Tapestries, and the subjects within them, would have been a way for the Edgcumbe family to show off their wealth, importance, knowledge, history and their sense of humour.
A romantic idea
The Edgcumbe family, who owned Cotehele since the 1300s, built a new house down the River Tamar at Mount Edgcumbe in the mid-1500s. From that point, Cotehele became a second home. In the 18th-century they remodelled Mount Edgcumbe House and started to cotton on to the idea that they could take their visitors up the river for a nice day out at Cotehele and show off the ‘ancestral home’. The Edgcumbes spent generations cultivating Cotehele's antiquarian appeal by creating a romantic visitor experience.
Royal visit
When King George III and Queen Charlotte visited Cotehele in 1789, Queen Charlotte wrote the first known description of the interior of the house, referring to nine rooms being 'hung with old tapestry'. The king and queen's route through the house is the same one visitors experience today.