Place Name
The Culford Estate, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, was purchased by Richard Benyon De Beauvoir, MP, philanthropist and High Sheriff of Berkshire, in 1824; two years after he inherited the De Beauvoir estate from his distant relative, the Reverend Peter De Beauvoir. Reputed to be worth over £7 million Benyon paid £230,000 for the 11,000-acre estate, which included the parishes of Culford, Ingham, Timworth, West Stow and Wordwell. Richard Benyon De Beauvoir (who adopted his benefactor’s name) named many of the new roads that were being developed around here after family connections and his interests elsewhere. He bought the Culford Estate from Louisa, Marchioness Cornwallis, widow of Charles, 2nd Marquis Cornwallis. His land agent was Robert Todd and his head gardener was William Armstrong and these two men dealt with day-to-day work on the estate, particularly when he was not in residence. New flint and brick estate workers’ cottages were under construction at Culford, as can be seen in letters between Richard Benyon de Beauvoir and Robert Todd. The dwellings won an award for their sensible design; they still stand along Main Road, Culford, today, surrounded by their large gardens. But it wasn’t all good news for the villagers, in December 1840 Benyon ordered the closure of the local pub The White Hart, (now known as Benyon Lodge) because he regarded it as “a scene of moral debauchery”.
