Blackford Bishops Palace

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Paradise Field

In the civil parish of Wedmore. In the historic county of Somerset (Modern Authority of Somerset, 1974 county of Somerset).

Orchard lying behind the junction of the village street and Blacksmith's Lane is traditionally known as "The Bishop's Palace". Comprise the E and W sides of a moat c300ft across, still containing water. Excavations within and across the moated area revealed parts of a stone floor, robbed wall trenches, roofing materials (including nails), C13-C14 pottery, a silver penny of Edward I, and three pieces of RB pottery. The excavator concluded from contemporary registers etc that this is the site of a late C13-C14 episcopal manor house, demolished by Bishop John Harewell in 1380-90. In 1966 only the moat and slight unsurveyable traces of banks within the moated area remain. The moat is bounded on the W side by a hedge and is dry apart from a pond in the SW corner which has been partially filled in by rubble on the E side. A resistivity survey showed a complex of buildings (over 50m long) in the northern part of the moated area. The main approach appears to have been from the south through a gatehouse from which a path leads across the platform to the building. There is also evidence for a wall on the inside of the moat with another possible gatehouse in the north joined to the other buildings. The pathway entered the largest room in the building, presumably the hall, to the west of which there appear to be at least 8 further rooms. A room projecting from the E of the hall can be identifiable as the chapel by comparison with the better known site at Banwell. To the north of the hall is another large room, or possibly an enclosed yard. (From Somerset HER)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is ST41024788

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
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 194130
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 10879 '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://webapp1.somerset.gov.uk/her/details.asp?prn=10879
• Books
  • Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p673
    Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p170
    Dunning, Robert, 1995, Somerset Castles (Somerset Books) p52
    Ramsey, F.M.R. (ed), 1995, English Episcopal Acta X, Bath and Wells 1061-1205 (Oxford: University Press) p. xxx
• Journal Articles
  • Payne, Naomi, 2003, 'A resistivity survey on the site of the residence of the medieval bishop of Bath and Wells at Blackford' Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Vol146 p13-8
    Rendell, I.M, 1963, 'Blackford (Wedmore), 'The Bishop's Palace'' Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Vol107 p72-8
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Wells Cathedral MSS., i, 147, 167-8, 180, 204-6, 303
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Payne, Naomi, 2003, The medieval residences of the bishops of Bath and Wells, and Salisbury (PhD Thesis University of Bristol) p90-97 [available via http://ethos.bl.uk ]
    Payne, N.A., 2001, resistivity survey on the site of the residence of the medieval bishops of Bath and Wells at Blackford, near Wedmore, Somerset (unpublished Bristol University fieldwork report in HER files [PRN 15162])