More information : SP 58984308 Manor House (NR) (Site of) (NAT) Moat (NR) (1)
Helmdon. At Domesday the Earl of Marton had four hides of land ...
In the reign of Henry V there are three distinct manors called
Overbury, Netherbury and Minuicourt. These manors passed through
several intermediate possessors, and the manor of Overbury (the
principal one) is now the property of the Provost and Fellows of
Worcester College Oxford.
Worcester College manor house, which has just been thoroughly
restored, is now a farmhouse standing west of the church where there
are large enclosures bounded by slight entrenchments.
The other manor houses cannot be distinguished. (2-3)
There are no extant remains of the original Manor House which,
according to local traditional information, was demolished 'early
in this century'. Extant earthworks representing the manorial
complex comprise a well defended homestead/manorial moat situated
between two large banked and ditched enclosures, the whole situated
on a slight north facing slope. The moat island is well raised
having a maximum height of 1.4m above the now dry ditch which itself
has a maximum depth of 0.5m; the platform is flat with no surface
evidence of the former structure. The enclosures, apparently
ditched fields, are also devoid of evidence of early occupation,
the ditching itself being a drainage requirement. All the works
are now under permanent pasture.
The farm-house is a modern structure.
Earthworks re-surveyed at 1:2500 on AM and MSD. (4)
Site of Manor House and settlement remains (SP 589431).
The manorial earthworks together with some fragments of former house
sites, now mostly destroyed by modern redevelopment suggest a
rectangular plan indicating the deliberate creation of this part of
the village. [RCHM plan]. (5)
A survey carried out in 1973 identified the shrunken village earthworks, especially around Manor Farm, where there are manorial ramparts and fishponds as well as the manor itself. (6)
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