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The History of
Wingfield Manor
By John Timbs
Wingfield, situated four or five miles
eastward of the centre of Derbyshire, is one of
the richest specimens extant of the highly
ornamented embattled mansions of the time of
Henry VII and Henry VIII; the period of the
transition from the Castle to the Palace, and
undoubtedly the best era of English architecture.
The present manor-house, according to Camden, was
built about the year 1440, by Ralph, Lord
Cromwell, who was Treasurer of England; and the
testimony of Camden that he was the founder, is
strongly corroborated by the bags or purses of
stone (alluding to the office of Treasurer which
he filled) carved over the gateway leading to the
quadrangle. Bags or purses are mentioned to have
been carved on the manor-house of Coly Weston, in
Northamptonshire, augmented by this Lord
Cromwell; and there were similar ornaments carved
in wood, removed about two hundred and fifty
years ago from Wingfield Manor.
The manor-house originally consisted of two
square courts, and a noble hall, which was
lighted by a beautiful octagon window, and a
range of Gothic windows. Part of the chapel
remains, with the great State apartment lighted
by a rich Gothic window (See Architectural Detail Essay) .
In the thirty-third year of the reign of Henry VIII, it appears that
Wingfield Manor was in the possession of the Earl
of Shrewsbury, who, in the time of Queen
Elizabeth, held in his custody here the
unfortunate Mary Queen of Scots. Her suite of
apartments were traditionally on the west side of
the north court, which is remembered as the most
beautiful part of the building. It communicated
with the great tower, whence, it is said, the
ill-starred captive had sometimes an opportunity
of seeing the friends approach with whom she held
a secret correspondence. It is inferred that her
captivity at Wingfield commenced in 1569, in
which year an attempt was made by Leonard Dacre
to rescue her. After which, Elizabeth becoming
suspicious of the Earl of Shrewsbury, under
pretence of his Lordship being in ill-health,
directed the Earl of Huntingdon to take care of
the Queen of Scots in Shrewsbury's house: and her
train was reduced to thirty persons. This change
happened the year after Mary was removed from
Bolton Castle, in Yorkshire, to Tutbury Castle,
in Staffordshire, and placed under the care of
the Earl of Shrewsbury. Her captivity at
Wingfield is stated to have extended to nine
years; but it is improbable that so large a
proportion of the time she was in the custody of
this nobleman should have been spent here. For it
is well known that from 1568 to 1584, she was at
Buxton, Sheffield, Coventry, Tutbury, and other
places; and if her confinement here continued so
long, it must have been with many intervals of
absence.
Wingfield continued to be the occasional
residence of the Shrewsburys till the death of
the Earl Gilbert, in the year 1616. After this,
the property was sold to Mr. Immanuel Halton who,
in 1666, was resident at the manor-house. In
1817, it was still in the possession of one of
the Halton family, but not then inhabited. The
last of the family who resided here became its
spoiler. For, desiring to build himself a house
at the foot of the high hill upon which the
mansion stands, he pulled down and unroofed part
of the fine old structure, so that the hall, with
its proud emblazonry of the Shrewsbury arms and
quarterings, became exposed to the decaying
influences of the elements.
The mansion had been, however, previously much
injured during the Civil War in the reign of
Charles I; and there are a few singular incidents
in its fate. Wingfield, being possessed by the
Royal party, was besieged and taken by Lord Grey
of Groby and Sir John Gall of Hopton - brave
officers in the service of the Parliament who,
according to Whitelock, voted them a letter of
thanks for this and other services. The assault
was begun on the east side with caution placed on
Pentridge Common and a half-moon battery, raised
for its defence, was soon carried; but a breach
being found impracticable, the cannon were
removed to a wood on the opposite side. They soon
opened a considerable breach in the wall and
captured the place. Colonel Dalby, who was the
governor, was killed in the siege. He had
disguised himself in the dress of a common
soldier, but being seen and known by a deserter,
he was shot by him in the face as he was walking
in one of the stables. The hole through which the
assailant introduced his murderous musket was
long shown near the porter's lodge.
Extract from John Timbs' Abbeys,
Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales
(1870) Discover
Wingfield Manor in
Derbyshire
off the A615 between
Alfreton and Matlock. Turn off on the B5035
towards South Wingfield and Chirck. The entrance
to Wingfield Manor is on the left-hand side of
the road, soon after passing through the former.
It is quite difficult to find and there is a
distinct lack of signs. The manor can be seen
crowning the adjoining hillside. There is little
space for parking by the gate and a long walk up
the hill to overcome - but it's worth it!
Wingfield Manor is
privately owned, but is administered by English
Heritage. Check their site for dates you can visit. There is a working farm within the
grounds.
There is an entrance fee for the general
public.
Free entry for English Heritage, Heritage in
Wales (Second Year) & Historic Scotland
(Second Year) Members.
Architectural Details
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