(602) Best of Wynford Eagle, Barons Wynford

Best of Wynford Eagle, Barons Wynford 

The story of this family, and the genealogy below, begins with William Draper Best (1767-1845), who was born at Haselbury Plucknett (Som.) near Crewkerne on the Somerset/Dorset border, as the third son of Thomas Best and his wife Betty Draper. Thomas Best seems to have belonged to the 'parish gentry' strata of society, a small-scale landowner who also held leasehold and copyhold lands. William was intended to make a career in the church, and with this in mind he was sent to Oxford, but in 1784 his cousin, Samuel Best of Burton Bradstock (Dorset), died and left most of his property to William and his brothers. The windfall was sufficient to allow William a greater choice of career, and he decided to abandon the university and study for the bar at the Inner Temple. Given his 'lively and clever' manner, it was probably a good decision, and although his knowledge of the law was questionable, his ability to argue a case quickly brought him a large practice. In 1800 he was made one of the serjeants-at-law, and in 1806 king's serjeant, positions which gave him access to plead in the highest courts at Westminster. From 1802-06 and 1812-19 he was also a member of parliament, initially as a Whig and later as a Tory; his allegiance being dictated less by principle than by personal advantage. His ready wit made him socially successful, and he was soon a member of the Prince of Wales' circle, a connection which bore fruit when the prince became Regent, with his appointment as Solicitor-General and then Attorney-General for the Prince, before in 1818 he became a judge. The latter stages of his career were blighted by an increasing affliction with gout, and it was probably this that eventually forced his retirement from judicial office in 1829. Having been knighted in 1819, he was made a peer as 1st Baron Wynford on his retirement, and he also became deputy speaker of the House of Lords, where in a concession to his infirmity, he was allowed to sit in an armchair. Eventually, even getting to Parliament became impossible, and he spent his last years in complete retirement at his house at Chislehurst (Kent), which he had rented from 1800, and of which he bought the freehold in 1824. He also bought the Wynford Eagle estate in Dorset. I have not been able to discover the precise date of this purchase, but it was in the family's possession by 1823, when his eldest son, William Samuel Best took out a game certificate. This suggests that the property may have been acquired for William Samuel, and it is therefore tempting to associate the acquisition with the latter's marriage in 1821, but it could equally well have been bought a few years earlier, when William Draper Best was MP for nearby Bridport, in 1812-17.

William Samuel Best (1798-1869), 2nd Baron Wynford, followed in his father's footsteps and became a barrister and, briefly, an MP, but he did not have his father's skills or motivation to build a career in either the law or parliament. Nor is he known to have spent much time on his estates. He sold his father's house at Chislehurst - then called Leesons - in about 1850, and lived chiefly at his house in Hanover Square, where he and his wife raised their family of four sons and one daughter. His four sons all went into the services; three of them into the army and one into the Navy. The eldest, William Draper Mortimer Best (1826-99), 3rd Baron Wynford, retired from the army in 1856, and was married soon afterwards to a daughter of the rich Scottish landowner and banker, Evan Baillie (1798-1883). He does seem to have been occasionally resident in Dorset, and was probably responsible for building the modest gabled house (originally called Wynford House but now Higher Wynford Farm) further up the valley from the old manor house, the first reference to which appears to date from 1863. The 3rd Baron and his wife had no surviving children, and so on his death the estate passed to his younger brother, Henry Molyneux Best (1829-1903), 4th Baron Wynford, whose career is something of a mystery. Although he clearly joined the Royal Navy and was a midshipman by 1845, he seems never to have gone on to become an officer. He lived most of his life in quiet, late Georgian Connaught Square, and devoted his time to botany and horticulture. He never married, and so at his death the peerage and Wynford Eagle estate passed to his nearest male relative, who was the eldest son of the 1st baron's fourth son, the Hon. & Rev. Samuel Best (1802-73). This was George Best (1838-1904), 5th Baron Wynford, who had settled at Charlton House, Donhead St Mary (Wilts), which he rented (although his widow and daughter later purchased the freehold). He only held the title for a year before being succeeded by his eldest son, Philip George Best (1871-1940), 6th Baron Wynford.

The 6th Baron does seem to have been resident on his estate (at Higher Wynford) after retiring from the army and the Dorset yeomanry, and between the First and Second World Wars he played a prominent role in local administration. He and his wife had three daughters, who all married and moved away, and at his death during the Second World War the estate passed to his younger brother, Samuel John Best (1874-1943), 7th Baron Wynford, most of whose career had been spent running tea plantations in India. By the time he inherited the estate he had retired to a mansion flat in Putney, and although he was eventually buried at Wynford Eagle he can have spent very little time there. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Robert Samuel Best (1917-2002), 8th Baron Wynford, who was a career soldier until retiring from the army in 1960. It was he who, in the early 1980s, moved the family seat back from Higher Wynford to the Manor House of Wynford Eagle and restored the property. The estate now belongs to his son, John Philip Robert Best (b. 1950), 9th Baron Wynford, who is a chartered surveyor, and who has a son and daughter to succeed him.

Pheasant Grove (alias Leesons), Chislehurst, Kent

A modest house, hardly more than a suburban villa, which was probably built in the mid 18th century and seems at first to have been called Pheasant Lodge. It was evidently of seven by two or three bays and may originally have had only two storeys. 

Pheasant Grove: the entrance front in 1824, from sale particulars.

By the time it was first recorded in 1824 the house was of three storeys, with a three-bay pediment set against the attic storey. Although 18th century architects did use this form, it was never common, and the drawing shows the proportions of the top floor were a little more generous than those below, which quite strongly suggests the top floor was a later addition. In 1840, when the house was advertised for sale, it offered six principal bedrooms, three dressing-rooms, a morning room, a bow drawing room 27x24 feet with a handsome marble chimneypiece; a 30x22 ft dining room; a breakfast room; and an entrance hall, and stood in some fifty acres of grounds. The house was not sold on that occasion, but in 1850 the contents of the house were dispersed at a four day sale and it was probably sold soon afterwards.

Pheasant Grove alias Leesons, Chislehurst: site plan from 1st edn 6" map of 1868.

The house was evidently altered in the mid 19th century, for by 1868, when it was recorded on the 1st edition 6" Ordnance map, it had acquired an asymmetrically placed porch, but thereafter the footprint remained much the same. The house stood empty from about 1914, and was destroyed by a fire which started in the roof in May 1918. It was insured, but was replaced by a smaller building on the same site, which reverted to the original name of Pheasant Lodge. This in turn was pulled down in the mid 20th century and replaced by suburban housing.

Descent: Mr Taggart, who leased it from 1800 and sold it 1824 to Rt. Hon. Sir William Draper Best (1767-1845), 1st Baron Wynford; to son, William Samuel Best (1798-1869), 2nd Baron Wynford, who sold c.1850 to Richard Paterson (d. 1865); to daughter, widow of Joseph Busk, who let it 1881 to Sir Neville Lubbock (1839-1914) and later to Maj. Heales; to daughters, who sold 1900 to Joseph Brailsford, owner at the time of the fire in 1918.

Wynford Eagle Manor House (now Manor Farm), Dorset

According to the date on the porch, the present house was built in 1630 for William Sydenham (1593-1661), but although the compact plan and symmetrical west front date from that time, his works were actually a remodelling of a smaller, probably late 16th century house, which may have been built for his grandfather, Richard Sydenham (1534-1607). The earlier building was a south-facing single-depth house built of pale grey limestone rubble which remains visible on the south and east elevations. The evidence for the two phases of building is technical and was summarised by Gomme & Maguire in 2008. The most telling evidence is that the south front has two blocked doorways which had clearly already been blocked by the time that the plinth of the new house was built, for it continues across them; the south wall must therefore belong to an earlier building. Evidence in the roof suggests that the earlier house extended north more than half the depth of the present building, but its north wall was not reused in the remodelling of 1630. 

