Henley on Thames Palace

Has been described as a Questionable Palace (Royal)

There are no visible remains

NameHenley on Thames Palace
Alternative Names
Historic CountryOxfordshire
Modern AuthorityOxfordshire
1974 AuthorityOxfordshire
Civil ParishHenley on Thames

"Henley originally formed part of the royal manor of Benson. In 1179 and subsequent years the sheriff of Oxfordshire claimed credit for an annual quit-rent of 2s. 6d. for 'land which the king bought to make his buildings in Henley'. There is, however, no record of any expenditure on the buildings themselves, and if they were ever erected their history as a royal residence must have been brief." (HKW)

Gatehouse Comments

Henry II was certainly capable of building impressive and expensive buildings used for very short periods (cf. St Mary's Guildhall, Lincoln used for just 2 days.) The lack of record for expenditure on buildings does probably mean nothing was built, although it may be the records are incomplete or the building expenditure is obscured in other records. The location of the site for which the sheriff was claiming is not known but it would probably be near the parish church, at the given map reference and now lost under the town.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSU760820
Latitude51.5378189086914
Longitude-0.901929974555969
Eastings476200
Northings182600
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol. 2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p. 960

Primary Sources

  • 1907, The Great Roll of the Pipe for the twenty-fifth year of the reign of King Henry II A.D. 1178-1179 (Pipe Roll Society 28) p. 95 etc. online copy