Wolsingham Manor of the Bishop of Durham

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Chapel Walls

In the civil parish of Wolsingham. In the historic county of Durham; County Palatinate of (Modern Authority of Durham, 1974 county of County Durham).

Traces of a moat of a residential manor of the bishop of Durham with an attached deer park. A series of earthworks adjoining the main complex at the Bishop's Manor House. It is not clear whether they are the outer enclosures of the Manor House, or house sites from the shrunken part of the village. The remains consist of a rectangular enclosure surrounded by a bank and ditch with, in places, an outer bank. The north end of the enclosure has been destroyed by gardens. There is a possible rectangular building in the southwest corner, and a well. The bank is most prominent on east. Fordyce writing in 1857 wrongly attributes the site to a failed monastic foundation begun by Henry Pudsey, the Bishop's nephew.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NZ07693769

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 20090
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is D2505 '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.

• Books
  • Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p51-4
    Gould, Chalkley, 1905, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Durham Vol1 p360
• Journal Articles
  • Wooler, 1904, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol1 p139
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc.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) Appendix B: List of Medieval Bishop's Palaces in England and Wales [available via http://ethos.bl.uk ]