Moreteyne Manor (previously known as Moat Farmhouse) is a 15th-century manor house in

Marston Moretaine Marston Moreteyne (or Marston Moretaine) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, England, located on the A421 road, A421 between Bedford and Milton Keynes. The population was 4,560 at the 2001 census, a ...

, Bedfordshire, England. For many years it was used as a farmhouse but is now a country house restaurant. It is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. The house, originally built in the early 15th century but extended, modified and restored by 1800, is sited within a rectangular moat. It consists of a timber frame with brick infill and a clay tile roof. The crosswings at each end of the central hall are jettied at the first floor level.

History

The Manor House was owned from 1562 by the Lord of the Manor, Thomas Snagge, followed in 1571 by his son,

Thomas Snagge Thomas Snagge (1536–1593) was a Member of Parliament, barrister and landowner who served as Speaker of the English House of Commons, Attorney General for Ireland and as Queen's Sergeant.

(1536–1593), who was

knight of the shire Knight of the shire () was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 ...

for

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

in 1571 and 1586 and also MP for

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

and

Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...

in 1588. The latter's son, Sir Thomas Snagge (c.1564–1627) was MP for Bedford in 1586 and Sheriff of the county in 1607. On his death in 1627 his sons, yet another Thomas (also sheriff of the county) and Edward successfully inherited. The latter's only son Edward succeeded him in 1715 and died in 1739. The Snagge family then sold the property to

Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, Princess of Mindelheim, Countess of Nellenburg (née Jenyns, spelt Jennings in most modern references; 5 June 1660 (Old Style) – 18 October 1744), was an English courtier who rose to be one of th ...

who left it to her grandson, the Honorable John Spencer. The Spencers held the property until 1811 after which it passed to the Alington family, who in turn sold it to the

Duke of Bedford Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 for Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of Fran ...

in 1873. Substantially renovation of the building occurred in 1880 when it was converted to be the farmhouse of Moat Farm, during which all the oak panelling was removed to

Woburn Abbey Woburn Abbey (), occupying the east of the village of Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the family seat of the Duke of Bedford. Although it is still a family home to the current duke, it is open on specified days to visitors, ...

. The property was sold to the Franklin family in 1920 and the Hillson family in 1948. Between 1983 and 1985 the house was converted to the present country house restaurant.

References

{{coord, 52.0614, -0.5528, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Grade II* listed buildings in Bedfordshire Hall houses Manor