Brief History of Cawston
(1961-2002)
There is little evidence of Roman occupation apart from the remains of a Roman road south of Cawston Heath, and the sites of at least two villas. Roman pottery kilns have been found at Hevingham and Buxton, to the south of the College. The name Cawston probably originated in the Dark Ages in the 8th and 9th centuries. The area was settled by Scandinavians, whose leading family was called Kalf, hence Kalf Tun, meaning the homestead of Kalf. The name has changed several times and appears as Caupstuna and Causton. The Royal Manor of Cawston dates to before Domesday Book of 1086 and was bestowed by the King from time to time on a relative or supporter for faithful service. It would usually revert to the Crown. King Harold was Lord of the Manor at the time of the Norman Conquest. William, brother of Henry II farmed the area and, later, King John granted it to Hubert de Burgh. In 1263, Henry II granted a charter to John de Burgh for a weekly market and a fair on St Remigius’ Day, October 1st. A second annual fair was held on January 21st the Feast of St Agnes, the licence being granted by Edward I who visited Cawston in 1294 and hunted in the district. In 1285 the King assigned it to Queen Eleanor, while in later years the ‘Borough’ of Cawston was granted to Roger Bigot or Bigod, Earl of Norfolk.
In the early 14th century the Manor was lent to Davide de Strabolgi, Earl of Atholl, made landless as a result of his revolt against Robert Bruce. Around 1330 the Manor was settled on the Queen Mother, Isabella. It passed to Sir Robert de Ufford, Earl of Suffolk and in 1386 Richard II bestowed Cawston on his Chancellor, Michael de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, a friend of John of Gaunt. He began the building of St Agnes church, with its 119 foot tower, in the village. He was killed in 1415 at Harfleur, France, and his son died the same year at Agincourt. The family held the Manor until 1525 when the then holder was killed at the Battle of Pavia. The property reverted to the Crown.
After a short tenure by the Earl of Kildare, Henry VIII bestowed it on Sir James Boleyn, a relative of Anne Boleyn, and Elizabeth his wife. Henry visited Blickling Hall to marry Anne, his second wife. On their death it passed to Elizabeth, the future Queen, daughter of Anne Boleyn. She granted it to Sir Thomas Gresham for a term. Anne was executed on 19th May 1536. It is said that at midnight on this date a coach drawn by four headless horses, driven by a headless coachman brings her ghost with severed head on her lap up to the door of Blickling Hall. She is buried in an unmarked grave in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul at Salle. Elizabeth, the last of the Tudor rulers, became queen in 1558. The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1587 gave Philip II of Spain the excuse he needed to invade England. In 1588 the Spanish Armada set sail for England but was defeated by the English fleet and the weather. During the reign of Elizabeth, England flourished and its literature was enriched by such as Edmund Spenser, Christopher Marlowe and Shakespeare. In 1610 James I bestowed the manor on his Attorney General, Sir Henry Hobart whose grandson sold it in 1672 to Erasmus Earle, Sergeant-at-Law to Oliver Cromwell. Augustus Earle who died in 1762 succeeded him. His heiress, Mary Earle, then married William Wiggett Bulwer.
George Cawston, an American stockbroker, bought the manorial rights from General Bulwer of Heydon in 1896, the year of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. He built a house in the Tudor style, including the stable block and the water tower to the north of the Aylsham-Cawston road. Many of the materials were sent by rail to Cawston Station and carted to the site by Marshall Howard of Cawston, who died in 1935 aged 62. A rail link had existed between London and Norwich from 1849. The house was superbly built with the best materials and workmanship. It was originally to be the service wing of a much larger house but the scheme was modified at an early stage. Sadly, in February 1901 his son Cecil, a Lieutenant in the XVIII Hussars, was killed in the Boer War. Local tradition says that, overcome by grief, his father had his son’s personal belongings carried out and buried in the grounds in a spot known as Peggy’s Garden, which is now arable land. Peggy was the daughter of a Mr Chetham. Cawston sold or leased the land to Mr Hargreaves, a pioneer motorist, who was succeeded in 1904 by Mr Frank Penn, who remained only two years. There is a modest memorial in Cawston cemetery, a Celtic cross in granite. The inscription is to George Cawston, born 13 February 1861, died 27 December 1918, and to his wife Mary Ellen, born 3 June 1852, died 8 September 1924. Thus Cawston would have been about 35 years of age when he built the manor house. His fortunes apparently changed and he was obliged to sell the house. The next owner was Mr James Cheetham, a Manchester cotton spinner who stayed until 1927.
