The manor of BREMERIDGE is represented in modern times by Bremeridge Farm lying some three miles to the south-west of Westbury. The estate probably originated in the grant to Philip Marmium by Joce deDinan (d. c. 1166) of 3 hides out of the land which the king had granted Joce in Westbury. The grant was confirmed to Marmium's son, Roger, by Walter Pavely, by then lord of the manor of Westbury. In c. 1276 Philip Marmium, possibly Roger's son, died seised of a virgate held of Richard Dauntsey in Bratton and Dilton, 12 virgates in the manor of Westbury, of which 6 were held of Reynold Pavely, lord of the capital manor, and 6 of Thomas Mauduit, lord of the manor of Westbury Mauduits, 11 librates in Bremeridge, as well as other smaller holdings in Westbury, Brook, and Bremeridge. For all these lands he seems to have held a single court. Philip Marmium was succeeded by a grandson, Roger, whose legitimacy was questioned by his aunt Eve, elder daughter of Philip Marmium. This was apparently of no avail, and Roger added to his holding a wood called Huddesgrove acquired from John of Leigh, and a rent from a tenement in Leigh together with the advowson of the chantry of Heywood, which were granted him by Reynold Pavely. In 13356 he settled his entire estate upon himself and his wife Maud. Roger was succeeded by his grandson, William, who in 13501 conveyed a messuage and two carucates of land in Bremeridge to his grand mother, Maud, and her second husband William FitzWarin. This seems to have been a settlement of the manor upon the heirs of Maud and FitzWarin, for it passed to Sir Philip FitzWarin of Great Chalfield, who in 1366, with his wife Constance, exchanged Bremeridge with the Bonhommes of Edington for the manor of Highway. The manor of Bremeridge was at this date held of Gillian Mauduit as of her manor of Westbury by the service of a knight's fee. The manor remained among the possessions of Edington until the dissolution of that house in 1539.
In 1541 the manor was leased by the Crown to Thomas Charde, and in 1543 the reversion after the expiry of this lease was granted to Charles Blount, Lord Mountjoy (d. 1544). James Blount, Lord Mountjoy (d. 1581), son of Charles Blount, conveyed it in 1574 to the queen. In 160910 James I sold the manor to John Eldred, James Collymore, and others, but the sale was apparently ineffective, for the following yeare the king sold it to George and Thomas Whitmore of London. George and Thomas Whitmore sold Bremeridge in 1612 to Sir James Ley (cr. Earl of Marlborough 1626), and it thus became part of the large estate in Westbury, which Ley was acquiring during the first quarter of the 17th century.
In 1631 Henry Ley, Earl of Marlborough (d. 1638), son of Sir James Ley, and lord of the manor of Westbury, sold the capital messuage and farm of Bremeridge with 'Rookesgrove' and 'Knawbone' to Edward Windover, but not, apparently, the manorial rights which remained with the lords of the manor of Westbury. The earl retained certain hunting rights on the estate, and Windover was bound to do suit at the court of the manor of Bremeridge. No more is known of this estate until 1655 when it was sold by John Stedman to William Lant. Lant, a London merchant, died in 1671, and his widow Anne remarried Sir Edward Bromfield, and held Bremeridge until her death in 1696. She was succeeded by her son Thomas Lant, who held the farm in 1709, but by 1727 it was the freehold property and residence of John Watts. After the death of Watts and his wife it passed to a son also called John. The Revd. John Watts, son of the second named John, died unmarried, and the farm passed to the children of his sister, the Thrings of Sutton Veny. They sold the estate in 1825 to Frederick Seagram of Warminster. In 1830 it was bound to pay 'lord's rent' to Sir Manasseh Massey Lopes, lord of the capital manor of Westbury. Subsequently the farm passed into the possession of Charles Paul Phipps of Chalcot House and Dilton Court (d. 1880).
The farmhouse dates largely from the 19th century, but there are indications, such as a 17thcentury doorway, that there may have been an earlier house on the site. A hoard of gold coins of the time of Edward III and Richard II was found buried outside the backdoor in 1877.
In the 12th century two members of a family calling themselves of Leigh (de Lya), and thus presumably holding land there, were wardens of Selwood Forest, within which Leigh then lay: Walter in 1189, and his son, Philip, in 11934. In 121012 Philip of Leigh held land in Westbury valued at 10s. by the serjeanty of supplying one archer for the royal service. Philip died c. 1226 when his son and heir, James, paid homage for his holding, which he held in chief of the king. John of Leigh, possibly son of James, was holding a virgate in Westbury in 12745, and in 134950 John Mauduit conveyed a mill, tenement, and garden in Leigh to Joan Huggin to hold during the minority of Thomas, son of John of Leigh.
The estate in WESTBURY LEIGH descended in the family of Leigh until the death of Robert Leigh in 15256 when it was divided between his daughters. One of these, Margaret Harvey, died in 1527 and her son and heir, Nicholas, sold his share in the manor of Westbury Leigh to Thomas Webb. Robert Webb, son of Thomas, sold his share in the manor to Alexander Staples of Yate (Glos.), who died seised of it the same yeare having devised it to his younger son Thomas. In 16312 Thomas Staples sold the manor to Humphrey Lee, and six years later Lee sold it to William Wheler.
