The Manor of Bathwick was purchased by William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath (1684-1764) from the Earl of Essex in 1727 along with Wrington Estate near Weston super mare. Development of the Estate was gradual under its successive owners until the Countess of Bath, Henrietta Laura Pulteney (1766-1808), as owner from 1782 allowed an increasing number of building leases to be granted on the Estate. Building moved out to Bathwick Hill by 1810 and by 1840 most of the Estate was completed, however construction continued around Bathwick Hill well into the 1970s. On the death of the Countess the Estate passed to the first Duke of Cleveland Harry William Vane (1766-1842) and it was handed by the fourth Duke Harry George Vane Powlett (1803-1891) to its final owner captain Francis William Forester (1860-1942). Much of the estate was sold in 1919 and 1921, and in 1924 the Bathwick Estate Company was formed to manage the remaining properties, until it was liquidated in the early 1970s. See also Acc 36, 55, 82 and 103a.
