At the
Domesday Book survey of 1086, the village of
Willingaham formed part of the estates of Hugh de Montfort. It consisted of around 31 families, including at least 15 freemen, and paid 3 geld in taxation. The village formed part of the estate of Elisabeth Bruisyard in 1281 and passed through various hands, including to the
Playters of Sotterley, before becoming part of the estate of the
Earl of Gosford who owned the manor in 1846. It consisted of around 1,000 acres and had a population of 156 in 1848; by 1872 Wilson's
Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales gives the population as 142 in 31 houses. The population has fluctuated slightly, although it has remained largely unchanged since the 1801 census. a late 17th- to early 18th-century timber-framed barn at Moat Farm, a late 17th-century timber-framed barn at Willingham Hall and the late 16th- to early 17th-century Willingham Hall. Willingham Hall is located near to the site of the parish church which is believed to have fallen into disrepair at the beginning of the 16th century, The church, which was dedicated to St Mary and existed at the time of the Domesday survey, was recorded as "scarcely visible" by Suckling in 1846, although some remains could be seen in the 1920s. The parish was united with
North Cove in 1526 Human bones have been observed in ploughsoil from one of the suspected sites for the church. == References ==