Cheney (Cheyne), Lord Henry

People > Cheney, Lord Henry

Born on the 31st May 1540, Henry was the second son of Thomas Cheney and his wife Anne, the daughter of John Broughton of Toddington. Their first son had died and Henry had became heir.

Henry inherited a great deal of property in Kent from his father but preferred his mothers county of Bedfordshire and gradually sold off much of his Kent estates to fund his building in Toddington.

Toddington Manor was built in 1560. It was a very grand house with four turrets built round an inner courtyard. It had a chapel and indoor tennis court. The gardens and grounds were extensive even for the times. The manor is said to have been nicknamed "Cheneys Palace" and he lavishly entertained Queen Elizabeth I and her court here both in 1563 and in 1573.

Henry was Justice of Kent in 1562 and MP 1562 - 1567.  He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1563, became Justice of Bedfordshire in 1572 and Sheriff of Kent in 1574.  He was made Lord Cheney of Toddington in 1578. He was one of the peers at the trial of Mary Queen of Scots in 1587.

Henry died on the 3rd September 1587 without heirs and so was the first and last Lord Cheney.

Henrys widow Lady Joan (nee Wentworth) had a monument made to him and an alabaster tomb which stands in St Georges Church in Toddington.  She lived on at Toddington Manor for 27 years after he died and the estate later passed to her great-nephew Thomas Wentworth.

Sources:

• Mee, Arthur, The Kings England Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire, 1973
• Pevsner, Nikolaus, The Buildings of England, Bedfordshire Huntington and Peterborough. 1968
• www.thepeerage.com

Page last updated: 28th January 2014