Gazetteer of
British Place Names

Penfound Manor is a mediæval house near Poundstock, Cornwall. The house is built round a large mediæval hall whose roof has collar-beams on arched braces. It is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited manor house in Britain. While it has Saxon origins, the current building dates from the mediæval period, with later Tudor and 17th century additions. The manor belonged to Edith of Wessex, wife of Edward the Confessor. After the Norman Conquest, it was given to William the Conqueror's half-brother, Robert, Earl of Mortain, who owned 248 manors in Cornwall. The Penfound family took their name from the manor and owned it for approximately 600 years, from the 12th to the 18th century. The oldest surviving parts of the current house, such as the mediæval hall with its arched-brace roof, date to the 15th century. During the English Civil War, the Penfound family supported the Royalist cause. And in the following century, the Penfound family lost the estate after supporting the failed Jacobite uprising of 1715. In the mid 20th century the house was open to the public but later become a private home. It is within the council area of Cornwall.
Historic England Grade II* Listed 1328570.

Place Type: Mediæval House
Historic County: Cornwall
Lat, Long: 50.769815,-4.5243072
Grid Reference: SX 2209 9973
Civil Parish: Poundstock CP
Council Area: Cornwall CA
Police Area: Devon and Cornwall PA

GBPN ID: 303757
Entry Type: Main listing (P)
URL: https://gazetteer.org.uk/place/Penfound_Manor,_Cornwall_303757

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