Wynford Eagle Manor House: the west front in 1944. Image: Historic England

The work of 1630 moved the main entrance and the axis of the layout through ninety degrees, and saw the creation of a new entrance front on the west side, faced in fine-jointed Ham Hill ashlar; the new north side of the house was built more cheaply, with alternating bands of limestone and flint. At the centre of the west front is a projecting, three-storey porch with a small gable crowned by a large carved eagle finial, above two-light mullioned windows on the upper floors and a round-arched doorway. The house is unified by string courses above the ground and first-floor windows that extend across the whole frontage and continue onto the other elevations.  The house is given a distinctive character by the gables either side of the porch, which are asymmetrical because the pitch of the roof on the inner side is steeper than that on the outer side. It is possible that this unusual arrangement was a consequence of retaining parts of the roof structure of the 16th century house over the south front; and that the north side was simply built to match. The ground floor of the west front has mullioned and transomed windows, but elsewhere the windows are simple three-light mullioned windows. Matching chimneystacks, with four diagonal-set shafts and built off the the central transverse wall, increase the symmetrical effect. 

Wynford Eagle Manor House: the west front and 16th century south elevation, Image: Brian Kingsland/Historic England

The south front of the house is continued further east by a once-separate block, which seems to belong to the late 16th century phase, but wich was incorporated into the house in 1630 and became the kitchen.

Wynford Eagle Manor House: ground floor plan (after Gomme & Maguire).
Key: H=Hall; CP=Common Parlour; K=Kitchen/Winter Parlour; GP=Great Parlour

This allowed all four rooms on the ground floor of the main block to be used for family and reception purposes. There are two rooms on the north side and two on the south, while between them is a circulating space comprised of a fairly narrow entrance passage, which broadens out into a vestibule and staircase hall. The staircase now rises only to the first floor, but may once have continued to the attic rooms, which are lit only from the west. One room on the first floor is panelled and has a four-centred arched stone fireplace with moulded jambs and a timber overmantel of two bays with attached Ionic columns. The flat panels under the arches between the columns were painted later in the 17th century with fantasy landscapes.

In the late 19th century, the Best family moved to a new house, Wynford House, which they built further up the valley, and the old manor house declined into a farmhouse. However, after many years the 8th Lord Wynford moved back in c.1981. 

Descent: John La Zouche (c.1486-1550), 8th Baron Zouche; sold 1545 to Thomas Sydenham (d. 1577); to son, Richard Sydenham (1534-1607); to grandson, William Sydenham (1593-1661); to son, William Sydenham (1615-61); to son, William Sydenham (1640-1718); ... sold to George Richards (d. 1746); to brother, Rev. John Richards (fl. 1774)... sold by 1823 to Sir William Draper Best (1767-1845), 1st Baron Wynford; to son, William Samuel Best (1798-1869), 2nd Baron Wynford; to son, William Draper Mortimer Best (1826-99), 3rd Baron Wynford; to brother, Henry Molyneux Best (1829-1903), 4th Baron Wynford; to cousin, George Best (1838-1904), 5th Baron Wynford; to son, Philip George Best (1871-1940), 6th Baron Wynford; to brother, Samuel John Best (1874-1943), 7th Baron Wynford; to son, Robert Samuel Best (1917-2002), 8th Baron Wynford; to son, John Philip Robert Best (b. 1950), 9th Baron Wynford.

Best family of Wynford Eagle

1st Baron Wynford

Best, Rt. Hon. Sir William Draper (1767-1845), kt., 1st Baron Wynford. Third son of Thomas Best of Haslebury Plucknett (Som.) and his wife Betty Draper, born 13 December 1767. Educated at Crewkerne School, Wadham College, Oxford (matriculated 1782), and the Middle Temple (admitted 1784; called 1789). He was initially intended for the church, but left Oxford without taking a degree when he inherited a substantial legacy from a cousin, and trained instead for the law. He became a barrister on the Home circuit, where he attracted the attention of Lord Kenyon to whose patronage he owed his early professional success. He was made a Serjeant-at-law, 1800; King's Serjeant, 1806; and first achieved judicial office as Recorder of Guildford, 1809. Whig MP for Petersfield, 1802-06, and Tory MP for Bridport, 1812-17 and Guildford, 1818-19; Solicitor-General to the Prince of Wales, 1813-16; Attorney-General to the Prince of Wales, 1816-19; Second Justice of Chester, 1817-18; Chief Justice of Chester, 1818; a Judge of King's Bench, 1818-24; Chief Justice of Common Pleas, 1824-29. He was knighted, 1819, sworn of the Privy Council, 1824, and raised to the peerage as 1st Baron Wynford, 5 June 1829, becoming Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords, 1829. He was awarded an honorary degree by Oxford University (DCL, 1834). Best was described in an obituary in the Law Magazine as a 'man of pleasure' whose devotion to the opposite sex 'amounted to a controlling passion' and in 1805 he was charged with a sexual assault on a client, but acquitted. The same writer said: 'he seems to have been governed but by one rule of action in politics, to aid that side from which most might be expected', an attitude in which he was far from being alone in his generation. As a barrister, it was said of him that 'though superficial in legal knowledge, his readiness of comprehension and fluency of speech' led to his having a large practice and appearing in important criminal trials. As a judge, 'his hasty and questionable opinions' and 'his summing up so much to one side' led to his being nicknamed 'the judge advocate'.  According to Lady Louisa Stuart, 'he is too lively and too clever to put on gravity and speaks his mind outright on all subjects', and it has been suggested that he was offered a peerage and the deputy speakership of the Lords to induce him to give up judicial office, but his retirement was more probably the result of an increasing affliction with gout. He married, 6 May 1794 at St Dunstan-in-the-West, London, Mary Anne (1768-1840), second daughter of Jerome Knapp, Clerk of the Haberdashers Company, and had issue:

(1) William Chapple Best (b. & d. 1795), born 7 July 1795; died in infancy and was buried at St George, Bloomsbury (Middx), 9 July 1795;

(2) Hon. Grace Anne Best (1796-1868), born 31 July and baptised at St George, Bloomsbury (Middx), 24 August 1796; married, 23 July 1814 at St Giles-in-the-Fields, Holborn (Middx), Philip Lake Godsal (1784-1858) of Iscoyd Park (Flints.), son of Philip Godsal, coach-maker, and had issue at least one son and three daughters; buried at Malpas (Ches.), 25 February 1868; will proved 11 March 1868 (effects under £3,000);

(3) William Samuel Best (1798-1869), 2nd Baron Wynford (q.v.);

(4) Vice-Adm. the Hon. Thomas Best (1799-1864), born 12 August and baptised at Croydon (Surrey), 6 September 1799; an officer in the Royal Navy from 1812 (Midshipman, 1814; Lt., 1822; Cdr., 1828; Capt., 1830; Vice-Adm., 1855; retired on half-pay, 1830); married, 25 August 1835, Marianne (1807-66), second daughter of George Kenyon, 2nd Baron Kenyon, and had issue at least two sons; died in Kensington (Middx), 4 September 1864; administration of goods granted to his widow, 18 October 1864 (effects under £40,000);

(5) Mary Anne Best (1801-02), born 3 April and baptised at St Pancras (Middx), 10 May 1801; died in infancy, 5 April 1802;

(6) Rev. the Hon. Samuel Best (1802-73) (q.v.);

(7) Sarah Betty Best (1804-05?), born 18 June and baptised at St George, Bloomsbury (Middx), 6 July 1804; said to have died in infancy, 23 July 1805;

(8) Jerome Best (1806-18), born 18 March and baptised at St George, Bloomsbury, 21 April 1806; educated at Eton (admitted 1817); died at the school and was buried at Eton, 28 October 1818;

(9) Hon. Anne James Best (1808-36), born 7 February and baptised at St George, Bloomsbury, 30 March 1808; married, 25 July 1826 at St Giles-in-the-Fields, Holborn (Middx), Adm. Sir William Fanshawe Martin (1801-95), 4th bt., KCB (who m2, 21 May 1838, Sophia Elizabeth (d. 1874), daughter of Robert Hurt of Wirksworth and had further issue one son and five daughters), of Lockinge (Berks), and had issue two sons (who died young) and two daughters; died 1 April 1836 and was buried at Hastings (Sussex);

(10) Hon. John Charles Best (1809-40), born 9 December 1809 and baptised at St Giles-in-the-Fields, Holborn (Middx), 18 January 1810; an officer in the army (Ensign, 1827; Lt., 1829; Capt., 1834); drowned off Norfolk Island (Australia) by the upsetting of a boat, 13 February 1840.

He leased Pheasant Grove, Chislehurst (Kent) from 1800 onwards and bought the freehold in 1824, changing its name to Leesons. He purchased the Wynford Eagle estate before 1823.

