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Summary

The Duchy Palace is a range of buildings, built in 1289 for Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, and once housed the Duchy Parliament.

Protected Status

• Conservation Area: LOSTWITHIEL
• Listed Building (I) 70880: FREEMASONS' HALL

Other References/Statuses

• Heritage at Risk (National): English Heritage, South West
• OS No. (OS Quarter-sheet and OS No.): SX15NW 19
• Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 29004
• SMR No. (OS Quarter-sheet and SMR No.): SX15NW 7

Monument Type(s):

• COINAGE HALL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD) + Sci.Date

Full description

The Duchy Palace is marked in antiquity script on current OS maps (b7). It is a range of buildings, built in 1289 for Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, and once housed the Duchy Parliament (b4). It comprised a hall of exchequer and exchange (known as the Shire Hall), a prison, and the coinage hall (or Stannary). Other official buildings were almost certainly sited within the block. A detailed account of repairs to the coinage hall in 1455 survives. In 1644 Parliamentary forces gutted the main buildings. The gaol was in use until the C19 and was then let for dwellings. In 1874 the remaining buildings were sold and divided up (b8). The remains of the coinage hall were converted into a Freemasons lodge in 1878 (b4). Henderson records that "the remains of walls and archways built into adjacent houses show in some measure the great extent of the whole" (b3). The extent of the Duchy Palace is shown on the OS 2nd Edition map of 1905 (b2) and since then except for some demolition in the SW corner, there have been few alterations to the property. It has been adapted for use as dwellings and warehouses and the coinage hall is still in use as a masonic lodge. The premises are all of 2 storey height, constructed of coarse killas with numerous granite doorways, window frames etc. Most of the walling is medieval to C18 (h1). Tree-ring analysis of timbers from the roof identified felling dates in AD 1620/1621 (16).

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Site history:
1: 1970. QUINNELL, NV/OS
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Carter, J, 2002, Freemasons' Hall, Lostwithiel, Cornwall (Info File SX15NW) (Graphic material). SCO476.

Mackenzie, C, 2008, Masonic Interventions: the Old Duchy Palace (Report). SCO27676.

Sturgess, J & Thomas, N, 2013, The Duchy Palace, Lostwithiel. Cornwall - Historic Building Record and Archaeological Watching Brief (Cornwall Event Report). SCO25619.

<1> Wright, W H K, 1881-1892, Untitled Source, VOL IX, 2, 23 (Article in Journal). SCO5365.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1900s, 2nd Edition 1:2500 Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4050.

<3> Henderson, C, 1935, Essays in Cornish History, 48 (Bibliographic reference). SCO3501.

<4> DOE, Listed Building Description (original DOE), SEP 1947, 3 (Bibliographic reference). SCO5173.

<5> UNKNOWN, 1963, HISTORY OF KINGS WORKS, II, 982-983 (Unedited Source). SCO7884.

<6> Pevsner, N, 1951, The Buildings of England: Cornwall, 108 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4126.

<7> Ordnance Survey, 1970s, 1:10,000 OS Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4045.

<8> Sheppard, PA, 1980, The Historic Towns of Cornwall, 1326, 39 (Cornwall Event Report). SCO4422.

<9> POUNDS, N, 1979, DUCHY PALACE AT LOSTWITHIEL (Unedited Source). SCO8492.

<10> Berry, E et al, 2007, Lostwithiel 'the fairest of small cities' Historic characterisation, 21-2, 26, 34, 43, 56 (Cornwall Event Report). SCO289.

<11> Berry, E, 2008, Convocation Hall (Duchy Palace Lostwithiel - Historic Building Report, Oct 2008 (Cornwall Event Report). SCO233.

<12> Pourcell Miller Tritton LLP, 2011, Duchy Palace, Lostwithiel - Roof Truss Condition Survey & Repair Options (Cornwall Event Report). SCO23921.

<13> ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2009, Heritage at Risk Register 2009 South West (Bibliographic reference). SCO24113.

<14> ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2010, Heritage at Risk Register 2010 South West (Bibliographic reference). SCO24114.

<15> ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011 South West (Bibliographic reference). SCO24115.

<15> ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2012, Heritage at Risk Register 2012 South West (Bibliographic reference). SCO25275.

<15> ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2014, Heritage at Risk Register 2014 South West (Bibliographic reference). SCO26037.

<16> Tyers, I, 2010, Old Duchy Palace, Lostwithiel, Cornwall - Dendrochronological Analysis of Oak Timbers (Cornwall Event Report). SCO21113.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• ECO2353 - Duchy Hall, Lostwithiel
• ECO2950 - Old Duchy Palace, Lostwithiel Cornwall (Ref: 1-2010)
• ECO3288 - Duchy Palace, Lostwithiel (Ref: IH/231817/30)
• ECO3901 - Duchy Palace, Lostwithiel, Cornwall (Ref: 146088)
• ECO4800 - Masonic Interventions: the Old Duchy Palace

Related records: none recorded

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