Willingham Manor of the Bishop of Ely

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Willington

In the civil parish of Willingham. In the historic county of Cambridgeshire (Modern Authority of Cambridgeshire, 1974 county of Cambridgeshire).

Residential manor of the medieval bishops of Ely, listed by Thompson.
In 1238 the king gave 50 oaks to the bishop of Ely to rebuild his houses at Willingham. The manor house, standing north of the church in an enclosure known later as Lordship close, was substantial enough in 1244 to accommodate the king's household. In 1357 it included a hall with chambers at its upper and lower ends, a kitchen, and other rooms called the 'knyghtchambre' and 'clerkchambre', mostly in good repair, and a dilapidated treasury and chapel. Inquisitions were held there in 1370 and 1371, but it was afterwards abandoned by the bishops, who were leasing their demesne by c. 1480. In 1592 the close contained three houses and a barn. The south-west part of the close was used to extend the churchyard in 1866. (VCH)
Despite being a substantial house in use for many centuries and being well documented nothing seems to survive and it is not recorded in PastScape or the Cambs. HER.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL405706

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record. In particular '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, or elsewhere.

• Books
  • Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p176 [where wrongly called Willington]
    Wright, A.P.M. and Lewis, C.P. (eds), 1989, 'Willingham: Manors and other estate' VCH Cambridge and the Isle of Ely Vol9 p402-4 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=15510
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Payne, Naomi, 2003, The medieval residences of the bishops of Bath and Wells, and Salisbury (PhD Thesis University of Bristol) Appendix B: List of Medieval Bishop's Palaces in England and Wales [available via http://ethos.bl.uk ]