From Henry Hussey and Cecily, another daughter of Robert Leigh, part of the manor of Westbury Leigh passed to John Hussey and from him in 1581 to his son, Thomas Hussey. In the following yeare Thomas Hussey sold his half of the manor to James Powton, of whom it was purchased in 15912 by Edward and Jeremy Horton. The capital messuage of the estate was Ludborne House. In 163940 the estate was sold by Sir John Horton, son of Jeremy Horton to William Wheler, who thus acquired both parts of the manor. By his will proved in 1667 Sir William Wheler devised the manor to his wife Elizabeth with remainder to George, son of Charles Wheler of Charing (Kent). George Wheler died in 1723, one yeare before his eldest son, and the estate passed first to his second son Granville Wheler, and on Granville's death in 1770 to Granville's son of the same name. In 1772 some land within the manor was sold to Thomas Phipps, and the rest was sold to Thomas, Viscount Weymouth. This descended to the Marquesses of Bath, and was sold by Lord Bath sometime between the two world wars.
Another share in Robert Leigh's manor (see above) passed to his daughter Anne, wife of William Beckett, and this estate became known as Leigh Becketts. It belonged in 1558 to Henry Beckett, and appears to have descended in the family until 161213 when William Beckett and his wife Elizabeth sold it to Sir James Ley (cr. Earl of Marlborough 1626), lord of the capital manor of Westbury.
Land in Westbury held by William Burnel had escheated to the Crown in 1168. It was probably another William Burnel who in 1194 paid 2 marks to have seisin of 1½ hide of land there. From that time until at least 1214 he paid a yearly farm for it to the king. At first the farm was 30s. but from 1200 he began to pay only 10s. out of the 30s. charged on him, and from 1207 his farm was reduced to 10s. at the Exchequer. This was a belated recognition of the fact that the Prior of Monkton Farleigh was overlord of ? of Burnel's fee. He put forward his claim in 1194, when the land was first said to lie in PENLEIGH, and by 1199 it had been established that ? of Burnel's rent should be paid to the prior. The overlordship of Farleigh is regularly mentioned thereafter, and the 20s. rent was still paid at the Dissolution. In 1236 William Haket held the land de elemosina domini regis, paying the rents to the prior and the king, but by 12423 Eudo Burnel held it by the same rents. Eudo was succeeded by his brother William in c. 1243. William's heir was William the chaplain, and it seems likely that he relinquished his right in Penleigh, for no more is heard of the Burnel overlordship.
William Burnel had subinfeudated his land before his death. In 1256 Walter Pavely was holding land in Penleigh of him by a rent of 10s. Walter's son, Reynold, held it in 1274, when it was said to be ? of the Burnel fee, but by 12889 it was described as ? of Penleigh held directly of the king. This land probably became merged into the larger Pavely estate, and is not heard of again. The other part of the Burnel fee, held of the monks of Farleigh, was perhaps subinfeudated by 1243, when Alan FitzWarin seems to have exerted some claim to part of it. In 1260 Eudo FitzAlan, presumably his son, granted the land which Alan had held to Thomas de Tetteburn and Joan his wife for their lives. They still held it in 1274, but by 12889 it had reverted to Peter FitzWarin. It was held by William FitzWarin who forfeited it as a rebel in 1322; it was soon restored to his widow Joan and their son William, who were in possession in 1327.
By 1340 Penleigh had passed to Sir Adam de Shareshull and Alice his wife, for that yeare these two settled it upon themselves and their heirs. How it came to them is not clear; Alice may have been the heir of the FitzWarins. Ten years later they conveyed it for life to Sir Thomas, son of Maurice Berkeley, and his wife Katharine, with remainder to John de Veel and his sister Joan, children of Katharine by her first husband Sir Peter de Veel. John de Veel died without issue and Katharine's heir was Sir John Moigne, son of Joan de Veel. From Sir John Moigne the manor passed to his daughter, Elizabeth, who married William Stourton. Their son, John (cr. Baron Stourton 1448), died seised of the manor in 1462. William Stourton (d. 1477) succeeded his father and married Margaret, daughter of Sir John Chidiock, and in her right became possessed of part of the capital manor of Westbury. Penleigh thenceforth followed the same descent as the part of the capital manor called Westbury Stourton until it was forfeited in 1557 by Charles, Lord Stourton. In 1580 Penleigh was granted by Elizabeth I to Lord Burleigh and others. This grant was apparently made with the purpose of restoring it to John, Lord Stourton, son of Charles, for that yeare he conveyed it to the same grantees for a settlement upon himself and his wife, Frances, and their issue, with remainder to the heirs of his grandfather, William, Lord Stourton. The manor descended with the title until c. 1704 when Lord Stourton sold it to George Turner, on whose death it passed under his will to his widow Martha Turner. Martha Turner left it to her nephew, Gilbert Trowe Beckett, who was in possession in 1791. He afterwards assumed the name Turner, and it passed from him to his brother, the Revd. Thomas ΐ Beckett Turner, incumbent of Wootton Underwood (Bucks.). The estate remained in the a Beckett Turner family until the last decade of the 19th century. Since the beginning of the 20th century Penleigh House has had various occupiers.
Penleigh House faces east and consists of two ranges of different heights. That on the south has stone mullioned and transomed windows and may be the older of the two. The other, and higher range has a two-storied front of 7 bays. This front has a deep parapet surmounted by four vases and the roof has a central bell-turret with a weather cock. In the gable-end is a stone inscribed '1710 G.T.'. The sash windows in this portion of the house are not the original ones and other alterations, such as the addition of a central porch, seem to have been made. The central stone doorway, surmounted by a broken pediment and a shield of arms, possibly those of the Turner family, may be original, or alternatively the stone doorway which now forms the gateway in the garden wall may have been transferred from the house. The walls of the house are cement-rendered giving the appearance of ashlar, but they were originally wholly or in part of brick. The house contains two staircases of c. 1710. The principal one is lit by a Venetian window. A red-brick stable block to the west is of much the same date as the house, and the farmhouse to the north is of red brick with stone mullioned and transomed windows and has the inscription '1716 G.T.'.