He died at Leesons, 3 March 1845; his will was proved in the PCC, 8 April 1845. His wife died 5 March 1840 and was buried at Foots Cray (Kent).

Best, William Samuel (1798-1869), 2nd Baron Wynford. Second, but eldest surviving son of Rt. Hon. Sir William Draper Best, 1st Baron Wynford, and his wife Mary Anne, second daughter of Jerome Knapp, clerk of the Haberdashers Company, born 19 February and baptised at St Pancras (Middx), 22 April 1798. Educated at Eton, Brasenose College, Oxford (matriculated 1814; BA 1818; MA 1821) and the Inner Temple (admitted as a child, 1805; called 1823). Barrister-at-law; MP for St. Michael's, 1831-32, and unsuccessfully contested the Barnstaple constituency in 1837. He succeeded his father as 2nd Baron Wynford, 3 March 1845. He married, 17 July 1821 at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster (Middx), Jane (1803-95), daughter of William Thoyts of Sulhampstead (Berks), and had issue:

(1) Hon. Anne Louisa Best (1825-99), born 11 March and baptised at St George, Bloomsbury (Middx), 4 May 1825; married, 7 April 1858 at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster, Maj-Gen. Patrick Yule (1792-1873), son of James Yule, but had no issue; died 22 April 1899; her will was confirmed in Edinburgh, 28 July 1899 (estate £17,267);

(2) William Draper Mortimer Best (1826-99), 3rd Baron Wynford (q.v.);

(3) Hon. Frederic Barnewall Best (1827-76), born 18 August 1827 and baptised at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster, 26 April 1828; an officer in the 2nd Bengal Fusiliers (Lt., 1849; Capt., 1863; retired 1863) and later one of the Gentlemen at Arms (the Queen's Bodyguard), from 1867; married 1st, 9 June 1864 at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster, Charlotte Elizabeth (1841-65), eldest daughter of Francis Hart Dyke, and had issue one son, who died in infancy; he married 2nd, 24 November 1870 at Melcombe Regis (Dorset), Frances Hinton (1837-1912) (who m3, 19 September 1882 at Melcombe Regis, Sir  Thomas Fraser Grove (1824-97), 1st bt.), only child of Henry Northcote of Okefield, Crediton (Devon), barrister-at-law, and widow of Capt. Herbert Edward George Crosse (1837-65); died at Weymouth (Dorset), 5 January, and was buried at Brompton Cemetery (Middx), 11 January 1876; will proved 25 January 1876 (effects under £12,000);

(4) Henry Molyneux Best (1829-1903), 4th Baron Wynford (q.v.);

(5) Hon. Robert Rainy Best (1834-1903), born 21 August and baptised at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster, 17 September 1834; an officer in the army (2nd Lt., 1852; Ensign, 1854; Lt., 1854; Capt. 1855?); married 1st, 8 March 1856 at St Mary Abbotts, Kensington (Middx), Maria Addison (1837-81), daughter of Thomas Augustus Swaysland of Crawley (Sussex), but had no issue; and 2nd, 18 April 1882 at Charlton (Kent), Meynella Katherine Hilda (1862-99), daughter of Capt. Frederick Augustus Percy Wood, Royal Marines, and had issue one son (who died in infancy) and one daughter; died at Torquay (Devon), 2 February 1903; will proved 17 March 1903 (estate £21,712).

He lived in Hanover Sq. and later Park Place, St James', Westminster. He inherited Leesons and the Wynford Eagle estate from his father in 1845, but sold the former in about 1850.

He died 28 February and was buried at Brompton Cemetery (Middx), 6 March 1869; his will was proved 24 March 1869 (effects under £120,000). His widow died aged 91 on 23 February 1895; administration of her goods (with will annexed) was granted to her son, Henry, 18 April 1895 (effects £13,066).

Best, William Draper Mortimer (1826-99), 3rd Baron Wynford. Eldest son of William Samuel Best (1798-1869), 2nd Baron Wynford, and his wife Jane, daughter of William Thoyts of Sulhamstead (Berks), born 2 August and baptised at St George, Bloomsbury (Middx), 19 December 1826. An officer in the army (Ensign, 1844; Lt., 1847; Capt. 1854; retired 1856). He succeeded his father as 3rd Baron Wynford, 28 February 1869. He married, 17 December 1857 at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster (Middx), Caroline Eliza Montagu (1829-1913), daughter of Evan Baillie (1798-1883) of Dochfour, and had issue:

(1) Algernon Best (1858-59), born 26 December 1858 and baptised at St James, Piccadilly, Westminster (Middx), 16 January 1859; died in infancy, 18 January 1859.

He probably built Wynford House (now Higher Wynford Farm) - first mentioned in 1863 - during his father's lifetime, and inherited the Wynford Eagle estate from his father in 1869.

He died 27 August and was buried at Brompton Cemetery (Middx), 30 August 1899. His widow died 16 January 1913; administration of her goods was granted 5 March 1913 (estate £188,869).

Best, Henry Molyneux (1829-1903), 4th Baron Wynford. Third son of William Samuel Best (1798-1869), 2nd Baron Wynford, and his wife Jane, daughter of William Thoyts of Sulhamstead (Berks), born 7 November and baptised at St George, Hanover Square, Westminister (Middx), 11 December 1829. He evidently had a career in the Royal Navy (Midshipman by 1845), which he still felt it relevant to record ('late R.N.') in the 1881 census, but I have been unable to trace any record of him being commissioned and he seems not to appear in the Navy List. He was a Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society from 1867 and the Royal Botanical Society (a member of Council from 1872); and a Member of the Royal Institution from 1869. He succeeded his elder brother as 4th Baron Wynford, 27 August 1899. He was unmarried and had no issue.

He lived at 7 Connaught Sq., Westminster, and inherited the Wynford Eagle estate from his brother in 1899.

He died at Paignton (Devon), 28 October and was buried at Brompton Cemetery, 3 November 1903; his will was proved 15 December 1903 (estate £60,484).

Best, Rev. the Hon. Samuel (1802-73). Fourth son of Rt. Hon. Sir William Draper Best, 1st Baron Wynford, and his wife Mary Anne, second daughter of Jerome Knapp, clerk of the Haberdashers Company, born 2 December 1802. Educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1822; BA 1826; MA 1830). Fellow of King's College, Cambridge, 1825-26; ordained deacon, 1825, and priest, 1826; rector of Blandford St Mary (Dorset), 1830-34, and of Abbotts Ann (Hants), 1831-73; chaplain to his father, 1831; Rural Dean of Andover, 1854-73; elected by the clergy of the archdeaconry of Winchester as their proctor in convocation, 1859, 1865; honorary canon of Winchester Cathedral, 1872-73. A well-known Evangelical clergyman, he was the author of many works, principally on parochial matters and  collections of sermons, and founded the Abbotts Ann Provident Society in 1831. He married 1st, 11 April 1826, Charlotte Willis (1805-33), daughter of Sir James Burrough, judge of the Court of Common Pleas; and 2nd, 21 February 1835, Emma (1809-91), daughter of Lt-Col. Charles Duke, and had issue:

(2.1) Hon. Mary Margaret Best (1836-1913), born 10 May and baptised at Chislehurst (Kent), 5 June 1836; granted rank of a baron's daughter, 1904; married, 8 May 1859 at Abbotts Ann, Rev. Sir James Erasmus Philipps (1824-1912), 12th bt., vicar of Warminster (Wilts) and canon of Salisbury Cathedral, and had issue six sons (of whom three obtained peerages as 1st Viscount St Davids, 1st Baron Kylsant, and 1st Baron Milford) and five daughters; died 5 September 1913 and was buried with her husband in the cloister of Salisbury Cathedral, in which they are commemorated by a monument; administration of her goods was granted 14 November 1913 (estate £773);

(2.2) George Best (1838-1904), 5th Baron Wynford (q.v.);

(2.3) Grace Emma Best (1840-64), born 17 October and baptised at Abbotts Ann, 2 December 1840; married, 27 February 1862 at Abbotts Ann, Rev. Florence Thomas Wethered (1840-1919), vicar of Hurley (Berks), 1868-1919 (who m2, 4 December 1867 at Hurley, Mary Josephine (1840-1931), daughter of Joseph Bonsor, and had further issue), son of Rev. Florence John Wethered, and had issue one son and one daughter; died 10 October 1864;

