Harkstead Netherhall (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Herkestede; Netherhall; Buckler's Bond

In the civil parish of Harkstead.
In the historic county of Suffolk.
Modern Authority of Suffolk.
1974 county of Suffolk.
Medieval County of Suffolk.

OS Map Grid Reference: TM190339
Latitude 51.96164° Longitude 1.18802°

Harkstead Netherhall has been described as a probable Fortified Manor House.

There are no visible remains.

This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*.

Description

Licence to crenellate granted to Nicholas Bonde in 1335.

C16/C17 or earlier with later alterations including C19 front and right extensions. Timber-framed and plastered, red plain tiled roof, grey slate to C19 range. 2 storeys. A long range with a C19 red brick range to south which is outshot to east, a northern range and a single storey extension to right (east). (Listed Building Report)

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1335 April 12 (Click on the date for details of this licence.).

Comments

Copinger is a little confusing with clearly erroneous dates but this seems to be Netherhall, which he seems to wrongly split into two manors (Buckler's Bond and Netherhall). This was a small manor held for a quarter of a knight's fee.
There was clearly some sort of residence here in the C14, as Bonde received a grant of free warren in 1330. There is an oval pond near to the current house but nothing to suggest a moat here or anywhere nearby. That is a moat could have been constructed but does not seem to have been made. What work, if any, Bonde did is unknowable. Copinger's manorial history is somewhat unclear but it seems possible Bonde died shortly after receiving the licence to crenellate and this, presumably, stopped any work. His heir seems to have been a daughter Lora, who was married to William Breton of Harkstead Hall (the larger manor in the parish), so Netherhall may well have been tenanted out after Nicholas's death and the manor seems to have been sold to a Sampson by the C15.

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1351640
Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record.

Books
- Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 2 East Anglia, Central England and Wales (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) (Shown on map of fortified houses of East Anglia)
  Copinger, W.A., 1910, Manors of Suffolk Vol. 6 p. 45-6 online copy
  Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol. 3 Part 2 p. 410 online copy
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
- Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1895, Calendar of Patent Rolls Edward III (1334-38) Vol. 3 p. 96 online copy

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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