Hardwick Manor of the bishop of Ely

Has been described as a Possible Palace (Bishop)

There are no visible remains

NameHardwick Manor of the bishop of Ely
Alternative Names
Historic CountryCambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely
Modern AuthorityCambridgeshire
1974 AuthorityCambridgeshire
Civil ParishHardwick

Residential manor of the medieval bishops of Ely. (Thompson 1998)

A rectangular area 106ft E to W by 156ft is surrounded by a ditch 13ft to 25ft wide, almost completely filled on the N but up to 5ft deep, and wet, on the S. A ditch 12ft wide and 3ft to 4ft deep runs E for 40ft from the N end of the surviving part of the E side. The interior on the S is raised 1.25ft for a distance of 56ft from the S side. Scarps and ditches S of the site apparently mark the boundaries of closes shown on the Inclosure and tithe maps of 1836 (VCH).

Gatehouse Comments

The obvious location for this would be supposed moat at TL372583, but excavation in 1975 put doubt on this being any sort of moat, although the site seems to be described as a 'mutilated homestead moat'. This and more recent excavations have found C12-C14 pottery but no buildings.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceTL372583
Latitude52.2056999206543
Longitude0.00659999996423721
Eastings537200
Northings258300
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

  • Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p. 176
  • Elrington, C.R. (ed), 1973, VCH Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely Vol. 5 p. 99-104 online transcription (slight)
  • RCHME, 1968, An inventory of historical monuments in the County of Cambridgeshire. Vol. 1: west Cambridgeshire p. 128b (for the supposed moat)

Journals

  • Haselgrove, C., 1984, 'The Moated Site at Hardwick, West Cambridgeshire' Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society Vol. 72 p. 48-54 online copy
  • Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1976, 'Medieval Britain in 1975' Medieval Archaeology Vol. 20 p. 195 download 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)