Faith in the family of A la Ronde

In June, to celebrate the strong religious tradition linked to the owners of A la Ronde, the National Trust team will be focusing on the twelve bibles in the collection at the quirky sixteen-sided house.

Each bible has an inscription and, through these, part of the Parminter family tree can be traced back to 1743.

Many of the Parminters were dissenters who opposed state interference in religious matters, including the last owners, cousins Jane and Mary Parminter, who were both non-conformists.

The grandfather of Jane Parminter was the minister of a non-conformist congregation in Barnstaple; as was a cousin of Mary, the Reverend Samuel Lavington, at Bideford.

With the completion of A la Ronde, Jane and Mary Parminter had the small chapel of Point-in-View built nearby. It was licensed for worship in 1812 and one of its rooms was also used as a school. It is now owned by the Mary Parminter Trust.

Emma Kay, Visitor Experience Manager, said: “Religion is a strong theme throughout the house and original estate of A la Ronde. The Point-in-View Chapel was not only built by Jane and Mary, it was also where they were both interred. We are really pleased to be able to show more information to our visitors about the family bibles and their inscriptions.”

Next month, the team will be focussing on the musical instruments of the house.