This week one of our volunteers has been working on early 19th century documents, and has come across the letters which discuss the finding of Downside and the purchase of the site in 1813.
These letters are incredibly important in the history of Downside, as they show the exact time that the community decided to purchase the property and move from Acton Burnell in Shropshire. These letters really are where it all began over 200 years ago.
The letters are written by Dom Richard Kendal, who had been sent to the South West to find suitable locations for the community to move to. He writes on 8th September 1813, ‘After a long and tedious search of a situation suitable for the community of Acton I have at last met with one that, I hope, will give satisfaction. It consists of a mansion (old house), stables, coach house, barn, garden and 21 acres of land.’ He goes on later in the letter, ‘The situation is 11 miles from Bath and the name of the place Downside.’
The letters were written from Pierrepont Street, Bath where the Benedictines had property after they moved their mission church to the Old Theatre Royal in 1809. The next letter describes how Dom Kendal took members of the mission in Bath to see Downside, including Dom Bede Brewer who had fled Bath in 1780 after he was chased from the city during the Gordon Riots. ‘Dr Brewer was much pleased, approved the purchase and paid me a compliment on the choice I had made. Mr Calderbank who had not seen the place before said that though the account I had given him of the situation pleased him much, yet on seeing it, he had been gratified beyond expectation.’
After agreeing a fee of over £7000, the community set a date of March 1814 to move to Downside, and Dom Kendal gave his views on the state of the buildings and how he believed everyone could be accommodated. ‘As to the mansion, it is of a tolerable size, the bed chambers which easily may be divided, each room into two, as they are large square rooms, having each room two windows, will give us 19 good sleeping rooms…the setting up of an outwards building for dormitory and calefactory use for the boys.’
Dom Kendal ends his last letter, ‘The estate may be considered as a little park, its shrubberies are quite numerous. It is considered as one of the prettiest spots in the county.’ With these letters we can continue to build upon our understanding of the history of Downside, and share the fascinating details which make up the beginnings of the monastic community’s time in Somerset.
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