Heytham Abbey
Heytham Abbey is a fictional place, allegedly built by a crusader, which dates its construction to somewhere between the late eleventh and thirteenth centuries. The fact that the building is titled "Abbey" suggests that it was once a church, which would mean that it was sold and converted into a manor house following Henry VIII's "Dissolution of the Monasteries" during 1536-1541 (for a historical example of this, compare Buckland Abbey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckland_Abbey]). The Ferris family was granted Heytham Abbey by Charles II (meaning the family line it was originally granted to must have expired), and they have held this
Regarding Heytham Abbey and The Barons of Seymour
However, the title of "Lord Seymour" was in use at the time by the Dukes of Somerset. It could be that in the Temeraire universe, the Ferris family became the Lords of Seymour, but since they are not in Somerset but in nearby Weymouth, it is more likely that they are a branch of the Seymour family that has a new title to distinguish the two.
