Hougham Manor

Description

Moated manor house built circa 1620 and refaced in the Georgian period. The house incorporates remains of considerably earlier date, including a large triple respond dated to the early 13th century and apparently in situ, possibly representing the remains of a keep tower. In the wall to the east of this respond are traces of three Perpendicular windows, probably of a former chapel. The de Busseys held this moated manor house and an oratory was licensed in 1405. The moat surrounding the manor house survives on three sides to the south, west and east of the house, forming an enclosure 70 metres wide. The site includes fishponds. The island was approximately 80m square. Parts of the moat have been infilled. (PastScape)

In 1089 there were three land holdings at Hougham belonging to Colsuain, Countess Judith and the Bishop of Lincoln. It is thought that the surviving remains represent a manor held by Hugh of the Bishop of Lincoln which included responsibility for a church. During the Middle Ages the manorial site was the principle residence for the de Bussey family. No references have been found to the manor house during the medieval period although the surviving fabric suggests a 13th century date.
The moated island is situated approximately 100m to the east of All Saint's Church on the northern bank of the River Witham. The visible remains of the moated site indicate that the island was approximately 80m square. The southern moat arm is partly visible as a shallow depression which can be traced curving round the south eastern and south western corners of the island. The moat has been partly obscured by a steep sided, flat-topped bank which lines part of the southern edge and part of the western side of the island. A further setion of thebank, at the south east corner of the island, has been removed since it was recorded by archaeological survey in 1979. A tennis court now occupies the south east corner of the island. The bank is thought to have been a post-medieval alteration.
The western and part of the northern arms survive, up to 1m deep, although the north western corner of the moat has been partly infilled reducing its original width and enlarging the island. The inner moat edge, at the north west corner, is lined by a brick-built retaining wall. The extant sections of the moat measure up to 10m in width although it is estimated that originally the moat measured approximately 15m in width. Outbuildings now occupy the north western corner of the island and moat and the course of the moat is no longer evident.
A bank formerly recorded lining the outer edge of the eastern moat arm together with the outer edge of the northern moat was destroyed in 1965. A narrow channel running north-south, between the moat and the fishponds, and an oval hollow adjacent to the north west corner of the moat are no longer visible.
A group of three subrectangular fishponds lies approximately 30m to the east of hte moat. The easternmost pond is aligned north-south and measures 27m by 15m, the other two ponds are aligned east-west, measuring 35m by 18m and 28m by 14m. All ponds are approximately 1.5m deep. The fishponds lie in pasture.
Poor survival means the site does not fulfil the requirements needed for scheduling. (PastScape ref. English Heritage Alternative Action Report Drury, D. 23-MAR-1999)

In the light of the proximity of the curia to the church, it is possible that the moat occupies the site of the pre-Conquest hall which belonged to Stori, a thane of some local importance. No references have been found to the manor house itself in the medieval period, and it has not proved possible to suggest a date for its construction beyond that indicated by the aforementioned surviving fabric. (Roffe)