Chequers

Chequers, or Chequers Court, is the country house of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. A 16th century manor house in origin, it is located near the village of Ellesborough, halfway between Princes Risborough and Wendover in Buckinghamshire, England, at the foot of the Chiltern Hills. It is about 65 km or 40 miles north west of central London. Coombe Hill, once part of the estate, is located 1 km north east. Chequers has been the country home of the Prime Minister since 1921. The house is listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England.

The name Chequers may derive from an early owner of the manor of Ellesborough in the 12th century, Elias Ostiarius (or de Scaccario). The name "Ostiarius" meant an usher of the Court of the Exchequer and scacchiera means a chess board in Italian. Elias Ostiarius' coat of arms included the chequer board of the Exchequer, so it is possible the estate is named after his arms and position at court. The house passed through generations of the De Scaccario family (spelt many different ways) until it seems to have passed into the D'Awtrey family, whose name was eventually anglicised to Hawtrey.

Another explanation sometimes offered is that the house is named after the chequer trees (Sorbus torminalis) that grow in its grounds. There is a reference to this in the book Elizabeth: Apprenticeship by David Starkey, which describes the early life of Elizabeth I.

William Hawtrey built the current mansion circa 1565, although this may have involved reconstruction of an earlier building. A reception room in the house bears his name today. Soon after its construction, Hawtrey acted as custodian at Chequers for Lady Mary Grey, younger sister of Lady Jane Grey and great granddaughter of King Henry VII. Lady Grey had married without her family's consent and was banished from court by Queen Elizabeth I and kept confined to ensure that she had no descendants. Lady Mary remained at Chequers for a period of two years. The room where she slept from 1565 to 1567 is still kept in its original condition.

...
Wikipedia