Cowdray House is in Cowdray Midhurst.
Before 1493 David Owen (age 33) and Mary Bohun (age 24) were married. by which Owen came into possession of Cowdray House [Map] when Mary inherited it from her father John Bohun of Midhurst (age 45).
Around 1493 Ann Owen was born to David Owen (age 34) and Mary Bohun (age 25) in Cowdray House [Map]. She married before 1515 Arthur Hopton and had issue.
Before 26th April 1494 John Bohun of Midhurst (age 47) died. His daughter and her husband David Owen (age 35) inherited Cowdray House [Map].
Around 1500 Henry Owen was born to David Owen (age 41) and Mary Bohun (age 32) in Cowdray House [Map].
Around 1520 David Owen (age 61) began construction of Cowdray House [Map] on the site of the former manor house that he had inherited from his wife Mary Bohun.
In 1529 Henry Owen (age 29) sold Cowdray House [Map] to William Fitzwilliam 1st Earl of Southampton (age 39).
In 1533 Henry VIII (age 41) granted William Fitzwilliam 1st Earl of Southampton (age 43) to inpark 600 acres of meadow, pasture and wood and build fortifications at Cowdray House [Map].
In November 1538 Margaret York aka Pole Countess of Salisbury (age 65) was imprisoned in Cowdray House [Map] until Sep 1539.
In July 1539 Henry VIII (age 48) visited Cowdray House [Map].
In July 1539 Henry VIII (age 48) visited Cowdray House [Map].
On 15th October 1542 William Fitzwilliam 1st Earl of Southampton (age 52) died at Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland [Map]. Earl of Southampton extinct. Anthony Browne (age 42) inherited Cowdray House [Map].
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In August 1545 Henry VIII (age 54) visited Cowdray House [Map].
On 6th May 1548 Anthony Browne (age 48) died at Byfleet, Surrey. He was buried at Senlac Hill Hastings. Anthony Browne 1st Viscount Montagu (age 19) inherited Cowdray House [Map].
In October 1551 Mary of Guise Queen Consort Scotland (age 35) stayed the night in Cowdray House [Map].
In July 1552 King Edward VI of England and Ireland (age 14) visited Cowdray House [Map].
On 22nd July 1552 twins Anthony Browne and Mary Browne Countess Southampton were born to Anthony Browne 1st Viscount Montagu (age 23) and Jane Radclyffe at Cowdray House [Map]. Their mother died in childbirth although Henry Machen's diary reports her death in 1553.
On 6th October 1573 Henry Wriothesley 3rd Earl of Southampton was born to Henry Wriothesley 2nd Earl of Southampton (age 28) and Mary Browne Countess Southampton (age 21) at Cowdray House [Map]. He married 30th August 1598 his third cousin once removed Elizabeth Vernon Countess Southampton and had issue.
On 15th August 1591 Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland (age 57) arrived at Cowdray House [Map] the home of Anthony Browne 1st Viscount Montagu (age 62) and Magdalen Dacre Viscountess Montague (age 53). She was welcomed by a breakfast for some 300 guests. George Browne (age 36) was knighted. Henry Browne organised the hunting. Elizabeth stayed until the 21 Aug 1591.
On 19th October 1592 Anthony Maria Browne 2nd Viscount Montagu (age 18) inherited Cowdray House [Map]. During his tenure Guy Fawkes was briefly employed as a footman and, as a consequence, Anthony Maria Browne 2nd Viscount Montagu was briefly imprisoned for complicity in the Gunpowder Plot.
In 1770 Anthony Joseph Browne 7th Viscount Montagu (age 40) commissioned Capability Brown (age 53) to landscape Cowdray House [Map].
On 24th September 1793, during restoration work, a fire started in the carpenter's workshop in the North Gallery of Cowdray House [Map] resulting in the destruction of the house and its contents bar three paintings.
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In 1843 Cowdray House [Map] was sold to George Perceval 6th Earl Egmont (age 48) at Shelley, Kirkburton.
In 1908 Augustus Perceval 8th Earl Egmont (age 52) sold Cowdray House [Map] to Weetman Dickinson Pearson 1st Viscount Cowdray (age 51).
John Bohun constructed a fortified manor house at Cowdray House [Map] naming it Coudreye which means Hazel Woods in Norman French.
The River Rother rises at Empshott, Hampshire [Map] from where it flows through Liss, Hampshire [Map], Sheet, Hampshire [Map], past Rogate [Map], Trotton [Map], Chithurst [Map], Iping [Map], Stedham [Map], Easebourne Midhurst [Map] and Cowdray House [Map], South Ambersham [Map], Selham [Map], Coultershaw Bridge [Map], Lower Fittleworth [Map] after which it joins the River Arun one km before Pulborough [Map].