DARTMOUTH MUSEUM

The Butterwalk,

Dartmouth, Devon TQ6 9PZ

 

Creekside Warfleet Dartmouth Devon TQ6 9BZ  01803-833881

 

The Keep

Mount Boone

Dartmouth

 

Dear Dr. and Mrs Murray,                              05/08/02

 

Mrs Frankie Cawthorne, the secretary of Dartmouth Museum, tells me she came to a delightful party in aid of the MacMillan Nurses at your house, and that you, as recent owners of The Keep, might be interested in its history. As I am a local historian and trustee of Dartmouth Museum I said I would write to you with the information I have about it.

 

       A previous owner, Philip Pensabene, wrote a very brief summary of the history which was passed to me, along with an interesting letter written by Mrs Winifed Alderson. I enclose copies of both of these. Mrs Alderson was descended from the Eales family who owned the house from 1871. They sound like the Barrett family (of Wimpole Street)) as the four daughters were forbidden to marry: one eloped to marry a navy man, their great grand daughter being this Mrs. Alderson.

 

       Philip Knowling wrote to me recently as he is interested in Follies, and asked about the age of the round tower in the garden of The Keep. I replied to him that I knew nothing about this. It may be that you have heard from local people when it was built.

 

I hope this is of interest to you - I am sorry I have nothing more - and that you enjoy living in this lovely house.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

(Mrs) Ray Freeman

 

 

 

Phone 730-8964

 

Dear Sir                      as from                       25, Holbein House

Sloane Square

LONDON S.W.1.

 

 

 

My husband and I are touring the West Country and yesterday I went to look at The Keep in Dartmouth which used to belong to my family, years ago; an obliging workman told me your name and that you might be there this week-end, but he did not know your address.   It is good to know that the old place will Se in good hands, after much neglect.

 

The man said that you were unable to find out anything about the history etc of the place, town records having been blitzed.   I'd always heard that it was built about 1600 and was Colonel Fairfax's (Cromwellian) headquarters and that he held it against the Royalists.  My grandmother's grandfather Captain John Eales R.N. bought it on retiring from the Navy, he was a young man a naval ensign (midshipman) at the time of Trafalgar, he sailed in many seas and married a Spanish lady, I don't know who she was, but they were married in Lisbon and they lived at The Keep, had four daughters, Ann, Elizabeth, Caroline and Susan (I have his and their silhouettes) He was very strict, Caroline eloped at the advanced age of 39 to marry a Navy man, a Captain Cooke.  They had one daughter Alice, my Grandmother, who eventually owned The Keep.  She married Richard Preston Bishop an Exeter lawyer, sold The Keep about 1916 to the R.N. College (This confirmed by rates book 1914).   The other daughters never married, they did good works in Dartmouth! Their names are in a stained glass window in St. Saviour's Church.

 

Capt. Eales became a Customs Officer his beat being from Dartmouth to Exmouth, we had a picture of his lugger 'The Petrel' but this was lost in the Plymouth blitz alas, with other furniture from The Keep that I had.  Capt. Cooke (ex R.N.) 'sailed' for a wine firm Roope Teague & ? somebody, between Dartmouth and Oporto, this firm is still in existence, his wife and daughter sailed with him sometimes, mostly to Figueria da Foz; I have a few Portuguese trinkets.

 

My young daughter and I were in Plymouth whilst my husband was in the Middle East as Squadron Leader R.A.F., luckily he came through this War, the' rather shaken. My mother Caroline Bishop married an Irishman Richard Fetherstonhaugh, he was a Banker, so my brother and I were born and brought up in Ireland, Athlone and Wexford we came over to Devon most summers.   My brother doesn't care much for the old things but I do.  My husband's eldest brother had their things of interest.  Our daughter married a Scotsman Fenwick and departed to West Africa (Accra) they often returned on leave.  They then went to Kingston, Jamaica.  I spent a lovely three weeks there with them and their 2 children (boy and Girl) last year.

 

They are now living in Putney, they came home for the children's education.

