The thought of living in a house previously owned by a conspirator in a notorious bloody murder might send a shiver down anyone's spine.

But the residents of Old Threel House, which is on the market for £1.2 million, love to speculate on how the brutal assassination of Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket in 1170 could have been plotted within its oak-beamed walls.

Until the 14th Century the house, hidden in the countryside at Albourne Place near Hurstpierpoint, was owned by the de Broc family, whose double-dealing brothers Ranulph and Robert answered one of history's most memorable incitements to murder.

When Henry II shouted in despair: "Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?" the brothers overheard and were quick to seize on a chance to curry favour with the king.

They were equerries to King Henry and it was they who instructed four knights who rode to Canterbury and butchered the defiant archbishop on the steps of the cathedral.

Robert was believed to be hanging back in the shadows, watching as the murder took place.

The current Swiss owner did not want to be named, but his caretaker Brian Allan said there had been many dinner parties at the house when the talk among guests revolved around which room the plot might have been hatched in.

He said: "It is fascinating to think what might have taken place here. You cannot tell from these beams but there could have been all sorts of things going on, from lynchings to conspiracies."

In contrast, folklore has it that Albourne Place played a part in saving the life of a later Archbishop of Canterbury.

William Juxon, a supporter of Charles I, is believed to have hidden from Cromwell's army by posing as a bricklayer at Albourne.

Despite its murderous connections and dark past, no one thinks the house is haunted.

Housekeeper Cheryl Featherstone, who has worked at Old Threel House for four years, said: "I don't like being up in the attic on my own.

"It just seems a little eerie but that is just me. I sometimes get this cold feeling. Having said that, the house is really warm and friendly.

"There is a good feeling here. I can't say I have ever seen anything spooky like you would expect in a house this old."

Albourne Place has passed through a succession of owners including Colonel Sir John Fagg, MP for Rye, and Charles Goring, MP for Shoreham in the mid-19th Century.

Old Threel House, a Grade II* listed building, is the original part of the 15th Century Albourne House but there has been a settlement on the site since before the Domesday book put Albourne on the map.

Wealthy house-hunters have been queuing up to nose round the Old Threel House since it went on the market.

The gardens are landscaped and the 9.7-acre grounds include an all-weather tennis court, sauna and steam room.

The grounds boast a gymnasium complex and a working well which at 70ft is one of the deepest in Sussex.

Mr Allan said: "I dread to think who might have ended up down there over the years."

"It runs to an underground stream which is practically spring water, but because it contains a trace of sewage element we can't bottle it.

"I have drunk it and it was fine but I'm not sure who else would want to."