Bere Court And Bere House

The house was originally built in the 13th century as the manor house for Pangbourne. The only remaining parts of the original house are the medieval cellars. Pangbourne came under the control of the Abbots of Reading and the house became one of their main manors. In his role as Abbot of Reading, Hugh Faringdon was residing at Bere Court in 1539 when he was arrested for high treason during the dissolution of the monasteries, ostensibly for providing funds to rebels. While he was taken to the Tower of London, apparently his death sentence was passed without a formal trial, and he was hanged, drawn, and quartered in the courtyard of Reading Abbey on 14 November 1539. In 1613 the house was…