(2.4) Hon. John Charles Best (1842-1907), born 13 May and baptised at Abbotts Ann, 18 June 1842; an officer in the Royal Navy from 1855 (Lt., 1862; Cdr., 1869; retired as Capt., 1884); JP for Denbighshire and Merionethshire; High Sheriff of Denbighshire, 1888-89; founder of the North Wales Sheep Dog Society, 1867, whose annual trials received the patronage of Queen Victoria and Queen Alexandra; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, 1871; Conservator of the River Dee Fishery District, 1875; President of the Llangollen Club, 1877-78; granted rank of a baron's younger son, 1904; married, 2 April 1873 at Llangollen (Denbighs.), Mary (d. 1927), daughter of William Wagstaff (d. 1877) of Plas yn Vivod, Llangollen, and had issue one son; died 25 May 1907; administration of goods granted 31 October 1907 (estate £814);

(2.5) Hon. Thomas William Best (1844-1909), born 23 January and baptised at Abbotts Ann, 8 April 1844; an officer in the army (Ensign, 1863; Lt., 1866; Capt., 1876; Maj., 1881; retired 1883); adjutant to Hallamshire Rifles, 1879-83; Chief Constable of Merionethshire, 1883-1907; granted rank of a baron's younger son, 1904; married, 16 September 1879 at Hurworth-on-Tees (Co. Durham), Harriet Royds (1858-1935), third surviving daughter of Henry Anthony Grey of The Hall, Hurworth-on-Tees and Brent House, Meole Brace (Shrops.), and had issue two sons; died at Barmouth (Merioneths.), 3 January, and was buried at Llanaber (Merioneths.), 6 January 1909; will proved 26 February 1909 (estate £784);

(2.6) Hon. Fanny Gertrude Sophia Best (1845-1904), born 3 September and baptised at Abbotts Ann, 1 October 1845; granted rank of a baron's daughter, 1904; died unmarried, 26 November 1904; will proved 17 January 1905 (estate £11,790).

He died 20 January and was buried at Abbotts Ann, 24 January 1873; his will was proved 11 March 1873 (effects under £25,000). His first wife died 23 September 1833. His widow lived latterly at Mentone (France) and died at Aix-les-Bains (France) 7 September 1891; her will proved 27 October 1891 (effects £527).

Best, George (1838-1904), 5th Baron Wynford. Eldest son of Rev. the Hon. Samuel Best (1802-73) and his second wife Emma, daughter of Lt-Col. Charles Duke, born 14 December 1838 and baptised at Abbotts Ann (Hants), 21 January 1839. Educated at Rugby and Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. An officer in the Royal Artillery (Lt., 1858; Capt. 1871; Maj., 1879; retired as Lt-Col., 1883). JP for Wiltshire and Dorset. Chairman of Wiltshire Agriculture Committee. He succeded his cousin as 5th Baron Wynford, 28 October 1903, but only held the title for a year before his death. He married, 7 September 1870 at Weyhill (Hants), Editha Anne (1846-1924), daughter of Matthew Henry Marsh MP of Ramridge, Andover (Hants), and had issue:

(1) Philip George Best (1871-1940), 6th Baron Wynford (q.v.);

(2) Hon. Margaret Mary Best (1872-1941), born 6 October and baptised at St Mary Magdalene, Woolwich (Kent), 15 November 1872; worked as a Red Cross nurse during and after the First World War, and later as Honorary Secretary of School Empire Tour Committee, and during the Second World War as a postal censor; Fellow of British Empire Society; appointed OBE, 1929 and CBE, 1938; died unmarried, 30 November 1941; her will was proved 3 April 1942 (estate £15,311);

(3) Samuel John Best (1874-1943), 7th Baron Wynford (q.v.);

(4) Hon. Gertrude Emma Best (1876-1953), born 10 November and was baptised at Weyhill (Hants), 24 December 1876; trained as a nurse at St Thomas' Hospital, London, 1903-06; Associate of Royal Red Cross; state registered nurse, 1922; Asst. Matron of St Thomas's Hospital, 1913-24 and founder and matron of Tower House Emergency Medical Service Hospital, Salisbury, 1940-45; Chairman of Wiltshire County Nursing Association; awarded MBE, 1941; inherited Charlton House from her mother in 1924 but sold it and lived latterly at Charlton Parva with her younger sister; died unmarried, 19 October 1953; will proved 15 January 1954 (estate £22,371);

(5) Admiral Hon. Sir Matthew Robert Best (1878-1940), born 18 June 1878; an officer in the Royal Navy from 1892 (Midshipman; Lt., 1900; Cdr., 1911; Capt., 1916; Rear-Adm., 1928; Vice-Adm. 1932; Adm. 1936; retired 1939), who served in the First World War and was decorated for his role in the Battle of Jutland; appointed MVO, 1910; DSO, 1916, and bar, 1918; CB, 1928 and KCB, 1935; awarded Russian Order of St Stanislaus and Japanese Order of Rising Sun; a popular and decisive naval commander who was esteemed by his superiors and many of those under his command, though he did not suffer fools gladly; married, 2 January 1908 at Holy Trinity, Sloane St., Chelsea (Middx), Annis Elizabeth (1880-1971), second daughter of Charles Frederick Wood of West Woodhay House (Berks) and later of Twyford House (Hants), and had issue one son and one daughter; lived latterly at Crockway, Frampton (Dorset); died 13 October 1940 and was buried at Toller Fratrum (Dorset); administration of goods (with will annexed) granted to his widow, 31 January 1941 (estate £9,486);

(6) Grace Edith Best (1879-99), born 1 September and baptised at St Michael, Coventry (Warks), 21 October 1879; died unmarried of pneumonia, 20 May 1899;

(7) Hon. Helen Best (1880-1959), born 5 November 1880 and baptised at St Michael, Coventry, 6 January 1881; married, 12 July 1910 at Holy Trinity, Sloane St., Chelsea (Middx), Arthur Gerald Wilson (c.1870-1918), solicitor, son of Rev. Charles Wilson of Bickley (Kent), and had issue one daughter; died 7 January 1959; will proved 11 June 1959 (estate £15,076);

(8) Hon. James William Best (1882-1960), born 3 May and baptised at St Mary Magdalene, Woolwich, 15 June 1882; educated at Wellington Coll and Cooper's Hill; an official of the Indian Forest Service and an officer in the Indian Auxiliary Force (Capt.); retired to England and became a dairy farmer at Beaminster (Dorset) and a Verderer of the New Forest; JP for Dorset; awarded OBE, 1919; married, 11 August 1914 at Lytchett Minster (Dorset), Florence Mary Bernarda (1885-1961), daughter of Sir Elliott Lees, 1st bt. of Lytchet Manor, and had issue four sons and two daughters; died 16 July 1960; cremated and ashes buried at Melplash (Dorset), 20 July 1960; will proved 21 October 1960 (estate £22,669);

(9) Hon. Bertha Beatrice Best (1884-1961), born 26 June 1884; married, 7 January 1920 at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster (Middx), Lt-Col. Guy Montague Atkinson DSO (1882-1956) of Penleigh House, Westbury (Wilts), elder son of Lt-Col. Guy Newcomen Atkinson of Cangort (Co. Offaly), but had no issue; died 10 June and was buried at Dilton Marsh, 26 June 1961; will proved 21 November 1961 (estate £31,225);

(10) Hon. Marion Frances Best (1887-1969), born 27 July and was baptised at Donhead St Mary, 17 September 1887; lived at Charlton Parva, Donhead St Mary (Wilts); died unmarried, 6 September 1969; will proved 16 December 1969 (estate £25,273).

He lived at Charlton House, Donhead St Mary (Wilts), which he rented from 1884; his widow and her daughter Gertrude bought the freehold in 1913. He inherited the Wynford Eagle estate from his cousin in 1903.

He died 27 October 1904; his will was proved 12 January 1905 (estate £26,067). His widow died 31 May 1924, and was buried at Charlton (Wilts); her will was proved 17 July 1924 (estate £9,740).

