Monument record MDO3644 - Medieval manor house, Anketil's Place, Cann

Site of the medieval manor house, demolished in the eighteenth century, now built over. The Anketell or Anketil family had their seat here. The record for this monument has been enhanced with support from Wessex Water.

Anketil's Place. Once a manor house, now a farm. The Anketell or Anketil family had their seat here. One of the family was a representative of the Borough in 1306, and William Anketil of Anketils Place is mentioned in "The List of Gentry" 1433. The family possessed the place when Leland visited Shaftesbury circa 1539; and Coker, writing about 1620 noted that Anketil's Place had been their seat 'not long since'.

In 1619 the property was sold to the family of Still who rebuilt the house, the west part in 1680, though the remainder was much older. The farm was purchased by the Whites in 1739 and about 1768 the old house was pulled down.

There remains however a considerable portion of one wall to the south of St. James's church, and this forms the boundary of the Sturminster Newton Road. The wall is 4-5ft. High. There are traces of terraces near the site of the old house. <1>

The site is occupied by a lawn in front of a modern house and no visible trace remains of the old building. The wall referred to in Authy <1> has been replaced by a dry stone wall - possibly using the old stone blocks. <3>

ST 857222. Anketil's Place, the site of a Medieval manor house demolished circa 1770 and now built over. On the west of the site and due south of St. James's Church are fragmentary remains of several small rectangular closes bounded by banks and scarps up to 2 1/2ft. High; they probably represent the manor farm. <4>

<1> Hutchins, J, 1868, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. Volume 3. 3rd edition, 61-78 (Monograph). SDO11486.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1927-38 (Map). SWX1540.

(ST 85722223) Anketil's Place (NR) (site of)

<3> Edwards, D W, Field Investigator's Comments DE, F1 DE 30-JAN-56 (Unpublished document). SDO18341.

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1972, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume IV (North), 9-10 (Monograph). SDO99.

'(9) Anketil's Place (857222), the site of a medieval manor house, lies near the N. boundary of the parish, 150 yds. S. of St. James's Church, Shaftesbury, at the crest of a narrow spur with extensive views to E., S., and W. The house was demolished c. 1770, but from the mid 13th century until 1739 it was the seat of the Anketil family. Hutchins (1st ed. II, 35) describes it as a large handsome house, the W. part dating from 1680, the other part more ancient. Part of a wall still remained in 1868 (Hutchins 3rd ed. III. 61). The site has been built over and nothing now remains ; a few sherds of medieval and later pottery from the area are in Shaftesbury Museum. On the W. of the site and due S. of St. James's Church are fragmentary remains of several small rectangular closes, bounded by banks and scarps up to 2½ ft. high ' they probably represent the manor farm.'

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 206424 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 14 2023 6:58PM