Monument record 1160/147/1 - The Fleetwood Mansion

The White Friars land was acquired by the Fleetwood family in the 17th century. It is not known how much, if any, of the friary property was incorporated into their mansion.

{1} House to north and east of Greyfriars, traces of which have been recovered.

{2} Few buildings are are shown, but possibly belonging to the Fleetwood Mansion.

{3} Sir William Samwell acquired the White Friars property shortly after Dissolution and within the precinct erected "…. A capital messuage…"; presumably the large house to the north of Lady's Lane which can be seen on maps by Speed and Pierce. This may well have been a conversion or reconstruction of part of the friary. The property subsequently passed into the hands of the Fleetwood family.

{4} Sir William Samwell acquired White Friars shortly after the Dissolution and within the precinct erected "… a capital messuage…".

{5} A large house to north of Lady's Lane was erected by Samwell may have been conversion or reconstruction of part of the friary.

{6} The large house to north of Lady's Lane erected by Samwell may have been conversion or reconstruction of part of the friary.

{7} The main friary buildings can be seen on Speed's map of 1610 and Pierce's map of 1632 also shows what appears to be the main friary complex surviving as a cloister. Prospects of Harris and Buck both show a large house on the site of the friary. This is particularly impressive on Buck but inconsistent architecturally with Harris. The slightly later map of Noble and Butlin does not appear to show a house of such great size. It seems possible that parts of friary were incorporated into the house which became the Fleetwood Mansion in the late C17th but which was at least partly demolished by the mid C18th.

<1> Whellan, 1874, History, Topography & Directory of Northamptonshire, p.118 (checked) (Book). SNN1002.

<2> Noble; Butlin, 1746, Town Map, (checked) (Map). SNN430.

<3> Williams J., 1978, Excavations at Greyfriars, Northampton 1972, p.101 (checked) (Article). SNN459.

<4> Deed, (unchecked) (Document). SNN41592.

<5> Speed J., 1610, Map of Northamptonshire, (checked) (Map). SNN559.

<6> Pierce M., 1632, A true plot and description of al the Ancient Demesne Lands belonginge to the Priorye of St Andrew's in 1632, (unchecked) (Map). SNN365.

<7> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1985, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.339 (checked) (Series). SNN77383.

Record last edited

Apr 10 2025 12:57PM