6th Baron Wynford

Best, Philip George (1871-1940), 6th Baron Wynford. Eldest son of George Best (1838-1904), 5th Baron Wynford, and his wife Edith Anne, daughter of Matthew Henry Marsh MP of Ramridge, Andover (Hants), born 27 August and baptised at Abbotts Ann (Hants), 24 September 1871. Educated at Wellington College and Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. An officer in the army (2nd Lt., 1890; Lt., 1893; Capt., 1900; retired 1904) and later in Dorset Yeomanry (Lt., 1906; Capt., 1906; Maj., 1909; Lt-Col., 1916), who served in the First World War (wounded; mentioned in despatches; awarded DSO, 1917); JP (from 1905) and DL (from 1919) for Dorset; County Councillor for Dorset, 1916-35; Chairman of Mental Hospital Committee, 1931-34; Vice-President of the Bath & West Agricultural Society. A staunch churchman, he was a member of the Salisbury Diocesan Board of Finance, and Chairman of the Dorset Voluntary Schools Association. He succeeded his father as 6th Baron Wynford, 27 October 1904. He married, 16 October 1906 at All Souls, Langham Place, Marylebone (Middx), Hon. Eva Lilian Cecilia (1885-1974), only child of Robert William Napier, 2nd Baron Napier of Magdala, and had issue:

(1) Hon. Grace Janet Mary Best (1907-2002), born 27 August 1907; married, 12 November 1930 at St Paul, Knightsbridge (Middx), Edward Kenneth Macleod Hilleary MVO (1904-73) of Lordington Park (Sussex), second son of Maj. Edward Langdale Hilleary OBE of The Lodge, Edinbane, Isle of Skye, and had issue three daughters; died 4 January 2002; will proved 17 June 2002;

(2) Hon. Eva Constance Edith Best (1909-99), born 11 February 1909; married, 23 April 1932 at Maiden Newton (Dorset) (div. 1961), Philip Valentine Mackinnon (1908-95), only son of Rt. Hon. Sir Frank Douglas Mackinnon, Lord Justice of Appeal, but had no issue; died 1 May 1999; will proved 2 June 1999;

(3) Hon. Mary Jemima Best (1912-2007), born 23 August 1912; married, 2 September 1944, Jack Hendy (1915-93), 'a Communist electrician and trade unionist', and had issue two sons (who both became life peers, in 2019 and 2022 respectively); said to have died in 2007.

He inherited the Wynford Eagle estate from his father in 1904.

In 1939, he emigrated to South Africa for health reasons, and he died at Stellenbosch, Western Cape, 15 December 1940; his will was proved 8 August 1941 (estate £183,714). His widow died in Salisbury (Rhodesia), 23 March 1974; administration of her goods (with will annexed) was granted in Cape Town (South Africa) and sealed in London, 21 April 1975 (effects in England & Wales £5,522).

Best, Samuel John (1874-1943), 7th Baron Wynford. Second son of George Best (1838-1904), 5th Baron Wynford, and his wife Edith Anne, daughter of Matthew Henry Marsh MP of Ramridge, Andover (Hants), born 24 June 1874. Educated at Wellington College, after which he spent some years farming in New Zealand; he then moved to Bengal (now Bangladesh) where became a tea planter with Octavius Steel & Co., and after some years in their Calcutta office returned to England as a partner in the firm. While abroad, he served with the New Zealand Mounted Rifles and the Surma Light Horse (Assam), but during the First World War he was an officer in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (Lt.). He succeeded his elder brother as 7th Baron Wynford, 15 December 1940. He married 1st, 26 August 1914 at Darjeeling (India), Evelyn Mary Aylmer (1887-1929), second daughter of Maj-Gen. Sir Edward Sinclair May KCB CMG, and 2nd, 5 June 1930, Margeurite Jane (1890-1966), daughter of Charles Pratt of the Indian Railway Service, and widow of William Kenneth Allies (1881-1922), and had issue:

(1.1) Hon. Edith Joy Marion Best (1915-93), born in Calcutta (India), 14 August 1915; married, 3 April 1937 at Merrow (Surrey), Cdr. Walpole John Eyre RN (1906-87) of Sadborow Myll, Thorncombe (Dorset), son of Rev. George Frederick Eyre of West Hill, Lyme Regis (Dorset), and had issue one son and one daughter, and also adopted one daughter; died 4 February 1993; will proved 26 October 1993 (estate £725,351);

(1.2) Robert Samuel Best (1917-2002), 8th Baron Wynford (q.v.);

(1.3) John Philip Best (1919-40), born in Calcutta, 14 March 1919; an officer in the Royal Navy (Midshipman, 1937; Sub-Lt., 1939; mentioned in despatches, 1940), who was lost when HM Submarine Spearfish was sunk by U-boat U34, 2 August 1940; administration of goods (with will annexed) granted 5 May 1941 (estate £2,694);

(1.4) Hon. Patrick George Matthew Best (1923-2009), born in Calcutta, 5 October 1923; educated at Wellington Coll; an officer in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (Midshipman, 1943; Sub-Lt., 1943) in Second World War; employed by Wiggins Teape Ltd. from 1946 (director from 1968; deputy chairman, 1978; chairman and managing director, 1979); director of BAT Industries, 1979-84 and of Rank Hovis Macdougall; Master of Ironmongers Company, 1985-86; a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts; appointed an officer of the Belgian Order of the Crown, 1980; married 1st, 29 March 1947 at St Mark, North Audley St., Westminster (Middx), Heather Elizabeth (1924-99), younger daughter of Hamilton Gardner of South Kensington (Middx), and had issue four sons and one daughter; married 2nd, 1 April 2000, Anne Loveday Ayscough (1931-2005), daughter of Kenneth Ayscough England; lived latterly at Monks House, Petersfield (Hants); died 30 October 2009; will proved 6 September 2010.

He lived in a flat in one of the blocks built on the site of Wildcroft Manor in Putney (Surrey). He inhertied the Wynford Eagle estate from his elder brother in 1940.

He died in Putney (Surrey), 29 August, and was buried at Wynford Eagle, 3 September 1943; his will was proved 8 March 1944 (estate £138,855). His first wife died 28 March 1929; her will was proved 12 June 1929 (estate £1,719). His widow died in Cheltenham (Glos), 28 March 1966; her will was proved 20 October 1966 (estate £10,832).

8th Baron Wynford

Best, Robert Samuel (1917-2002), 8th Baron Wynford. Eldest son of Samuel John Best (1874-1943), 7th Baron Wynford, and his first wife, Evelyn Mary Aylmer, second daughter of Maj-Gen. Sir Edward Sinclair May KCB CMG, born in Calcutta (India), 5 January 1917. Educated at Eton and Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. An officer in the army (2nd Lt., 1937; Lt., 1940; Capt., 1945; Maj., 1950; Lt-Col., 1957; retired 1960), who served in the Second World War (wounded, awarded Croix de Guerre, 1943); appointed MBE, 1952. DL for Dorset (from 1970). He succeeded his father as 8th Baron Wynford, 29 August 1943. He married, 6 May 1941 at Holy Trinity, Brompton (Middx), Anne Daphne Mametz (1918-2002), only daughter of Maj-Gen. John Randle Minshull-Ford CB DSO MC of Windlesham (Surrey), and had issue:

(1) Hon. Caroline Anne Sabina Best (b. 1942), born 28 March 1942; educated at Trinity College, Dublin; married, 24 October 1964, Edward Patrick Gundry (1935-2013), elder son of Edward Fox Gundry (1909-94), and had issue one son and two daughters; living in 2023;

(2) Hon. Jacqueline Dorothy Mametz Best (b. 1946), born 9 November 1946; married, 7 June 1969, Jeremy James Richard Pope OBE DL (b. 1943), solicitor, of Maiden Newton (Dorset), and had issue three sons; living in 2023;

(3) John Philip Robert Best (b. 1950), 9th Baron Wynford (q.v.).

He inherited the Wynford Eagle estate from his father in 1943.

He died 21 January 2002; his will was proved 20 September 2002. His widow died 25 October 2002; her will was proved 8 September 2003.

