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Notable Houses in and around Llanelli

Thornbury Castle, Gloucestershire

In England during the 15th century the great ‘fortified house’ had begun to replace the old style fortress with a central keep. This was probably as a result of the decline of feudalism, the evolution of the cannon and the development of a national identity.

1483 Edward Stafford was born during the time of the Wars of the Roses, which ended with the victory of Henry Tudor over Richard III in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth. Edward was descended from Edward III through Thomas of Woodstock (d. 1397) Duke of Gloucester and Lord of Caldicot. When Edward Stafford was about 7 years old his father, the 2nd Duke of Buckingham, was executed on the orders of Richard III. During his minority Edward was made a ward of Margaret Tudor (Beaufort) and his stepfather Jasper Tudor by Henry VII.

1498 Edward Stafford, now 20 years of age came into possession of his Estates and he used the old Manor House at Thornbury as his principal residence. His mother, Catherine Woodville (Wydeville), and his stepfather, Jasper Tudor, made the Thornbury Manor House their main residence.

1500 The Tudor period began with Henry Tudor, Henry VII who was more interested in trade and commerce than war. During Tudor times it was the State that built ‘tower house’ fortresses and this allowed the wealthy landowners to concentrate on comfort in their homes, building around courtyards in a similar style to that of the Oxford and Cambridge Colleges.

Unlike the colleges, a nobleman could still fortify his home with bastions, a portcullis and moat, but these would be symbols of status rather than defensive measures.

1509-1510 Henry Tudor Henry VII died in 1509 and his son (who became Henry VIII) granted the 3rd Duke of Buckingham a licence to build a castle at Thornbury Manor. The grand fortress, built just west of the old manor house, was intended primarily to be an impressive and comfortable residence. It was constructed so that it could also be defended, with great efficiency, should the need arise.

1510 Sir Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, began building Thornbury Castle.

1519 Work on the castle was suspended when the Duke was forced to reassess his finances. The cost of the marriage of his youngest daughter Mary to George Neville and the cost of entertaining the King at the Stafford Manor of Penhurst in August of 1519 had put a strain on his finances.

1521 By this time Henry VIII was convinced that the 3rd Duke of Buckingham was a threat and the King accused him of treason. This led to Sir Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Bedford’s, arrest at Thornbury in April 1521 and his execution on Tower Hill on 17 May 1521. The dukedom was attainted and never restored and Buckingham’s vast estates, including Thornbury, were confiscated by the King and used in part towards the endowment of Cardinal College Oxford, (now Christ Church) which was founded in 1525.

1521-1524 Thornbury Castle became a royal demesne (a manor house with adjacent lands not let out to tenants). Henry VIII’s daughter Princess Mary spent part of her childhood at Thornbury when the Bishop of Exeter was her guardian.

1535 Henry VIII stayed at Thornbury Castle for ten days with his second wife Anne Boleyn when the Mayor of Bristol and a deputation of the city’s leading burgesses visited the royal couple. Henry was presented with 10 fat oxen and 40 sheep towards his hospitality.

1547 The new King Edward VI restored the title to Edward Stafford’s son Henry

who became Baron Stafford and the castle remained Crown property.

1554 As Queen Mary I, Henry VIII’s daughter restored ‘The Manor, Castle, Town and Park’ of Thornbury to Henry Stafford. Neither Henry nor his descendants settled at Thornbury – being unable to afford the maintenance and the castle was reduced to a picturesque ruin over the next 200 years.

1637 Mary Stafford as the sole heir to the family estates inherited Thornbury on the death of her brother Henry, 5th Baron Stafford, when he died unmarried. Mary married Sir William Howard, KB, who was a younger son of Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Arundel.

1640 Sir William Howard was created Viscount Stafford and he garrisoned Stafford Castle during the Civil War for Charles I.

1678 Sir William fell victim to the ‘Popish Plot’ scare that swept England when he was falsely accused of treason.

1680 Aged 66, Sir William Howard, Viscount Stafford, was executed.

1688 James II created Sir William Howard’s widow, Mary Stafford, Countess for life and her son Henry Stafford-Howard was made 1st Earl of Stafford in the same patent. The Howard Earls left Thornbury unoccupied.

1720 Around this time ownership of Thornbury Castle was conveyed to Thomas Howard, 8th Duke of Norfolk, when the unfinished tower to the south of the gatehouse was converted into accommodation for a steward.

1776 A year before he died Edward, 9th Duke of Norfolk, gave Thornbury Castle to Lord Henry Howard Molyneux-Howard – a collateral descendant of the 3rd Earl of Arundel.

1809 Lord Henry carried out further renovations.

1824 Henry Howard (he dropped the Molyneux-Howard) inherited Greystoke Castle in Cumberland and as Henry Howard of Greystoke he inherited Thornbury Castle. He commissioned Anthony Salvin (1799-1881) to undertake the design of the major restoration.

1849 Henry Howard married Charlotte Long in December

1851 Sir Edward Stafford Howard, son of Henry and Charlotte Howard, great nephew of the 12th Duke of Norfolk was born at the other family home, Greystoke Castle, Cumberland.

1854 Anthony Salvin completed the restoration of Thornbury Castle around this time. The date 1855 and the initials HH and CH (for Henry Howard and Charlotte Howard) joined with a Stafford knot appear over the doorway to the left of the gateposts of the lodge.

1880 Sir Algar was born. He was the last Howard to own the Castle.

1885 Sir Edward Stafford Howard was elected MP to the Thornbury Division of Gloucester.

1886 Sir Edward was appointed Under Secretary of State for India.

1896 Sir Edward was defeated and never re-entered Parliament.

1900 Sir Edward Stafford Howard was created CB.

1906 Sir Edward’s first wife Lady Rachell Stafford Howard died.

1909 Sir Edward was created KCB and his future wife, Catharine Meriel Cowell Stepney, only daughter of the late Sir Emile and Lady Margaret Cowell Stepney, inherited her father’s estate when he died in America after many years of separation from his family.

1911 Lady Catharine became Sir Edward Stafford Howard’s second wife when they married at Llanelli Parish Church on 21 September 1911.

1913-1915 Sir Edward Stafford was elected Mayor of the newly established Borough of Llanelli.

1916 Sir Edward Stafford Howard, KCB, the first Chartered Mayor of Llanelli, died.

1959 Sir Algar Howard, KCB, sold Thornbury in 1959 to the Clifford family.