Venue Type & Location
Overview
The former country residence of the abbots of Glastonbury was located on rising ground along the E side of Glastonbury Tor less than 2 miles from the abbey.
Some fabric and a section of the blue lias and rubble medieval house (including several windows and a privy) remain in the central range, incorporated in a 2-storey gabled farmhouse, significantly altered over the centuries. The main entrance originally faced E.
Performance History
Possible performance venue. Although relevant family records do not survive, Mr Henry Berkeley's players are recorded elsewhere in Somerset during the 1570s.
Current Status
History of the Venue
ca. 1480 House built by John Selwood, Abbot of Glastonbury.
153x Confiscated by the Crown upon the Dissolution of monasteries.
1547 Granted to Edward Seymour, 5th Duke of Somerset.
1552 Somerset's estates reverted to the Crown on his attainder and execution.
1563 Leased to Sir Maurice Berkeley.
1649 Leased by Sir Charles Berkeley of Bruton to Hugh and Robert Grove.
1654 Sold to Robert Smith, clothier.
1795 Acquired by Sir Harry Burrard (subsequently surnamed Neale), via marriage.
1836 Sold to Alexander Baring, 3rd Baron Ashburton.
ca. 1910 Enlarged and renovated.
Record Source
REED Somerset 1.50, 53
Patrons who owned this venue
| Name | Date | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Berkeley, Henry | 1547-1601 | Knight |
Bibliographic Sources
- Chandler, John. John Leland's Itinerary Travels in Tudor England. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Alan Sutton Publishing, 1993
- Department of the Environment. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. Np: Npub, nd
- Leland, John. The Itinerary of John Leland in or about the Years 1535–1543. 5 vols. London: Centaur, 1964
- Pevsner, Nikolaus. South and West Somerset. Harmondsworth, Midd: Penguin Books, 1976
- Phelps, W. History and Antiquities of Somersetshire. 2 vols. London: J.B. Nichols and Son, 1839
- Warner, Rev. Richard. An History of the Abbey of Glaston: and of the Town of Glastonbury. Bath: Richard Cruttwell, 1826