GATEHOUSE
The comprehensive gazetteer and bibliography of the medieval castles, fortifications and palaces of England, Wales, the Islands.
 
 
Home
The listings
Other Info
Books
Links
Downloads
Contact
 
Print Page 
 
Next Record 
Previous Record 
Back to list 

Kingsbury Episcopi Bishops Palace

In the civil parish of Kingsbury Episcopi.
In the historic county of Somerset.
Modern Authority of Somerset.
1974 county of Somerset.
Medieval County of Somerset.

OS Map Grid Reference: ST436210
Latitude 50.98659° Longitude -2.80447°

Kingsbury Episcopi Bishops Palace has been described as a probable Palace.

There are uncertain remains.

Description

Documentary evidence indicates that the bishops of Bath and Wells had a residence here from at least C13 to C14. Collinson notes a mid C15 reference to a "court house" which may indicate that the residence was still standing and used to house the manor court. The most likely site is close to the church where, on the N side, are two plots named in the 1844 tithe map as Higher and Lower "Court Leaze" but the building now known as Rodway Manor is possible (Payne, 1999).
Material from an evaluation trench excavated in 2005 was radiocarbon dated to the Saxon period (Graham). (Somerset HER)

The evidence for the existence of an episcopal residence at Kingsbury Episcopi comes mainly from the bishops' registers. Bishop Jocelin signed documents here in 1241 and 1245 and later in the thirteenth century, William of Bitton 1(1248-64) was in Kingsbury. In the early fourteenth century Walter Haselshaw (1302-08) signed two documents here. John Drokensford signed forty-one of the entries within his register at Kingsbury, of which 21 were precisely dated, showing a fairly even spread of dates between 1311-1328. Ralph of Shrewsbury was in Kingsbury in 1333, 1334, 1340, 1344, 1352 and 1353. The closeness of some of the dates suggests that the bishop was staying nearby. Ralph Erghum was at Kingsbury on 24th June 1396, but no further documents were signed there by any later bishop of Bath and Wells. Collinson quotes a mid- fifteenth century reference to a "court house" at Kingsbury° and it is possible that a building previously used for episcopal accommodation had subsequently remained the venue for the local manorial court. The 1844 tithe map suggests that the site of this building was immediately to the north of the church. Plots 118 and 119 are called "Higher Court Leaze" and "Lower Court Leaze" in the tithe apportionment, which could be indicative of a former manorial site. (Payne 2003)
Comments

Given map reference for parish church. The likely site for the manor house appears to now be occupied by an extension of the church yard and an orchard.
Links to archaeological and architectural databases, mapping and other online resources

Data >
    County HER            
Maps >
Streetmap   NLS maps   Where's the path   Old-Maps      
Data/Maps > 
Magic   V. O. B.   Geology   LiDAR   Open Domesday  
Air Photos > 
Bing Maps   Google Maps   Getmapping   ZoomEarth      
Photos >
CastleFacts   Geograph   Flickr   Panoramio      

Sources of information, references and further reading
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.
It is an offence to disturb a Scheduled Monument without consent. It is a destruction of everyone's heritage to remove archaeological evidence from ANY site without proper recording and reporting.
Don't use metal detectors on historic sites without authorisation.
The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of Historic England, County Historic Environment Records and other individuals and organisations. It may also contain information licensed under the Open Government Licence. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes.
The author and compiler of Gatehouse does not receive any income from the site and funds it himself. The information within this site is provided freely for educational purposes only.
The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.
Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.
The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.
Please help to make this as useful a resource as possible by contacting Gatehouse if you see errors, can add information or have suggestions for improvements in functality and design.
Help is acknowledged.
This record last updated 26/07/2017 09:21:30

Home | Books | Links | Fortifications and Castles | Other Information | Help | Downloads | Author Information | Contact
¤¤¤¤¤