[1] The manorial lands occupied by the present building were given by William the Conqueror to one of his kinsmen, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, who was later to become Earl of Kent.

Odo plotted against King Rufus who succeeded William the Conqueror, was discovered in his treason and fled to France.

The manor continued in their possession for several generations before passing, during Edward I's reign, to Sir Peter Stradling on his marriage to Julian, the daughter and sole heir of Thomas Hawty.

After several changes of ownership in a short period, it passed to Robert Smith, who built the present manor house.

The interior has much elaborate decorative plaster work, marble fireplaces and a number of panelled rooms.