Best, John Philip Robert (b. 1950), 9th Baron Wynford. Only son of Robert Samuel Best (1917-2002), 8th Baron Wynford, and his wife Anne Daphne Mametz, only daughter of Maj-Gen. John Randle Minshull-Ford CB DSO MC, born 23 November 1950. Educated at Radley College, Keele University (BA 1974), and Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester (MRAC, 1977). Landowner and chartered surveyor (MRICS, 1979). He succeeded his father as 9th Baron Wynford, 21 January 2002. He married, 10 October 1981, Fenella Christian Mary (b. 1952), only daughter of Capt. Arthur Reginald Danks MBE (d. 1996), and had issue:

(1) Hon. Sophie Hannah Elizabeth Best (b. 1985), born 18 November 1985; management and business consultant in Dorchester (Dorset);

(2) Hon. Harry Robert Francis Best (b. 1987), born 9 May 1987; heir apparent to the barony.

He took over the management of the Wynford Eagle estate from his father in 1981.

Now living. His wife is now living.

Principal sources

Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, 2003, pp. 4256-58; J. Hutchins, History of Dorset, 1774, vol. 1, pp. 526-27; E.A. Webb, G.W. Miller & J. Beckwith, The history of Chislehurst, 1899, p. 263; A. Gomme & A. Maguire, Design and Plan in the Country House: from Castle Donjons to Palladian Boxes, 2008, pp. 211-12; M. Hill, West Dorset Country Houses, 2014, p. 415; M. Hill, J. Newman & Sir N. Pevsner, The buildings of England: Dorset, 2nd edn., 2018, p. 714; ODNB entry for 1st Baron Wynford;

https://leesonsfields.co.uk/history-of-leesons-estate-1790-present/;

Location of archives

Best family, Barons Wynford: deeds and estate papers relating to Kent and Lincolnshire property, 1551-1845 [Bexley Local Studies & Archives Centre, PEWYN]. Other records may remain with the family.

Coat of arms

Best of Wynford Eagle, Barons Wynford: Sable a Cinquefoil within an Orle of Cross Crosslets Or on a Canton of the last a Portcullis of the first

Can you help?

• Can anyone provide a more exact date for the family acquisition of the Wynford Eagle estate, or their sale of Leesons? 
• Does anyone know exactly when Higher Wynford (also known as Wynford House) was built, or who the architect was?
• Can anyone provide photographs or portraits of the people whose names appear in bold above, for whom no image is currently shown?
• If anyone can offer further information or corrections to any part of this article I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from current owners or the descendants of families associated with a property who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 12 May 2025 and updated 13 and 17 May 2025.

(586) Bernard (later Gibson) of High Hall

This family traces its origins to a Huguenot (French protestant) emigré called David Bernard, who fled from France to England after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, and in 1688 made his way to Jamaica, where his descendants became plantation owners and participated in the civil government and the militia. A later David Bernard (1757-1804), who had interests in the Bona Vista, Eden and Hermitage estates in St James' parish in Jamaica, alongside three brothers, married Judith Bowen (d. 1846) and produced a large family of twelve children, almost all of whom were minors when he died. His widow seems to have decided to leave her husband's business interests in the hands of his brothers and to take her children in England. She settled in Bristol, where Charles Edward Bernard (c.1775-1842), her late husband's nephew, was then just establishing himself in medical practice. David's eldest son, Joseph Bowen Bernard (1787-1820) later returned to Jamaica to manage his interests there, but the genealogy below begins with Charles Bernard (1789-1826), the second son, who remained in England. Having been educated at Cambridge, and with an income from his share in the family's Jamaican plantations, Charles adopted the lifestyle of an English gentleman and did not follow a profession. In 1812 he married into an established Worcestershire gentry family, the Bakers of Waresley House, who themselves had Bristol mercantile connections, and produced four sons and three daughters.

Frampton Lodge. Image: Stephen Richards. Some rights reserved.

The Jamaican estates which supported the family may have provided a comfortable income, but they did not provide Charles with any significant capital, and it is probably for this reason that he rented a number of different houses for fairly short periods, including Sufton Court (Herefs.) and Tibberton Court (Glos). The family ended up at Frampton Lodge, Frampton-on-Severn (Glos), a plain three-storey seven-bay house at the north end of the green in an attractive village, which would have provided comfortable accommodation for the growing family.

Like his father, Charles Bernard died young, and soon afterwards his widow made a more permanent home at Over Ross (now Ross Court), Ross-on-Wye, although this was evidently still a rented property. Here her family grew up. The eldest son entered the army in 1832 but left it six years later, on marrying into a Northumberland gentry family; he later farmed in Wiltshire. The second and third sons went to Oxford and pursued careers in the church and the law, while the youngest son, Edward Westland Bernard (1822-98) was articled to a Bristol solicitor and later practised at Stourbridge (Worcs). Both the Oxford-educated sons did well in their chosen careers. After Oxford, Mountague Bernard (1820-82) went to Lincoln's Inn, became a barrister, and from 1859 was back in Oxford as its first professor of international law and diplomacy. His expertise found practical expression in Britain, Europe and America, and he was brought into the Privy Council in 1871. His achievements were notable, but were made at the expense of his health, and he died unmarried of over-work aged 62. Mountague held high church, Tractarian, views, which could not have been more different to those of his elder brother, the Rev. Thomas Dehany Bernard (1815-1904), who was an Evangelical with a particular interest in mission work. 

Thomas seems to have been academically gifted, and won the Ellerton Theological Prize in 1838 and the Chancellor's Prize in 1839 for an essay on 'The Classical Taste and Character compared with the Romantic'. After Oxford, he went straight into the church, and for the next twenty years held livings in Essex. He then secured the living of St Swithin, Walcot (Som.), which included a significant portion of the city of Bath, and soon afterwards was appointed to a canonry in Wells Cathedral. In 1841, he married Caroline, the younger daughter of Benjamin Linthorne, a merchant engaged in the Newfoundland trade who (although bankrupted as a young man) had made enough money by 1833 to buy the High Hall, Pamphill estate in Dorset.  Linthorne had no sons, and bequeathed his estate to his two daughters. High Hall was occupied by the elder daughter, Anne (d. 1885), who remained unmarried but was noted for her generosity in fostering orphaned children, of whom no less than thirteen passed through her hands after her father's death. When Anne died in 1885, her sister Caroline and her husband, the Rev. Thomas Dehany Bernard, inherited her moiety of the High Hall estate. They at once commissioned a remodelling of the house by Crickmay & Son of Weymouth (Dorset), and once that had been completed, Thomas retired from his living at Walcot and came to live at High Hall. He retained his canonry of Wells until 1901, however, and also his position as Chancellor of the Cathedral, which he held until his death in 1904. 

Thomas and Caroline had nine children, but only two sons. The elder, who was heir to High Hall, was the Rev. Edward Russell Bernard (1842-1921), who followed a similar career path to his father, becoming a prebendary at Salisbury Cathedral in 1886, a resident canon in 1889, and Chancellor of the Cathedral, 1894-1911. He also served as a chaplain to Queen Victoria, Edward VII and George V, and wrote a volume of essays about what could be learned from the moral teaching of other faiths. He married a daughter of William Nicholson of Basing Park, the distilling magnate, and had three daughters, but his only son died in infancy. At his death, Edward therefore left High Hall to his widow, who survived to the great age of ninety-four, with remainder to their daughters. All three of the daughters married, and two of them went overseas: the eldest, Isabel (1881-1967) to Colombia, where her husband, Frank Tracey (1871-1963), had mercantile interests, and the youngest, Caroline (1889-1961) to Italy. By 1939, however Frank Tracey and his wife had retired to High Hall, where they lived until their deaths in 1963 and 1967 respectively. Since they had no children, the High Hall estate then passed to the last surviving sister, Christina (1885-1973), the widow of Maj. Ralf Sumner Gibson (1882-1954), whose son Charles Edward Dehany Gibson (1917-79) took up residence in the house with his wife, son and daughter, who remain the current owners.

High Hall, Pamphill, Dorset

The core of the house was built about 1670 for Samuel Gilly (d. 1678), who in 1668 married Arabella, the younger sister of Ralph Bankes of Kingston Lacy House. There was such a close stylistic affinity between the two buildings as they were first built that it seems highly probable that High Hall was designed and built by the contractor at Kingston Lacy, Sir Thomas Fitch, or his brother John Fitch (who bought the house in 1691). High Hall was conceived as an elegant freestanding rectangular box of two storeys over a high basement, with a tall tiled hipped roof. 

