The Webbs of Odstock

Description

The Webb family of Odstock, which is near Salisbury and of Canford in Dorset, has been described as among the richest commoner families of England. Eventually they owned property throughout the country, often as a result of marriage into other Catholic families. They originated in Poole and first became wealthy in Salisbury. They had homes in Northamptonshire and West Sussex as well as in Wiltshire and Dorset. Even so their story has often been overlooked. The story of the Webbs finishes after Catholic Emancipation and provides an unusually detailed insight into what was the effect of their Catholic faith on a colourful and devoted family from the split of Henry VIII from Rome until the comparative calm of the Victorian era.