Rugh Combe

Has been described as a Certain Fortified Manor House

There are no visible remains

NameRugh Combe
Alternative NamesRughcombe; Roughcombe; Ruscombe
Historic CountryWiltshire
Modern AuthorityWiltshire
1974 AuthorityWiltshire
Civil ParishWest Tisbury

Thomas West obtained, in 1327, licence to crenellate his 'mansum' at Rugh Combe, Wiltshire. The West family became the Lords de la Warre.

RUGHCOMBE CASTLE (11 S. vii. 327). This was a crenellated house in the parish of Tisbury, Wiltshire, and all that is known about it will be found in Hoare's ' History of Wiltshire,' vol. v., Dunworth Hundred, p. 130 et seq. Licence to crenellate it was granted by patent 1 Edward III. (Fry)

Roughcombe was presumably a small settlement in the late 13th century when a surname was derived from it, a manor house was called Roughcombe in the early 14th century, and Roughcombe manor apparently included several tenements and a mill in the later 14th century. By the 16th century all those buildings may have been abandoned. The name Roughlawn, in use in 1716 and applied to an area north of Newtown, suggests that the land of Roughcombe may have been divided among the farms north-east of Newtown with 'Lawn' in their names: if so, in the 14th century Roughcombe may have stood beside Oddford brook.

Walter of Roughcombe (fl. 1275–82) and John of Roughcombe (fl. 1317) may have held the land called ROUGHCOMBE which belonged to Sir Thomas West (d. 1343) in 1327. West was then licensed to crenellate his house there. His son Sir Thomas (d. 1386) had a park called Roughcombe which he enlarged between 1376 and 1379 (Cal. Pat. 1374–7, 287). (VCH)

The next grant is to Thomas West, in the first year of Edward III. (1327), to crenellate his house at "Rugh Combe, Wilts," now Ruscombe, a parish in a portion of Wiltshire, isolated in the county of Berks, north-east of Reading. The living of Rugh Combe was formerly a peculiar, under the jurisdiction of the Dean of Salisbury. (Peacock 1889)

Gatehouse Comments

Despite the lack of any remains, on the suggestion of the VCH, Gatehouse tentatively place the site of the licenced house at Lawn Farm. Peacock (1889) is incorrect and the known history of Ruscombe does not support his assertion.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceST927296
Latitude51.0668907165527
Longitude-2.10436010360718
Eastings392700
Northings129600
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

No photos available. If you can provide pictures please contact Castlefacts

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant.

Calculate Print

Books

  • Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 3 Southern England (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 695
  • Crowley, D.A. (ed), 1987, 'Parishes: Tisbury' VCH Wiltshire Vol. 13 online transcription
  • Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol. 3 Part 2 p. 408 online copy
  • Hoare, R.C., 1829, The history of modern Wiltshire Vol. 5 Dunworth Hundred p. 130-

Journals

  • Fry, E.A., 1913, Aug 9, Notes and Queries Series 11 Vol. 8 p. 118 online copy
  • Peacock, E., 1889, 'Licence to Crenellate' Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol. 24 p. 128 online copy (incorrected identification as Ruscombe, Berkshire)

Primary Sources

  • Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1891, Calendar of Patent Rolls Edward III (1327-30) Vol. 1 p. 130 online copy