More information : (SY614822). The manor is probably one of the two
"Langetone" manors described in Domesday, when it was crown
property. It came to the Sarmunville's and in Henry III's time
the family of Harang had an interest here. It is certain that the
Harang's eventually became possessed of the manor, and Raymond
Harang was lord of the manor in 1314 and 1320.
10ED. III Sir Walter obtained (licence) to fortify his mansions
at Langton and Winterborne. After 18 Rich. II the manor passed
to other families, the Feliozs of Woodlands in the 15th century
and the Willoughbys of Warwick in the 16th century and later
became the property of the Duke of Cornwall.
Near the church is an area called Kirk or Court Close. The
unevenness of the ground indicates former buildings.
Quite recently a playground for the school was made about here,
and in removing the soil various sized stones about 3ft long,
one of which was squared, were found. This area may be the site
of the mansion house.
There are also traces of fishponds. (1)
The field immediately south of the school is known as Court
Close. Much stone rubble lies beneath the surface of the gardens
which now occupy the north east and east sides of the field. (a).
The field is grass covered, but along the east side houses have
recently been erected, and in some cases high dry stone walls
have been built about them from the rubble turned up in the
gardens.
Inside the south wall of the field, and parallel to it, is a
bivallate grass trackway 5.0m wide with its banks averaging
0.5m high. This trackway fades at the west end. The field is
divided by small north to south banks forming enclosures, and
on the east side there two banked platforms. No fishponds
are visible.
The area is one of apparent depopulation, presumably of Medieval
origin, but only from the name of the field, the close proximity
of the church and the large stones found in the last century
(authority 1) can it be deduced that a manor house may have
occupied the north east of the field.(2)
Disturbed ground and evidence of small field plots visible in
area SY 614822. (3)
In the field centred at SY 614824 there remains only a few
vague and unsurveyable scarps. The owner of the field (b) and
former farmer in the general area remembers its former condition
(see authority 2), but he ploughed it a number of times and altered
its northern boundary. He is aware of its significance, but
felt the Manor House proper must have been in the vicinity of the
Old Schoolhouse, ie on the lower (N) side of the field. Apart
from much stone, no finds of any import have been made. (4)
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