William the Conqueror gave the manor of Toddington to the de Tracy family in return for services that they had rendered to him, and it remained in that family for hundreds of years. William de Tracy of Toddington was one of the four knights who murdered Thomas à Becket in 1170. It was de Tracy who struck the first blow and wounded the Archbishop with his sword. The original manor house was replaced by the present building in 1830, and it was used as a school for many years. It has lain empty for some years now, and various schemes have been put forward to decide what its function should be in the future.

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