AN ANCIENT HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 13, 23 December 1911, Page 9

AN ANCIENT HOUSE.

... Foiv families -possess ,a;longer ror-more romantic history than the Luttrell?, of Dun'ster Castle and the Manor, of- East Quantoxhoad, Somerset.. The East Quantoxhead . estate—which has an area of 2295 acres, and is'of the annual value of jGli'iS—hiis remained in the hands of the family since the time of William'the Conqueror, with the exception of one brief interval. Before the year 1085, when William ordered the' survey of England—referred to by" tho present Commissioners of .Inland Revenue ns tho last occasion on which the feat of valuing the whole cpuntry was .attempted—tho estate had fallen into tho hands of Ralph I'aganel, a follower of the Conqueror. Oue huiir dred and fifty years later, through failure in the direct line of issue, East Quantoxhead passed to Andrew Luttrell, who had married Frethesant, grand-daughter or great-grand-daughter of Alexander, younger son of Ralph Paganel, the Norman. The "fine" paid on that occasion for the succession was 100 marks. The manor remained in the possession of tho .Luttrells until 1463, one of the holders in that Hugh Luttrell—being a privy councillor to'-Henry V, and one of the commanders under that martial monarch- at the reduction of Harfleur, Ml 5, and at the siege of Rouen. Evil days Overtook the family fortunes in the Wars of'-the Roses. They took the -Lancastrian side, and in IM3 Sir John Luttrell, then dead, was. tried for treason by Edward IV, the treason consisting in his having supported Henry VI The dead. knight was found guilty, and his heirs were dispossessed of their land, which remained confiscated until after the battle of Hosworth (1-185), and in possession of William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke. Sir Hugh Luttrell was among the persons of note who joined the Earl of Richmond (afterwards Henry VII) at his landing, and when the successful issuo of. Bosworth, whero Richard 111 fought and fell, placed the crowu upon Richmond's' head, the estates of-tho Luttrells were immediately restored to tho family, in whose possession they'havo remained ever since.