191 



BEWLEY COUET, LACOCK. 

 By Harold Brakspeak, F.S.A. 



Some three miles down the Avon from Chippenham, almost 

 opposite Lacock Abbey, is Bewley Court, an old house of which 

 the history is little known. It retains some of the earliest domestic 

 work in the county, and being within the forest of Chippenham 

 was in the first place, as might have been expected, built almost 

 entirely of wood. 



The present house embraces one of the fourteenth century, which 

 consisted of a hall, placed east and west, a room over a cellar at 

 the west end, and a two-storied wing partly built in stone at right 

 angles to the hall, at the east end. The hall roof, the west gable, 

 and part of the south wall adjoining, together with the chimney of 

 the great chamber in the east wing, still remain. 



In the fifteenth century extensive works in stone were carried 

 out, which consisted of underbuilding the hall roof, adding a new 

 south front, some six feet in advance of the old, and re-building 

 the east wing, excepting the chimney. 



Early in the sixteenth century the window on the south side of 

 the hall was altered. 



Some time ])etween 1540 and 1548 tlie property was sold hy the 

 Darrells of Littlecote to Sir William Sharin£jton,Gjranteeof Lacock 

 Abbey after the Suppression. In the latter year tlic houst' con- 

 sisted of : — 



"A iiall, ;i j)ailL'r, w^ a chamber over the parlcr acHoyningr to tlir 

 .seid hall, a buttery joynyng to the hall w' a chanilier over tlie l>uttery 

 it another chamber above at thende of the seid chamber, that is over 

 the Inittery a grett Chamber over the porche dore and a litle chamber 

 at the end of the f^reat Chamber, A Shoppe witli a chandler over the 

 Shoppe, a Kcoliyii w' ij wliite hou.ses at thend of tlie seid Shoppe, 

 all lying together under oon KiitV coiitfynyng ix frMs." 

 VOL. .\.xxvii. — NO. rxvii. '2 K 



