Wangford Warren
Map of Location
Warren Features
Earliest documentary evidence
The manor of Wangford was gifted to Old Warden Abbey in 1175 [Rev Munday History of Eriswell
WSROB]
Other documentary evidence
feoffment of 1523 ‘township and fields of Wangford’
Receipt of John Fisher of Honing, Norfolk, gent., of the sum of £1,000 from Robert Wright, 7 Aug 1662 With letter asking Robert Wright to agree to a settlement of his lands in Wangford and Brandon on his brother John, 25 Apr 1691 and piece of parchment with the signature of a John Wright, 1704
Sales Particulars Hall Farm Estate 1827 and 1866
Maps including Warren Lodge Farm 1871
The land is partly in rabbit-warrens’ 1868
[‘TWSROB HD/1720/17, WSROB HD526/143/3, WSROB HD526/143/4 M547/6, WSROB M547/1-28 and M547/9, The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)]
Maps
Maps including Warren Lodge Farm 1871 [WSROB M547/1-28 and M547/9]
Boundary Banks
1844 William Nunn of Thetford committed to 7 days imprisonment for trespassing which included ‘getting over a warren bank’ at Wangford [WSROB HD/1720/17]
Lodges
TL77008190 The upper one is named as ‘Shaker’s Lodge’ on the OS 1905 Map but the lower one is not named. (A site visit to Shaker’s Lodge in 2001 showed it was a late 18th/ early 19th century dwelling with a well close by with its winding gear intact). Lodge named as ‘Shakers’ on 1836 map.
Warrener’s house was erected in 1866.
1905 OS Map shows rectangular structure to west of above.
Two lodges are marked on Hodskinson’s 1783 Map, both named as ‘Wangford Lodge’ [1836 map (OS 1st editon ).[WSROB BA500/D]
Wills
Will of John Eagle – reference to. [PRO 11/787]
Boundary Banks
A 10 -15 yr old pine + bracken No trace of banks – destumped?/levelled?
B c.10 yr old pine & bracken Boundary bank A: c. 7m from ride, c. 30cm high x 5m wide
Boundary bank B: c. 17m from ride, c. 50cm high (from NE side), 1m (from SW) x 8m wide
C Grazed heath (Lakenheath parish);
Boundary bank A: c.50cm high x c.5m wide; Boundary bank B: 10m to W, c.30cm x c.2m
Boundary bank C: 14m to W, c.30cm x c.4m; Boundary bank D: 18m to W, c.70cm x c.5m
Mature pine forest (Wangford parish)
Boundary bank A: natural (?) slope rises for c.20m up to 2m height. Drops away c.200m to NW, then continues again.
Boundary bank B: c.19m W of A, c.50cm x c.6m
D 15 yr old pine, thinned. Bracken to NE. (Wangford) Internal N-S bank c.40cm high x c. 4m wide. Internal E-W bank (E of above) c. 40cm high x c. 4m wide.
E 15 yr old pine, thick bracken (Wangford) Internal NW-SE bank (?): c.50cm – 1m high x c.20m wide, at top of slope.
F 15 yr old pine – no bracken Wangford Mound 1: circular, c.60cm high, c. 8m diameter.
Mound 2: oval/long, c.60cm high x c.8m wide x c. 25m long (to ride). 15m gap between mounds.
Internal bank/s: c.8 m in from parallel ride edge, c.30cm high x c. 10m wide.
G 15 yr old pine, bracken free (Wangford) Possible broad internal curving bank c.20m wide x c. 50cm high (continuation of above?) Large long mound c.1+m high X c. 30m wide x c. 40m long. ?Natural mounds/ridges in N corner of block.
H Thick bracken (Wangford) Two broad parallel banks: c. 20m wide x c. 40cm high.
I Mature pine and bracken (Wangford) Boundary bank: c.15m wide x c. 1m high.
Partially surviving (S1) double, triple and quadruple linear earthwork banks defining Wangford Rabbit Warren between cited grid references. Following parish boundaries (mostly to SE of Brandon Road, A1065)(S1)(S2). S length continues to W (see ELV 024) where probably largely destroyed by USAF base. W extension on N length not determined but possibly follows parish boundary. Forms joint boundary with Brandon Warren, Elveden Warren (see ELV 024) and Lakenheath Warren.
Date unknown though bank construction between the E side of Wangford Grange (WNG 023) and Brandon Warren, together with creation of a hedge on top, is recorded in documents of 1385-6 (pers comm Anne Mason using notes transcribed by Gigi Compton, Feb 2004). Parish boundary alignment suggests Mediaeval but Wangford (now Shakers) Lodge (at TL 779 819) is brick built and probably C18/C19. Aug 2009: at TL 7702 8374 a second, very slight (only circa 10 cm high, parallel bank observed (C Pendleton (SCCAS) and R Riley (FC)) on Brandon side of parish boundary in low grass cover after clear felling. Probably originally extended along whole of boundary along Brandon Warren side.
Lodges
Area surrounding farmhouse of 4.296 acres ( on map) –roughly equivalent to 4 acres held by Abbot of Bury in 1435 ? Has a well and a pond. 1904 OS. Not visited.