 

Well I think this is all, I have Capt. Eales ship's washstand and his silhouette in uniform.  Perhaps you would care to call if every you are in London (phone firs so one of us is at home) funny old flats but quite nice inside.

 

 

A 'potted' history' of THE KEEP

 

November 5th 1983

 

In February 1850 land belonging to Sir Henry Paul Seale which was bounded on the East by Keep Lane (which had a private entrance to Mount Boone

 

House, residence of Sir Henry) on the South by Townstal Hill or Church Lane it was then known, being the highway from Dartmouth to St. Clement's Church, on the West by Turnpike from Dartmouth to Kingsbridge (presently Mount Boone)

 

The above tongue of land was leased for 99 years at £4-l0 shillings per annum on condition that a house was built to a particular design (see original deed and the South aspect of which is very similar to todays)

 

The expenditure on the house and wall not to be less than £3,000.  This agreement was made with a Mr. F. W. Woolridge.

 

In 1871 the house had reverted to Sir Henry Paul Seale due to the bankruptcy

Of Mr Woolridgeand and default of payment. It was then sold to a Captain Eales and his three daughters in 1871.  The Misses Eales and their children and descendants Mrs Bishop sold the house to a Mrs Mellon - see schedule of deeds and documents - also letter we received from Mrs. Winifred Alderson attached.

 

In November 1965 Commander Sampson sold the tongue of land as described previously together with The Keep to Messrs R.C. Pillar (builders of Dartmouth who built a small bungalow off the junction of Townstall Hill and Mount Boone this was separated from The Keep grounds by a wall running roughly N/S

across the end of the property thus:

 

the remainder of the land and property was sold to the Kimber brothers and

from them to F.E. Bray in 1969 and in May 1973 to Philip Pensabene.

 

(Note. No mention is made of the land on the other side of Townstal Hill which was part of the Estate and was connected by a foot bridge over the road. This was also sold off)

 

Mrs. Ray Freeman Creekside

Warfleet

Dartmouth

Devon TQ6 9BZ

 

Dear Mrs. Freeman,

 

10 Wallaford Road

Buckfastleigh

Devon TQ11 OAR (01364) 642964

 

19 June 2002

 

I am writing once again to make use of your extensive knowledge of Dartmouth. I recently visited the keep,-on Mount Boone; The new owners are interested in finding out something of the history of the house.

 

I can send them a copy of the listing; this dates the house to 1856 (with extensive alterations in the 197Os). Interestingly enough, the listing says that the owners (in 1994) had documents including the original lease from H P Seale to J W Wooldridge dated 1850. The house is not in Pevsner's Devon. The particulars compiled when the house came on the market add nothing

more.

 

For my part, I am particularly interested in the tiny folly tower in the garden, which seems relatively modern (it was there, apparently, in the 1960s but does not look very much older). It is not included in the listing details - could this be because it is of no great age?

 

Do you have any information or ideas on either the house or the folly? I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Philip Knowling

 

 

Creekside Warfleet Dartmouth Devon TQ6 9BZ 01803-833881.

 

Philip Knowling

10 Wallaford Road

Buckfastleigh Devon TQI1 OAR                    RFKnowling 28/06/02

 

Dear Mr. Knowling,

 

The Keep, Mount Boone.

 

 

 

I have been away for two weeks so have only just received your letter asking for the history of The Keep. I enclose for you photocopies of a 'potted history" of the house written

 

by Philip Pensaabene who was then the owner, in 1989. He was also the owner of Philip the shipbuilders, and now lives in New Zealand, and I believe his information is correct. He obviously had the original deeds, as he quotes from them in some detail. The letter from Mrs Alderson to which he refers adds some interesting detail about the Eales family who were well known in Dartmouth in their day.

 

       As for the "folly", I know nothing about that at all. The last people before the present owners were the Jarrolds who have now moved to Ash House, Ash, Nr. Dartmouth TQ6 OLR and a might be worth writing to Mrs. Elizabeth Jarrold to see if she knows anything about it.

 

She might have found something out from talking to local people, She would have seen the deeds when they bought it, and is interested in historical matters generally.

 

I hope this helps with your researches.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Ray Freeman.