history and maps

Cottingham - name, size and location

Ancient and Roman Britain

Angles, Saxons and Vikings 

Anglo Saxon Chronicle

Domesday Book

The Hundreds

Rockingham Forest

Rockingham Castle

landowners & copyholders

The Church, tithes and glebe

Kelly's Directories a

16th Century

In the 16th Century, a new class of landowner started to take over from the traditional aristocracy as Lords of the Manor, buying up village copyholds in order to have total control over property and policy.

There is a plaque at the front end of the church to a former Lord of the Manor, Thomas Medlycott (died 1761) erected by one of his two daughters, Barbara. Barbara (who married George Hill) and her own daughter went on to become major landowners in Cottingham. Interestingly, Thomas Medlycott actually had a third daughter, Elizabeth Cooke who was, according to his will, 'born of the body of my housekeeper, Judith Cooke." The will left Elizabeth and Judith £4,000 and £500 respectively.

The Lord of the Manor would often have lived in a prestigious house in the village he controlled, most likely 'Bury House' (built towards the end of the 18th Century) which literally means 'Manor House', with the word 'Bury' having been derived from the Old English word for a fortified place 'burh' , which later came to denote a fortified manor house.

There was also a building referred to as Manor Farm on the Spread Eagle car park until it was demolished in the 1960s. 

Manor House.jpg (43385 bytes)

Manor Farm House

From the 16th Century, the major landowners in the Rockingham Forest area were, and in many cases still, are, as follows:

  • Brooke - Settled in Great Oakley, and owned part of Cottingham. The family line continues through Sir Richard de Capel Brooke
  • Brudenell (Cardigan) - Deene Park, acquired Corby in the 17th Century as a result of a change of lands with the Hatton family
  • Cecil (Exeter) - Burleigh House
  • Hatton - Kirby Hall
  • Montagu - Boughton House
  • Tresham - Lyveden
  • Watson - Rockingham Castle, owned Rockingham, Wilbarston and Stoke Albany

Medieval England & Domesday Survey

Copyholders (1614 to Present)

Enclosure (1813)

 

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