Starting to explore the history of this house, at first it appeared that for a very long time home name was "Caunes" (in some documents referred as well as “Caunas” - "martens" in Latvian) and only during the last Latvia’s independence the house acquired its present name "Caunītes". This is due to the fact that in one municipality cannot be estates with the same names, therefore "Caunes" were renamed as "Caunītes".
Hereafter, when writing about the estate’s history, the old name - "Caunes" – will be used.
We were not been able to find out the exact time the "Caunes" have been built for the first time. According to the archive documents the estate with this name in this has been well before the World War I. Further on the history of "Caunes" we were able to explore in more details as it is associated with Cenas Manor (Zennhof, Zehnhof) that was situated not far away and was burned down during the summer of 1906. In 1920 the last owners of the Cenas Manor, who acquired the manor in 1902 – Count Otto Keyserlingk and Countess Martha Keyserlingk (maiden name Brüggen; according to the documents she has been the owner of the manor) sold the Cenas Manor to George Bütte. In 1921, according to the agrarian reform, inalienable part of the Cenas Manor - 50 hectares of land - was allotted and measured out exactly in farmhouse "Caunes". Later, the new owner George Bütte found that no building intact survived in "Caunes" estate and wrote the request to the Minister of Agriculture to allot the inalienable part of the Manor in another place, with buildings.
Upon receiving a negative answer George Bütte wrote to the Minister a new request asking to increase the inalienable part of the Manor - 50 hectares - by 15 hectares of State Forest. All those requests were declined.
In 1924 the inalienable part of the Cenas Manor - farmhouse "Caunes" - was bought by Pauls Bendrups, son of Ansis (born in 1887 in Līvbērze parish - died in Australia in 1967).
Pauls Bendrups at that time was remarkable public person in Jelgava.
From 1920 he led the Jelgava deaf and dumb school, after May 15, 1934 he was also appointed as the Member of the Board of Jelgava town, was awarded by the Order of Three Stars. Pauls Bendrups himself with family lived in the town of Jelgava and "Caunes" estate was only partly managed by him - most of the estate was leased out.
However, it is clear that all existing buildings in the "Caunes" estate were built or refurbished (it is now difficult to determine whether the buildings at that time were also restored) during the ownership of Pauls Bendrups after 1924.
Also oaks around access road most likely are planted during the ownership time of Pauls Bendrups and nowadays they could be at least 90 years old.
During the Soviet era in house "Caunes" one of the last two tenants continued to reside. Then "Caunes" house changed owners twice until at the very beginning of 2012 only a small part of the former Cenas manor inalienable part we became in our property as country house "Caunītes". Now it’s our turn to restore, develop and take care of the property, so it is pleasing to both - ourselves and guests.
All renovation and construction works after 2012 are recorded in photographs that can be viewed during the visit of our country house.
Historic things that were found during construction are summarized in the collection.
The visitors who are interested in history could explore in more detail the history of “Caunes” house with all copies of the documents that we were able to get from the Latvian National Archives in relation to the inalienable part of the Cenas manor, "Caunes" house and their former owners.
You are welcome!
Hereafter, when writing about the estate’s history, the old name - "Caunes" – will be used.
We were not been able to find out the exact time the "Caunes" have been built for the first time. According to the archive documents the estate with this name in this has been well before the World War I. Further on the history of "Caunes" we were able to explore in more details as it is associated with Cenas Manor (Zennhof, Zehnhof) that was situated not far away and was burned down during the summer of 1906. In 1920 the last owners of the Cenas Manor, who acquired the manor in 1902 – Count Otto Keyserlingk and Countess Martha Keyserlingk (maiden name Brüggen; according to the documents she has been the owner of the manor) sold the Cenas Manor to George Bütte. In 1921, according to the agrarian reform, inalienable part of the Cenas Manor - 50 hectares of land - was allotted and measured out exactly in farmhouse "Caunes". Later, the new owner George Bütte found that no building intact survived in "Caunes" estate and wrote the request to the Minister of Agriculture to allot the inalienable part of the Manor in another place, with buildings.
Upon receiving a negative answer George Bütte wrote to the Minister a new request asking to increase the inalienable part of the Manor - 50 hectares - by 15 hectares of State Forest. All those requests were declined.
In 1924 the inalienable part of the Cenas Manor - farmhouse "Caunes" - was bought by Pauls Bendrups, son of Ansis (born in 1887 in Līvbērze parish - died in Australia in 1967).
Pauls Bendrups at that time was remarkable public person in Jelgava.
From 1920 he led the Jelgava deaf and dumb school, after May 15, 1934 he was also appointed as the Member of the Board of Jelgava town, was awarded by the Order of Three Stars. Pauls Bendrups himself with family lived in the town of Jelgava and "Caunes" estate was only partly managed by him - most of the estate was leased out.
However, it is clear that all existing buildings in the "Caunes" estate were built or refurbished (it is now difficult to determine whether the buildings at that time were also restored) during the ownership of Pauls Bendrups after 1924.
Also oaks around access road most likely are planted during the ownership time of Pauls Bendrups and nowadays they could be at least 90 years old.
During the Soviet era in house "Caunes" one of the last two tenants continued to reside. Then "Caunes" house changed owners twice until at the very beginning of 2012 only a small part of the former Cenas manor inalienable part we became in our property as country house "Caunītes". Now it’s our turn to restore, develop and take care of the property, so it is pleasing to both - ourselves and guests.
All renovation and construction works after 2012 are recorded in photographs that can be viewed during the visit of our country house.
Historic things that were found during construction are summarized in the collection.
The visitors who are interested in history could explore in more detail the history of “Caunes” house with all copies of the documents that we were able to get from the Latvian National Archives in relation to the inalienable part of the Cenas manor, "Caunes" house and their former owners.
You are welcome!