Bishops Sutton Bishops Palace

Has been described as a Certain Palace (Bishop)

There are no visible remains

NameBishops Sutton Bishops Palace
Alternative Names
Historic CountryHampshire and the Isle of Wight
Modern AuthorityHampshire (City of Winchester)
1974 AuthorityHampshire
Civil ParishBishops Sutton

It seems probable that part of the parish of Bishop's Sutton was included in a grant made by King Ine to the church at Winchester in 701. It was held by Earl Harold T.R.E. and by Count Eustace III of Boulogne at Domesday. In 1136 the king exchanged the manor with the Bishop of Winchester for the manor of Morden. Except for a few brief intervals it has been held by the Bishops of Winchester ever since.

Bishop's Palace Writing in 1839 Duthy, states, "Within the memory of persons still living considerable vestiges of a strong and extensive building stood in the meadows to the north of the church, which were the dilapidated remains of an ancient palace of the bishops of Winchester. The walls were of great thickness and composed of flints and mortar, but it was impossible to trace the disposition of the apartments or the form of the edifice." He conjectures, plausibly, that it was destroyed in the Civil War.

In the time of Edward VI it was described as, "The manor-howse being a verie olde howse, somtyme walled round abowte with stone, now decaied, well waterid with an olde ponde or moote adjoyning to it ..."(Duchy of Lanc., Rentals & Surv).

In 1830 the remains were used as a malt-house, but only the site now remains. (VCH)

(Centred at SU 60653220) The site of the Bishops Palace is indicated by a roughly rectangular area of uneven ground, under pasture, now measuring c. 95 x 85m. There is no obvious sign of a former moat, although the site is bounded on the N.E. & N.W. by watercress beds, on the S.W. by a stream and on the S.E. by a dry watercourse. Around the site are many large flints and a few tile fragments. Examination of mole casts within the area revealed a few pieces of roofing slate.

At 'A' a fragment of flint rubble walling, 1.1m. thick, projects a metre or so into a watercress bed. According to the foreman (Mr. W. Brown, 2 Holbury Cottages, Bishop's Sutton) this was uncovered last year whilst extending the bed

At the same time a floor of concrete flint gravel was found and removed.

Whilst digging the foundations for a shed at 'B', Mr. Brown states that a large brick drain was found. (F1 VJB 11-DEC-56). (PastScape)

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSU606322
Latitude51.0859184265137
Longitude-1.13545000553131
Eastings460650
Northings132200
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. 430-34
  • Roberts, E., 2003, Hampshire Houses 1250-1700: Their Dating and Development (Winchester: Hampshire County Council)
  • Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p. 186
  • Page, Wm (ed), 1908, VCH Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Vol. 3 p. 41 online transcription

Primary Sources

Other

  • Bryan, D.P., 2012, Archaeological Dowsing Survey at Bishops Sutton near Alresford Hampshire (Hampshire Archaeological Dowsers 001) online copy (Gatehouse does not support dowsing as a meaningful or worthwhile investigation technique but there is interest content in this report)
  • 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)