About The Bestwood Lodge HotelThe Story of an Estate
Four miles north of the city of Nottingham and a mile west of Arnold is a turreted house with a central spire, standing in its own park land surrounded by beautiful trees. The history of this estate is England’s history, going back into the past 900 years, as Bestwood Park was once part of the Royal Forest of Sherwood, or as noted in old documents and maps as Shirewood.
In 1086 at the time of the Doomsday survey, Bestwood was included in the Parish of Lenton and the story starts with the Monks of Lenton Priory. This was a Benedictine House founded in 1105 by William Peveril who is believed to have been a natural son of William the Conqueror, as he was granted immense possessions by the King. This wealth comprised of some 162 Manors, spread throughout England and including the Manor of Lenton. He was also granted custody of the newly erected Nottingham Castle with governing powers and court jurisdiction, all embraced in the ‘House of Peveril’. We know that the Anglo-Normans were much given to building castles and abbeys, so no one need be surprised that Peveril should found and endow the great Priory, together with the importance of its founder, combined to attract the interest of successive Kings and so provide the reason for the frequent royal visits to Nottingham.
Lenton Priory was founded in 1105 in honour of the Holy Trinity, for the love of divine worship, for the souls of the late King William II (1087-1100) and his family, the reigning King Henry I (1100-1135), his wife Queen Matilda and their children, the good of the founder’s Soul and his family together with the beneficial state of the whole Kingdom.
The comprehensive spiritual insurance that embraced so wide an interest, and being backed by the power and personality of William Peveril, brought forth widespread support from all those who hoped to stand well with Peveril and their God. Gifts of money and land, which enriched this Priory, came from many sources.
One of the donors was that famous Earl of Mercia who wagered the Lady Godiva, his Countess to rise through the streets of Coventry in order to free the citizens from their heavy taxes. The Earl is reputed so chastened after his wife’s sacrifice that he gave land, buildings and ornaments generously to Lenton Priory as well as to many other Churches.
It would seem that Henry I appreciated the worthy motives for the foundation, as he arranged a special visit to Nottingham for the granting of the necessary charter. While staying at Nottingham Castle for his momentous visit King Henry I made a concession to the monks. He grated to the Lenton Priory “the right of having two carts to fetch dead wood and heather daily out of the Royal Forest of Bestwood”. This grant might appear to us today to be a petty privilege but then the Forest Laws were more savage and drastic than any laws since. Within the Forests the beasts, which were the objects of Royal hunting, the red and fallow deer and wild boar, were protected against poaching by harsh penalties. These were controlled by the Forest Courts, to which the people who lived within the boundaries were especially answerable.
Page Six | Page Seven | Page Eight | Page Nine | Page Ten
Hi,
Really enjoyed my stay here. Will be visiting again soon. Service and quality comparable with what I have received at savoy hotel london !
Name Supplied
