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Summary

Late 13th century palace

Images

No image caption available © Hertfordshire County Council

Monument Types

• BUILDING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1500 AD)
• PALACE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1500 AD)
• WALL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1500 AD)
• WELL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1500 AD)

Associated Events

• Evaluation at Rudolf Steiner School, Kings Langley, 2012 (Ref: AS 1540)

Protected Status

• Scheduled Ancient Monument 84:10939
• Scheduled Ancient Monument HT84: ROYAL PALACE (SITE OF)
• Area of Archaeological Significance 46

Full description

The manor was acquired by Eleanor of Castile in 1276. In the years 1279-97 extensive alterations (evidently to an existing manorial centre) were carried out, including backfilling of a moat, construction of royal chambers and a large wine cellar. Seriously damaged by fire in 1431, by 1591 the Palace was reported to be in decay. Excavation in 1970 revealed part of the plan <1>, and subsequent work has made it possible to work out the general layout. Further excavations located a well-documented domestic range called 'de Longgreuve'; and the weathering cone of the Great Well <6>.
In 1993 several fragments of walls and associated robber trenches, ditches and floor surfaces were found. There were also a large number of finds including a possible French 15th century trading token <2, 7>. Groups of 13th to 15th century pottery were found during rescue excavations in 1961, 1974 and 1977 <3>.
Assessment in 2012 concluded that substantial remains might survive beneath the school on the site <9>. But a subsequent test pit on the site of 'Le Longrewe', the building excavated in the 1970s, found that all trace of it had been removed <10>.

Medieval Archaeology, Vol 21 (1977), 124-65 (Serial). SHT367.

OS Records (Index). SHT8223.

RCHM (England), 1911, Inventory of the historical monuments in Hertfordshire, - p135 (Bibliographic reference). SHT9222.

Anon, 1914, 49th excursion, September 23, 1914; Trans East Herts Archaeol Soc 5/3, 305-6, - p306 (Article in serial). SHT6924.

Renn, D F, 1968, Further finds of medieval pottery from Elstree: with a survey of unglazed thumb-pressed jugs; Herts Archaeol 1, 124-7, - p126 (Article in serial). SHT4607.

Roberts, Eileen, 1974, Totternhoe stone and flint in Hertfordshire churches; Medieval Archaeol 18, 66-89, - p72 (Article in serial). SHT2130.

<1> Neal, David S, 1973, Excavations at the Palace and Priory at Kings Langley, 1970; Herts Archaeology 3, 31-72 (Article in serial). SHT4493.

<2> Hertfordshire Archaeological Trust, n.d., (Notes on an evaluation at Rudolf Steiner School, Kings Langley, 1993) (Unpublished document). SHT4672.

<3> Turner-Rugg, Alison, 1993, Medieval pottery in Hertfordshire: a gazetteer of the principal collections; Herts Archaeology 11, 30-53, - p37 (Article in serial). SHT583.

<4> Fisher, Dr R, 1956, Excavation at Kings Langley Priory; Watford & SW Herts Archaeol Soc Bull 6 (Sept 1956), 3-4 (Article in serial). SHT8555.

<5> Fisher, Dr R, 1961, Emergency excavations at Kings Langley Palace; Watford & SW Herts Archaeol Soc Bull 18 (Oct 1961), 3-4 (Article in serial). SHT8443.

<6> Neal, D S, 1977, Excavations at the Palace of Kings Langley, Herts, 1974-6; Medieval Archaeology 21, 124-65 (Article in serial). SHT4169.

<7> Zeepvat, R J, 1995, HAU/HAT backlog archive review: smaller sites, RNO 316 (Report). SHT12953.

<8> Colvin, H M (ed.), 1963, The history of the King's works; vol II, - p970-7 (Bibliographic reference). SHT4836.

<9> Thompson, Peter, Collins, Tansy, & Henry, Kath, 2012, Rudolf Steiner School, Kings Langley, Hertfordshire: an archaeological desk-based assessment, RNO 2960 (Report). SHT4229.

<10> Pozorski, Zbigniew, 2012, Rudolf Steiner School, Kings Langley, Hertfordshire: an archaeological evaluation, RNO 2961 (Report). SHT4233.

Sources and further reading

Related records

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