History of Catherston Leweston Manor
At the time of the Norman Conquest, Catherston Leweston was known as Cerneli, and was owned by
Lord Aldbert (also referred to as Aelbert or Ealdbeorht). By the time of the compilation of the
Domesday Book in 1086 the landowner was William de Lestre. The current name is thought to have
come from derivations of two local families: de Leweston, (sometimes referred to as Leuston, or
Lesterton, so presumably a corruption of de Lestre) and de Chartrey (sometimes corrupted to
Chartreston, Cartreston, Carterestone and Catherston).
In the mid-13th century, during the reign of Henry III, Richard Payn, and his wife Avicia, of
Chartersestun bought rights to manorial land from William, son of Walter de Leweston. Presumably
it was from this point that the village and its manor was known as Catherston Leweston.
The Payn/Payne/de la Peine family held the manor until 1455 when Jane Payne, heiress, married
William Wadham of Merifield in Somerset.
The Wadham’s were an influential family; many were members of parliament or barristers. John
Wadham, was Captain of Sandsfoot Castle, near Weymouth, in 1550, and is buried in the church of
St Candida in Whitchurch Canonicorum. The Catherston Leweston Wadhams were distant relatives
of Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, who founded Wadham College, Oxford in 1610.
Parts of the house the Wadhams built in the 16th century form part of current manor house,
including the tower porch to the east of the building.
The Wadham family conveyed the estate to the Jeffrey family. Sir John Jeffery has an impressive
tomb in the church in Whitchurch Canonicorum (1611). A later Sir John was a Captain in King
Charles 1’s army in 1641.
It is believed that the Henville family, who owned the manor from 1669 until 1783, altered the
house, adding an impressive panelled staircase in the early 18th century.
In 1848 it was bought by Robert Charles Hildyard QC, MP for Whitehaven. Robert Charles had the
church of St Mary’s in Catherston Leweston rebuilt in 1858 but died just before it was completed.
His only son Robert Henry Hildyard inherited the Manor in 1858 at the age of 22 and joined the
Diplomatic Service the following year. He served on a number of postings, St Petersburg, Athens,
Paris and Buenos Aires amongst others. He became a close friend of Wilfrid Scawen Blunt, a young
fellow diplomat. Blunt later became well known in Victorian society: he was an explorer, poet and
political polemist, and he often caused scandals due to his reputation with society ladies. He
admitted in his biographies, held at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, that he liked Hildyard for
his various amorous adventures – a passion they both had in common! Sadly Hildyard died suddenly
in 1876 at West Hay farm on Stonebarrow at the young age of 40.
Catherston Manor
c1870 during the time
of Robert Henry
Hildyard
Col John Bullen Symes Bullen bought the Catherston Leweston estate in 1887. JBSB undertook a
major renovation, adding a front façade of three gables, oriel and leaded windows, and porches to
the south and west. The house is in the style of early 16th century ‘prodigy houses’ of Dorset and
Somerset. The Bullens, a keen equestrian family, also developed the famous Catherston stud.
Catherston
Manor C1900
after it had been
remodelled by
Col Bullen
The Bullen family sold the estate in 1959. The manor house itself was then redeveloped into seven
freehold houses, each with its own distinct character.
Hutchins II 213-5
Full Abstracts of the Feet of Fines Relating to the County of Dorset
Sale particulars (Jackson Stops and Staff) 1958