The history of Chastleton House

1606

Walter Jones, the first owner of Chastleton House 

The land and the previous house that stood here had been owned by Robert Catesby, leader of the Gunpowder Plot. Walter Jones purchased the property in 1602, but didn’t take full ownership until May 1606. The following year, construction started on a new building and by 1612 it was complete. 

Walter's family, originally from Wales, had been in the wool trade, but Walter trained as a lawyer, served as a Town Clerk in Worcester and as a Member of Parliament. In buying Chastleton, Walter became a landowner, marking his move into the lowest level of the aristocracy.  

1632

Henry Jones further connects the family

Henry Jones inherited Chastleton from his father, Walter Jones, in 1632, although his mother had the right to continued use of the property under the terms of the will. Elinor was to have 'one chamber well furnished and plate fitted to the same as shall be fit for my widdowe to have'. 

In 1609, Henry married Anne Fettiplace, the daughter of a member of the local gentry. The marriage secured connections with more established families, and the Fettiplace coat of arms was placed above the fireplace in one of the grandest bedchambers at Chastleton to reflect this important connection.  

1651

Arthur Jones, The Cavalier

Arthur Jones became the owner of Chastleton in 1656, upon the death of his father Henry. He was married to Sarah Eyans.

A most interesting event happened just before Arthur inherited Chastleton which earned him the nickname ‘The Cavalier’. Arthur was a Royalist and had fought at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Having lost the battle, Arthur fled back to Chastleton but was followed by Roundhead soldiers, searching the area for fugitives. Arthur hid in a closet over the porch, while his wife Sarah brought laudanum-laced ale for the soldiers to drink, allowing Arthur to slip out of the room and make his escape.   

This period marked the downturn in the family's finances, as they had supported the 'wrong' side in the Civil War and were subject to many fines because of it.   

1687

Henry and Walter Jones III

Henry Jones III inherited Chastleton from his father in 1687; however, both he and his wife, Sarah Smith, died within a year of inheriting the house and subsequently very little is known about them. 

As a result, their son Walter Jones III inherited at the age of 14. After reaching adulthood, Walter carried out some significant improvements to the house, including major construction work to the external walls of the White Parlour and Fettiplace Room. 

Walter married Anne Whitmore in 1697; she brought a dowry of £2,500 and the financial support of her brother, Sir William Whitmore. Despite this, when Walter died in 1704, Anne was left with four young children and an estate deep in debt. 

1705

A young John Jones

John Jones was not even six years old when he inherited Chastleton in 1705, and so the house remained under the control of his mother, Anne Whitmore, for many years. 

John had a typical education at Eton, Oxford and Lincoln's Inn, before returning to Chastleton for the quiet life of a gentleman. The estate was solvent at this point, thanks to the careful management by his mother, but was in debt again by the time John died in 1738. 

1755

Henry Jones IV: money and loss

As a younger son, Henry Jones was expected to earn his own income and took a job in law; however, this didn’t stop the estate falling further into debt. In 1755, Henry was imprisoned in Oxford Gaol for debt of £6,000 (over £500,000 today). 

Chastleton was left under the care of Henry's brother-in-law who unsuccessfully attempted to rent out the house. The family eventually moved back to Chastleton in 1760, and Henry died the following year. 

1761

The last of the original descendants

After Henry Jones IV died in 1761, the house passed consecutively to two of his sons; first to John Jones II and then to Arthur Jones II. 

Both John and Arthur invested in repairing and improving Chastleton. John carried out masonry work on the east side of the house and re-roofed all the buildings, as well as starting work on the guttering and downpipes. Arthur continued to work on the guttering and had the Buck in the Great Hall re-painted. He also had the porch and great hall paved, the extra weight of which meant pillars needed to be built in the basement. 

1828

The Whitmore-Jones’

Arthur Jones II was the last direct descendant of Walter Jones, and on his death in 1828, the house passed sideways to a distant cousin. John Henry Whitmore-Jones grew up on the family estate of Dudmaston in Shropshire, now owned by the National Trust. By the time he inherited in 1828, he was married to Dorothy Clutton, with a young family and had changed his name to John Henry Whitmore-Jones. 

John made improvements to the house such as replacing the east staircase, adding water closets, putting a new range in the kitchen and replacing the ceiling in the great parlour.

1853

Arthur Whitmore-Jones, a Ward of Chancery

John Henry Whitmore-Jones died in 1853 and Chastleton passed to his eldest son, Arthur. Arthur was possibly a sufferer of severe epilepsy and was subsequently made a Ward of Chancery, a legal arrangement for individuals with money who were not deemed competent to manage it themselves.  

Arthur's mother, Dorothy, was appointed his guardian and took on responsibility for tenants, taxes and rents, as well as running the household.  

Arthur died in July 1857 and Chastleton passed to his younger brother, Willie. 

1857

Willie Whitmore-Jones, despair of his parents

Willie was the despair of his parents even as a child. As an adult, he was unable to keep a job and regularly in debt. Prior to inheriting Chastleton, Willie served in Gibraltar and Bermuda, but 'sold out' before the start of the Crimean War. Willie had earnt a promotion to Lieutenant, but according to his father’s diary, he faced arrest for his debts. 

Willie kept a small household with only two servants. His sister, Mary, lived with him and nursed him through the effects of a fever he contracted in Bermuda. Willie's brother, Walter, also assisted in the running of the estate. 

1874

Mary and Thomas Whitmore-Jones

Mary Whitmore-Jones inherited Chastleton in 1874 at the age of 51, on the death of her brother Willie, but within a few years she passed the management of the estate to her nephew Thomas Whitmore Harris. By the 1880s, Thomas had taken on full responsibility for Chastleton and changed his name to Thomas Whitmore-Jones. He married Irene Dickins, his first cousin, who would continue to manage the property after her husband's death. 

In 1897 the couple moved out to a property in the village and leased the house out. During this time, Thomas carried out some repairs on the property particularly to the Long Gallery ceiling, which had been left untouched and unused for over 100 years. 

1897

The later years

Charles Taswell Richardson was tenant of Chastleton from 1897 to 1933, along with his second wife Mabel and their three daughters. Charles made improvements to the house, such as adding in central heating, electricity and improved sanitation, made alterations to the garden and probably removed the panelling from the Great Parlour.  

In 1920, at the age of 66, Charles died at sea in mysterious circumstances. There are two memorial windows in Chastleton church dedicated to him.  

1917

Irene Whitmore-Jones

Irene Whitmore-Jones became the sole owner of Chastleton upon the death of her husband in 1917, and by 1936 Irene had sold almost the entire estate of 1,250 acres and five farms. The household was also reduced to two servants: Wing, the butler and Old Sarah, the maid.  

During WWII, Chastleton was used for other purposes, including storage for treasures from the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and in the 1940s, Irene began opened Chastleton to paying visitors to generate income.  

1955

The last family owners of Chastleton

Alan Clutton-Brock inherited Chastleton House from Irene in 1955 at the age of 51. He was the great-grandson of Colonel Clutton-Brock, brother of Dorothy Whitmore-Jones. When he inherited Chastleton, Alan was married to Barbara (nee Foy). 

Barbara and Alan kept some of the rooms at Chastleton as show rooms and continued to open the house up to visitors for a small fee. Alan died in 1976 and the house passed to his widow, Barbara.  

Chastleton continued to be in a serious state of disrepair and in 1991 Chastleton passed into the care of the National Trust, ending nearly 400 years of ownership by the same family.