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The comprehensive gazetteer and bibliography of the medieval castles, fortifications and palaces of England, Wales, the Islands.
 
 
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Ross Bishops Manor House

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Royal Hotel

In the civil parish of Ross on Wye.
In the historic county of Herefordshire.
Modern Authority of Herefordshire.
1974 county of Hereford and Worcester.
Medieval County of Herefordshire.

OS Map Grid Reference: SO59762410
Latitude 51.91397° Longitude -2.58729°

Ross Bishops Manor House has been described as a probable Palace, and also as a probable Fortified Manor House.

There are no visible remains.

This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*.

Description

The medieval bishop's palace lay to the west of the church within the large Anglo-Saxon or early post-conquest precinct defined by the present Wye Street, High Street and Copse Cross Street (HWCM 19931). The date of construction is not known but a building was in existence by 1166-7 when it is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls. At this time it was classed as a defended house (Tonkin 1976, 55). The palace was mostly of timber and had a large gateway and a porters lodge (Morris 1980). It does not seem to have been used after 1334 but was finally abandoned in 1356 when the diocese of Hereford reorganised its property (Tonkin 1976). In the mid-16th century Leland noted that the palace at Ross was "completely ruined" (Chandler 1993, 228). During the construction of the Royal Hotel in 1837 a vaulted underground chamber was discovered on the site. This was interpreted as the bishop's dungeon as it is reported to have contained a stone bench on each side and six massive iron rings for prisoner's chains. The chamber was built into the rock at a depth of c 2m with an entrance in the roof. The walls were c 1.75m thick and the interior of the chamber measured c 4.8m by 3.6m (Morris 1980, 16). (Victoria Buteux in Dalwood and Bryant, 2005)
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Sources of information, references and further reading
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This record last updated 26/07/2017 09:21:29

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