Monument record 503/2 - Welford Manor (Medieval)

The site of Welford medieval manor with possible 17th or 18th century garden remains.

{1} Manor house site SP 639 802 W. of the village. Field name ('Hall Field') recorded 1848 strengthens the local tradition that this is the site of the manor. Site now built over, and earthworks recorded previously were probably only a fragment of the original site. The two flat topped mounds which were adjacent to the road may have
been a terrace walk, characteristic of 17th or 18th century gardens. Small paddocks immediately to the W. may be part of the manorial complex [RCHM plan].

{2} It is local tradition that an old 'hall' or manor-house stood in Cricket Field and that the earth works in Lady Close were its defences. The fish pond belonged to the hall {6}.

{3} Traditional site of manor-house:SP 6390 8028: associated earthworks: SP 6378 8030 and SP 6395 8042: fish-pond - as by Authority {9}. In the fields immediately west of Welford are the earthworks of a dry fishpond, a number of old rig and furrow field boundaries with contemporary roads and in the area of the supposed manor-house site are a number of banks, ditches and mounds presumably associable with the gardens and enclosures of the house.
The site of the house, within the Cricket Field, cannot be precisely determined. The centre of the field is occupied by a cricket pitch but elsewhere the field is on uneven pasture covered with nettles and weeds.
The so-called 'defences' do not form a moat and are probably enclosure ditches and banks.
Surveyed 28.6.60.

{4} Part of this site now occupied by a small housing estate, See annotated 25" survey.
The remainder of the site is as described and surveyed by authority {3} in 1960.

{5} The fishpond and additional earthworks previously recorded with the manor have now been separately recorded: fishpond SP 68 SW 37; earthworks SP 68 SW 38.

{9} [SP 6398 8077] Old Fish Pond [TI].

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.196-7 (checked) (Series). SNN77381.

<2> WW, 1960, Field Investigators Comments, F1 WW 28-JUN-60 (Note). SNN111457.

<3> WW, 1960, Field Investigators Comments, F2 WW 28-JUN-60 (Note). SNN111457.

<4> Baird, J., 1970, Field investigators comments, F3 JB 16-MAR-70 (Notes). SNN110341.

<5> Historic England, Unknown, Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments, Lee E S. 09-AUG-1991 RCHME Recording (Oral Report). SNN111577.

<6> Historic England, Unknown, Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments, Oral: Mr. T.J. Martin Owner: Welford (Oral Report). SNN111577.

<7> 1848, Welford Tithe Map, Northants Record Office Welford Tithe Map 1848 (Map). SNN13691.

<8> Aerial Photograph, A/P (CUAP XT73-4) (Photographs). SNN112974.

<9> Ordnance Survey Map (Scale/date), OS 6' 1899-1950 (Map). SNN112944.

<10> RCHME, Undated, RCHME Inventory: Northamptonshire II (Central), 889310 (Archive). SNN112900.

Record last edited

Feb 10 2025 8:14PM