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Note: To compensate for the loss of society at court during his years in exile, [Walter] Raleigh surrounded himself with a circle of relatives and friends. These included Thomas Harriot the explorer and mathematician who advised Raleigh on navigation, Dr Dee the astronomer, Laurence Keymis a friend and fellow explorer, Raleigh's brother Carew and his half-brother Adrian Gilbert, the chemist and explorer. This group of intellectuals spent hours at Sherborne, planning the voyages of exploration to America. - ?
In 1578, Raleigh and his brother Carew joined their half brother Sir Humphrey Gilbert in outfitting a heavily armed fleet, ostensibly for a
"voyage of discovery." Storms and desertions soon ended the project. - ?
MP for Downton 1603
'An old newspaper cutting':
When Queen Elizabeth Leased Downton Manor
Old Cuttings Reference: 03
Newspaper: Not Known
Date: Unknown, approx. 1960
Wessex Notebook by Gordon Sewell
Sir Walter had already been rewarded by the Sovereign with Sherborne Castle. But his elder brother, Sir Carew Raleigh, was in need of a country seat, and so the Queen's "gift" of Downton was passed to him.
There he settled with his family and his mother in the latter part of Elizabeth's reign, acquiring not only the manor house, the parsonage farm and the great tithes, but also a large share of the borough tenements. He represented Downton in the parliament of 1603, and his descendants held the seat at various times throughout the 17th century.
Sir Carew made additions to the medieval rectory house, whose principal remains are the massive cellars and their bricked-over walls. The gables, chimneys and casements date from his day, as does the panelling in the hall or "great parlour." There is a local tradition that the improvements were timed to coincide with a visit from the Queen, and that the parson protested at so much extravagance. Her Majesty was displeased when she heard of the Clergyman's complaints and (so the story goes) answered them, like the Queen in "Alice," with the words "Off with his head."
It is not suggested that the Royal threat was actually carried out, but ever since then there has been a saying in Downton whenever the parson has been at odds with his parishioners: "Send for the red-headed Queen!"
Although Sir Walter never lived at Downton, he must have paid many visits to his brother and his mother at the manor house, and I think that it was there that an unknown genius painted the magnificent portrait of him which may be seen in the National Portrait Gallery.
This is what Aubrey had to say about it early in the 17th century: "In the great parlour at Downton, at Mr. Raleigh's is a good piece (an original) of Sir Walter, in a white satin doublet all embroidered with rich pearles, and a mighty rich chaine of great pearles about his neck. The old servants have told me that the pearles were near big as the painted ones.
Writing over 200 years later, Sir Richard Colt Hoare was able to report that the picture was still there, though it had "suffered from the repairs of some unskilled hands." Later in the 19th century, when the fortunes of the house had declined, one of the farmer tenants must have hidden the picture behind some panelling.
All trace of it was lost until 1880 when the tenant of that time found the picture and disposed of it to a Salisbury firm of estate agents. It was sold by them to the National Portrait Gallery for �100 and is today valued at many thousands.
Sir Carew Raleigh was buried at Downton in 1626. His second son, Gilbert, born there in 1608 became chaplain to Charles I and Dean of Wells, suffered imprisonment during the Civil War, and died at the hands of his jailer, a Wells shoemaker.
"During the Interregnum," Sir Richard Colt Hoare tells us, "the Raleighs, in all their branches appear to have suffered under the depression and suspicion common to the Royalists; but afterwards recovered their political influence here, and we find Sir Charles Raleigh was returned Member for Downton in 1685 and again in 1695."
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