Historical names: Aukbarow (Manor)
Location: Alkborough, Lincolnshire
Places / associated places: Alkborough, Lincolnshire
Listed in Domesday Book: Yes
Location & Extent
GPS Location & Recorded Land Areas
Representative GPS point: 53.683838, -0.669454
Identity: likely — The registry record and its historical spelling Aukbarow identify the manor of Alkborough, Lincolnshire. Historic England identifies Countess Close, on the south-western edge of Alkborough, as the buried and earthwork remains of a fortified medieval manor house and associates it with the historical manor of Alkborough and Countess Lucy. This is the strongest surviving manorial-site identification, although the sources do not explicitly equate the scheduled monument with every later legal holding represented by the MDR record.
Representative point: 53.683838, -0.669454
Basis: documented_manor_site — Countess Close moated site, National Heritage List for England entry 1017289, National Grid Reference SE 87952 21589. The monument comprises the remains of a fortified medieval manor house at the top of the scarp above the River Trent floodplain, south-west of Alkborough.
Point confidence: medium
Boundary status: representative_point_only
Boundary period: Not established
Boundary confidence: none
Boundary basis: The available evidence locates the manor house/site but does not provide a defensible perimeter for the full historical manorial landholding. The scheduled monument boundary is the archaeological site boundary, not the territorial extent of Alkborough Manor. Historical descriptions associate the manor with Alkborough and Walcot and mention monastic landholdings, but do not define a complete manor boundary using mapped parcels, metes and bounds, or an estate map.
Sources:
- Historic England, Countess Close moated site, List Entry 1017289: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1017289?section=overview — Identifies Countess Close as the buried and earthwork remains of a fortified medieval manor house in Alkborough; gives National Grid Reference SE 87952 21589; describes the main enclosure as approximately 80 by 90 metres internally and discusses its association with Countess Lucy and the manor of Alkborough.
- Heritage Gateway, Countess Close, Alkborough, HER record MLS44: https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?resourceID=1034&uid=MLS44 — Records the earthwork at SE880 216, describes it as potentially a fortified medieval manor or steading, and reports medieval pottery and archaeological observations.
- Palaeoecology Research Services, Evaluation of biological remains from excavations at Countess Close, Alkborough: https://www.york.ac.uk/inst/chumpal/EAU-reps/PRS04-013.pdf — Provides the 2003 excavation location, NGR SE 8795 2160 to SE 8791 2140, and confirms that Countess Close is a scheduled moated site comprising a main enclosure and a second enclosure.
- Magdalene College Archives, Grant of the Manor House of Alkborough, 1625: https://magdalene.maxarchiveservices.co.uk/index.php/informationobject/browse?page=71&sf_culture=fr&showAdvanced=1&sort=alphabetic&sortDir=asc&topLod=0&view=table — Confirms the historical existence of a Manor House of Alkborough and associated properties in 1625, but does not supply a mapped territorial boundary.
- The National Archives, MDR record F291303: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F291303 — Registry record for Alkborough Manor, including the authority/reference GB/NNAF/M316689 and the archival context of Alkborough manorial records.
- North Lincolnshire Council, Alkborough Conservation Area Appraisal: https://www.northlincs.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Alkborough-conservation-area-appraisal414KB.pdf — Describes Countess Close as an earthwork with a main enclosure and annex and states that it is now accepted as a fortified medieval manor house.
Warnings / uncertainty:
- The representative point is for the documented medieval manor-house site at Countess Close, not for a modern building named The Manor House elsewhere in Alkborough.
- No historically grounded full-manor polygon was found. The parish boundary, conservation-area boundary, scheduled-monument boundary, and modern estate boundaries must not be substituted for the manor's territorial extent.
- The association between Countess Close and the exact later legal manor represented by MDR record F291303 is strong but not explicit enough to classify as confirmed.
