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Summary

Former large complex established by Bishops of Exeter in late 12th or early 13th century. Passed into secular hands in 1550 and declined in status, operating as a farm. Buildings allowed to decay or were possibly quarried for building material. Survives today as a number of ruined and adapted stone stuctures together with a series of low earthworks.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1317585: REMAINS OF BISHOPS PALACE AT PALACE FARMHOUSE
• Scheduled Monument 1008679: Bishop's Palace

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX87NE/1
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*): 85335
• Old SAM County Ref: 297
• Old SAM Ref: 24838
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX87NE6

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PALACE (XII to XIII - 1101 AD to 1300 AD (Between))

Full description

Clark, J. A. + Hadow, E. A., Bishop's Palace - Chudleigh. Survey of Remains (Plan - measured). SDV348547.

Department of National Heritage, Bishop's Palace, Chudleigh: Inspector's Report (Un-published). SDV340551.

The Bishop's Palace is situated on the southern fringe of the village of Chudleigh, on ground sloping downwards from the limestone outcrop of Chudleigh rocks to the south. The monument includes the upstanding and buried remains of a palace of the Bishops of Exeter in use from the second half of the 13th century until 1550. The visible remains exist in the form of a number of ruined and adapted stone structures together with a series of low earthworks. They include the remains of a perimeter wall enclosing a roughly triangular area, 190 metres by 130 metres, which contains parts of a least three substantial buildings, one of which is almost totally enclosed by modern farm structures. The wall are constructed of random rubble in local limestone and in places include red sandstone. Limestone is utilised for ashlar work and architectural detail.
Bishops' palaces were high status domestic residences providing luxury accommodation for the bishops and lodgings for their large retinues. Although some were little more than country houses, others were the setting for great works of architecture and displays of decoration. The Bishop's Palace at Chudleigh was intensively occupied for a significant period and the principal surviving building is unusual in its design in that the provision of vaults and mural passages indiicate a dwelling of strength and defensible potential. The buried remains appear to be extensive and unharmed by subsequent activity. Other details: Map.

Swete, R. J. (Revd), 1792-1801, 564M 'Picturesque Sketches of Devon' by Reverend John Swete, 8/93 (Record Office Collection). SDV337942.

Illustration of Palace by Swete.

Lysons, D. + Lysons, S., 1822, Magna Britannica, 310,107 (Monograph). SDV323771.

Jones, M., 1852, The History of Chudleigh (Monograph). SDV338020.

Gibbs, R., 1904-1905, The Memorials of Bishop Lacy, 113-114 (Article in Serial). SDV338000.

One building is now roofed over with a modern hayloft. From this building a still accessible underground passage of unknown length runs in a north westrly direction.

Tapley-Soper, H., 1942 - 1946, Palaces of the Bishops of Exeter in the 15th Century, 178 (Article in Serial). SDV338018.

Department of Environment, 1952, Newton Abbot RD, 34 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV304573.

Very little remains. Long boundary wall with three splayed windows. Walling said to be part of chapel.

Ancient Monuments, 1953, Chudleigh, Bishops' Palace (Schedule Document). SDV340550.

A manor house of the Bishops of Exeter. Alenated to the Seymours, Earls of Somerset in 1550. Extant remains consist of:
a) remains of an enclosing wall; a good stretch on the west side of the site with splayed loops, segmental-headed within, placed low in the wall (probably early 18th century) a fragment on the east side.
b) substantial remains built into a cider press building - including a large vault with a stair turret above corner - probably under the 'service' end of the hall (around early 14th century?).
c) apparently the site of the hall, spoiled by a modern retaining wall, east of b.
d) two upstanding pieces of wall and traces of foundations east of c, suggesting remains of a train of buildings off the solar end of the hall. One is the south end of a building with a small vault adjoining, the other is a corner or junction of two structures. Other details: Map.

Russell, P., 1954, Visit to Palace Quarry, Chudleigh, 327 (Article in Serial). SDV338004.

Palace was built using limestone from the nearby Palace Quarry.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1954 - 2008, SX87NE6 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV337999.

