History

Britic, the Saxon Lord of Thornbury Manor, is serving as ambassador to the court of Baldwin, Count of Flanders. During Britic’s ambassadorship, Baldwin’s daughter, Matilda, proposes marriage to him. Britic declines and she instead marries William, Duke of Normandy. 

The Duke of Normandy invades England and is, thereafter, known as William the Conqueror. William claims ownership of all of England’s land and gives Thornbury Manor to his wife Matilda. Thus, the woman Britic once scorned has now taken ownership of his manor.

Gilbert de Clare, Lord of the Manor of Thornbury, is killed at the battle of Bannockburn, won by Robert the Bruce of Scotland. Gilbert has no heirs and over 70 years of de Clare ownership comes to an end.

Ralph Stafford becomes Lord of the Manor following the death of his father-in-law, Hugh, Lord Audley. The Staffords own the manor, some minor interruptions notwithstanding, for approximately 300 years.

Humphrey Stafford, first Duke of Buckingham, is killed at the battle of Northampton, during the Wars of the Roses.

Henry Stafford, second Duke of Buckingham, is beheaded in the market square of Salisbury for plotting against Richard III. Some of that plotting took place in the manor house itself, at Thornbury.

Edward Stafford, third Duke of Buckingham, takes control of all the Stafford estates. For the first time, it becomes the main residence for a Lord of the Manor of Thornbury.   

The third Duke of Buckingham receives a licence from Henry VIII to build a fortified castle at Thornbury.  

The third Duke of Buckingham is beheaded by Henry VIII and ownership passes to the king.

Nine-year-old Princess Mary visits the castle and stays for 18 days. She visits again in the two subsequent years.

Henry VIII stays at Thornbury Castle with his second wife, Queen Anne Boleyn. Due to an outbreak of plague in Bristol they stay 10 days.

Edward VI inherits the castle following the death of his father. He spends considerable sums of money on repairs to the castle but is not known to have visited it. 

Queen Mary I returns the Manor of Thornbury, and its castle, to the third Duke’s son, Henry Stafford, and his wife Ursula Pole. The Staffords and the Poles had opposed the divorce of Mary’s mother, Catherine of Aragon, from Henry VIII and were supporters of the Roman Catholic church. The Staffords do not live at the castle and it gradually sinks into ruin.

The last of the Staffords, Mary, marries William Howard and the ownership of the castle and manor rests with the Howards. The Howards own the castle for just over 300 years.

Circa. Lord Henry Thomas Howard starts using the castle as a residence. In 1801 he gives Thornbury Castle as his address when he gets married. Under his ownership, renovations to the tower are carried out. 

Circa. Lord Howard’s son, Henry Howard, has a full restoration of the castle carried out by the renowned Victorian architect, Anthony Salvin. Henry lives there for part of the year, although his main residence remains Greystoke Castle in Cumbria. 

Edward Stafford Howard inherits the castle and establishes it as his main residence.

Sir Algar Howard, son of Edward Stafford Howard, sells the castle and ends the 300-plus years of Howard ownership.

Renowned chef Kenneth Bell buys the castle for £26,000. He establishes a high-class restaurant. Later, he opens up a select number of bedrooms in the castle and it becomes primarily a restaurant/hotel for the first time. 

After passing through the ownership of several hoteliers, the castle is sold to a new owner. Plans quickly formulate to upgrade the castle and develop its status as a unique luxury holiday destination, one that maintains the richness of its Tudor heritage.