Little Wenham Hall (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Wenham Castle; Wenham Parva

In the civil parish of Wenham Parva.
In the historic county of Suffolk.
Modern Authority of Suffolk.
1974 county of Suffolk.
Medieval County of Suffolk.

OS Map Grid Reference: TM080390
Latitude 52.01098° Longitude 1.03052°

Little Wenham Hall has been described as a probable Fortified Manor House.

There are major building remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*.

Description

Emery writes "Nothing illustrates the hazy distinction between fortified and non-fortified defensive houses ... than Little Wenham Hall. This is one of the most memorable late C13 houses in England. Though the site is moated, we have no evidence about the form of the enclosure, and the surviving tower-like structure of c, 1265-80 was not defensive. Yet two centuries later, Gilbert Debenham (d.1481) and his son, Sir Gilbert (d.c.1495) - 'exceptionally able and unscrupulous villains' - were able to use Little Wenham Hall as a base for their malevolent attacks against all Lancastrian supporters."

Moated fortified manor house, built circa 1260-90 and altered circa 1569 and in the 19th and 20th centuries. The ground floor of the house is rib-vaulted and the first floor contains a chapel. A wing added to the south west corner, probably in the 16th century, was later demolished. This house represents one of the earliest uses of home made brick in England. (PastScape)

Comments

The C13 parish church, contemporary with the hall with some fine surviving wall paintings, seems to share the same enclosure as little Wenham Hall. The moat may never have enclosed the whole site and may have just been on the approach front of the house. There is some discussion as to if there was a timber hall attached to the brick chamber block and its size and form. Compare with Letheringham Hall a house attacked by Gilbert Debenham.
The Hall is sometimes said to have been built by Sir John Vallibus (aka Vaux) who was the tenant of the manor but this manor was sublet to a royal clerk Master Roger de Holbrook who is more probably the builder of this particularly fine building. As well as being a royal clerk and cleric Roger seems to have had some business interests in Ipswich. These interests may have meant Roger had relationships with Flanders and the Flemish brick making industry and the early bricks may well be Flemish imports or made by Flemish experts. The clerical status of Roger may explain the large, high quality chapel that features prominently in the Hall and the relative lack of domestic quarters reflecting the modest needs of a single man.
Gatehouse speculates the large chapel may have been useful for oath making associated with the legal and business interests of Roger Holbrook.

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Scheduled Monument Number 1003759, Legacy Scheduled Monument Number sf23
National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1033405
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 386512.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) WMP 001.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- CastleUK.net
  Charles Taylor's ecastles
Books
- Goodall, John, 2011, The English Castle 1066-1650 (Yale University Press) p. 29, 232-3
  Martin, E., 2002, 'Little Wenham Hall, Suffolk: the reinterpretation of one of the 'incunabula of English domestic architecture'' in Pitte, D. and Ayers, B. (eds) La Maison Medievale en Normandie et en Angletaire, Actes des table rondes de Rouen et de Norwich (1998-1999) p. 157-166
  Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 81
  Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 2 East Anglia, Central England and Wales (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 119
  Martin, Edward, 1999 (3edn), 'Medieval Castles' in Dymond, David and Martin, Edward (eds) An Historical Atlas of Suffolk (Lavenham) p. 58-9
  Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 236
  Blair, W.J., 1993, 'Hall and chamber: English domestic planning 1000-1250', in G. Meirion-Jones and M. Jones (eds), Manorial Domestic Buildings in England and Northern France (London: Occasional papers of the Society of Antiquaries of London 15) p. 1-21
  Brown, R.Allen, 1989, Castles from the Air (Cambridge University Press) p. 226-7
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 461
  Martin, Edward, 1977, in Sandon, E. (ed), Suffolk Houses A Study in Domestic Architecture p. 22-24 (Plan)
  Pevsner, N., 1961, Buildings of England: Suffolk (London, Penguin) p. 43-4, 314-15
  Dickinson, P.G.M., 1957, Little Guide to Suffolk
  Lloyd, Nathaniel, 1925, History of English Brickwork (London: H Greville Montgomery) p. 4,5, 8, 40, 65, 56, 60, 89, 96, 107, 359 (Reissued 1983 by Antique Collectors Club, reprinted 2003)
  Tipping, H.A., 1921, English Homes, period 1 Vol. 1 (London) p. 92-100
  Crisp, F.A., ?1911, Little Wenham Hall (privately published)
  Copinger, W.A., 1910, Manors of Suffolk Vol. 6 p. 111 (tenurial history) online copy
  Turner, T.H., 1851, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol. 1 p. 151-3 (plan and illustrations) online copy
Periodical Articles
- Guy, Neil, et al, 2011-12, 'CSG Annual Conference April 2011' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol. 25 p. 55-61
  Martin, E., 2009, 'Geophysical Surveys at Little Wenham Hall' Eavesdropper The Newsletter of the Suffolk Historic Buildings Group Vol. 39
  Goodall, John, 2000 July 6, Country Life
  Quiney, Anthony, 1999, 'Hall or Chamber? That Is the Question. The Use of Rooms in Post-Conquest Houses' Architectural History Vol. 42 p. 24-46
  Martin, E., 1998, 'Little Wenham Hall: a reinterpretation' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol. 39.2 p. 151-64 online copy
  Faulkner, P.A., 1958, 'Domestic Planning from the Twelfth to the Fourteenth Centuries' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 115 p. 150-83 online copy
  Wood, Margaret, 1950, 'Thirteenth-century Domestic Architecture in England' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 105 supplement p. 76-81
  Tipping, H.A., 1914, Country Life Vol. 36 p. 358-65
  Redstone, V., 1903, 'Little Wenham' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol. 11.1 p. 73, 74 online copy
  Lermit, G.F., 1878, 'Observations at Little Wenham Hall and Church' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol. 5.2 p. 183-5 online copy
  Jackson, S.,1859, 'Little Wenham Hall' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol. 2 p. 183-8 online copy

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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