1. Mentioned in a document of c1500 where the Palace is stated to be in need of repair.
2. The chapel was dedicated to St. Michael.
3. Proposal by Ministry of Transport to cross the site with the Chudleigh by-pass. Site scheduled.
1. Site visit 26/05/1953. The Palace site is now the orchard of Palace Farm, an area of numerous ridges and mounds. The remains above ground are fragmentary and generally in a poor state of preservation. The valuted building in in fair condition and used a cider store. There is no definite dating evidence for the remains but the rough construction indicates an early dte, possibly as early as the late 11th century. No plan can be deduced from the visible fragments. The chapel is questionable because of its apparent north-south orientation and lack of ecclesiastical architecture. Since its abandonment c1420 the Palace has probably been used as a 'quarry' for the locality, particularly the present farmhouse, 1 6th-17th century building.

Unknown, 1977, Bishop's Palace, Chudleigh (Worksheet). SDV338016.

Two large fragments of upstanding masonry and some other walls incorporated into farm buildings, rubble mounds and a few platforms evident in the two orchards covering the site. Members of Chudleigh Amenity Socieity planned to clear and excavate some of the remains but it is hoped that the Department of the Environment will dissuade them, and that they will undertake to survey, which would prove more useful. Other details: Ref: FSO Dev File No 58.

Bounds, D., 1977, The Bishop's Palace, Chudleigh (Un-published). SDV338001.

Text of a talk given at the Annual General Meeting of Chudleigh Amenity Society.

Higham, R. A., 1979, The Castles of Medieval Devon, 52 (Post-Graduate Thesis). SDV336189.

The palace received a licence to crenellate in 1379.

Ordnance Survey, 1982, Bishop's Palace, Chudleigh (Plan - measured). SDV338005.

Survey drawing at 1:1250 of existing remains and the surviving medieval masonry identified.

Griffith, F. M., 1986, DAP/GU, 3,4 (Aerial Photograph). SDV338019.

Robinson, R., 1986, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1986 (Un-published). SDV345664.

Site visit 6th March 1986.

Unknown, 1986 - 1987, Devon Religious Houses Survey (Un-published). SDV347681.

Devon Religious Houses Survey, 1986-7, Devon Religious Houses Survey 1986/87. Preliminary Assessment Form. Chudleigh (Un-published). SDV358433.

Laithwaite, M., 1986-7, Devon Religious Houses Survey. Chudleigh (Archive - Survey). SDV358434.

Laithwaite, J. M., 1987, The Bishop's Palace at Chudleigh (Report - Survey). SDV338012.

The first direct reference to an episcopal property in the parish is in a charter of 1161-84, although the earliest definitive reference to an episcopal building is in 1321 when nine people were ordained in the chapel. Grandisson's will of 1368 suggests the chapel was quite an impressive structure by this time. Snell claims that Grandisson's register also mentions a Chancellor's Chamber and a Deambulatory. Bishop Brantyngham obtained a licence to fortify the manor in 1379. The site seems to have been a popular residence with both Bishop Grandisson (1326-29) and Bishop Brantyngham (1370-94). The Bishop's Park at Churdleigh mentioned from time to time from 1380.
The manor was sold after the dissolution and in 1695 came to the Cliffords who held it until well into the 20th century. The garden of Palace Farm probably corresponds with the area formerly occupied by the Bishops Palace. This is roughly triangular, circa 150 metres north-south by 120 metres east-west at south end. The farmhouse and stables fill the apex at north end and appear to be no older than the 17th century. The garden wall retains pieces of well-made medieval perimeter wall. The main stretch runs along the western boundary, starting with a small rectangular projection, possibly the base of a tower, on north and extending south for circa 75 metres. It has putlog holes and four slits. The main surviving medieval building (A) is one of the best pieces of purely domestic, early medieval architecture in the county. This is despite the fact that the eastern end of the building has been demolished and the original upper storey removed. See report for full details.

Pye, A., 1992, Environmental statement on the proposed extension of the Heathfield landfill site, Kingsteignton. Appendix 4: archaeological assessment, 13 (Report - Assessment). SDV312426.

Gibbons, P., 1993, Bishop's Palace, Chudleigh (Un-published). SDV338010.

