Wingfield Manor facts for kids
Wingfield Manor is an old, ruined house in Derbyshire, England. It's near the village of South Wingfield and about 4 miles west of Alfreton. A working farm is still part of the old manor grounds.
This historic site is now looked after by English Heritage. It's on a special list called the Heritage at Risk Register because it needs care. Currently, you cannot visit Wingfield Manor.
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History of Wingfield Manor
Building Wingfield Manor started in 1441. It was for Sir Ralph Cromwell, who was in charge of money for King Henry VI. The manor was not finished until after Cromwell died. Then, John Talbot, the second Earl of Shrewsbury, bought the property.
His family owned the manor for almost 200 years. Later, the government decided the manor should be taken apart. Parts of it were used for other buildings. This is why only ruins are left today. Wingfield Manor is also thought to have had one of the first flushing toilets in England, built in 1596!
Mary, Queen of Scots, at Wingfield
Mary, Queen of Scots, was a queen who was held captive in England. From 1569, she was looked after by the sixth Earl of Shrewsbury. She stayed in several of his houses in Derbyshire, including Wingfield Manor.
In August 1569, the Earl wanted to move Mary from Wingfield. He wanted to take her to Sheffield because Wingfield needed cleaning. There were over 240 people living there, and the manor was getting "unsavoury" (smelly). In Sheffield, the Earl had two houses, Sheffield Castle and Sheffield Manor. He could easily move Mary between them when one needed cleaning.
Mary was still at Wingfield in November 1569 during a rebellion in the north of England. The Earl of Shrewsbury heard about a plan to free Mary. The Earl of Northumberland and his wife were staying nearby. The escape plan supposedly involved the Countess of Northumberland pretending to be a nurse. She would visit Christine Hogg, who was pregnant. The Countess looked "something like the queen." She would take Mary's place while Mary escaped.
Queen Elizabeth I, the Queen of England, wrote to the Earl of Shrewsbury on March 14, 1570. She allowed him to move Mary back to Wingfield. This was because the water at Tutbury Castle was not good enough. The Earl had also prepared Chatsworth House for Mary.
Mary was back at Wingfield in 1584. Ralph Sadler wrote in October about how the "castle" was guarded. Soldiers had pistols, muskets, and halberds (long spears). The land around was difficult, which would stop anyone from escaping. In November, he wrote about the bad conditions. Mary was then moved to Tutbury Castle. Mary's bedroom at Wingfield was too close to the kitchens. The "smoke and scent of meat" came up from below. This was despite it being the best room in the house.
It might have been at Wingfield that Mary met Anthony Babington. His family lived nearby at Dethick. Anthony Babington planned a secret plot against Queen Elizabeth I. This plot was called the Babington Plot. It was a plan by some Catholics to put Mary on the English throne. The plot failed.
There is a story about a walnut tree in the north courtyard. People say it grew from a seed left when Anthony Babington visited Mary. He supposedly smeared walnut juice on his face to hide his identity. However, the tree is not old enough for this story to be true.
The Civil War at Wingfield
During the English Civil War (1642–1648), the manor belonged to Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke. He supported Parliament. The Royalists (who supported the King) took the manor in 1643. Then, after a short siege (a military blockade), Parliament took it back in August 1644. This happened after large siege engines (like cannons) destroyed part of the western wall.
Wingfield Manor was in an important location. It was near a main road going north-south. It was also near a key east-west road at the southern end of the Pennines hills. After the war, Parliament ordered the manor to be partly destroyed. This was so it could never be used for defence again. It was not built as a castle, but it could be defended.
You can still see damage from cannonballs on the walls and towers. One mark on the north wall shows the direction of the cannon fire. This tells us where the cannons were during the 1644 siege. Four large cannons were used. At first, these cannons were on a hill to the east. This was an old Roman fort site. But it was too far away. Only a small defence outside the main gate was damaged. This area is now overgrown but still visible.
The cannons were then moved to the west, to a place called Manor Top. From here, they destroyed the southern part of the west wall. After this, the Royalists gave up. After the war, the manor was deliberately ruined. This made sure it could not be used for fighting again.
The Great Hall of the manor was fixed up later for Immanuel Halton, who was an astronomer (someone who studies stars). In the 1700s, the manor was left empty, except for the farmhouse in the middle. It was damaged even more when stones were taken from it to build Wingfield Hall in the valley below.
What Remains Today
Today, you can still see parts of Wingfield Manor. There is a usable tower, which was once part of a bigger tower. Before the English Civil War, this tower had one of the earliest flushing toilet systems in England. A tank of water at the top of the tower would empty through the toilet area into the moat (a ditch around the building).
The remains of the Great Hall are also there. It was once one of the biggest halls in the country. It has a special window called an oriel window. Coloured glass would have once shone through it, lighting up the main table.
Below the Great Hall was the undercroft. This was used to store wine, beer, and food. Stairs in each corner led up to the Great Hall. The kitchens were connected to the Great Hall by a passage. You can still see the remains of two bread ovens and two large fireplaces.
There is also a large stone barn. It is special because of its internal wooden structure. Above the entrance to the north court, you can see a carving of moneybags. This was the symbol of the exchequer (the person in charge of money), Lord Cromwell.
