Set into a hillside overlooking the lower valley of the River Axe in E Devon near the main road from Axminster to Exeter.
The mid-15th c. flint service wing of the Bonvilles' large unfortified manor house remains, although its full ground plan has been obscured by subsequent additions and demolition.
A probable performance venue. Although relevant household records do not survive, entertainers patronized by Sir William Bonville appeared elsewhere in the 15th c. and later by Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset, in the 16th c.
The remains of the medieval manor house are now owned by the National Trust with Pole family tenants in residence. Open to the public at specified times.
ca. 1292 Manor acquired by Nicholas Bonville via marriage with Hawyse, heiress of Sir Thomas Pyn.
later 14th c. Sir William Bonville built the first house at Shute.
mid-15th c. William Bonville, 1st Baron Bonville, replaced the original house with a grander residence.
1461 Bonville estates, including Shute, briefly forfeited to the Crown after the 2nd battle of St Albans but subsequently restored by Edward IV.
1476 Acquired by Thomas Grey via marriage with Cicely Bonville. Residence renovated with an oratory and S gateway, a square E turret and an extension to the N and W of the original block.
1554 Manor forfeited and acquired by Sir William Petre after the Greys fell from favour.
1560 House sold to William Pole who made alterations and leased extensive land from the estate. Part of the inner court (including the hall wing) was demolished.
ca. 1570 New gatehouse built using materials from the demolished buildings.
late 16th c. N wing extended to the W with octagonal towers.
1640s Damaged by Cromwell's troupes during the Civil War.
1785 Sir John William de la Pole purchased the manor of Shute.
1787--90 Part of the older residence demolished and materials used in building a new house in the Palladian style on a different location to the E. The remains converted for use as a farmhouse.
1840 Internal alterations and repairs, including the introduction of a mezzanine floor between the great hall and the chamber above.
1955--9 Sensitive restoration by Sir John Carew-Pole.
1959 Given to the National Trust with the wish that the house be used as a family home, preferably by members of the Pole-Carew family as tenants.
REED Devon 93; Shrops 1.177
| Name | Dates | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Bonville, Cecily | 1460-1530 | 7th Baroness , 2nd Baroness , Marchioness of , Countess of |
| Bonville, William | 1393-1461 | Knight , 1st Baron , Knight of the |
| Grey, Thomas | 1477-1530 | Lord , 8th Baron , Knight of the , 5th Marquess of , 3rd Baron |
| Stafford, Henry | 1479-1523 | Knight of the , 11th Earl of |
| Wotton, Margaret | 0-1541 |
