1905400133.
  9. ↑ "Treasurer's House". Stately-Homes.com. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  10. ↑ "Treasurer's House". National Trust. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  11. ↑ Papworth, Martin. "The Treasure beneath the Lime Wash". Archaeology National Trust SW. Natiional Trust. Retrieved 14 December 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Treasurer's House, Martock.