North Cadbury Court, Somerset (CJEN 2001 and 2003)
Views of the Tudor facade on the north side and the Georgian facade on south side of the Court

North Cadbury was one of four estates that were owned by the Newman family. The others were Fifehead Manor (in Dorset), Evercreech Park and Sparkford Manor (both in Somerset). The North Cadbury estate (also in Somerset) is located in the village of North Cadbury a few miles to the north-east of Yeovil, just east of the village of Sparkford.  South Cadbury estate also came into the ownership of the Newman family at the same time as North Cadbury.

The Cadbury estates date back to (and presumably beyond) the Domesday census of 1086. It appears that the Court itself was constructed in 1581 by Sir Francis Hastings who inherited the estate from his father in 1544. He sold the estate to Matthew Ewens who died in 1598, leaving the estate to a nephew who died in 1629. Sometime around then (dates range from 1610 to 1640 - see discussion below) the estate came into the possession of a Richard Newman. Again there is conflicting information as to whether it was Col. Richard Newman (1620-1695) or his father Richard Newman of Fifehead (1584-1664). My assumption (taking into account their ages at the time of the purchase) is that it was the father, Richard Newman of Fifehead who made the purchase.

The Cadbury estates remained in the Newman's possession for over 150 years, when they were mortgaged to cover the debts of young Francis Newman in the late 18th Century and thereafter sold to the Bennett family who owned it for the next 100 years. In 1890 the Court remained vacant for a few years before the house (and estate) were bought by Sir Archibald Langman, whose daughter currently owns and resides in it.

The building was originally constructed in the Tudor style, with a large courtyard on the south side with a tower containing a spiral staircase on the north-western corner (if my understanding is correct). Sometime around the end of the 18th century or early 19th century, this courtyard was built in to form a huge ballroom on the ground floor with bedrooms above. The entire facade on the south side was rebuilt at the same time in the Georgian style, the north side retaining its Tudor windows and gabled roofs. The present owner (who knows a lot about the history of the house), isn't sure whether it was the Newmans or the Bennetts who made the alterations, since they would have been done around the time of the change of ownership. However, local antiquarian, Sam Miller, is confident that it was the Bennetts who made the changes and added the south facade.

More information on the history of the Court can be found in Sam Miller's book "From Parsons Quarter to Purgatory, A History of North Cadbury, Woolston and Galhampton - three villages, one parish" Castle Cary Press 1988.

The lovely North Cadbury church which must once have been the private chapel to the estate, is located on the western side of Cadbury Court, and dates back to 12th or 13th century. The delightful porch-entrance to the churchyard faces the main driveway into the Court.

Local antiquarian, Sam Miller, has made a list of baptisms and burials from the church records which includes the following entries for Newmans:

It seems that baby Francis Newman (son of Francis and Frances) is the only Newman to have an extant memorial in North Cadbury church. Sam Miller pointed it out to me in Sept 2003, in the stone floor in front of the pews on the south side of the nave. Young Francis lived only a few weeks. He was baptized in North Cadbury on May 28th 1779 and buried there on June 18th of the same year.

Sam believes most or all the other Newmans buried at North Cadbury lie in a crypt below the chancel floor.

Researcher Di Clements provided me with the following information about the Newman's ownership of the Cadbury estates: <quote> The Newmans seem to have owned the Cadburies from 1610 "when Sir Francis Hastings died having no children sold both Cadburies to Richard Newman Esq. who was High Steward of Westminster,and was imprisoned by Oliver Cromwell for his attachment to King Charles I whom he attended in his troubles and supplied with sums of money: in consideration of which services, King Charles II granted the family an augmentation of their Arms, viz. Gules a portcullis..... From this Richard descended Sir Richard and Sir Samuel Newman of Fifehead in Dorsetshire, where many of his family lie buried. The lineal descendant and present representative of this ancient family is Francis Newman Esq. who is Lord of both Manors of North and South Cadbury." From Collinson.

A later historian has this to add: "The Manor and estate descended from father to son to Francis Newman, Esq. who died 1768 without issue, and by his will entailed the Manors of North and South Cadbury on Francis and Henry, the two sons of his brother Henry and their male issue in succession. The former of these enjoyed the estates until 1796 when he died leaving three daughters............ the eldest Frances Charlotte married her first cousin Francis, the eldest son of Henry Newman on whom the estates were entailed. Francis Newman the younger, during his uncle's life sold his reversionary interest in the property to James Bennet Esq of London, viz the two Cadburies in 1790 and Sparkford in 1793. On the uncle's death Mr Bennet succeeded to the estates." Phelps 1861 <unquote>.

If Di's information about the purchase date is correct, then the estates must have been purchased by Richard Newman of Fifehead and not his son, Col Richard Newman as I had hitherto understood to have been the purchaser, though this is confused by the statement that this Richard was imprisoned by Cromwell and became High Steward of Westminster, since this implies that it was indeed Col. Richard Newman who bought the estates. (All very confusing)

My father's version of the story (below) mixes up the ownership of both Cadbury and Fifehead estates which makes it a bit confusing. In fact after Col. Richard Newman's death, the Cadbury and Sparkford estates were held by one branch of the family (descending from Col. Richard's younger son Francis Holles Newman), and the Evercreech and Fifehead estates were held by a separate branch of the family (descending from Col. Richard's elder son Richard Newman). My father wrote "...the younger son of Colonel Richard, Francis Holles Newman, baptised at Fifehead on 13th February 1672 inherited the North Cadbury estate and was Sheriff of Somerset in 1745. After Sir Samuel's death in 1745, Fifehead Manor was sold to the then vicar of the parish, but North Cadbury remained in Newman hands until 1799 when it was sold to James Bennett of London to pay the debts of another Francis Newman, a spendthrift and a gambler, who was committed to the High Court, found guilty and migrated to America where he died in 1817 without male issue*. James Bennett caused the erasure of all Newman memorials in North Cadbury church, but a later owner of the manor found a stone replica of the Newman arms and incorporated it on the manor porch".

*This information has subsequently been proved wrong.  Francis enjoyed a very full life in the USA and has many descendents living there.

The map below shows the location of both North and South Cadbury, bisected by the A303 to the west of Wincanton. The map shows the relative location of several other Newman homes, including Fifehead Magdalen (far right of map), Sparkford, Sturminster Newton, Sherborne, Charlton Musgrove and of course, Yeovil. Below further are some older illustrations of the house.

Page updated 3 Nov 2003