The history of Lewtrenchard Manor is rich and extensive. Mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086AD as a Royal manor owned by Roger de Moles, the property passed into the possession of the Trenchard family during the reign of Henry III. Silver coins from this time have been found in the walls and below the floors of the house. The Monks of Potheridge later owned the property but during the reign of James I, Sir Thomas Monk fell into financial difficulties and was put into a debtors’ prison in Exeter. He sold the estate to Henry Gould in 1626 and the Manor stayed within this family for many generations. Over the years, Lewtrenchard Manor became the home of some rather colourful members of the Gould family, some of whom are depicted in the portraits displayed in the house.
In the 19th Century, the Reverend Sabine Baring Gould, an author and poet who famously wrote the hymn Onward Christian Soldiers, inherited the property. It was he who transformed the house to the wonderful manor it is today.
In 1949, the Paynter family opened it as a hotel, as it remains to this day. In 1988, Sue and James Murray and their young family made Lewtrenchard their home and created the hotel it is today. The hotel now owned once again by the Murray family, after 9 years away, Lewtrenchard Manor continues to impress and inspire its guests.
