House & Family History: Archbishop William Warham rebuilt Dinton Hall in the late 15th century, leaving the basic outline as seen today. Warham was consecrated bishop of London in 1502 and became lord chancellor and archbishop of Canterbury in 1504. In possibly his most famous act, he presided over the wedding of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon in 1509. During the Civil War Dinton was the seat of Simon Mayne, MP for Aylesbury, enthusiastic Parliamentarian, and friend of Oliver Cromwell. Mayne was one of the men who signed the death warrant of Charles I, which meant he was in danger after the Restoration, when Charles II came to the throne and hunted down those who were responsible for the execution of his father. Mayne was arrested at Dinton, tried, sentenced to death, and sent to the Tower of London, where he became ill and died in April of 1661. The house still contains the sword given to Cromwell by Mayne after 1642’s Battle of Edgehill. In May of 2021 Dinton Hall, together with 46 acres, was listed for sale for £15 million.
Garden & Outbuildings: Dinton Castle, an 18th century Grade II* folly (see "Access" section for website) is available for holiday stays. Today in separate ownership from the house, the folly was originally part of the Dinton Hall Estate; it was built by Sir John Vanhattem in the 1760s and was designed for use as a banqueting house and museum for Sir John's mineral collection. After Sir John's death in 1787 the folly was allowed to fall into decay; by the mid-20th century it had become well known as a romantic ruin through Shell, who promoted its image in posters, and by artists like John Piper, who produced lithographs of the folly in 1983. The sad little building continued its journey into total ruin until 2016, when the Spanish architect Jaime Fernandez purchased the folly and converted it into a family home. (We are most grateful to The Folly Flâneuse for much of this history of Dinton Castle.)
Chapel & Church: Next to the house is the 13th century parish church of Saints Peter and Paul.
John Bernard (J.B.) Burke, published under the title of A Visitation of the Seats and Arms of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland, among other titles: Vol. II, p. 236, 1853.
House Listed: Grade II*
Park Listed: Not Listed
Past Seat / Home of: Archbishop William Warham, 16th century. Simon Mayne Sr., 1604-17; Simon Mayne Jr., 1617-61; Mayne family here until 1727. Sir John Vanhattem, until 1787. The Rev. William Goodall, late 18th century; Goodall family here until circa 1925. Sir William Currie, early 20th century; Currie family here until the 1990s. Richard Vanbergen, 1999-2021.
Current Ownership Type: Individual / Family Trust
Primary Current Ownership Use: Private Home
House Open to Public: No
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.dintoncastle.com/
Historic Houses Member: No