Cotehele House (The Gatehouse Record)

In the civil parish of Calstock.
In the historic county of Cornwall.
Modern Authority of Cornwall.
1974 county of Cornwall.
Medieval County of Cornwall.

OS Map Grid Reference: SX42236858
Latitude 50.49580° Longitude -4.22556°

Cotehele House has been described as a probable Fortified Manor House.

There are major building remains.

This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*.

Description

Country house constructed circa 1300 with early C15 alterations. The main phase of building took place from 1485-1520 with remodelling in 1862. The original plan is uncertain but the main hall is thought to be the core of the original building. A license for the chapel was issued in 1411. There is a gunport dating to circa 1470. (PastScape)

Whether the initial layout of Cotehele encompassed any protective measures is an open question. During the 1460s and 1470s the coast was subject to piratical attacks and the locality to bitter feuds. Towards the closing years of Edward IV's rule, Sir Richard (Edgcumbe) was assaulted with murderous intent by his neighbour, the young Richard Willoughby, and thirty-four armed men, while on another occasion Willoughby's supporters stole some of the chattels from Cotehele and threatened to burn down the house. Richard Edgumbe (d.1562) was still involved with suppressing piracy eighty years later. (Emery p. 529n14)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1140255
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 968039.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 6742.20.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- National Trust
  Wikipedia entry
Books
- Busby, Graham, Hunt Rachel, and Helen Small, 2009, 'This magical Tudor house: Cotehele and the Concept of Authenticity: A Chronological Review' in Paylon, Philip, and Trower, Shelley (eds), Cornish Studies 17 (Exeter) p. 204-222
  Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 3 Southern England (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 522-29
  Cooper, Nicholas, 1999, Houses of the Gentry, 1480-1680 (Yale University Press) p. 36, 65
  Tipping, H.A., 1937, English Homes, period 1 and 2 Vol. 2 (London) p. 69-90
  Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol. 3 Part 2 p. 357-60 online copy
  Arundell, F. V. J. (Jago), (n.d. c.1840), Cotehele, on the banks of the Tamar, the ancient seat of the Rt. Hon. The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
Periodical Articles
- Cornforth, John, 1990 Feb 01 and 08, 'Cotehele House, Cornwall' Country Life p. 52-5, 68-71
  1984, Devon and Cornwall notes and queries Vol. 35 p. 165-74
  Kenyon, J.R., 1981 'Early Artillery Fortifications in England and Wales: a Preliminary Survey and Re-appraisal' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 138 p. 227
  Alderson, Stanley, 1980 Oct., 'Cotehele: a mediaeval fortified house in Cornwall' Connoisseur Vol. 205 p. 112-7
  Kenyon, J.R., 1977, 'Early Gunports' Fort Vol. 4 p. 81
  Glanville, G., 1974, 'Cotehele House and the Edgcumbe family' Old Cornwall Vol. 8 p. 59-70
  Rigold, S.E., 1973, 'Cotehele House' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 130 p. 256-59
  Brock, E. P. Loftus, 1970, 'The Architectural History of Cotehele House' Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol. 33 p. 23-29
  Hussey, C., 1924 Aug 30 and Sept 6, Country Life 324-31, 360-8
  1905 June 10, Country Life
Guidebooks
- Trinick, M., 1984, Cotehele House (National Trust)

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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