Monument record 3030/2 - Wakerley Manor

Richard Cecil built a large mansion between the river and the church. The house was demolished bfore 1700. Garden remains include a series of earthworks clear enough to show a quartered parterre in front of the house site. Scheduled Monument.

{2} Manor in whole lordship in possession of Earl of Exeter.

{6} Remains of house and gardens, centred SP 956995. House possibly built and garden laid out by Sir Edward Griffin early in the C17th. The house was included in a post mortem inventory of goods of Richard Cecil 1633 which described 30 rooms plus outbuildings. It was described as an "ancient seat...abolished about 30 years ago" c.1720, though a barn was in use after 1715. A map of 1772 shows no standing building on the site. The earthworks associated with the house cover a roughly rectangular area; they are extremely uneven but survive up to 2m high. There are a number of sub-rectangular features, including robbed-out wall footings, but the arrangement of rooms is not clear. A large depression in the centre may be the remains of a cellar. The house seems to have been constructed of local limestone.The gardens extend over a large rectangular area E of the house site and survive well. The remains suggest a large circular bed divided into quarters with two large terraces to the S. Remains of two outbuildings lie SW of the house site. RCHM plan.

{8} Medieval/post medieval settlement earthworks recorded as part of the Rockingham Forest Project survey. Hall's mapped area corresponds with the medieval/post medieval manor and its post medieval formal gardens.

{9} This site was previously recorded by the OS as SP 99 NE (M) No1.

<1> Bailey, B, Pevsner, N, and Cherry, B, 2013, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p. 632 (Book). SNN111989.

<2> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.341 (unchecked) (Book). SNN100366.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP99NE (unchecked) (Index). SNN443.

<4> STEANE J.M., 1977, The Development of Tudor and Stuart Garden Design in Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Article). SNN69732.

<5> Mowl T.; Hickman C., 2008, The Historic Gardens of England: Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Series). SNN106082.

<6> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1975, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.105 site 4 (unchecked) (Series). SNN77379.

<7> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1976, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1975, 11/203 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN169.

<8> Hall D.N., 1960-1999, Rockingham Forest Project: Archaeological Sites Recorded by David Hall, (unchecked) (Database). SNN102279.

<9> LEE, E S., 1991, RCHME Recorder, Lee E S, 09-Sep-1991 RCHME Recording (Note). SNN114837.

<10> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, A/P (RAF VAP CPE/UK 1925 2136) (Photographs). SNN104890.

<11> 1772, Northants Record Office map of Wakerley 1772 (Map). SNN114956.

Record last edited

Feb 10 2025 7:23PM