Digging The Lost Manors of Harlaxton
Our biggest project to date, generously supported with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, was launched in the Spring of 2024, to explore the site of the village's previous manor houses.
Prior to the current Harlaxton Manor, built in the mid 19th Century, there is archival evidence of three previous manor houses on a site in the centre of the village.
The aim of Harlaxton History Society was to use archaeological techniques to reveal a new understanding of the scope and location of the previous manorial complexes.
Sat on the Southern edge of the village the site is spread across several modern gardens and properties, bordered in part by the remains of the original medieval moat.
A summary of our approach.
An undertaking of this scale is a serious proposition and we were determined from the outset to take the time to do it in the right manner.
First we needed to set out a clear plan with identified goals and outcomes (you can see it here). In doing this we spoke to professional archaeologists and other communities that have undertaken digs in their local areas. Importantly we identified this project will be phased over a number of years.
Next we set about gaining all the permissions required from the land owners and informing the archaeological bodies locally what we are planning to do. We are hugely indebted to the owners of the properties now covering the old manorial complex who have so enthusiastically facilitated our research.
Our next step has been to conduct desk based studies to find out as much as we can about the site from various archives and records. This process is ongoing and as we find more we will share it here.
Of particular use have been old images of the manors and a model held by one of the residents. You can view these here.
Through 2024 we worked to develop a clear plan of the site, based on survey work which we can use to establish where we are working. This involved lots of detailed measurement with tape measures and careful drafting. In due course the maps of the area we produce will be used to establish where we might dig and to record our finds.
The Dig
Building on this desk research and initial site surveys our plan for 2025 was to advance this project via three phases of activity generously supported by £12,100 funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The first stage was to undertake a full geophysical survey of the site to identify features of interest. This was carried out in early Summer.
Next we embarked on eight days of community archelogy in September to excavate features revealed in the Geophysical survey. More than 60 marvellous volunteers joined us.
After this the project shifted inside to undertake cleaning and analysis of the finds and the huge task of writing up the findings.
You can see our initial report here.
Manor houses have been an integral part of the political, economic, and social spheres of England since the 14th century, forming the basic building blocks of the English Feudal system.
Built for wealthy landowners, they provided physical protection and secured a position in the community. Land ownership was a status that subsequently brought a voice in county affairs for the Lord of the Manor. Wealth, manifesting itself in land, was inherited or bought and often included a Manor and the surrounding village.
In the years just before the Norman Conquest of 1066 the owner of the land around Harlaxton was Queen Edith, King Edward The Confessor’s widow and sister of King Harold who would die at the Battle of Hastings.
After the Norman conquest of 1066, Harlaxton became a manorial area with a Norman Lord of the Manor sitting in charge. It may be around this time that the moated manorial complex was established, though the chance that here had been an Anglo Saxon Manor of some sort beforehand cannot be discounted.
For updates on progress researching this site click here.
Timeline of the Harlaxton Manors:
1086—The village of Herlavestune was mentioned in the Domesday Book, which listed 60 acres holding 10 villagers, two smallholders, and 58 freemen. Smallholdings were farm plots that supported one family through cash crops and subsistence farming and freemen were villagers who owned their own land.
1340—A moated Manor was built in the 14th century by Edmund de Swynford.
1485—1603—A Tudor Manor may have been built by The Blewitt / Buet Family
1619—Daniel de Ligne, a Flemish refugee, purchased the Manor for £8,000, equivalent to over £1 million today, and enlarged it considerably while living there in a Jacobean style.
1738—George Gregory, a lawyer for the Harlaxton family, married Ann Orton, historically considered to be the great, great granddaughter of Daniel de Ligne. Claiming she was the newly discovered heir, Gregory became Lord of the Manor.
1775—The family resided mostly at Rempstone Hall, their secondary residence, and in a holiday apartment in London, leaving the original Manor desolate. Landed gentry families often amassed multiple estates through marriage and inheritance.
1782—George de Ligne Gregory, the first son of George Gregory, built Hungerton Hall. In his will, George de Ligne Gregory (the first) left the Harlaxton and Nottingham estates to his three brothers. William, the next oldest, inherited Rempstone and Denton and changed his name to William Gregory Williams.
1822—Gregory Gregory Williams, son of William Gregory Williams, inherited the estates. Changing his name to Gregory Gregory, he sold off plots of land in Lenton and Radford to help fund the new Harlaxton Manor. Gregory Gregory visited Bramshill, Hardwick, Hatfield, Knole, Burghley, Wollaton, Kirby, Longleat, and Temple Newsham for inspiration for his new country house.
1832-1848 New manor House built by Gregory Gregory
1860s Old Jacobean manor in village demolished by John Sherwin Gregory
The Harlaxton Manorial site, boundary in yellow, moat remains in blue
A cottage, built in the 1930s now sits on the site of the former manor houses. There are many elements of old stone used in it's construction most notable of which is the elaborate oriel (bay) window/doorway. One of the aims of the research was to confirm whether this is still in its original situation . If it is it will provide a significant clue as to the orientation of the lost buildings.
Modern technology is also playing a part. LIDAR images help show the line of the moat and surrounding field features
Summary of initial findings
Whilst the Search for the Lost manors continues, Harlaxton History Society is able to share some of the raw material now and a summary of the project to date.
For the report, click on the image of the front cover to open the PDF.
You can also access PDF documents containing photographs of all of the retained finds in the same way. These have been sorted and grouped according to the trench or area where they were uncovered.
Our analysis of these finds is still ongoing.
