American Colonies. However, his popularity might have been hit by both losing the colonies and through the introduction of a tax on cider. His involvement with the house was through marriage to Ann Speke. In a form of pre-nuptial agreement, both Ann’s and Lord North’s assets prior to marriage – land, property and cash – were put into trust. There were two trustees, one nominated by each of them. They were responsible for “ensuring fair play in the marriage”; an early form of preventative family therapy? The trustees were also required to ensure that the combined assets were passed on to their children. What was notable for that time, when trustees were nearly always men, was that Ann chose a female trustee, Ann Cornbe of Earnshill. Friendliness, as mentioned by Amy in our conversation,
is clearly a theme at Dillington. Catherine of Aragon stayed in the estate when she was on her way from Spain to marry Arthur, the eldest son of King Henry VII. It was a connection that became permanent, as one of the sons of the Speke family married one of Catherine’s ladies in waiting. Catherine was in many ways an interesting woman. She
lost her first husband, six months into marriage, when he died of the sweating sickness, a fatal illness that Catherine survived. She became the first female European ambassador (since classical times). She then persuaded the Pope to allow her to remarry her dead husband’s brother, by assuring everyone that the marriage hadn’t been consummated. This also suited King Henry VII as he didn’t have to repay the substantial dowry. She also became English regent and rallied troops, whilst pregnant, in the last battle where a British monarch was killed on British soil. “Chance and fate both ‘ fall’, one is contained in the meaning
of the other, with both meanings captured in the word destiny” (Larner, 1998) Dillington hasn’t always been a secure base for the family.
In the 17th century, George Speke, who was aligned with the protestant cause against the catholic King James II, was taken into custody when the Duke of Monmouth challenged for the throne. George Speke’s eldest two sons, John and Hugh joined Monmouth and led elements of his troops. When Monmouth lost, the sons f led abroad. The youngest son, Charles, hadn’t been involved at all in the whole affair, as he had been away at university in Cambridge. He had, however, had a previous handshake with Monmouth, and so suffered the fate of being tried and hanged. The lord chancellor Judge Jeffries’ justification was that: “The family owed a life”. Since 1950, Dillington House has been home to an adult-learning college, run by Somerset County Council.
The council took out a long lease on the premises and make them available for arts, crafts, music and many types of adult learning as well as a venue for conferences such as ours and for weddings. In a comment by the council towards the end of last year, in response to an anticipated six-figure loss for the financial year, a council spokesperson said: “Dillington House is a legacy asset, and not something that fits easily with a modern local authority” – a rather thin narrative description of such a rich historical venue. So, will there be the possibility of a Dillington Conference in 40 years’ time?
References Cameron, E.J.H. (2008) The History of the Dillington Estate. Retrieved Feb 8, 2020, from
https://www.seavingtonwebmuseum.org.uk/pdf/ THE_HISTORY_OF_DILLINGTON_ESTATE.pdf Larner, G. (1998) Through a glass darkly: Narrative as destiny. Theory and Psychology, 8: 549-572.
With a background in organisational consulting, Richard has over 30 years of experience working in cross cultural contexts with a variety of global organisations. He was drawn to systemic work and qualified as a family therapist at Exeter three years ago. He maintains a private family therapy practice, in Exeter and London, alongside his organisational work. Email:
richdsclarke99@gmail.com
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Context 170, August 2020
The Dillington conference – Family therapy learning jewel in the South West
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