During the trials and tribulations of purchasing Sistine Manor in 1996, the vendor decided to spring another surprise on us. The surprise was that Sistine had an aristocratic heritage intertwined with affairs and deceit. To start we now drag you back to the 18th century. Sistine Manor was formally known as Stoke Green Farm and Homestead as part of the Godolphin Estate. This was bought by Henry Godolphin, father of the 2nd Earl of Godolphin in 1718, whom also owned the neighbouring village of Farnham Royal.
On his death in 1785 the family estate descended to the Marquess of Carmarthen (5th Duke of Leeds) through his mother Mary, daughter of the 2nd Earl of Godolphin who married the 4th Duke of Leeds, Thomas Osborne. The 5th Duke of Leeds was educated at Westminster School and Christchurch, Oxford. This Duke was also the Marquess of Carmarthen and this title carried on with the property to the 12th Duke of Leeds who passed away in 1964.
Now what we found is that Sistine was built for the 5th Duke of Leeds and his new wife, Lady Amelia Darcy, in 1774 as their country residence. The 5th Duke was at the Houses of Parliament at the time and was to find his way as a member of the House of Lords in 1777. At this time the 5th Duke and Lady Amelia had two sons and a daughter, but the marriage ended in scandal in December 1778 when the Marchioness ran off with a Captain John ‘Mad Jack’ Byron (d.1791) whom would come visit when the 5th Duke was away. Captain Byron later fathered the fabled poet, Byron, in a subsequent marriage.
The 5th Duke of Leeds was a politician and had a very colourful career; he served as the foreign security under William Pitt, was Leader of The House of Lords and ambassador to France. The Duke was known to have excessive feelings of grandeur and his vanity had long been a standing joke in the society. Thomas Jefferson, President of the newly independent USA, complained formally about the 5th Duke’s obtrusive attitude when he was foreign security. The 5th Duke died on January 31st 1799 at home from Erysipelas (bacterial skin infection) and the property passed to his son, the 6th Duke. The 6th Duke took up residence in Sistine till his role as Guvnor of Scilly, off Cornwall, not Italy.
Over time the property passed down the subsequent Duke of Leeds all of whom where involved in Parliament (either as an MP – 7th Duke, or House of Lords). Apparently, the younger brother of the 8th Duke of Leeds, Lord Sydney Godolphin Osbourne was made a Rector of Stoke Poges in Buckinghamshire in 1832, he was known to be a divine man who championed early women’s rights, sanitation, free trade and education. In 1899, now in the hands of the 9th Duke, Sistine was mortgaged three times for the amount of £60,000, £4,000 & £3,000 by Law Life Assurance Society.
Sadly, when the 12th Duke of Leeds passed away in 1963, the titles associated with Sistine Manor became extinct due to no male to issue too. The 12th Duke played a heroes role in WWII helping to conceal 4000 escapees, 3925 of which survived the war.
For those of you connected to Sistine Manor I hope you enjoy the ambience when visiting and remember those who resided and walked through the rooms over the course of the life of Sistine.
Feel free to contact us with any queries you may have and we will be sure someone gets back to you
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