PURSE CAUNDLE HISTORY - APPENDIX C1H: HON. MRS SEDLEY BARNES, ET SEQ

THE HONOURABLE MRS. ELLEN SEYMOUR SEDLEY BARNES

  She was born on 23rd November 1893, a daughter of the 3rd Baron Methuen. The National Portrait Gallery in its collection has four photographs of her taken by Bassano in 1922, three of which may be seen on the NPG website.
  On 1st November 1924 she married Cptain Cyril Gwynne Sedley Barnes of Trent Manor, near Sherborne. They had three sons. It was said that Captain Barnes was in the habit of disappearing away for a week at a time. He was to die in 1954.
  Mrs Barnes was to buy Purse Caundle manor house in 1957, following the death of its previous owner, Lady Victoria Herbert. Mrs Barnes was also considered something of an eccentric. She retained Lady Victoria's companion, Miss Smith, as her own, who would now be aged about 70-years old. There was also a live-in housekeeper from Milborne Port.
  In 1959 the manor house roof collapsed, being subsequently rebuilt for £9,000, with £7,000 being a grant from the Historic Buildings Council. This grant was conditional on the manor house being open to the public. The house is rated as an Historic Building. According to the article mentioned below, the house was open from June to September, 2.30-6 p.m., Wednesdays, Thursdays and Bank Holidays, and by appointment at other times.
  At the Parochial Church Council meeting of 29th October 1959, Mrs Sedley Barnes brought up the question of her responsibility in regard to repairs to the church's chapel, when it was decided that legal opinion would be sought. At a subsequent meeting on 26th April 1960, it was decided a Fete would be held to raise funds for repair to the Lady Chapel, with Mrs. Sedley Barnes offering use of the manor house for this purpose. Finally, at a P.C.C. meeting on 11th April 1961, to cover the approximately £600 cost of repairs to the Chapel, Mrs. Sedley Barnes proposed that the Diocesan Board of Finance be asked for a loan of £200 interest free. All this seemed to confirm that the P.C.C. at the time now accepted liability for repair of the chapel.
  In the 21st and 28th November 1963 issues of Country Life, there was a two-part illustrated article on 'Purse Caundle Manor [House] - The Home Of The Hon. Mrs. Sedley Barnes', by Arthur Oswald.
  In September 1961 she offered the church an organ, though it needed a little attention. The Parochial Church Council had to decline her offer as being too expensive. From 1962 she undertook to have the church path weeded yearly.
  At the Methuen residence in Corscombe, Dorset, was a Jacobean four-poster bed. A copy of this bed was made for Mrs Sedley Barnes at the Purse Caundle manor house. On her later departure this reproduction bed - with the monogram ESB on the back - was bought by Mr and Mrs Bill Jesty, who were at the time tenants of Thomas Hardy's Max Gate, and where the bed apparently still resides.
  In 1965 Mrs. Sedley Barnes sold the manor house to Mr. Boxall, and moved to Malta where a son lived.

Mr. BOXALL

  He was said to be a bank manager at Bristol. He bought the manor house in 1965 from the Hon. Mrs. Sedley Barnes. In 1967 he sold it to Mr. Ralf Wincklemann, and thought to have possibly moved to Berkeley Castle.

Mr. RALF WINCKLEMANN

  He bought the manor house in 1967 from Mr. Boxall. He was a German, whose wife was English. He was an estate agent, with an antique business, and resident in London. Their permanent home was on St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat, just to the east of Nice, southern France.

  They were never to live in Purse Caundle: only coming down for a weekend or week at a time. They were to still keep the manor house open to the public. Coach parties used to come to the village, with some visitors coming to the manor house, and the others to walk around the village and visit the church.

  Mr. and Mrs. Power became the new caretakers in 1973, after answering a Press advertisement, and being interviewed by Mrs. Wincklemann. They 'lived-in' a converted apartment in part of the manor house. In addition to doing the housework in the main part of the house, as well as a letting apartment  and a letting cottage in the stable area, part of their duties were to show the coach parties, etc. around the house. The previous caretakers helped out for a short while. When the Wincklemanns visited, Mrs Power used to cook their meals. Mr. Wincklemann also helped in conducting visitors round; and it was to him a lady visitor spoke regarding the purported origin of Purse Caundle - see CHAPTER 2. Sometimes the Wincklemanns came with their son and grandchildren.

  The large room in the south-east corner was used as a Tea Room for visitors; and in evenings for talks, and for village children to use for such as table-tennis. Mr. Wincklemann tried unsuccessfully to get a restaurant in the manor house. He also hired out the manor house for events such as marriages, anniversaries, etc. Once or twice a year a quartette gave a concert in the Great Hall, which was so popular that some people had to sit on the floor.

  Also held at the manor house was a small Fete, and a Flower Festival to raise money for a scanner for Poole Hospital. In 1980 Mr. W"incklemann had the church exterior door treated with a wood preservative.

  During a very hot July 1983 a film unit came to the manor house (as well as other locations in Dorset) to film scenes for John Wycliffe-The Morning Star. This was to commemorate the death of Wycliffe in 1384, who had been the first to translate The Bible into English. Filming took place over 3-4 days, in the Orielo Room, the Dining Room, and the Garden. It has been commented that it was just as well that Mr. Wincklemann was not present during filming, in view of the liberties that were taken with the manor house interior. Mrs.Power still has a copy of the subsequent publicity folder. (Copies of the DVD of the film may be obtained from Grenville Film Productions Ltd of Blandford Forum, Dorset. The film was seemingly made for its story and message, rather than for visual realism - e.g. it will be noticed how clean and tidy people were in the 14th century, especially the 'revolting peasants'!)

  In 1983/4, whilst the manor house was in the process of being sold, it was burgled.

  On his departure from the manor house in 1984, Mr. Wincklemann donated a sanctus bell to the church.

Mr. MICHAEL DE PELET, FRICS

    A son of Count Guy de Pelet of Inwood, near Henstridge, who featured in an illustrated article in Country Life of 23rd November 1961, about the Blackmore Vale Hunt. A photograph of the then Countess de Pelet appeared in The Official Handbook of the Blackmore Vale Hunt by Ralph Greaves, c.1966.

  Mr. de Pelet became owner of the manor house in 1984, when with his wife and children it at long last would again become a truly family home. After a few years he was to produce an illustrated colour booklet about the manor house, including a nice family photograph. Sometime later the manor house became no longer open to the public. Mr. de Pelet is a partner in an estate agency in Sherborne.