Deeds of the Bodiam Castle Estate

This archive chronicles the accumulation by George Cubitt, created baron Ashcombe in 1892, of an extensive estate surrounding Bodiam Castle during the period 1862 - 1907 and its purchase and the rapid sale of all but the castle and its immediate surroundings by Lord Curzon in 1917

Thomas Cubitt, the millionaire engineer and architect (DNB), had initially become interested in Bodiam as early as 1849, when he purchased the advowson for his son-in-law the rev Charles Parker, who had married his daughter Mary in 1846. After initial purchases in 1862 (1 and 2 below), his son George Cubitt acquired the castle and manor in 1864 and by 1907 had laid out over £40,000 on the purchase of land in the parish

Cubitt died in Feb 1917 and Lord Curzon purchased the entire estate with the intention of retaining the castle and fifty acres 'to make a worthy setting'; the remainder was auctioned on 5 Nov 1917, two months before the completion of the purchase

Lord Curzon noted the prices realised at auction on the bundle labels, often adding, with a note of incredulity, the much higher prices paid for the same properties by his predecessor. All parties are of Bodiam unless otherwise described

AMS5981/1 Purchase from Thomas Levett, 1862

AMS5981/2 Park Farm, purchased 1862

AMS5981/3 Bodiam Castle and manor, purchased 1864

AMS5981/4 Cottages at Knowle Hill, purchased 1865

AMS5981/5 The Castle Hotel, purchased 1865

AMS5981/6 New House Farm, purchased 1873

AMS5981/7 Parts of Udiam Farm, purchased 1876

AMS5981/8 Cottages, purchased 1885

AMS5981/9 Cottages at Knowle Hill, purchased 1885

AMS5981/10 Golden Spot, purchased 1897

AMS5981/11 The Coopers Field, purchased 1899

AMS5981/12 Lease of Battle Meads, purchased 1900

AMS5981/13 The Vicarage, purchased 1903

AMS5981/14 Part of Court Lodge Farm, purchased 1907

AMS5981/15 Purchase of the Estate by Lord Curzon, 1918

AMS5981/16 The Estate in the hands of Lord Curzon, 1918 - 22

<span class="wrapper"><p>For a detailed history of the castle and manor and of Lord Curzon's acquisition and restoration of it, see his Bodiam Castle published posthumously in 1926</p> <p>For manorial and estate records, dating mostly from the Powell family's ownership of the estate and including a fine series of maps of the manorial tenements in 1671 showing the extent of the recently-sold demesne, deposited by the National Trust Local Committee, see AMS5691</p> <p>For microfilm of manorial records (including a survey of 1671 to accompany the maps mentioned above) presented by Lord Curzon to the British Museum, see XA 15/1</p> <p>For the archive of the Levett family, neighbours, tenants and agents to successive owners of the castle and estates including a copy of the 1917 particulars of sale, entrance fee books for the castle and correspondence with Cubitt, see ACC 4662</p></span>

Documents deposited by The National Trust, Polesden Lacey, 12 Apr 1958 (D 267)