The history of Greys Court

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Exterior view of Greys Court, Oxfordshire | © National Trust Images/Hugh Mothersole

Greys Court has been home to powerful families for nearly a thousand years, Beginning with the medieval de Greys and the Tudor courtier Sir Francis Knollys. In the 18th century it belonged to the Stapletons, whose fortune came from the enslavement of people on Caribbean plantations, though they made few changes to the house. Finally, the Brunner family created a comfortable home here in 1937, and today visitors can enjoy the surviving parts of the Tudor house, romantic ruins and beautiful gardens that reflect its long and varied history.

The de Greys

In 1086, when Domesday Book was written, the Norman knight Anschetil de Grai held land at Redrefeld. This included the site of Greys Court and its nearby village of Rotherfield Greys, both of which were named after him.

Around 1240, land at Rotherfield passed to Walter de Grey (d. 1255), the Archbishop of York. Walter was an important and loyal supporter of King John (1166–1216), for whom he served as chancellor, before becoming Archbishop of York in 1215. He also supported John’s heir, King Henry III, briefly serving as Regent in 1242. After his death, his estates at Rotherfield appear to have passed down to his brother.

The first description of the house in this period is from 1295. Robert de Grey, the nephew or great-nephew of Walter, is recorded at his death as holding a house with a courtyard and a garden. There is also evidence of a deer park, another high-status feature. Greys Court was probably a modest house at this time and only small fragments of it survive at the bottom of the Great Tower, with the early building being incorporated into later developments of the house.

In the 1300s the site was first expanded, with the construction of the Great Tower and the defensive walls which still stand. These works likely occurred after the family were raised to a baronetcy and were granted a license to crenellate, or fortify, in 1346. This led to the creation of a larger house surrounded by walls with defensive towers at each corner – some of which survive today.

A portrait of Sir Francis Knollys the Younger in approximately 1630, at Greys Court in Oxfordshire. — Sir Francis Knollys the Younger c.1630 | © National Trust Images/John Hammond

The Lovell and Knollys Families

The house and estate passed to the Lovell family in the 1420s, although contemporary descriptions of the buildings suggest that they had fallen into disrepair by this time.

Dendrochronology has shown that new buildings were constructed in the 1450s, perhaps as part of efforts to restore the house. Some parts of these once-new buildings still survive in the main house, particularly in the kitchen, which once formed part of a grand, timber-framed building with an overhanging jetty. The Lovell ownership ended abruptly when the family’s estates were seized by King Henry VII after Francis Lovell (c.1457–88) participated in revolts against him.

The house eventually passed to the Knollys family. When Sir Francis Knollys (1511/12–96) inherited, considerable work to expand the house was undertaken. Francis became an important member of Queen Elizabeth I’s court, holding many senior positions, and having the resources to make Greys Court into a house befitting his position.

From 1558 to 1588, Francis re-built most of the site, demolishing many earlier buildings and erecting a new house with inner and outer courtyards, as well as a separate courtyard for the service buildings. Above ground, only fragments of these buildings survive, including parts of the current house and the Donkey Wheel, which Sir Francis built to supply water to his house. The Queen visited on at least one occasion but never stayed overnight as Francis had hoped.

Francis’s son William (1544–1632), who also held positions at court, inherited Greys Court in 1596. In 1630 he sold it to his nephew, Robert (d. 1659), who sided with King Charles I during the English Civil War during which the house was likely damaged.

It then passed to his niece, Lettice Kennedy (d.1708)), who leased and eventually sold it to William Paul. His heir, Catherine (d.1753), married Sir William Stapleton, 4th Baronet (c.1698–1740) in 1724, and the house became her dowry.

The Stapletons and profits from slavery

The Stapleton fortune was made in the Caribbean, starting with Sir William Stapleton, 1st Baronet (d.1686), who had had served as Governor-General of the Leeward Islands. He used the position to enrich himself through the purchase and ownership of several sugar plantations across the islands worked by enslaved people. On his death, these were divided amongst his sons.

By the time Sir William Stapleton, 4th Baronet, married Catherine Paul and took ownership of Greys Court, the family were absentee plantation landlords residing in England. After his marriage, his mother also began giving him an annual allowance of £500 (around £1,500,000 now) paid for by her Caribbean estates. He also owned estates inherited from his father, which earned him a profit of around £1,000 per year. Despite this considerable income from his family’s plantations, he soon had significant debts and had to borrow more money from his mother. His money worries meant he took a great deal of interest in the management of his estates, insisting upon long hours for the enslaved people while feeding them poorly to maximise his profits.

These debts meant he undertook little, if any, work at Greys Court, but his son, Thomas (1727–81), was far more active. He probably made changes to some parts of the site such as constructing the Dairy as well as adding the bow windows and decorated plaster ceilings to the main house.

His son, another Thomas (1766–1831), inherited the title of Lord Despencer and moved out of Greys Court to Mereworth Castle in Kent. His mother and unmarried sisters lived in Greys Court until 1863, leading to few further alterations.

Metal box belonging to Sir Felix Brunner, in the Library at Greys Court, Oxfordshire. An up close image of a black metal box with 'Sir Felix Brunner bart. Greys Court Henley on Thames' in gold lettering. — Metal box belonging to Sir Felix Brunner, in the Library at Greys Court, Oxfordshire | © National Trust Images/Andreas von Einsiedel

The Brunners

In 1934, Evelyn Fleming purchased the house. She made several changes, including removing the render from the east front and adding many areas of salvaged paneling. However, her sons, including Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond novels, did not like the house. Three years later, in 1937, she sold Greys Court to Sir Felix and Lady Elizabeth Brunner.

Sir Felix’s great-grandfather was a Swiss immigrant to Liverpool. The family’s fortune had been made by his grandfather Sir John Tomlinson Brunner (1842–1919), who revolutionised the British chemicals industry in partnership with Ludwig Mond. Lady Elizabeth’s family was theatrical – her grandfather was the Victorian actor Sir Henry Irving.

They moved into the house with their four sons and created a family home. They filled it with contemporary ceramics and paintings but also retained many pieces from Sir John Tomlinson Brunner’s large collection of Swiss objects including furniture, ceramics and glass.

In 1969, the Brunners gave the house and estate to the National Trust. They remained living there until their deaths – Felix in 1982 and Elizabeth in 2003.

The National Trust

In the early 2000s, the National Trust embarked upon a large conservation project. This included re-roofing the house and removing large amounts of asbestos. During this time, the first detailed archaeological investigation of the house and other surviving buildings greatly increased our knowledge of the site’s long and complex history. Dendrochronology revealed the age of the different phases of the house and also confirmed that the Donkey Wheel was original to the current Tudor building. In 2024 and 2025 the National Trust also undertook archaeological excavations on the main lawn to learn more about the site’s lost buildings.

Inspired by Lady Brunner’s love of contemporary ceramics and sculpture, the property has had long-term partnerships working with the annual Henley Art Trail and hosting the annual exhibition of the Oxford Sculptors Group.