It is not known the precise location of where Beaumes Manor stood in Sawtry. When an archaeological survey was done at Chapel End a few years ago some interesting  theories were discussed. One theory was that it was possible that the site of the old ridge and furrow, the moat site and the medieval settlement behind All Saints Church might not be The All Saints Medieval Village but Beaumes Medieval Village and Beaumes Manor as it was close to St Andrews Church which was the parish church of Beaumes Manor and had been standing there since before the Norman Conquest. In Medieval times the Church and the Manor House stood in close proximity as the Church was primarily for the use of the family and the serfs and villagers were allowed to worship there. There was actually an ancient pathway that was excavated in the 1980s by Sawtry Archealogical Society now Sawtry History Society, which led from the settlement right across one of the fields now intersected by the  A1M to St Andrews Church.  The History Society had some Time Team members come and do some garden evaluations around Sawtry a few years ago and what turned up was quite interesting especially on Newton Road and Manor Drive. A dig was also done in the 1980's before The Newton Road housing estate was built, and these later evaluations bore out what was found then. It seems that medieval pottery and artifacts were found on the Newton Road site showing that there was once a Medieval settlement there, items found were similar to ones found down at the Sawtry Judith Manor dig in the 1970's at Archers Wood and we also know from that previous Newton Road dig in the 1980's that an ancient windmill stood on the site as it is one of the high points of Sawtry, bearing in mind that at that time in the medieval period it was completely open. This was thought to possibly be the site of All Saints Medieval settlement as it led up to All Saints Church and Tinkers Lane and the Green which were also part of All Saints Manor. After the Norman Conquest in 1066 when William the Conqueror redistributed the lands, many landholdings were given to Judith De Lens as his favourite niece, some to Tostig, the King's brother in law, he also gave lands to another relative and trusted companion, Eustace, Count of Boulogne, also known as Eustace the Sheriff. Eustace then leased the land to Sir Walter De Beau-mes a knight in service to the King (pronounced Bo Mes, a name he assumed here in Britain meaning fair dwelling, although the family name in France was Beaumaison, it was spelt in various ways, Beaumais, Belmeis and Beaumes and as an alias of Welles probably his wife's family name.) The Beau-mes Manor was held by that family for several generations after which it passed to the Bevilles, who also held it for several generations. It was later inherited by several other people before being emalgamated with All Saints Manor after the death of Sir Wiliam LeMoyne, Lord of All Saints Manor in 1404. After the death of William LeMoyne's wife Maria (Mary) she bequeathed it to the husband of her kinswoman, Roger Louthe, both women had been ladies in waiting to Queen Phillippa of Hainault and mother of Edward the Black Prince..  After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536, much of the land in the area that was owned by Sawtry or Ramsey Abbeys, was aquired by the grandfather of Oliver Cromwell, Richard Williams alias Cromwell which then passed to Oliver Cromwell. It is believed that he placed the gun platform with canon pointing north and south on the raised ground in the field on Tort Hill behind All Saints as it was his own land.  Robert De Beaumais, a relative of Sir Walter De Beaumes was residing at Beaumes Manor in the 11th century. Richard de Belmeis, his son was thought to have been born in St Andrews parish in 1050 and became Bishop of London from 1108-1127. A plaque in All Saints Church, thought to have come from St Andrews Church depicts this. His son Richard De Belmeis the 2nd also became Bishop of London in 1152.There was an old Manor house which stood next to St Andrews Church, the window fragments from that old manor house were made into stained glass windows and can be seen in All Saints Church. They were donated by Harriet Newton in memory of her sister. The Newton family owned the land which St Andrews Church stood on, during the Victorian period of Sawtry and were distant relatives to the Bevilles.  All of the Newton Family are buried in the old St Andrews Churchyard. Archaeological survey reports are in the library and in the Sawtry History Society Archive at the Community Centre Sawtry.

​

British History Online/Parishes/Sawtry

​