About the Manor
Alkborough Manor was a medieval manor or group of manorial holdings in the parish of Alkborough, Lincolnshire, historically also recorded as Aukborough and Alkebarowe. The Domesday survey records Alkborough under two separate entries: one held in 1086 by Ivo Taillebois as immediate lord under Peterborough Abbey, and another held directly by Ivo Taillebois. The settlement had 31 recorded households in 1086. The earthwork known as Countess Close, on the south-western edge of Alkborough, is identified by Historic England as the remains of a fortified medieval manor house and is associated by tradition and historical interpretation with Countess Lucy. A 1449 fine explicitly names the manor of Alkebarowe together with the manors of Halton and Burton Stather. In the early sixteenth century the Alkborough manor was among the Lincolnshire properties acquired by Westminster Abbey from George Neville. A separate or subsidiary Alkborough estate is documented from 1625 in the archives of Magdalene College, Cambridge, which received a grant of the Manor House of Alkborough and other properties there from Frances Rich, Countess Dowager of Warwick. The later lordship recorded in local directories was associated with the Goulton family and, subsequently, James Goulton-Constable of Walcot Hall. The evidence indicates that the medieval manor and later manor-house or estate interests should not automatically be treated as identical in extent; Alkborough had multiple property interests and holdings within the parish.
Ownership / Holder Account
The earliest securely identified pre-Conquest holder connected with the principal Alkborough holding is William Malet, recorded as lord in 1066. A separate Domesday entry records Eskil as the 1066 lord of the portion later held by Ivo Taillebois under Peterborough Abbey. By 1086 Ivo Taillebois was lord of the principal Alkborough holding and immediate lord of the Peterborough Abbey holding, while Peterborough Abbey was tenant-in-chief of the latter portion. Later historical evidence associates Alkborough with Countess Lucy, whose manor there is said to have passed to the son of her second husband and subsequently to property given to Spalding Priory, although the intervening names and precise legal descent are not established in the sources consulted. In 1449 Richard Le Strange and Elizabeth his wife acknowledged the manors of Halton, Burton Stather and Alkebarowe to be the right of George Neville, son of Edward Neville. In 1503 or 1504 George Neville sold or conveyed Alkborough, together with other Lincolnshire manors, to Westminster Abbey in an acquisition made by Abbot John Islip. In 1625 Frances Rich, Countess Dowager of Warwick, granted the Manor House of Alkborough and other properties there to Magdalene College, Cambridge; the archival description does not prove that this grant comprised the whole manorial lordship, and it is therefore recorded as a distinct manor-house or estate interest. By 1786 Thomas Goulton was described as lord of the manor at Aukborough. In 1896 James Goulton-Constable of Walcot Hall was described as lord of the manor. The conveyance or succession by which the Goulton interest replaced or became separate from the Westminster Abbey or Magdalene College interests has not been established from the public sources consulted.
Records & References
Sources and references mentioning this manor/title which are not necessarily conveyances or transfers.
8 records found · showing 1–8.
1752-1759: court book (draft)
Held by: Lincolnshire Archives
1708-1923: court books (7)
Held by: Lincolnshire Archives
1621-1623: court rolls, with other manors (3)
Held by: The National Archives
1572-1574: court rolls, with other manors (15)
Held by: The National Archives
1512-1517: court rolls, with other manors (60)
Held by: The National Archives
1381-1382: rent
Held by: British Library, Manuscript Collections
1586-1588: court rolls, with other manors (4)
Held by: The National Archives
1284-1285: court roll
Held by: Westminster Abbey Library and Muniment Room
Further information: NRA 41148
Conveyance & Descent
First holder to present holder: blood proximity & distance travelled
First recorded holder: William Malet
Present holder:
Recorded title journey: 10 holder entries in this manor's saved Conveyance & Descent history.
No recorded holder currently has a usable saved direct-blood or collateral-blood relationship path from which to calculate proximity percentages.
First recorded holder → present holder
A usable saved blood relationship path between the first recorded holder and the present holder has not yet been recorded, so that first-to-present genealogical distance cannot be calculated.
William Malet, Norman landholder and Domesday tenant, lord of the principal Alkborough holding in 1066
Transfer: Recorded as lord of the principal Alkborough holding in 1066; the conveyance or dispossession is not stated in Domesday evidence.
Shared holding: Principal Domesday Alkborough holding
Previous holder: Not stated
Domesday evidence records William Malet as lord in 1066 of the principal Alkborough entry, which by 1086 was held by Ivo Taillebois. This is evidence of lordship at the date of the survey, not a surviving conveyance deed.
Source: Open Domesday, Alkborough, Phillimore reference Lincolnshire 14,29; Domesday entry lists William Malet as lord in 1066 and Ivo Taillebois as lord and tenant-in-chief in 1086. — source link
Transfer: Recorded as the pre-Conquest lord of the portion of Alkborough later held by Ivo Taillebois under Peterborough Abbey; no conveyance is stated.
