Honour of Grafton facts for kids

The Honour of Grafton was a collection of connected lands in Northamptonshire, England. It stretched towards the border with Buckinghamshire. This area is famous for the spread-out Whittlewood Forest. It also includes a special part of Wakefield Lodge, designed by William Kent, located within the forest.

In the past, owning these lands came with special powers. These powers were called "manorial rights." But today, these old rules and rights are mostly gone. They don't give special privileges anymore.

What is the Honour of Grafton?

The Honour of Grafton was a large area of land. It was made up of many smaller estates called "manors." These manors were all linked together. This system dates back a very long time. We know it existed even before 1542. That was during the time of King Henry VIII. A special law about managing it was discussed in parliament then.

Where is the Honour Located?

The Honour of Grafton covered many villages. These villages are now parishes. They are all in West Northamptonshire. They are also quite close to Milton Keynes. This is a very large town in the UK.

The villages that were part of the Honour include:

• Abthorpe
• Alderton
• Ashton
• Blakesley
• Blisworth
• Cold Higham
• Furtho
• Grafton Regis
• Greens Norton
• Hartwell
• Passenham
• Paulerspury
• Potterspury
• Roade
• Stoke Bruerne
• Shutlanger
• Silverstone
• Towcester
• Whittlebury
• Yardley Gobion

The Honour also included the large Whittlewood Forest.

Royal Connections

The Honour of Grafton had strong ties to the royal family. In 1673, King Charles II of England gave the Honour to his queen, Catherine of Braganza. This was a very important gift.

The Dukes of Grafton and Wakefield Lodge

After Queen Catherine died in 1705, the Honour passed to a new family. It went to Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton. He was the grandson of Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington. The title "Duke of Grafton" was created for one of King Charles II's sons. His mother was Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland.

The 2nd Duke of Grafton rebuilt Wakefield Lodge. It is near Potterspury. He made it his home in Northamptonshire. However, the main family home for the Dukes was Euston Hall in Suffolk. The Dukes of Grafton owned their lands in Northamptonshire until 1921.

Wakefield Lodge: A Special Building

The part of Wakefield Lodge that remains today was designed by William Kent. He was a famous architect. He designed it between 1748 and 1750. It was originally a hunting lodge or country house. Over the years, more parts were added. Some parts were also removed or changed later.

The building is made of limestone. It has a slate roof. It has two main floors, plus a basement and an attic. It has many windows. A special feature is a single-story porch with columns. It has a curved, double staircase leading up to it.

Inside, the main hall is very grand. It has a gallery on the first floor, like a balcony. There are also special fireplaces with animal heads carved into them. A beautiful circular stone staircase winds upwards. It has a fancy iron railing. Some rooms still have their original decorated ceilings.

End of Old Manorial Laws

The old "manorial rights" slowly disappeared. They finally ended completely with a law called the Law of Property Act 1925. This law changed how land was owned in England. Also, old payments called "tithes" largely stopped by the late 1930s. These were payments made to churches or landowners.

Gallery

Wakefield Lodge has been shown in many paintings over the years:

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  ... in 1767

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  in 1806 (engraving)

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  in 1818

Most of the house was taken down in 1948. Only the part designed by William Kent remains. Here are some modern pictures of the house and its grounds:

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  House in distance, what remains of an avenue of tall trees can be made out

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  Grounds only