Braintree Bishops Palace

Has been described as a Possible Palace (Bishop)

There are no visible remains

NameBraintree Bishops Palace
Alternative NamesChapel Hill; Parsonage Farm
Historic CountryEssex
Modern AuthorityEssex
1974 AuthorityEssex
Civil ParishBraintree

Although the placename 'Braintree' is mentioned in Domesday "it was a minor holding in the larger manor of Great Rayne, owned by the Bishop of London. The manorial centre, an episcopal palace and grange, was a mile to the south-east of the present town centre at what is now chapel hill, where traces of both palace and chapel were known until the last century, but are now lost beneath factories and warehouses" "The Bishops of London held an estate at Braintree from the late 10th century, and perhaps earlier". The estate seems to have been centred on Chapel Hill from the beginning. (Unlocking Essex's Past)

Gatehouse Comments

Site shown on 1st edn OS map but now lost under factory.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceTL767228
Latitude51.8749198913574
Longitude0.565980017185211
Eastings576700
Northings222870
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

No photos available. If you can provide pictures please contact Castlefacts

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant.

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Books

  • Eddy, M.R. and Petchey, M.R. (eds), 1983, Historic Towns in Essex: An Archaeological Survey p. 23
  • Bassett, S.R. and Drury, P.J., 1976, in Drury, P.J. (ed), Braintree:Excavations and Research, 1971-76 p. 134-5
  • Morant, P., 1768, History of Essex Vol. 2 p. 400

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)
  • 1999, Braintree Historic Town Assessment Report (Essex County Council) Download copy