Crediton Bishops Palace

Has been described as a Possible Palace (Bishop)

There are masonry footings remains

NameCrediton Bishops Palace
Alternative NamesThe Old Palace; Crideton; Cridiantun; Kirton
Historic CountryDevonshire
Modern AuthorityDevon
1974 AuthorityDevon
Civil ParishCrediton

Possible site of the Saxon monastery and later cathedral and palace of bishops until 1050. A richly endowed Saxon monastery, possibly dedicated to St Gregory, was founded in 739 by a grant from King Aethelheard to Forethere, Bishop of Sherborne, in which see Crediton then lay. With the division of the See of Sherborne in 909, the former Saxon monastery became the cathedral church of the new see of Crediton and remained so until the see was removed to Exeter in 1050. Its location is not precisely known, although Leland suggested it lay here, close to the later churchyard, although it may be beneath the Church of the Holy Cross. (PastScape)

The bisshop of Excester hath a maner place or palace by the chirch yarde, and to this maner place longith a parke. (Leland)

William Camden's Britannia mss. of 1586-1607 said that Crediton was then noted for the palace of the Bishop of Exeter, but Gibson in his edition of 1695 adds that there were then no traces of the bishops having been there except for the field called My Lord's Meadow. He also says that the manor had been granted to the Killegrews which Polwhele shows was done in 1595 (Polwhele).

The Old Palace, an 18th century house built round and in front of Medieval stone walls, is sometimes considered part of the Bishop's Palace, but the walls are more likely to be the remains of the Collegiate buildings.

The so-called 'Old Palace' incorporates Medieval walls. Its front is pleasant early 18th century red-brick with a trellis porch (Pevsner). (PastScape)

Not scheduled

This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law

Historic England Scheduled Monument Number
Historic England Listed Building number(s)
Images Of England
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSS837003
Latitude50.7905693054199
Longitude-3.65120005607605
Eastings283710
Northings100300
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 3 Southern England (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 549-51
  • Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p. 177
  • Pevsner, Nikolaus and Cherry, Bridget, 1989, Buildings of England: Devon (Harmondsworth) p. 299
  • Hoskins, W.G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon (London: Collins) transcribed extract
  • Polwhele, R., 1797, Historical Views of Devonshire p. 88

Antiquarian

  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England  (Sutton Publishing) p. 122
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1907, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 1 p. 239 online copy
  • Camden, Wm, 1607, Britannia hypertext critical edition by Dana F. Sutton (2004)

Journals

  • Blake, D.W., 1982, 'The pre-conquest Bishops of Cornwall' Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries p. 1-6
  • Venn, T.W., 1955, 'An Introduction to Crediton, alias Kirton or sometimes Critton' Transactions of the Devonshire Association Vol. 87 p. 27
  • Tapley-Soper, H., 1942-6, Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries Vol. 22 p. 78-80
  • Montague, L.A.D., 1940-1941, 'Notes on Old Crediton' Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries Vol. 21 p. 31-2
  • Reichel, O.J., 1922, 'The Manor and Hundred of Crediton' Transactions of the Devonshire Association Vol. 54 p. 146-75
  • Smith, Rev. P., 1882, 'The early history of Crediton' Transactions of the Devonshire Association Vol. 14 p. 191-98 esp. 195 online copy

Other

  • 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 EThOS)