High Hall, Pamphill: the south front in 2013. Image: © Michael J. Hill

The main south front (now the garden front but originally the entrance side), is of five bays (grouped 1-3-1), with a very fine stone doorcase. The construction was almost entirely of brick, with sparing Portland stone dressings, so that even the angle quoins and the panelled chimneystacks were executed in brick. The house was originally linked to Kingston Lacy by a long avenue, of which some vestiges remain.

High Hall, Pamphill: the north front in 2013. Image: © Michael J. Hill

The north side of the house, originally the garden front, is also of five bays, here evenly spaced, and does not have a central doorcase. Inside, the basic plan of the house has probably not changed very much since it was built, although the functions and decorations of the rooms have been extensively altered. 

High Hall, Pamphill: room functions in the main block in the mid 20th century.

In the 18th century, perhaps in the 1720s, a new staircase was constructed on the south side of the house, almost certainly by the Bastard brothers of Blandford Forum, as it has their distinctive under-curling handrail terminal. The dining room was also redecorated, with two tiers of bolection-moulded panelling. Rather later, c.1750, alterations were made to the windows on the south front, which were enlarged by cutting down through the stone cill bands and giving the ground floor windows blank arched heads, while double-hung sashes replaced the original cross-windows throughout. The brickwork was rendered and lined to suggest the house was built of ashlar blocks. A red brick stable block was also built, with a pedimented central projection and a clock turret. There is said to be a scratched date of 1751 on the plasterwork inside.

Further changes were made to the house in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for Canon Thomas Bernard (1815-1904) and his son, Canon Edward Bernard (1842-1921). In 1885, George R. Crickmay & Son added a single-storey extension onto the west side of the house, with a broad curved bow on the south front and a new entrance on the north side. This allowed the house to be 'turned around' and given a more appropriate orientation, with the original hall on the south front becoming the drawing room, and the former drawing room on the north side becoming a new inner hall. At the same time, Waring & Gillow created new Adamesque interiors in the new wing and main block. A generation later, a tactful new service wing was built onto the east side of the house to the design of Gotch & Saunders in 1909-10.

Descent: Samuel Gilly (d. 1678); to widow, Arabella Gilly (1642-1724), who sold 1691 to John Fitch (1642-1705); to son, William Fitch (d. 1743); to son, Rev. Henry Fitch (d. 1768); to son, Henry William Fitch (c.1742-1807); to Charlotte Poore (1748-1829) of Salisbury; sold 1833 to Benjamin Linthorne (1774-1859); to daughters, Anne Mary Caroline Linthorne (1810-85) and Caroline (1816-88), wife of Canon Thomas Dehany Bernard (1815-1904); to son, Canon Edward Russell Bernard (1842-1921); to widow, Ellen Isobel Bernard (1859-1953); to daughter, Isabel Audrey (1881-1967), wife of Frank Tracey (1871-1963); to sister, Anne Christina (1885-1973), wife of Maj. Ralf Sumner Gibson (1882-1954); to son, Charles Edward Dehany Gibson (1917-79); to widow, Mrs. Susan Gibson (b. 1926).

Bernard and Gibson families of High Hall

Bernard, Charles (1789-1826). Second son of David Bernard (1757-1804)*, planter, of Eden estate, St James (Jamaica) and his wife Judith Bowen (d. 1846), baptised in St James, Jamica, 18 January 1789. His mother brought her large family (of five sons and seven daughters) to England after the death of her husband. Educated at Jesus College, Cambridge (matriculated 1807). He married, 24 February 1812 at Hartlebury (Worcs), Margaret Anne (1789-1872), daughter and co-heiress of John Baker (1761-1809) of Waresley House (Worcs), and had issue including:

(1) Charles Bernard (1814-85), baptised at Hartlebury, 17 October 1814; an officer in the army (Ensign, 1832; Lt., 1837; ret. 1838); married, 9 August 1838 at St Andrew, Newcastle-on-Tyne (Northbld), Sarah (1811-82), daughter of Col. Robert Bell (1772-1851) of Fenham Hall (Northbld.), and had issue at least three daughters; died 9 May and was buried at Broad Hinton (Wilts), 13 May 1885; will proved 2 July 1885 (effects £2,015);

(2) Rev. Thomas Dehany Bernard (1815-1904) (q.v.);

(3) Margaret Anne Bernard (1817-65), baptised at Arlingham (Glos), 11 April 1817; died unmarried at Over Ross, 24 October 1865; administration of goods granted, 12 April 1866 (effects under £3,000);

(4) Ellen Bernard (1818-98), baptised at Arlingham, 10 July 1818; lived at Over Ross with her widowed mother and unmarried sisters; died unmarried, 16 February 1898; will proved 17 March 1898 (estate £61,510);

(5) Rt. Hon. Mountague Bernard (1820-82), born 28 January and baptised at Tibberton (Glos), 13 February 1820; educated at Sherborne School, Trinity College, Oxford (matriculated 1838; BA 1842; BCL, 1845; MA 1859; DCL 1870) and Lincolns Inn (admitted, 1842; called, 1846); barrister-at-law; a Tractarian in religion, he was one of the founders of The Guardian newspaper**, 1846; a jurist and international lawyer who was in increasing demand in Britain, Europe and America for his expertise; first Professor of International Law & Diplomacy, University of Oxford, 1859-74; a Professorial Fellow of All Souls College, 1870-82; one of the commissioners who signed the Treaty of Washington, 1871; Privy Councillor, 1871; author of A Historical Account of the Neutrality of Great Britain during the American Civil War (1870), many published lectures and other works; died at Over Ross, 2 September 1882; will proved 9 April 1883 (effects £93,643);

(6) Edward Westland Bernard (1822-98), born 8 October and baptised at Frampton-on-Severn (Glos), 29 October 1822; articled clerk to Cooke & Co. of Bristol, solicitors, 1840; solicitor in Stourbridge, in partnership with William Blow Collis from 1850; married, 4 October 1855 at St Nicholas, Worcester, Henrietta Clifton (1825-77), daughter of Clifton Wintringham Loscombe, of Pickwick House, Corsham (Wilts), but had no issue; lived latterly at The Hermitage, St. Leonards-on-Sea (Sussex) but died at Ahrweiler (Germany), 7 November 1898; will proved 8 December 1898 (estate £33,158);

(7) Mary Caroline Bernard (1827-45), baptised at Frampton-on-Severn, 14 February 1827; died unmarried at Over Ross, 10 December 1845; administration of goods granted 12 April 1872 (effects under £1,500).

He owned a moiety of the Eden estate, St James (Jamaica), but lived at a series of rented houses in England, including Sufton Court (Herefs), Tibberton Court and Frampton Lodge (Glos), and a house at Oldcastle (Carmarthens.). His widow lived latterly at Over Ross near Ross-on-Wye (Herefs).

He died at the house of his cousin, Dr Charles Edward Bernard in Clifton, Bristol (Glos), 28 September 1826, but his burial has not been traced; his will was proved in the PCC, 23 January 1827. His widow died at Hereford, 24 January 1872; her will was proved 18 June 1872 (effects under £3,000).

* David was one of four brothers who were active in Jamaica in the late 18th century, the others being Charles Bernard, William Rhodes Bernard and Daniel Bernard.

