History

A Legacy that Begins in the 10th Century

The Cranborne Estate traces its origins to the 900s, with the founding of a Benedictine monastery. Nearby Cranborne Manor, still home to the Cecil family, evolved from a royal hunting lodge into a centre of political life. Acquired in the early 1600s by Robert Cecil, First Minister to Elizabeth I and James I, the Manor has remained with the family ever since, its influence shaping British history, including one descendant elected for three terms as Prime Minister under Queen Victoria.

The Birth of Cranborne Lodge

Cranborne Lodge was built around 1730 by Samuel Stillingfleet and his wife Mary, who transformed the site into an elegant country home. Expanded in the 1750s with two grand wings, the house took on its distinctive symmetrical form.

Over the centuries, the Lodge passed through the hands of several notable families, including the Erle-Draxes and the Tregonwells. By the late 19th century, it returned to the Cecil family, where it has remained, serving at different times as a private home, a wartime billet, and even a school.

A Home with History

Through peace and war, Cranborne Lodge has stood with quiet resilience. Requisitioned during WWII, it became home to the previous Viscount and Viscountess Cranborne and their five children in the 1980s. Upon the death of his father in 2003, the Viscount became the seventh Marquess of Salisbury and resides in the family seat of the prestigious Hatfield House, given by King James I to Robert Cecil, the first Earl of Salisbury in 1607.

Hatfield House is strongly linked to famous figures in history and Elizabeth spent a happy childhood here as a young princess.  In 1558, she was sitting under an oak tree in the Park when she learnt of her accession to the throne of England.

The current Viscount, Robert Edward (Ned) William Gascoyne-Cecil inherited Cranborne Manor and lives there with his wife and young children.