More information : [Centred at:- TQ 14108970] Headstone [T.I.] MOAT [GT] (1, 1a)
Headstone House formed part of the manor of Harrow, and not
mentioned as a separate estate until the 14thc. The earliest
mention of the manor of Harrow is 822 AD., when Wilfred Archbishop
of Canterbury purchased Harrow and other lands to restore
them to the church of Canterbury, from which they had been
taken by Cenwulf King of the Mercians.
The first actual mention of Headstone as a separate manor was in
1396, when it consisted of a well-built house and 201 acres of
land.
Court Rolls from 1278-1645 relating to the see of Canterbury say:
In 1451 Headstone was in the occupation of Wm and Richard
Redyng who appear to have been farmers, and in 1466 William
Page held it in the same manner. In 1483 Wm. Redyng is returned
as occupying it, and in 1488 & 1490.
In 1503 it was in the hands of Isabella, widow of Wm Redyng
while Richard Redyng renders an account of the estate in 1543.
In this year all the lands in Harrow, and other counties went
to Henry VIII in exchange for other estates. In 1546 the King
granted them to Sir Edward Dudley and they remained in his family
till 1630 eventually passing to Simon Revse, Sir W Bucknell,
John Askell Bucknell, Hon Wm Grinston, Mr Bucknell Estcourt and
is now the property of Wm Bush Copper Esq.
The formation of a moated dwelling probably dates from 1344,
simply a fortified dwelling for the occasional residence of the
Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Great Barn: probably erected 1458-1543 measures 147'8"
external length; by 38'8" wide. It is built entirely of oak,
some of the timbers being 14" square. The smaller erections, now
converted into stables, appear to be about the same date as the
large barn.
The whole house was fearfully modernised at the beginning of the
19th c.
Headstone Moat House is in fact the only house on the estate
which can now be identified with certainty as a manor house of the
archbishops. Though it is probable that the archbishops did not
make it their residence till the middle of 14thc. We know
they continued to do so for 100 years from that date when they
visited their estates in Middlesex.
Archbishop Armdie writes from Headstone in 1407 & Archbishop
Chicheley held a court at Pinner in 1435 while staying at
Headstone (2, 2a)
Headstone Manor - A private residence. (3)
Headstone Manor is a Grade I listed building, and is now mostly 16th century and later, though some 15th century features remain. The Great Barn, a former tithe barn of c1600, is listed Grade II*, and the outbuilding to its south (the Small Barn), possibly 17th century, is listed Grade II. (4)
Combined excavation and structural survey of the Small Barn undertaken in 1986 prior to refurbishment. The published report contains a brief history of Headstone Manor as a whole. Use and development of the barn was divided into 6 phases on the basis of the excavated finds and features. The earliest datable material, associated with Phase 2, was of 13th-15th century date (5).
Further excavation was undertaken in 1989-90 within the scheduled area and a short distance SW of the moat and Manor. Evidence for numerous episodes of building construction and demolition were encountered, some of which have been tentatively correlated with 19th and early 20th century cartographic evidence. No medieval material was encountered, and all deposits and structures are assumed to be almost certainly post-1750. (6)
Headstone Manor was visited by J Smith of RCHME in 1972. The following is abstracted from his report: The house incorporates part of a hall which was originally aisled and open from ground to roof, being heated by open hearth. What remains is one bay of what was probably a two-bay hall. At the other end is a cross-wing. Its date can only be assessed by the roof structure, all other original work being concealed. Hall and wing are probably contemporary though the latter could be a later addition. On general grounds the hall is likely to be of 14th century date rather than later, aisled halls having been superseded by the early 15th century in southern England. The subsequent historical development of the house is very complicated, exhibiting a variety of structural features. (7) |