Warboys Manor House

Warboys Manor House is adjacent to the Parish Church at the south end of the village. It is a mid 15th-century two-storied brick house, originally built for the Abbot of Ramsey.

The Manor House was substantially extended by Sir John Leman, who bought the manor in 1622 and died in 1632. The house has remained essentially unchanged since then.

The front has rounded and shaped gables, and within is a staircase and upper hall installed by Sir John. To the north of the Manor House is a 16th century brick barn. The roof of the barn has been faithfully restored, and the building has been converted to provide an apartment, a large open social area and offices for the house.

In 1670 an Act was passed for settling the boundary between Warboys and Ramsey manors. The Bedford Level Commissioners had placed Warboys Fen within the manor of Warboys, and Sir Henry Williams attempted unsuccessfully to have it included in Ramsey.

In 1774 an Act was passed for draining certain lands in Warboys, including 300 acres called High Fen and 60 acres, part of New Pasture. Again, in 1795, an Act was passed for dividing, inclosing and draining the open common fields in Warboys. A further Act was passed in 1798 to amend the last Act as regards the
lands allotted in lieu of tithes.

Warboys became conspicuous in 1593 by the trial and execution of three persons of the Samuels family in the village for allegedly bewitching the five daughters of Robert Throckmorton, lessee of the manor, and Susan Lady Cromwell, Sir Henry Cromwell’s wife whose family owned the Manor. Lady Cromwell was the step-grandmother of The Protector, Oliver Cromwell.

Read more at https://fowl.org.uk/manor-house/