Educate. Inspire. Preserve.
Castle, fortified manor house, double moated enclosure. Earthworks ploughed out.
Sub-rectangular island measuring 400ft by 300ft with a causewayed entrance to the south, a rectangular mound to the north of the site measuring 200ft by 90ft and the moat measuring approximately 30ft wide.
The outer bailey measured 394ft by 295ft and had been enlarged at some time and surrounded by a wet moat. Within the bailey was an inner moat surrounding the motte measuring approximately 32.8ft wide and spanned by a bridge. The motte stood approximately 9.8ft high.
1170’s Held by Warin de Bassingbourne (1).
1170-1177 Warin de Bassingbourne was joint Sheriff of Cambridgeshire.
1192 Warin de Bassingbourne died and was succeeded by his son Winmar (Wihomere).
1218 Winmar died and his son, Warin de Bassingbourne (2), inherited.
1229 Warin (2) died and his son, Warin (3), a minor, inherited.
1248 Warin de Bassingbourne (3) came of age.
1266 22nd October: Licence to crenellate granted to Warin de Bassingbourn as a reward for his services to Edward, his Lord.
1268/9 Warin de Bassingbourne (3) died and his son, Edmund, inherited.
1275 Edmund de Bassingbourne is recorded as holding the Manor.
1293 Just after: Edmund de Bassingbourne died and his son, Warin de Bassingbourne (4), inherited.
1316 Warin de Bassingbourne (4) was knighted.
1334 Warin de Bassingbourne (4) was possibly murdered and was succeeded by his son, Warin de Bassingbourne (5).
1344 Warin de Bassingbourne (5) held the manor and was recorded as
Sir Warin Bassingbourne of the Castle.
1350 Onwards: Called ‘The Castle’.
1359 Sir Warin Bassingbourne of the Castle died and his wife, Margaret held the manor.
1378 Warin’s son, John, settled at the manor which had been held by Margaret.
1388 John Bassingbourne took possession of the manor.
1420 John Bassingbourne died without issue
1428 Owned by John, Lord Tiptoft.
1443 John, Lord Tiptoft died and his son, John, inherited.
1470 John was executed and it passed to his son, Edward.
1485 Edward died without issue and the lands were divided between his aunts, Philippa, Lady Roos, and Joan, widow of Sir Edmund Ingoldisthorpe.
1488 Joan sold her share to Richard Lynne and Philippa sold her share to John Warde.
1524 Before: Sir Thomas Lovell, Philippa’s son-in-law recovered her share and gave it to Edward Lovell, his nephew, for life, and then to his older brother, Francis.
1552 Francis died and his son, Sir Thomas Lovell, sold it to Philip Lynne, Richard Lynne’s grandson.
1557 Philip Lynne died without issue and his brother, John, inherited.
1613 John died and was succeeded by his son, Henry.
1621 Henry sold it to Sir Giles Alington.
1631 Held by Sir Giles Alington.
1635 Sir Giles Alington sold it to Sir Thomas Hatton.
1807 The stone foundations of the bridge that spanned the inner moat survived.
1887 Before: Mound measured 10-12ft high.
1887 Earthworks still remained, but were later mostly leveled.
1887 Late: Remains of building removed and moat filled in.
19 C Called ‘John of Gaunt’s House’.
1972 Field Investigation.
1981 Field Investigation.
2001-2002 Aerial Photograph by English Heritage.