Tynton

Cadw's description

Location

Reached up a steep lane from the main road, on the N edge of the village and E side of the valley.

History

Probably a late C17 house. Dr Richard Price, the internationally eminent philosopher, was born here in 1723. He was trained at Non-Conformist academies and in 1740s became a chaplain in London; throughout his life he was a Unitarian preacher. As a writer he is known for works on morality, politics and economics. On morals he published in 1757 "Review of the Principal Questions in Morals" where he expounded on right and wrong, good and evil. His involvement in finance began with setting out the principles upon which life assurance could be calculated and in 1762 he was a founder member of the Equitable Life Assurance Society. In 1771 he published on the subject of the National Debt, influencing Pitt in reviving the Sinking Fund. Price's most dramatic move into politics came with the American War of Independence. In 1776 he published "Observation on the Nature of Civil Liberty" which declared that every nation had a right to govern itself. It is believed that this was a major factor in the American decision to declare Independence and it earned him in 1781 an Honorary Doctorate of Law at Yale University in sole company with George Washington; he was even invited to move to America to reform the finances of the States. In Britain when Lord Shelburne became Prime Minister in 1782, Price was invited to be his Private Secretary but declined. He became deeply involved in the French Revolution - a revolution "that shakes the foundations of despotic power"; his writings on America were translated into French by Mirabeau and on Price's death in 1791 the Club of Jacobins in Paris went into mourning. His portrait by Benjamin West hangs in the Royal Society,London.

Exterior

Two storey C17 house with alterations; plan form changed by blocking of central entrance. Three window cement rendered front mostly with horned sash windows and cambered brick voussoirs; boarded up window to centre where door was and boarded door extreme right, opening onto small lobby behind chimney breast; C20 window to ground floor left. Slate and corrugated roof with rubble chimney stacks, that to right set in from gable end. Asymmetrical rubble right gable end due to deep continuous lean-to with cat-slide corrugated roof which extends across 2/3rds of rear; set back near corner with left hand gable end; outshut has 2 small segmental arched windows and separate stack.

Interior

Internally there is said to be a winding stone stairs at left end (blocked up) and a timber stairs at opposite end. Boarded doors; false ceilings conceal beams. Segmental arched cellars. In poor condition at time of original inspection in 1990 when access to first floor and roof not possible and further deteriorated since.

Reason for designation

Listed as a largely intact vernacular farmhouse and because of the documented historical associations with Dr Richard Price.