The Arboretum - Provided by John Wright
The Arboretum land has an interesting history. It was known as the Knowle and was one of the areas of dispute in 1797 between Sir Christopher Willoughby (Marsh) and Queen’s College Toot over the boundaries of the two manors and their respective common rights.
In this instance the magistrate ruled in favour of Queen’s, in that he confirmed the Knowle was part of Toot Baldon Manor and forbade Willoughby from enclosing any further land there.
Later, the Knowle was acquired by the Harcourt estate and in 1833-34 was laid out as an arboretum by William Sawyer Gilpin for Edward Vernon Harcourt, Archbishop of York for 40 years from 1807-1847. The Archbishop was born into the Vernon family but took the additional name of Harcourt after inheriting the Harcourt estates through his mother’s side of the family on the death of his cousin Field Marshal Earl Harcourt.
He declined renewal of the Harcourt peerage, not wishing to be fettered in his parliamentary votes.
Acknowledgments Victoria County History