The Gatehouse website record for Woodhouse Castle, Horningsham

In the civil parish of Horningsham. In the historic county of Wiltshire (Modern Authority of Wiltshire, 1974 county of Wiltshire).

Fortified medieval manor house surviving as rectangular earthworks and masonry in the south and east. It would appear that the first structure dates back to after the Norman Conquest in 1066, when it was given to one of King William’s knights, Sir John Vernon. Subsequently the Manor House and surrounding lands was owned by the same family for over 400 years. It came into the possession of the Arundels in C16. The first attack on the house by parliament forces is not recorded but in 1644 it was garrisoned for the Parliamentary forces, besieged and taken by Royalists. The ruined house was never re-inhabited. The current building on the site is a late C18/early C19 farmhouse said to contain old stonework from the manor house. A survey of the site indicated that this was a three sided structure with a tower at each corner.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is ST80104205

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 207644
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is ST84SW450 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

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The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of English Heritage and other individuals and organisations. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes. I do not receive any income from this site and I fund it myself.
The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

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