Chew Court

Has been described as a Certain Palace (Bishop)

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains

NameChew Court
Alternative NamesChew Magna; Chute
Historic CountrySomerset
Modern AuthorityBath and North East Somerset
1974 AuthorityAvon
Civil ParishChew Magna

Chew Court, originally C14/C15, is said to have been one of the country residences of the Bishop of Bath and Wells. Many windows appear to be later, C17 and C17, and several have been restored. The earliest portion is probably the gatehouse abutting the south end of the east wing, which was probably larger originally and now has modern plaintile roofs. (PastScape)

The available evidence therefore suggests that the episcopal manor house at Chew was in existence at least by the late twelfth century and continued to be used fairly regularly. It went out of favour in the mid-fourteenth century, but started to be used as episcopal accommodation again in the late fifteenth century, after which it remained popular until the manor was sold to the Duke of Somerset. (Payne)

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 ReferenceST577632
Latitude51.3664093017578
Longitude-2.60804009437561
Eastings357770
Northings163210
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. 673
  • Corcos, N., 2002, The Affinities and Antecedents of Medieval Settlement: Topographical Perspectives from three of the Somerset Hundreds (Oxford: Archaeopress (British Archaeological Reports British Series 337) p. 57-8, 63
  • Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p. 170
  • Durham, I and Durham, M., 1991, Chew Magna and the Chew Valley (Bristol: Redcliffe Press Ltd.) p. 24
  • Ramsey, F.M.R. (ed), 1995, English Episcopal Acta X, Bath and Wells 1061-1205 (Oxford: University Press) p. xxiii, xxxvii n.
  • Hembry, P., 1967, The Bishops of Bath and Wells, 1540-1640 (London: The Athlone Press) p. 112-3
  • Pevsner, N., 1958, Buildings of England: North Somerset and Bristol (London, Penguin) p. 159

Antiquarian

  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England  (Sutton Publishing) p. 429
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1907, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 1 p. 294 online copy

Journals

  • Strachey, E., 1869, 'On Sutton Court and Chew Magna.' Proceedings of the Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural History Society Vol. 14 p. 83-102

Primary Sources

  • National Archives SC 6/1131/9 (Account roll of 1459 detailed in Wood, F.A., 1903, Collections for a Parochial History of Chew Magna (Bristol: Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society (Northern Branch)))

Other

  • < >Payne, Naomi, 2003, The medieval residences of the bishops of Bath and Wells, and Salisbury (PhD Thesis University of Bristol) p. 97-104 < > (available via EThOS)