The Manor of Thorney Columbers and Columbine Hall
Columbine Hall and its associated Manor is just one of several sub-manors that together comprised the Manor of Thorney. The manor took its name from the Lord of the manor, Philip de Columbers, they also held a manor in Battisford.
We are very grateful to Ena Carter for the notes she has left us relating to the history of Columbine Hall. She thought the present hall was built on the site of a former house in about 1634 or earlier. There was a fire at the house in 1843 (at the time Holy Trinity Church was being built). There was a chapel in the house but the space is now used as a bathroom.
Columbine Hall is now a private residence set in its own gardens and park land and still has part of its moat. Originally it was a much larger building, what exists now is probably no more than the gatehouse range. The great hall has gone.
William Boby writing in the May 1937, East Anglian Magazine noted that the site of Columbine Hall ‘in the Parish of Stowupland is said to be about level with the top of the 200 feet high spire of the beautiful old Stowmarket Church.‘
For more about its history see the Halls own website.
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Anciently held by Philip de Columbus (no Dates)
16th century owner Tyrell family (so also linked to Cotton, Gipping and Shelland). Read more about properties associated with the Manor of Columbune Hall…
1559 owner John Gardiner d.1562 (so links to Winston)
In 1581, On the night of St Batholomew last, John Tyrell and others were accused of making a forcible entry at Columbine Hall and carrying away oats and barley. {retrieived by Ena Carter in the 1960s from a document in the Ashburnham Family Archives held at the Ipswich and East Suffolk Record Office , County Hall, Ipswich.}
1587 William Browne, brother of Earl of Monmouth
Late 16th century owner Robert Carey. On the death of his Queen he rode hurriedly to Edinburgh to tell the King of Scotland that he had become King James 1 of England
Image of a sketched map showing the lands around Columbine Manor, thought to be from the 17th century, retrieved from the Ashburnham collection held in the Suffolk Archives. It is not easy to read but to the west is Stonebridge Meadow and to the East a way to Old Newton Church that was extinguished in the early 19th century. {Neil Langridge 2020}
17th century
1611 Carey sold Columbyne Hall to Sir John Poley, a veteran of Elizabethan Spanish wars. John Poley of Badley (so links to Boxted, Somerton, Freston and Hartest).
‘John Poley knyght holdeth deiverse lands medowes & pastures sumtyne copie as also free lyenge in Thorney Saxton late John Tyrell ar et antia Robert Hottofte…’ { 1618 Thorney Hall Rentall, manorial manuscript in Hadleigh archives}
1665 son of John Poley Esq
18th century
1711 the estate is sold to John Crawley, a rich iron merchant. His daughter married the 2nd Earl of Ashburnham. Ambrose Crawley (d1754)
1731, James Turner ‘One piece of land … called or known by the name of COLLERBIN HALL GROVE, lying & being in Stowupland’ , {Ena Carter retrieved this from Ipswich Record Office and she gave the reference HA1/DB/3/20}.
1772, a map of ‘Columbine Hall in Stowupland & Newton (joint estate of the Earl of Ashburnham & Charles Boone, Esq) 32 perches to 1 mile, showing field names, acr, buildings, wood, moat, ponds, roads, rights of way, adj owners & occupiers {Joseph Pennington HA1/HB4/1.}
19th century
1844 to 1916 through marriage to Earl of Ashburnham (links to Combs) and let to tenants, notably Robert Boby.
In 1844 there was a fire that destroyed much of the recent harvest and several farm buildings at Columbine Hall. Fire engines from Stowmarket and Needham attended together with engines from Mendlesham and Lord Thurlow’s. Damage was estimated at £500.
October 1876 the wedding took place of Ann Boby, daughter of Robert Boby. It took place in Holy Trinity Church and the service was performed by the Rev Long.
In 1902 Emily and Elizabeth moved with their parents (Robert and Elizabeth) to the Chestnuts at Earl Stonham, then to Felixstowe before moving to stay with their niece Jessie Tagg in Oxford. Written when she was 85, you can read Jessie Tagg’s memories of life at Columbine Hall.
In Ena Carter’s notes she queries whether the fields named in the tithe apportionments as Well Pightle (tm374), Little Park (tm375) and Dovehouse Pightle (tm 378) were the sites of an earlier dwelling. She adds that Little Park has 2 ponds and that a local resident Bob Allum (?) told her there were foundations seen there in 1940.
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20th century
In 1914 Columbine Hall farm and land was sold and for a time farmed by Henry Potter. In WW2 a school for training land army girls was set up, training around 40 girls (see images in trades and crafts)
We know not why but, in the 1945 rate book Columbyne is referred to as “Columbyne Circus”!
In the 1940s the hall was listed in the Town & County Planning Act 1947: Section 30, Buildings of Special Architectural Interest or Historic Crown Properties. Under the Civil Parish of Stowupland, 11/891 Columbine Hall owner: Ministry of Agriculture, fisheries and Food: occupier A. A. Rednall.
In the Christian calendar Rogation Sunday is the fifth Sunday after Easter when processions maybe held to give thanks for the produce of the land. This newspaper cutting was accompanied by a hand written note explaining that the sender had ‘cut this out of a magazine in the Navy League Club and have been showing it to my pals sho couldn’t beleive there was such a place as stowupland. Where are you?’ Unfortunately we don’t have any more details.
In 1947 this short history of Columbyne Hall was printed in the ‘Stowmarket Notebook’ as part of a longer piece on Stowupland. The author goes on to object to the ‘white unsightly bungalows standing in rows like railway carriages bewteen the the hall entrance drive and Thorney Green.’ (Columbine Bungalows and later Columbine Close were built on part of the Green).
In 1993 the Hall and 29 acres were bought by Hew and Leslie Stevenson
