Kettlethorpe Hall is a Victorian house in

Kettlethorpe, Lincolnshire __NOTOC__ Kettlethorpe is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated west from the city of Lincoln. The villages of Drinsey Nook and Laughterton lie within Kettlethorpe parish. The populat ...

, noted for its connection to Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster. It encloses fragments of the former

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

including the medieval

gatehouse A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the mos ...

, within the surviving

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

. It is a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. Sir Hugh Swynford (died in 1371) married Katherine Roet, whose sister Philippa is believed to have been the wife of

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He wa ...

. Lady Katherine became governess to the children of

John of Gaunt John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...

, the third surviving son of

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

, and also Gaunt's mistress. Their four children, the Beauforts, were eventually legitimised when Gaunt took Lady Katherine as his third wife, in 1396. She at one time lived at Kettlethorpe Hall. The present house was built in the early 1700s for Charles Hall, MP, whose grandfather had acquired the estate by marriage. He died without issue and bequeathed Kettlethorpe to his half-brother's son,

Charles Amcotts Charles Amcotts (1729–1777), was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1754 and 1777. Early life Amcotts was the son of Vincent Amcotts and his wife Elizabeth Quincey, daughter of John Quincey of Aslackby, Lincolnshi ...

, MP of Harrington Hall. He in turn left it to his sister Anna-Maria, who had married Sir Wharton Emerson, who changed his name to Amcotts. After passing by marriage to Sir

William Amcotts-Ingilby Sir William Amcotts-Ingilby, 2nd Baronet (June 1783 – 14 May 1854) was a British politician. The son of Sir John Ingilby, 1st Baronet and his wife Elizabeth Amcotts, he entered the House of Commons as Member of Parliament (MP) for East Retfor ...

it was inherited by

Weston Cracroft Amcotts Weston Cracroft Amcotts (9 March 1815 – 14 July 1883) was an English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1874. Amcotts was born William Cracroft, son of Robert Cracroft of Hackthorn and his wife Augusta Ingilb ...

, MP, who carried out extensive remodelling of the house in 1863. It then further passed down in the family to Sir

Weston Cracroft-Amcotts Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Weston Cracroft-Amcotts, MC, DL, JP (7 November 1888 – 17 September 1975) was an English land-owner, soldier and local politician, who served as Chairman of Lindsey County Council and High Sheriff of Lincolnshire. Ear ...

, who sold it in 1961. The house contains walls, some carved heads and a small oak-panelled room dating from the 17th century. In the old tower is an early 18th-century panelled dining room with a late 18th-century marble fireplace. The drawing room's stucco ceiling is 18th-century, and the library and front hall are Victorian. The moat and its cleaning was one of the most widely used examples of MPs' expenses claims scandal during 2009. This contributed to the retirement of its owner,

Douglas Hogg Douglas Martin Hogg, 3rd Viscount Hailsham, Baron Hailsham of Kettlethorpe (born 5 February 1945), is a British politician and barrister. A member of the Conservative Party he served in the Cabinet as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foo ...

, from the House of Commons and the granting to him of a life peerage allowing him to sit in the House of Lords.

Notes

{{coord, 53.2706, -0.7295, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Country houses in Lincolnshire Grade II listed buildings in Lincolnshire *