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Dartington was first mentioned as a Saxon farm “suitable for a lady of substance”. Taken by the Normans and tossed around among minor nobles, it settled with the Holands, who built the Great Hall in the late 14th century. As a family they had a reputation for jousting, and the restored tiltyard terraces, the heart of Dartington’s garden, are a treasured feature. In 1559, the year Elizabeth I was crowned, the Champernowne family acquired the estate and Dartington settled into obscurity and peace, which lasted through 11 generations until Arthur Champernowne sold the Hall and almost 1,000 acres to the Elmhirsts.