Holding arrangement: Other — A separate Domesday portion comprising 3 villagers and 1.5 ploughlands; exact relationship to the later consolidated manor is uncertain.
Shared holding: Peterborough Abbey-linked Domesday portion
Previous holder: Not stated
The Domesday material separates a small Alkborough holding from the principal Ivo Taillebois estate. Eskil is recorded as its lord in 1066. Because the record represents Alkborough as two Domesday holdings, this entry is not treated as proof that Eskil held the whole later manor.
Source: Open Domesday, Alkborough, Phillimore reference Lincolnshire 8,29; Domesday entry lists Eskil as lord in 1066, Ivo Tailleboise as lord in 1086, and Peterborough Abbey as tenant-in-chief. — source link
Ivo Taillebois, Norman lord, lord of Alkborough in 1086, lord of Holland, husband of Countess Lucy, Norman landholder and Domesday tenant-in-chief
Transfer: Held the principal Alkborough estate by 1086 and was also immediate lord of the smaller Peterborough Abbey-linked portion; the transfer from William Malet and Eskil is not documented in the sources consulted.
Shared holding: Two Domesday Alkborough holdings
Previous holder: William Malet for the principal holding; Eskil for the separate Peterborough Abbey-linked portion
By 1086 Ivo Taillebois was lord and tenant-in-chief of the principal Alkborough entry, and lord of a second entry for which Peterborough Abbey was tenant-in-chief. This distinction is important: the Domesday evidence does not show a single undivided manor held in exactly the same tenure throughout Alkborough.
Source: Open Domesday, Alkborough, Phillimore references Lincolnshire 14,29 and 8,29. — source link
Countess Lucy, Countess of Leicester, Lincoln and Chester in her own right
Transfer: Historic England states that Countess Lucy's manor in Alkborough passed to the son of her second husband; the precise conveyance and the son's name are not stated.
Shared holding: Countess Close and medieval manor tradition
Previous holder: Ivo Taillebois and earlier Domesday holders; exact legal descent not established
Countess Close is associated with Countess Lucy and is identified as a fortified medieval manor house. Historic England states that Lucy's manor in Alkborough passed to the son of her second husband, who subsequently gave property to Spalding Priory. This establishes a medieval Alkborough manor connection but does not provide a complete named descent or a dated conveyance.
Source: Historic England, Countess Close moated site, Alkborough, List Entry 1017289. — source link
Peterborough Abbey, Tenant-in-chief of a Domesday holding at Alkborough
Transfer: Peterborough Abbey was tenant-in-chief of a small Alkborough holding in 1086 and is associated by later local and archaeological sources with land at Alkborough; no dated transfer out is established.
Holding arrangement: Other — Domesday tenant-in-chief of the portion comprising 3 villagers and 1.5 ploughlands; not evidence of ownership of the entire Alkborough manor.
Shared holding: Peterborough Abbey-linked portion
Previous holder: Crown tenure after the Conquest; immediate lord Ivo Taillebois
Peterborough Abbey was tenant-in-chief of one of the two Alkborough holdings recorded in Domesday, while Ivo Taillebois was its immediate lord. Later Historic England material also describes Ivo as Peterborough Abbey's tenant at Walcott and says he was given land in Alkborough by the abbey. The evidence does not establish that Peterborough Abbey held the whole later manor or provide a complete descent of this portion.
Source: Open Domesday, Alkborough, Phillimore reference Lincolnshire 8,29; Historic England, Countess Close moated site, Alkborough, List Entry 1017289. — source link
George Neville, son of Edward Neville, Knight, later associated with the barony of Bergavenny through his family
Transfer: Richard Le Strange and Elizabeth his wife acknowledged the manors of Halton, Burton Stather and Alkebarowe to be George Neville's right and quitclaimed them to him and his heirs for ever, for 1,000 marks.
Shared holding: Halton, Burton Stather and Alkebarowe group
Previous holder: Richard Le Strange and Elizabeth his wife
A Lincolnshire feet of fine dated one week from the Purification of the Blessed Mary in 27 Henry VI, equivalent to 9 February 1449, records George Neville as obtaining the manors of Halton, Burton Stather and Alkebarowe from Richard Le Strange and Elizabeth his wife. The document includes a warranty against Edmund, Abbot of Westminster, and his successors, indicating an earlier Westminster-connected claim or interest, but it does not by itself explain the full earlier descent.
