More information : The lost site of the Archbishops of Canterbury's Palace, previously thought by local historians to be further north (see Authorities 1-4),was discovered in December 1982 when ground levelling by farmer, Brian French, uncovered buried foundations to the south of Teynham Church (TQ 9660 6360). Rescue excavations carried out in February 1983 by the Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit directed by Brian Philp, revealed four major masonry buildings ranging in date from the 12th to 15th centuries. The foundations were massive, of rammed chalk, mortared flints, or flints and soil. Two of the buildings had been strengthened by the addition of buttresses. One contained an elaborate garderobe system. A substantial ditch beneath one of the buildings contained early pottery. The north wall of one range had been incorporated at a later date into the present churchyard wall. The adjacent parish church was a major element in the palace layout. Finds included decorated floor tiles and domestic pottery. On completion of the excavations the site was re-covered and the farmer agreed to preserve it. The Archbishops of Canterbury appear to have been granted
the manor of Teynham in c. 800 A.D. Its value was substantial, for by the Norman Conquest it was valued at £50. It is not certain when the Archbishops first resided
there but it is likely to have been no later than the 12th century. The palace passed into lay ownership in the early 16th century and was eventually demolished. (1)
Kenulf, king of Mercia (AD 794-819), is said to have granted Teynham to Christchurch, Canterbury, after which `a palace was built in close proximity to the church. Archbishops Baldwin (1184-91), Hubert Walter, who died here (1193-1207), Langton (1207-29) and Raynold (1313-28) in turn lived here. The fact that Archbishop Kilwardby received his pallium from the Pope at Teynham is recorded on a tablet in Westminster Roman Catholic Cathedral.' (2) |