Ripon Palace and Minster Close

Has been described as a Certain Palace (Bishop)

There are no visible remains

NameRipon Palace and Minster Close
Alternative Names
Historic CountryYorkshire
Modern AuthorityNorth Yorkshire
1974 AuthorityNorth Yorkshire
Civil ParishRipon

Medieval close of Ripon Minster. The close overlies the core of the Anglo-Saxon monastery founded by St Wilfrid in the mid 7th century. The boundary follows the medieval close wall, of which there are substantial remains. The area enclosed contains the Archbishop's Palace complex, house of Canons, the Bedern and the Cathedral. This probably represents the arrangement of the close from the 12th century onwards. (PastScape)

Leland described Ripon as 'a fair palace', while the parliamentary survey of 1647 identifies the hall, great chamber, and chapel amongst various rooms, and a gateway. It became a poor house and was finally swept away in 1830. (Emery)

Gatehouse Comments

Palace of the Archbishop of York. House recorded as damaged in Scottish raids of 1317-18.

- Philip Davis

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSE314710
Latitude54.1356010437012
Longitude-1.5200799703598
Eastings431460
Northings471070
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p. 188
  • Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 1 Northern England (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 301-3
  • Niemeyer, N., 1911, 'Introductory Chapter' in Rait, R.S. (ed), English Episcopal Palaces (Province of York) (London; Constable & Co) p. 6-7 online copy

Antiquarian

  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England  (Sutton Publishing) p. 556
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1907, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 1 p. 81 online copy

Journals

  • 1940-3, Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol. 35 p. 280-1
  • 1934-6, Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol. 32 p. 52-9

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)