Wingfield Manor

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; South Wingfield; Winfield; Winfeld; Wenfeld

In the civil parish of South Wingfield. In the historic county of Derbyshire (Modern Authority of Derbyshire, 1974 county of Derbyshire).

The remains of a medieval great house built in the mid-C15 for Ralph, Lord Cromwell. Its upstanding remains date to four main building phases between 1439 and 1455. In its final form, it is a double courtyard great house comprising an inner court to the north and a larger outer court to the south. The buildings of the outer court were two-storeyed and provided accommodation and offices for staff. The east and west building ranges are ruinous but the former includes an upstanding gatehouse. The passage through the gatehouse is flanked on either side by a gate lodge while immediately south of the gate is an extant aisled barn with a residential upper storey thought to have been used as a dormitory for staff. A buttressed wall forms the south side of the outer court and may originally have been part of a third building range. There are no visible remains of such a range. The house was approached by a sunken track from the north east and entered through the gateway noted above. Access to the inner court was through a second gateway. This inner gateway was three-storeyed and similar in design to the outer gateway. The inner court was the site of the principal residential buildings and comprises three upstanding building ranges. The west range and south range are occupied by lodgings and include, at the south west corner, a five-storey residential tower known as the Western or High Tower. The north range also includes the great hall and Cromwell's private accommodation. Underneath the great hall is a vaulted undercroft which served as the servants hall. After Cromwell's death in 1456 the manor was sold to to the Earl of Shrewsbury and remained with that family until 1678 when it was bought by Immanuel Halton who built a house in the shell of the great hall. The site was abandoned in C18 though a section of the cross range was converted to a farmhouse and is still lived in today by the present owners of the manor. (PastScape)

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 78742)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SK37435479

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

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 313973
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.

• Web site links
  • http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.74
    http://www.derbyphotos.co.uk/areas_p_z/wingfieldmanor.htm
    http://www.marie-stuart.co.uk/Castles/SouthWingfield.htm
    http://www.marie-stuart.co.uk/Castles/SouthWingfield2.htm
    
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of the East Midlands (Malvern) p26-9
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p449
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p51-2
    Smith, Michael E., 1992, Castles and Manor Houses in and around Derbyshire (Derby)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p111
    Thompson, M.W., 1981, ‘The architectural significance of the building works of Ralph, Lord Cromwell (1394-1456)‘, in A Detsicas (ed), Collectanea Historica: Essays in Memory of Stuart Rigold, Kent Archaeological Society p155-62
    Pevsner, Nikolaus revised by Elizabeth Williamson, 1978, Buildings of England: Derbyshire (Harmondsworth) p217-9
    Michael Thompson, 1976, 'The construction of the manor at South Wingfield, Derbyshire' in Sieveking, G. de G. et ad (eds) Problems in economic and social Archaeology (London) p417-38
    Tipping, H.A., 1921, English Homes, period 1 Vol1 (London) p303-12
    Thompson, A. Hamilton, 1912, Military architecture in England during the Middle Ages (OUP) p345-52
    Gotch, J. Alfred, 1909, The Growth of the English House (London: Batsford) p68-78 http://www.britannia.com/history/chouses/wingfdad.html
    Le Blanc-Smith, 1907, in Cox, Memories of Old Derbyshire (London) p146-63 [history only]
    Cox, 1905, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Derbyshire Vol1 p391-2 http://www.archive.org/stream/victoriahistoryo01pageuoft#page/391/mode/1up
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p90-1 http://www.britannia.com/history/chouses/wingfield.html
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p222-4
    Lysons, D. and S., 1817, Magna Britannia Vol5 Derbyshire p. ccxl http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=405
    Blore, 1793, History of the Manor and Manor-House of South Wingfield (London)
• Journal Articles
  • Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' The Archaeological Journal Vol143 p320
    Emery, A., 1985, 'Ralph, Lord Cromwell's manor at Wingfield (1439-c1450): its construction, design and influence' The Archaeological Journal Vol142 p276-339
    Emery, A. and Binney, M., 1982, ‘Wingfield Manor, Derbyshire' Country Life Vol171 p946-9, 1042-5
    1979-82, East Midland Archaeological Bulletin Vol13 p6
    1981, Medieval Archaeology Vol25 p216 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Notes and News., 1960, 'Wingfield Manor' Derbyshire Archaeological Journal Vol80
    Hanbury, W.H., 1948, 'A note on Wingfield manor house' Derbyshire Archaeological Journal Vol68 p37-41
    Tipping, 1915 July 17, Country Life Vol38 p90-7
    Hope, 1914, The Archaeological Journal Vol71 p369-70
    Cox, J.C., 1886, 'On the manor house of South Wingfield' Derbyshire Archaeological Journal Vol8 p65-78
    1885, The Archaeological Journal Vol42 p498-500 http://www.archive.org/stream/archaeologicaljo42brit#page/498/mode/1up
    Errington, J.R., 1852, 'On South Winfield Manor and Manor House' Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol7 p367-74 http://www.archive.org/stream/journalofbritish07brit#page/367/mode/1up
• Guidebooks
  • Dixon, Philip, 1995, Derbyshire Wingfield Manor (London: English Heritage)
    Edmunds, W.H., Guide to Wingfield Manor
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p524