Rediscovering Rycote

John Leland (c.1503-1552) was an antiquarian who during the first half of the sixteenth century travelled England compiling a topographical history of the places he visited which he titled his 'Itinerary'. Leland's description of Rycote is the earliest known history of both the house and its owners. Whilst Leland's description is largely accurate, he is incorrect in naming Richard Fowler's father as Thomas. According to Somerville's History of the Duchy of Lancaster, the only fifteenth-century Fowler to have been Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster was a Sir Richard Fowler (Somerville, Duchy, p. 391).