Plympton House

Plympton House, Plympton St Maurice, south front

Plympton House, west front, viewed from the walled "Mound Garden"

Plympton House in the parish of Plympton St Maurice, Devon, is a grand Grade I listed country house, in the William-and Mary tradition,^[1] near St Maurice's Church in Plympton, completed circa 1715–20 by George II Treby (c.1684–1742), MP for Plympton Erle (1708–1727) and for Dartmouth (1727–1742), also Secretary at War (1718–1724) and Master of the Household (1730–1740). It had been commenced by his father Sir George I Treby (1643–1700), Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and six times Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle.^[2] The architect is unknown however accounts for 1720 refer to William Veale, mason.^[1]

Estate

The Treby family's estate in the environs of the ancient Borough of Plympton, the Rotten Borough parliamentary constituency of which was known as Plympton Erle, was expanded following the marriage of Judge Treby's father to his mother Joan Snelling, daughter of John Snelling of Chaddle Wood, Plympton (which mansion house survives today after early 1800s rebuilding),^[3] and co-heiress to her nephew Francis Snelling.^[4] The Treby family's large landholdings within and around the Borough gave them great influence over parliamentary elections, which influence however they shared with the Strode family of Newnham, major local landowners. Of the landed estate formerly attached to Plympton House, only an early-18th century formal garden of 3 hectares remains.^[5]

Descent of estate

The estate was inherited by George II Treby's eldest son, George III Treby (c.1726–1761), also MP for Plympton Erle, who died unmarried, and then passed to his younger brother, Colonel George Hele Treby (c.1727–1763), who also died unmarried and also intestate. It then passed to his sister Charity Treby, daughter of George II Treby, and wife of Admiral Paul Ourry (1719–1783), MP for Plympton Erle 1763–1775 and Commissioner for Plymoth Dockyard. Paul Ourry was the second son of Louis Ourry, a Huguenot refugee from Blois in France who had obtained British citizenship in 1713 and a commission in the British army.^[6] The estate was later inherited by her son Paul Treby Ourry (1758–1832), who in 1785 by royal licence assumed the surname and arms of Treby, becoming therefore "Paul Treby Treby". Following his death in 1832 the House was sold, possibly by his eldest son Paul Ourry Treby (born 1786), of Goodamoor House, to Copleston Lopes Radcliffe.^[7] The Treby family and its descendants had moved their residence to nearby Goodamoor House, in the parish of Plympton St Mary, where they remained until the late 19th century.

Lunatic asylum

The son of Copleston Lopes Radcliffe sold the estate in 1835 to Dr Charles Aldridge, for use as a private lunatic asylum.^[7]

By 1844 the proprietor was R.C. Langworthy, a surgeon.^[8] The institution met with official censure and the 1844 Report of the Metropolitan Commissioners in Lunacy listed it as one of six establishments in the country which used "excessive and highly censurable degree of restraint" and that such restraint "is rendered more necessary than in a well-constructed asylum"^[9] Plympton was amongst the eleven "asylums and licensed houses" which the report stated to "deserve almost unqualified censure"^[10]

In 1844 it housed 17 private and sixty-six pauper patients. The pauper lunatics were housed in the outbuildings. This aspect of Plympton was also criticised by the report which stated:^[11] "We have observed that houses which have been formerly private mansions frequently require extensive alterations to make them fit for asylums; that the mansion is sometimes engrossed by the proprietor, his family, and a few private patients; and that the paupers are consigned to buildings which were formerly used as offices, and outhouses". Mr Langworthy charged more per pauper lunatic than any other private asylum in England and Wales apart from Hereford, as supply of places was scarce in Devon, most going to workhouses instead. The paupers at Plympton were described as "the refuse of the workhouses".

Local magistrates inspected the facilities three times in 1842/3, having received several complaints about the institution. The premises were found to be filthy and poorly ventilated and proper segregation between the sexes had not been maintained. The patients were unwashed. Four windowless cells were reported to be as "damp and dark as an underground cellar". The commissioners found it "scarcely possible to endure the offensive smell". One of the women patients slept on a piece of old carpet whilst others slept on dirty straw. One of the patients was "a male criminal of very dangerous habits" who "was fastened at night to his bed with a chain". Staffing was chaotic: "ten curable patients and two idiots were under the charge of a lunatic, who was himself confined by a chain from the wrist to the ankle... principally to prevent him escaping". Three women were chained by their legs to benches and 21 others were chained to their beds at night.

Devon County Asylum was opened in July 1845 and by 1847 Plympton House had been improved substantially. By 1858 it had ceased to house paupers.^[12]

Roman Catholic care home

In the 20th century Plympton House was acquired by Augustinian Care, a branch of the Roman Catholic religious Congregation of "The Sisters of St Augustine of the Mercy of Jesus", which had been founded in 1842 in Bruges, Belgium by Rev. Canon Peter John Maes, who had devoted his life to caring for the mentally ill. It is not to be confused with the very ancient order of Canonesses of St. Augustine of the Mercy of Jesus. The congregation was formed with twenty young nuns, with three of whom Maes came to England in 1866 and formed "St George’s Retreat".^[13] In 1934 the congregation acquired Plympton House"^[13] in which they established "St Peter's Convent" alias "St Peter's Care Home" for up to 45 or 50 ^[14] elderly and mentally ill patients. It was staffed by nuns of the order who specialised in the care of the mentally and physically ill,^[15] and because of the high dependency of the residents, there were 80 Staff together with three Sisters.^[14] In February 2012 three members of staff were suspended following the death of a 96-year-old patient from a fall on the premises, which resulted in a police enquiry.^[15] St Peter's Care Home closed later that year,^[16] when the 44 bedroom Plympton House, with significant modern additions including an accommodation block and a convent with its own chapel, in all 2984 sq.m (32118 sq.ft), was offered for sale with 5.6 acres of surrounding gardens.^[17]

Public Consultation on the Future of Plympton House

By 2015 Plympton House had no permanent use, with the only residents being a team from 'Protects By Occupation' to keep the building secure.^[16] In October 2015 a public consultation was launched about a concept to bring Plympton House back into use. The website stated, "The concept is to return the site to a low density residential usage that allows the main house to be restored to its former glory but in a way suitable for use in the 21st century, all the while enhancing the village of Plympton-St-Maurice."^[18]

Further reading

• Treby family papers, including diaries and estate records, West Devon Record Office, ref 2607 (1797–1858) , ref 864 (1724–1886)
• Plympton House, listed building text
• Country Life Magazine, 1933, article on Plympton House.

Sources

• Pevsner, Nikolaus & Cherry, Bridget, The Buildings of England: Devon, London, 2004, p. 684, Plympton House

References

Coordinates: 50°23′06″N 4°02′45″W / 50.3850°N 4.0457°W / 50.3850; -4.0457