Freemantle Kings House

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Frigidum Mantellum; Gottington Hill; King Johns House

In the civil parish of Kingsclere.
In the historic county of Hampshire (Modern Authority of Hampshire, 1974 county of Hampshire).

The hunting lodge of Freemantle Park from documentary evidence was extant in 1183. The building of the house is recorded in the Pipe Rolls for 1180-1183. Henry III in 1251 ordered a new house to be built. It was to consist of a hall, kitchen, chapel, first floor chambers and cellar. Stabling for 80 horses is also mentioned. The building was finally completed in 1256. In the 2nd half of C14 references to the Kings Lodge within the park were made. The lodge comprised several 'houses', some tiled, others thatched. Isaac Taylors 1759 Map of Hampshire and early Ordnance Survey Maps show the supposed site of King John's House on top of King Johns Hill (or Cottington's Hill). Finds recovered from hill top supports this siting. Most of the area of the hill top has been disturbed in the construction of a wireless station. No evidence of the exact site of the hunting lodge has been obtained.

This site has been described as a;
Palace.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Possible.
Nothing visible remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU52695676

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 236622

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 20999

• Web site links
  • http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~langdongoff/tidgrove-manor-rrl.html
    http://www.hants.gov.uk/hampshiretreasures/entries/v02p154e08.html
    http://www.kingsclere.org.uk/essay-4.html
• Books
  • James, T.B., 1990, The Palaces of Medieval England (London; Seaby) p78
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p940-1
    Page, Wm (ed), 1911, VCH Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Vol4 p249, 252-3
• Journal Articles
  • Williams-Freeman, J.P., 1932-4, Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society Vol12 p307
    Pole, R., 1870-1, Transactions of the Newbury District Field Club Vol1 p203
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls (1217-25) p124-5
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Legg, Robert, 2001, Notes on the Kings Houses at Tidgrove