Bishops Waltham Bishops Palace

In the civil parish of Bishops Waltham. In the historic county of Hampshire (Modern Authority of Hampshire, 1974 county of Hampshire).

First built c1135 by Bishop Henry of Blois, as a castle, on the site of a cemetery. Reconstruction on an ambitious scale, as a palace, seems to have taken place c1160-80. There were various alterations in the next two centuries, and extensive rebuilding in C15, especially during the episcopate of Bishop Langton (1493-1501). The palace was still occupied by bishops in the early C17, but it was damaged in the Civil War and subsequently allowed to fall into complete ruin. Little survives above ground level but broken flint-walls with no traces of their original surface coverings and not much of the stonework dressings of arches, doorways, or windows; parts of the palace can be traced only in foundations. Stables of c1500 listed.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 146150)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU55201735

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 234520
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 18435 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.hants.gov.uk/leisure/history/bishopsw/index.html
    http://www.hants.gov.uk/hampshiretreasures/entries/v01p017e03.html
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.172
    http://www.norman-world.com/angleterre/Patrimoine_architectural/Angleterre/houses/waltham/bishwalt1.htm
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/waltham.html
• Books
  • Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p312-7, 430-34 [plans]
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p35-7
    Keevill, Graham D., 2000, Medieval Palaces, An Archaeology (Stroud; Tempus) p22-3, 25, 27, 29, 36-8, 47, 51-2, 55-6, 66-7, 72, 80, 86, 89, 92, 120, 122, 125-6, 129, 135-6, 144, 147, 150-1, 157, 160, 162, 171
    Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p6, 13, 91, 94-6, 123, 132, 139-140, 142, 185
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p83-4
    James, T.B., 1990, The Palaces of Medieval England (London; Seaby) p10, 18, 46, 88, 136
    Barron, W.G., 1985, The Castles of Hampshire and Isle of Wight (Paul Cave) p12-3
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p189
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p189
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Pevsner, N., and Lloyd, D., 1967. The Buildings of England: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (London, Penguin) p105-8
    Page, Wm (ed), 1908, VCH, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Vol3 p276-8
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p197-8
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol2 p227-30
• Journal Articles
  • Hughes, Michael, 1989, 'Hampshire Castles and the Landscape 1066-1216' Landscape History Vol2 p27-60
    Hare, J., 1988, ‘Bishop's Waltham Palace, Hampshire: William of Wykeham, Henry Beaufort and the transformation of a Medieval episcopal palace’ Archaeological Journal Vol145 p222-254
    1986, Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society Vol42 p125-138
    Lewis, E., 1985, 'Excavations in Bishop's Waltham, 1967-78' Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society Vol41 p81-126
    Rigold, S.E., 1966, 'Bishop Waltham Palace' Archaeological Journal Vol123 p217
    (Rigold, S.E.), 1965, Medieval Archaeology Vol9 p184 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    (Rigold, S.E.), 1964, Medieval Archaeology Vol8 p248 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    (Rigold, S.E.), 1962-3, Medieval Archaeology Vol6-7 p319 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Trinder, 1907-10, Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society Vol6 p256-61
• Guidebooks
  • Wareham, J., 2000, Three palaces of the bishops of Winchester: Wolvesey (Old Bishop's Palace), Hampshire; Bishop's Waltham Palace, Hampshire; Farnham Castle keep, Surrey (London: English Heritage)
    Hare, J., 1993, Bishop's Waltham Palace (London)
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p210