Northwick in Claines manor of the bishop of Worcester

Has been described as a Certain Palace (Bishop)

There are no visible remains

NameNorthwick in Claines manor of the bishop of Worcester
Alternative NamesWhistones; Wistan
Historic CountryWorcestershire
Modern AuthorityWorcestershire
1974 AuthorityHereford and Worcester
Civil ParishNorth Claines

Leland writes, in a list of premises belonging to the Bishop of Worcester, 'Northwick in the manor of Clains, two miles from Worcester. Until living memory Northwick belonged to John of Wodds, but was brought by a bishop because he had no house in Claines. It has a moat, and there used to be a park.'

Northwick Manor, or Palace as it was also known, was owned by the Bishop of Worcester. The earliest documentary evidence indicating its existence dates to 1476. The bishop did not live there, but used it as a temporary residence when travelling to and from various events. Often the manor was let to one of the bishop's officials and in the early 16th century the manor was leased by Thomas Wem, scribe to the Consistory Court in the 1530s. The lease held by the Wem family indicated that the manor had a moat and it also made reference a dove house, a porters house, fish ponds, pastures and a garden. By 1585 the moat and some of the fishponds had been drained and in later years alterations were made to the manor while some of the surrounding buildings were demolished and rebuilt. On a map dating to 1751, the remains of the manor were indicated, however by 1843 the only existing buildings were farm buildings. (PastScape ref. Young Archaeologists Club Worcestershire)

Gatehouse Comments

Map reference from Worcestershire YAC, site now under modern housing. Gatehouse thanks Kathryn Hay of the NMR for pointing this source out. The Worcestershire and Worcester City HER has a record (WSM29981) of a field name evidence of a bishops palace/manorial site at SO847586 which probably relates to a part of the demense of this manor, rather than the site of the manor house.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSO842581
Latitude52.220890045166
Longitude-2.23270010948181
Eastings384250
Northings257810
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

  • Worcestershire YAC, 2007, The Hidden Treasures of Northwick online copy
  • Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 2 East Anglia, Central England and Wales (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 466
  • Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p. 187
  • Dyer, C., 1980, Lords and Peasants in a Changing Society: The Estates of the Bishopric of Worcester, 680-1540 (Cambridge University Press)
  • Page, Wm and Willis-Bund, J.W. (eds), 1913, VCH Worcestershire Vol. 3 p. 301-2 online transcription

Antiquarian

  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England  (Sutton Publishing) p. 518
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 5 p. 228 online copy

Other

  • Northwick Manor Heritage Trail online copy
  • 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)
  • Beckham, C., 1995, Survey of the Archaeological Significance of Fieldnames in North Claines (Historic Parish). HWCAS internal report. 383
  • Hughes, Pat, 1995, A History of the Hamlet of Northwick in the Parish of Claines
  • Payne, Sheena, 1995, The History of Northwick - the Bishop's Seat, Manor and Hamlet from the year 680AD to the present day