Source: Feet of Fines, Lincolnshire, CP 25/1/145/160, number 16, dated 9 February 1449. — source link
Westminster Abbey, acquired by Abbot John Islip, Abbot of Westminster
Transfer: Abbot John Islip acquired the manor of Alkborough and associated Lincolnshire properties from George Neville in 1503 or 1504. The purchase formed part of the endowment of the Westminster Abbey memorial founded with funds provided by Henry VII.
Shared holding: Westminster Abbey acquisition from George Neville
Previous holder: George Neville
A study of Westminster Abbey's estates, citing the abbey's Warden's Accounts and the Crown's Close and Patent Rolls, states that Abbot John Islip purchased the manor of Alkborough from George Neville in 1503 or 1504, together with Burton Stather, Halton and other Lincolnshire properties. This is the strongest located evidence for the post-medieval descent of the named manor. The date on which Westminster Abbey's interest ended is not established here.
Source: Sarah E. B. Thompson, The Royal Almshouse at Westminster c.1500-c.1600, section on properties purchased by Abbot John Islip, citing Westminster Abbey Muniments, Close Rolls 1500-1509 and Patent Rolls 1494-1509. — source link
Magdalene College, Cambridge, College and institutional landholder
Transfer: Frances Rich, Countess Dowager of Warwick, granted the Manor House of Alkborough and other properties there to Magdalene College for the maintenance of one Fellow and two Scholars. The grant is dated 1 March 1625, with an attornment by Nicholas Homerton dated 2 March 1625.
Holding arrangement: Other — Manor house and other properties at Alkborough; the archival description does not establish that the grant comprised the whole manorial lordship.
Shared holding: Magdalene College manor-house and estate interest
Previous holder: Frances Rich, Countess Dowager of Warwick
The Magdalene College archive contains a direct grant of the Manor House of Alkborough and other properties there from Frances Rich to the College. Later college records refer to the rents of the Manor of Alkborough and document leases of Alkborough property through 1787. Because the archival description specifies the manor house and associated properties rather than unequivocally the whole lordship, this entry is classified as an estate or manor-house interest rather than an unqualified sole holding of the entire manor.
Source: Magdalene College Cambridge Archives, MCCA/MCAD/4/1/20/1/2, Grant of the Manor House of Alkborough, 1 March 1625; related Alkborough records MCCA/MCAD/4/1/20/1, 1625-1787. — source link
Thomas Goulton, Esquire of Mount St John and Walcot, lord of the manor of Aukborough by 1786
Transfer: By 1786 Thomas Goulton was described as lord of the manor of Aukborough. The conveyance or succession by which he acquired the lordship is not identified in the sources consulted.
Shared holding: Goulton lordship at Alkborough
Previous holder: Unknown; possible coexistence with or separation from Magdalene College's documented Alkborough estate interest
The Gentleman’s Magazine description of Aukborough states that Thomas Goulton of Mount St John was lord of the manor. It also separately notes an estate belonging to Magdalene College, Cambridge, and land held by Goulton under the Dean and Chapter of Peterborough, demonstrating that several distinct property interests existed in the parish. No documentary conveyance from Westminster Abbey, Magdalene College or another predecessor to Thomas Goulton has been located.
Source: The Gentleman’s Magazine, 1786, description of Aukborough and Julian’s Bower, reproduced by Michael Behrend's transcription. — source link
James Goulton-Constable, Esquire, lord of the manor of Alkborough, owner of Walcot Hall
Transfer: By 1896 James Goulton-Constable was described as lord of the manor of Alkborough. The succession from Thomas Goulton or any intermediate holder is not documented in the sources consulted.
Shared holding: Goulton-Constable lordship at Alkborough
Previous holder: Thomas Goulton or an unrecorded successor; exact succession unknown
Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire for 1896 identifies James Goulton-Constable of Walcot Hall as lord of the manor of Alkborough. The directory also names Major William Henry Dent as another principal landowner, so the description should not be read as proof that James owned every acre in the parish. The intervening conveyance or succession from the eighteenth-century Goulton holder has not been established.
Source: Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire, 1896, entry for Alkborough, stating that James Goulton-Constable of Walcot Hall was lord of the manor. — source link
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JSON API
Machine-readable published manor data, including public images, mapped land areas, notes, rights, conveyances, relationships, records, source/document-library entries and public file links.
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