HENDRIK FRANS DE CORT (ANTWERP 1742-1810 LONDON)

Cowdray House in Midhurst, Sussex, was begun by Sir David Owen (c. 1459-1535), likely the illegitimate son of Henry VII's grandfather. The property was subsequently sold by Sir David's son, Henry, to Sir William Fitzwilliam (c. 1490-1542), Lord High Admiral of England and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal, who continued work on the building. Upon his death, the house passed to Sir Anthony Browne (c. 1500-1548), in whose family it remained until the property was sold to the Earls of Egmont. A fire gutted the Tudor mansion while it underwent substantial renovations in 1793, likely providing a terminus ante quem for the present view. The 8th Earl of Egmont sold the property in 1909 to Sir Weetman Dickinson Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray, who worked to preserve and stabilize the ruins of the Tudor building. The ruins were again restored in 2007 and are managed by the Cowdray Heritage Trust.