** Not to be confused with the Manchester Guardian, founded in 1822, which is the newspaper known as The Guardian today.

Bernard, Rev. Thomas Dehany (1815-1904).  Second son of Charles Bernard (1789-1826) and his wife Margaret Anne, daughter and co-heiress of John Baker of Waresley House (Worcs), born 11 November 1815 and baptised at St Andrew, Clifton, Bristol (Glos), 7 March 1816. Educated privately and at Exeter College, Oxford (matriculated 1833; BA 1837; MA 1840; Chancellor's Prize, 1839). Ordained deacon, 1840 and priest, 1841. Vicar of Great Baddow (Essex), 1841-46; rector of Terling (Essex), 1846-63; rector of Walcot (Som.), 1863-87; a canon of Wells Cathedral, 1868-1901 and Chancellor of the Cathedral, 1879-1904. He belonged to the Evangelical wing of the Church of England, was noted for building churches and schools (paying personally for new buildings for Wells Cathedral Grammar School), and was the author of several religious works. He married, 2 September 1841 at Wimborne Minster (Dorset), Caroline (1816-88), second daughter of Benjamin Linthorne (1774-1859) of High Hall, Pamphill (Dorset), and had issue:

(1) Rev. Edward Russell Bernard (1842-1921) (q.v.);

(2) Harriet Anne Bernard (1845-1912), baptised at Gt Baddow, 5 October 1845; married, 2 June 1898 at Hinton Parva (Dorset), as his second wife, Ven. Edward Henry Winnington-Ingram (1849-1930), archdeacon of Hereford, 1910-23, eldest son of Rev. Edward Winnington-Ingram of Ribbesford House (Worcs), rector of Stanford-on-Teme (Worcs), but had no issue; died 8 February 1912; will proved 18 March 1912 (estate £14,021);

(3) Caroline Emma Bernard (1847-1930), baptised at Harrow (Middx), 4 July 1847; died unmarried at Sway (Hants), 6 March 1930; will proved 5 May 1930 (estate £10,454);

(4) Margaret Alice Bernard (1850-1934), baptised at Terling (Essex), 1 September 1850; died unmarried at Sway (Hants), 15 July 1934; will proved 25 August 1934 (estate £6,775);

(5) Arthur Montague Bernard (1851-1927), of The Lodge, Copdock (Suffk), born 25 December 1851 and baptised at Terling, 7 March 1852; educated at Trinity College, Oxford (matriculated 1871; BA 1875) and Inner Temple (admitted 1875; called 1878); barrister-at-law; JP and County Alderman for Suffolk; married, 2 June 1881 at Feniton (Devon), Katharine Mary (1853-1927), daughter of Rev. William Francis Gore of Sydney (Australia), and had issue two sons and three daughters; died 22 January 1927; will proved 12 March 1927 (estate £18,111);

(6) Evelyn Mary Bernard (1853-1939), baptised at Terling, 4 December 1853; married, 3 February 1876 at St Andrew, Walcot (Som.), Lt-Col. Arthur Clitheroe Ward (1841-1928), son of Lt-Gen. William Crofton Ward, and had issue one son and two daughters; died at Sway (Hants), 15 June 1939; will proved 4 September 1939 (estate £1,592);

(7) Agnes Jane Bernard (1855-1937), baptised at Terling, 6 May 1855; married, 17 January 1882 at St Andrew, Walcot (Som.), Ven. Charles d'Aguilar Lawrence (1847-1935), archdeacon of Suffolk, 1901-17 and canon of Bury St Edmunds, 1917-35, but had no issue; died at Sway, 24 February 1937; will proved 10 May 1937 (estate £8,191);

(8) Katharina Ellen Bernard (1856-1938), baptised at Terling, 3 August 1856; amateur artist; died unmarried, 27 June 1938; will proved 5 September 1938 (estate £13,016);

(9) Mary Elizabeth Bernard (1858-1939), baptised at Terling, 7 March 1858; amateur artist; died unmarried at Sway, 5 January 1939; will proved 13 March 1939 (estate £23,556).

He inherited a moiety of High Hall in right of his wife in 1859, and made his home there.

He died 7 December 1904 and was buried at Wells Cathedral; his will was proved 3 January 1905 (estate £62,808). His wife died 9 September 1888; her will was proved 29 October 1888 (effects £11,342).

Bernard, Rev. Edward Russell (1842-1921). Elder son of Rev. Thomas Dehany Bernard (1815-1904) of High Hall, Pamphill, born 12 July and baptised at Gt. Baddow (Essex), 4 September 1842. Educated at Harrow and Exeter College, Oxford (matriculated 1861; BA 1866; MA 1868). Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, 1866-78 and an examiner in theology at both Oxford and Cambridge, 1889-91. Ordained deacon, 1867 and priest, 1869. Vicar of Tarrant Monkton (Dorset), 1870-76 and of Selborne (Hants), 1876-89; prebendary of Salisbury Cathedral, 1886; canon residentiary of Salisbury Cathedral, 1889-1911 and Chancellor of the Cathedral, 1894-1911. He was at least twice offered more senior ecclesiastical preferment, but declined advancement. A chaplain in ordinary to Queen Victoria, Edward VII and George V. Author of Great Moral Teachers (1906). He married, 4 September 1878 at Privett (Hants), Ellen Isabel (1859-1953), eldest daughter of William Nicholson DL of Basing Park (Hants), and had issue:

(1) Isabel Audrey Bernard (1881-1967), born and baptised at Froxfield (Hants), 8 November 1881; founder of the British Club in Bogotá; appointed MBE, 1920; she and her husband retired to High Hall on leaving Colombia before 1939; married, 14 February 1914 at Wimborne Minster (Dorset), Frank Tracey (1871-1963) of Bogotá and Medellín (Colombia), merchant, son of Michael Tracey of Sale (Ches.), merchant, but had no issue; buried at Hinton Parva (Dorset), 24 May 1967; will proved 30 June 1967 (estate £30,628);

(2) Anne Christina Bernard (1885-1973) (q.v.); 

(3) Caroline Mary Bernard (1889-1961), born 6 September and baptised at St Mark, North Audley St., Westminster (Middx), 9 October 1889; married, 27 January 1923, Romeo Spani-Molella (1878-1960), barrister, and had issue one son; died 12 July 1961 and was buried at Campo Cestio Cemetery, Rome (Italy); will proved 5 September 1961 (estate in England, £13,313);

(4) Charles William Bernard (b. & d. 1891), privately baptised by his father, 4 February 1891; died in infancy.

He inherited High Hall from his father in 1904, and at his death left it to his widow for life. He built the service wing on the east side of the house in 1909-10.

He died 22 April 1921; his will was proved 9 August 1921 (estate £25,905). His widow died 27 November 1953 and was buried at Wells, 30 November 1953; her will was proved 9 June and 14 August 1954 (estate £36,291).

Bernard, (Anne) Christina (1885-1973). Second daughter of Canon Edward Russell Bernard (1842-1921) and his wife Ellen Isabel, eldest daughter of William Nicholson of Basing Park (Hants), born 5 September and baptised at Selborne, 11 October 1885. She married, 27 June 1916 at Wimborne Minster, Maj. Ralf Sumner Gibson (1882-1954) of Bracken Hill, Wrington (Som.), third son of Rt. Rev. Edgar Charles Sumner Gibson, Bishop of Gloucester, and had issue:

(1) Charles Edward Dehany Gibson (1917-79) (q.v.);

(2) Anne Barbara Gibson (1921-97), born 5 November 1921; died unmarried, 17 June 1997; will proved 27 August 1997.

She was co-heir of High Hall, Pamphill on the death of her mother in 1953.

She died 4 July 1973; her will was proved 21 November 1973 (estate £38,577). Her husband died 11 March 1954; his will was proved 7 May 1954 (estate £12,963).

Gibson, Charles Edward Dehany (1917-79). Only son of Maj. Ralf Sumner Gibson (1882-1954) and his wife (Anne) Christina, second daughter of Canon Edward Russell Bernard, born 19 April 1917. Founder of Wimborne Minster Civic Society. He married, 1964, Susan Veronica Whitelegge (b. 1926), and had issue:

(1) Jonathan Ralf Dehany Gibson (b. 1965); educated at St. John's College, Oxford (MA) and University College, London (PhD 1998); senior lecturer in English department at Open University; married, 1994, Lindsey D. Clarke (b. c.1975), and had issue two sons;

(2) Charlotte Jane M. Gibson (b. 1969); married, 2001, Michael R. Burleigh (b. 1962), and had issue one daughter.

He inherited High Hall, Pamphill on the death of his mother in 1973.

He died 9 April 1979; administration of his estate (with will annexed) was granted 12 December 1979 (estate £421,213). His widow is now living.

Principal sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, 1952, p. 166; M. Hill, East Dorset country houses, 2013, pp. 366-67; M. Hill, J. Newman & Sir N. Pevsner, The buildings of England: Dorset, 2nd edn, 2018, p. 443.

Location of archives

It is likely that papers remain in the possession of the family.

Coat of arms

None recorded.

Can you help?

• Can anyone provide photographs or portraits of the people whose names appear in bold above, for whom no image is currently shown?
• If anyone can offer further information or corrections to any part of this article I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from current owners or the descendants of families associated with a property who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 18 October 2024 and updated 19 October 2024 and 24 April 2025.