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

Marston Moretaine Marston Moreteyne (or Marston Moretaine) is a large English village and civil parish located on the A421 between Bedford and Milton Keynes in the county of Bedfordshire. The population was 4,560 at the 2001 census, and 4,556 at the 2011 census ...

, 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 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 ...

. 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 ( la, milites comitatus) 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 Redistributio ...

for

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

in 1571 and 1586 and also MP for

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

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 was succeeded by his only son Edward in 1715 who 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 and New Style dates, (Old Style) – 18 October 1744), was an English cou ...

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 and second creations came in 1414 and 1433 respectively, in favour of Henry IV's third so ...

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, a ...

. The farm and house were then sold in turn 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