By the mid-eighteenth century the mediaeval concept of Lords of the Manor changed. No longer was the importance of the village rooted solely in agricultural land and a tight knit group of feudal families. The increasing prosperity of England gave rise to a new order of gentry with abundant money to bestow upon their estates.
The village of Tong in Shropshire exemplifies this trend in as stark a fashion as possible. George Durant, who made it rich in the West Indies, buys the estate from the Duke of Kingston and makes his mark by rebuilding the Castle in a grand and bizarre style.
Chapter 3 uses newly available material to shows how George Durant came to his fortune and how it was spent at Tong.
George Durant led a remarkable life, as a young man he became infatuated with Elizabeth Lyttleton the second wife of George Lyttleton, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The scandal was noted by his brother in a letter:
“This affair has now got wind and all town talk of it; report you may suppose has exaggerated the circumstances and 'tis generally said her ladyship was caught abed with the young man… her infernal temper has left her so few friends that I don't hear of a single person who speaks in her favour, or that abuses Sir George or his family for the part he has taken. On the contrary, his enemies ascribe great merit to him for his behaviour in this delicate business. ”
To escape the scandal George Durant was dispatched as Paymaster to the British troops in the expedition to Guadeloupe. From his diaries we read vivid accounts of the Battle of Guadelope (1758) :
“He reported that in the engagement, 150 troops were killed, and 200 wounded. He was appalled at the destruction, and when he landed, two days later,
the whole town was deserted. The pavements were hot from burning sugar and liquor.
He went into a church, not as badly destroyed as the other buildings. The description is vivid:
'It was covered with Rubbish & left in the utmost Disorder. The isles were full of Trophies & relicks, the pews were every where scattered with beads and
Books; the vestries on each side of the Chancel were a foot deep in papers, prayer Books, Musick, was lights, massive Candlsticks & ten thousand nameless
trinkets & all within the communion rails was crowded with those gaudy trifles which are held most sacred; so it was impossible to stir a Step without trampling
on the Blessed Virgin Mary or kicking before you a wooden apostle or a maimed crucified Jesus.'
”
On his return trip to the Indies in 1762 he took part in the Battle of Havana, George Durant amassed a large personal fortune.
“The city capitulated on 14th August, and a large amount of booty was taken. It was from this venture that George Durant returned a very rich man with over £300,000. (The equivalent today would be around £15 million)”
The purchase of Tong was subject to considerable negotiation and haggling. George Durant despite his fortune drove down the purchase price, commenting on the poor state of Tong Castle he writes:
“'The Castle and the grounds are in a miserable state of repair. The rain is coming in through the leads and in need of re-roofing.'
Similarly the walled garden was collapsing, and many of the farms were in a poor state with broken fences. Some had not been occupied for a long
time. Other correspondence revealed the truth of this and the fact that the wall of the mill had fallen down.
”
After purchasing the lease on the estate he set about building a mansion in the latest 'Moroccan' fashion with extensive landscaping based on
plans drawn up by 'Capability Brown'
.
George Durant's Castle at Tong in 1789
Copyright © 2007, 2008 Discovering Tong
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