Dig to unearth lost manor houses nears end

Archaeologists have been looking to uncover evidence of three lost manor houses at the site

A community archaeological dig to uncover evidence of three lost manor houses at a site near Grantham is nearing its conclusion.

Harlaxton History Society has been carrying out a range of survey activities during September to find evidence of what existed in the village before the new manor was built in the middle of the 19th Century.

This included a geophysical survey using ground penetrating radar, which was supported by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Possible clues as to the specific location of the previous manor houses included traces of a Tudor pleasure garden, organisers said.

The dig aims to uncover evidence of what existed before Harlaxton Manor was built in the mid 19th Century

The current manor is home to Harlaxton College, which is the British campus for the University of Evansville in the United States, and is situated within 300-acres of parkland and gardens.

But according to the society, there was previously a moated manor at the site in the 14th Century, as well as a later Tudor manor.

Daniel de Ligne, a Flemish refugee, then purchased the manor for the princely sum of £8,000 in 1619 and enlarged it considerably in a Jacobean style.

One of the project leads, Douglas Brown, said: "Volunteers aged from seven to 70 had taken part in the dig, "helping us find the clues to help us identify where the old manors were and what they were like".

The aim of the dig was "to open up archaeology to everyone" and "discover more about our village history and our shared heritage", he added.

The dig site will be open to the public later, and the society said it planned to publish a report on its findings later in the year.

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