Ashridge began its seven centuries of history as a monastery, first established by Edmund of Cornwall, nephew of Henry III, as the College of Bonhommes in 1283. As such, it became a place of pilgrimage, then, following the Dissolution, a royal home, used by the young Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth I). From 1604 to 1848 the Egertons owned the vast estate straddling the Hertfordshire-Buckinghamshire border, including the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, Francis, pioneer of inland navigation.