During the First World War the manor house was used as a hospital for convalescent soldiers, staffed by ladies of the local Red Cross detachment with Mrs Cheetham as Commandant. The next owner, the Hon. J. J. Stourton, made the lake to the East of the Manor by damming the Mermaid, the stream that formed the parish foundation between Aylsham and Cawston. The lake was formed by building a dam across low-lying meadows known as the Docking Meadows that formed part of Docking Farm. The lake is now known as Stourton Water. The Mermaid has its source in the lake north of the Aylsham to Cawston Road. The smaller lake to the south of the house is probably an old and natural one, formerly known as Phillipo’s Lake. The bottom is formed of flint setts over clay.
From 1931 to 1934, Mr and Mrs Bell owned the property then sold it to Lt. Colonel Herbert McDougall. He was stranded in South Africa throughout most of the Second World War. He built the Japanese-style boathouse, based on a design by Cecil Upcher, in 1936.
In November 1986 the boathouse was burnt to the ground and was rebuilt to its original state from plans held by Richard Howard, the grandson of the first builder. The former pantile roof was replaced with thatch. At this time the lake was partially dredged and the north shore cleared.
McDougall farmed the land with cattle and sheep, ploughing the heath to grow cereals and root crops. This destroyed most of the heather. The manor was used as a hospital again to accommodate Melton Lodge Children’s Orthopaedic Hospital, which was evacuated from Great Yarmouth. McDougall and his Spanish wife left the property around 1966. Much of the house was divided into flats that were let, chiefly, to RAF tenants.
In 1963/64 the Woodard Foundation purchased the property, to be used as a Christian college for the sons of middle-class families. The West entrance was converted in 1978 for use as a Chapel for prayers and private meditation.
The first headmaster, John Asquith, retired in 1989 and was succeeded by Mr James Berry. Mr John Sutton followed him in about 1988 until, on his retirement, Mrs Barbara Harrison took over and stayed until the College closed in 1999.
The number of pupils at the school had fluctuated over the years, and the school had nearly closed in the 1970s. The governors warned the school community that the school may not survive - but the parents managed to quickly raise enough money to see the school through this short-term crisis.
The school changed it's nature over the years. A boarding house for girls, Elizabeth House, was established. A junior department, Asquith House, was also built up. A centre specialising in the needs of dyslexic pupils was set up and the school began to concentrate on providing a solid eduaction for those pupils who needed a smaller, more personal and friendly environment than could be provided in the state sector.
In 1999, however, the numbers had dropped again. This was due to two small year groups working their way through the school and two large year groups who were just leaving. The problems were increased when the school's bank managed to value the manor and grounds at less than circa 500,000 pounds, and called in their finance. (The same bank then closed many of it's rural branches, including the local branch at Reepham.) Without any prior warning, the governors suddenly announced the closure of the school, to take place at the end of the academic year.
Almost immediately, and without any advertising, it was announced that a Swiss buyer wanted the site for a "homeopathic healing centre". This buyer was willing to spend a million pounds to buy the site - 500,000 more than it was worth?
Once again, the school fought very hard for it's existence. The overseas buyer was approached about their purchase bid. They said that they were not aware that the school was a going concern, apologised, and left their bid on the table.
A consortium of local businesses approached the governors. They proposed to combine the school with an ICT training and conference centre. They were convinced that they could make the school a success. The governors appeared to agree, and several meetings were held where the consortium's plans for the future were made known to staff and parents.
Then, towards the end of the summer term, the governors suddenly said that they were not going to back this plan and that the school would close. Many people felt that the governors had been simply employing a delaying tactic - ensuring that no other attempt to save the school would be made.
Further attempts were, however, made to save the school. The consortium made a new proposal, with additional backing from many of the parents. Another local school stated an intention to relocate to the Cawston site, bringing a large cheque and all it's pupils with it. Each offer which would have kept the school open was rejected by the governors.
At the end of the summer term Cawston's pupils went home for the last time. At the final speach day a governor approached me and engaged me in conversation. He said that he felt it was unfair that the governors were being blamed for the closure, and that they had done all they could to save the school. He then asked me if I was an old boy or a parent. I had been a teacher and resident tutor at the school for three years at that time.
The manor and school buildings were then taken over by IFISH, a spiritualist study organistion. They spent about a year refurbishing the interior of the manor - and closing off the long-established public access to the site. After operating for less than two years they found that they could not afford to operate the site - and Cawston College closed again.
The College grounds include woods, the lake, which flows into the Mermaid, a tributary of the Bure, and a remnant of the once huge heath that spread from Horsford to Cromer. It is surrounded by pine forest, which is privately owned. Heaths originally supplied wood, heather, furze and turf as well as rabbits for the pot. Much of the woodland in the area is on former heathland, created when prehistoric Man lived in the area. There is evidence that prior to 1066, the area supported heavy forest cover. Cawston had a wood for around 1,500 swine and sizeable flocks of sheep on the heath. Charcoal was produced as well as staves for fencing.