Wakefield Hunting Lodge (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Wachefeld; Wakefeld'

In the civil parish of Potterspury.
In the historic county of Northamptonshire and the Soke of Peterborough.
Modern Authority of Northamptonshire.
1974 county of Northamptonshire.
Medieval County of Northamptonshire.

OS Map Grid Reference: SP73754255
Latitude 52.07641° Longitude -0.92530°

Wakefield Hunting Lodge has been described as a certain Palace.

There are no visible remains.

This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*.

Description

Wakefield was the site of a royal hunting lodge in the Forest of Whittlebury. It was built or rebuilt early in the reign of Henry II, who in 1158-9 spent £16 13s. 4d. on the 'work' of his houses here, and in the following year £5 6s. 8d. on their repair. Further work costing some £10 was carried out under Hugh de Neville, the chief forester, in 1206-7, and again in 1209-11. The house is included in a list of royal hunting lodges drawn up in 1217, but Henry III did not keep it up and nothing further is known of its history. (HKW)

In 1086 Count Alan of Britanny held four-fifths of half a hide of the king in Wakefield, which Ralph Dapifer held of him. (VCH 1906 p. 329) Alan died without issue and the undertenancy may have ended with his death, for the early 12th-century Northamptonshire Survey merely notes that at Wakefield there were four small virgates of the king's fee, (VCH 1906 p. 374) and the estate has no later manorial history. It was part of the royal demesne in the mid 12th century (Pipe R.) and in 1170-1 the sheriff accounted for repairs carried out to the hall there. (Pipe R.) Wakefield seems then to have been abandoned as a royal residence in favour of Silverstone, (Baker) and in the 13th century the name refers merely to the eastern part of Whittlewood, from which oaks were cut down from time to time for various building projects or as royal gifts. (VCH 2002)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1371656
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 343217.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) MNN13551.

Books
- Riden, Philip and Insley, Charles (eds), 2002, 'Potterspury' VCH Northamptonshire Vol. 5 p. 289-345 online transcription
  Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol. 2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p. 1006
  Serjeantson, R.M., Ryland, W. and Adkins, D. (eds), 1906, VCH Northamptonshire Vol. 1 p. 329, 374 online copy
  Baker, G., 1836-41, History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire Vol. 2 p. 88-90 online copy
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
- 1885, The Great Roll of the Pipe for the eighth year of the reign of King Henry the Second, A.D. 1161-1162 (Pipe Roll Society Publications 5) p. 8 online copy
  1893, The Great Roll of the Pipe for the seventeenth year of the reign of King Henry the Second, A.D. 1170-1 (Pipe Roll Society Publications 16) p. 45 online copy
  Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1901, Calendar of Patent Rolls Henry III (1216-25) Vol. 1 p. 124-5 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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Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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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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