Havering Palace

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Havering-atte-Bower

In the civil parish of Havering. In the historic county of Essex (Modern Authority of London Borough of Havering, 1974 county of Greater London).

Since Saxon times there had been a royal hunting lodge or retreat at the village of Havering which nestled high on a ridge overlooking the lower Thames valley and was surrounded by the great Forest of Essex. The residence and area was much beloved of the late Saxon King Edward the Confessor; many believe that he died at the Palace of Havering and his body taken from there to Westminster Abbey for burial. The Palace at Havering was a great favourite of Edward the Confessor, Harold Godwinson, William the Conqueror and many later kings. It was close enough to London to be convenient and far enough away to be free from the demands of government. The hunting was good and the views across the lower Thames, the wildfowl marshes of south Essex to the rolling hills of north Kent were inspiring. In 1267 the Palace, village and the park - some 16,000 acres of forest, woodland, pastures and marshes - became the property of Queen Eleanor as part of the Queen’s Dower, and ‘atte-Bower’ was added to the name of the village. From this date onwards the Palace and Park became the property of the queens of England, but was still known as the ‘King’s House and Park at Havering’.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ511930

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 411648; 411647
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 060141 '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.romford.org/manors/havering/havering01.htm
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/beyond/factsheets/makhist/makhist8_prog6c.shtml
    http://www.sealedknot.org/knowbase/docs/0034_Havering.htm
    http://www.daves-collective.co.uk/files/hav-pal.mp3
• Books
  • McIntosh, Marjorie Keniston, 2002, A Community Transformed: The Manor and Liberty of Havering-atte-Bower 1500-1620 (Cambridge University Press)
    McIntosh, Marjorie Keniston, 2002, Autonomy and Community: The Royal Manor of Havering, 1200-1500 (Cambridge University Press)
    Thurley, Simon, 1993, The Royal Palaces of Tudor England (Yale University Press) p2-3, 8, 78, 79, 83, 104, 195
    James, T.B., 1990, The Palaces of Medieval England (London; Seaby) p20, 78-9
    McIntosh, Marjorie Keniston, 1986, The Royal Manor of Havering (Leicester)
    Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1982, The history of the King's Works, vol4: 1485-1660 (part 2) (London) p151
    Powell, W.R. (ed), 1979, VCH Essex Vol7 p1-22 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42805
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p956-9
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works, vol1: the Middle Ages (London) p150-2 [plan]
    RCHME, 1921, An inventory of the historical monuments in Essex. Vol2 [central and south-west] p126
• Journal Articles
  • Matthews, Madell and Rowland, 21-2-1986, Essex Journal p27-9
    Matthews, Madell and Rowland, 19-3-1984, Essex Journal p65-8
    Caunt, G., 5-1-1970, Essex Journal p44-48
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls (1217-25) p124-5
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/essexeng.html#essex6]