Old Shute House

[2] This report draws on new evidence gained from the recently discovered survey of 1559 made by Sir William Petre, which lists each main room of the then existing house together with its contents.

The original entry door survives in the middle of the northern façade, but the two 12 foot flanking windows were later filled in, although their outlines are still visible in the stonework.

This new chamber was reached via an octagonal tower added at the NE corner of the rectangular building, accessible from the dias, containing a circular staircase.

The stone door-frame of the screens-passage door in the east wall leading from the great hall into the original out-buildings serving as kitchen, buttery and pantry survives, but now as an internal door as the Tudor additional wing was built onto the east wall of the 1380 great hall.

The will dated 1407 of William Bonville, the original builder, mentions "ma salle (hall), ma chambre, panetrie (pantry for breadmaking), botellie (buttery for storage of wine) cusyne (kitchen) and pestrine (pastry room)"[6] At a later period a ceiling was inserted over the whole of the great hall to provide upper floor chambers, and even later a second ceiling was added to provide a middle floor of accommodation.

Modern horizontal pine tie-beams were later added to the arched roof timbers, which detract from the grandeur of the structure.

Courtenay had as his secondary seat Colcombe Castle, only a few miles from Shute, and the proximity of their two estates served to fuel their enmity.

They met decisively with their armed followers at the Battle of Clyst Heath, on 15 December 1455, at which Lord Bonville was defeated and after which the Earl sacked and pillaged Shute.

She was then heiress to one of the greatest estates in England and her valuable wardship was granted by King Edward IV to her mother and stepfather, Katherine Neville (sister of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, The King-Maker, and Sir William Hastings, KG, but on the condition that she would at the age of sixteen become the wife of Thomas Grey, the son of the King's wife Elizabeth Woodville, by her first husband Sir John Grey of Groby.

It was probably coincidental to the grant that the Poles were distant descendants of the brother of Sir William Bonville, the first builder of Shute.

He continues to relate the story of the armed encounter of Bonville and Courtenay at Clyst Heath in 1455, which he understood to have been a battle of single combat, adding Risdon's story of the gallantry displayed toward his opponent by Courtenay when Bonville accidentally dropped his sword whereupon the former stood still and cast away his sword also, and to end the contest the two "lovingly embraced one another".

Modern historians relate the incident without any such niceties, and indeed so bitter remained Courtenay's hatred of Bonville that he it was who successfully urged the unwilling King Henry VI to execute him after the Second Battle of St Albans in 1461.

Old Shute House, near Colyton, Devon. Bird's eye view from west, painted prior to partial demolition of 1785. The buildings to the east (left) of the tall slender octagonal tower adjacent to the porch were demolished in 1785 by Sir John de la Pole, 6th Baronet (1757–1799) and the driveway from the gatehouse was built over their former location southwards 1/2 mile to New Shute House built by him 1787–89. St Michael's Church, Shute parish, is visible to the east (left)
Old Shute House, viewed from north, showing the addition (to the left with turret, north end facing viewer) built by Sir William Pole the Antiquary (1561–1635) in circa 1587–1600. The range behind to the right running perpendicular, i.e. to the west, is the original great hall of 1380. The now demolished porch stood adjacent on the east (left) of the turret, on the present driveway which leads onwards 1/2 mile to the south to New Shute House [ 3 ]
Old Shute House, Devon, viewed from SE. The wall on the east (right) now shored up with buttresses formed the western wall of the 16th-century additions demolished in 1785
Plan of Old Shute House
Arms of Bonville : Sable, six mullets argent pierced gules [ 8 ]
Arms of Grey: Barry of six argent and azure [ 10 ]
Arms of Pole of Shute: Azure semée of fleur-de-lys or, a lion rampant argent [ 11 ]
View from SW entitled "Old Shute House", watercolour by Rev. John Swete dated 29 January 1795. Devon Record Office 564M/F7/85