Visible as a number of ruined and adapted stone structures together with a series of low earthworks (probably representing building debris) including remains of a perimeter wall enclosing triangular area 190 metres by 130 metres containing parts of at least three substantial buildings. South part of palace may have been destroyed by quarrying.

Griffith, F. M., 1994, DAP/WH, 10-12 (Aerial Photograph). SDV338021.

Department of National Heritage, 1995, Proposed Works at Bishop's Palace, Chudleigh, Devon (Correspondence). SDV338011.

Scheduled monument consent granted for fencing with strained posts and gate posts (part 1); levelling by soiling and/or light cultivation of existing soil, and reseeding to grass as indicated on the site plan (part 2).

Department of National Heritage, 1996, Bishop's Palace (Schedule Document). SDV340552.

The principal remains, which are Listed Grade II*, are those of a substantial building close to the west side of the enclosure, terraced into the hillslope to the south by at least 2.3 metres, and extending out from the terrace by over 12 metres. On its east and west sides are modern lean-to structures, and the first floor is a modern addition. The ground floor survives as two vaulted rooms with the vestigial remains of upper apartments indicated by the overall height of the walls of some 5 metres. Its existing length is 10 metres, but the entire eastern end has been removed. The vaults are aligned east/west, with sandstone ceilings, 3 metres high at the centres. The larger northern room is 6.8 metres by 5 metres, with a blocked window in the west wall. In its north-west corner there is a spiral stair, with two steps remaining, partly housed in an external angle turret. There is a blocked external door in the north wall, and in the south east corner another blocked door apparently leading to the southern vault. All the openings leading from this room have vaulted ceilings. In the outer part of the ruined wall forming the north-east corner of the building there are the remains of the end of a low vaulted passage.
The southern room has a cobble floor and is 3 metres in width, narrowed to 2.6 metres at the western end by an offset in the south wall. Its original length is in excess of 3.8 metres as the east wall appears to be a later blocking. High in the west wall is a narrow window, opening through a wall of about 3 metres thickness. The south-west corner of the room contains a narrow opening, apparently a borrowed-light window, for a mural (wall) passage contained within the offset in the south wall. The passage is some 3 metres in length and widens at both ends with curved walls. The south end is deeper than the floor of the room by at least 0.45 metres. The roof becomes higher to the west and is stepped, possibly constituting the underneath of a mural stair contained within the wall thickness. The passage continues at its west end, appearing to turn north behind the west wall of the vault. A small hole has been broken through the west wall north of the window to reveal a completely enclosed chamber of some 0.9 metres width, but unknown height and length.
The first floor of the building would have opened directly onto the higher ground to the south. The walls are in general between 1.2 metres to 1.6 metres in thickness, constructed in limestone and sandstone. There is a chamfered plinth on the west wall and either two buttresses, or the remains of two further walls, on the north side. To the west, the space between this building and the perimeter wall appears to have been enclosed on the north side by a wall extending from the perimeter wall towards the stair turret, with an access-way adjacent to the turret.
Approximately 42 metres to the south-east of the vaulted building are the freestanding remains of the southern end of a building, of at least 9.5 metres width, terraced into the ground to the south. Part of the south wall survives to a height of about 3.8 metres internally and has a string course beneath the remains of a stepped triangular coping which indicates that the eastern half of the structure was not roofed. The east wall was lower and had an arched opening near the wall corner. In the western half there are the remains of a vault 2.95 metres in width separated from the courtyard by a wall. The length of the building is uncertain, but a distinct earthwork platform extends for some 18 metres to the north.
Approximately 40 metres to the north-east of the vaulted building are the freestanding remains of the outer wall of a building surviving to a height of about 2.4 metres and length of over 4.2 metres. The wall has a substantial rectangular offset bonded into its internal west face, with the remains of a window to the north side of this feature.
The perimeter wall survives on the west side of the palace for a length of over 120 metres . To the north, at the farmhouse, it is incorporated into the back of the garages. The garages, except for the perimeter wall at the rear, are excluded from the scheduling.
About halfway between the garages and the vaulted building the wall is interrupted by a square, tower-like structure, projecting to the west. The wall extends to the south beyond the vaulted building to become lost in the hedge-line. At no point does it retain a coping; the highest surviving section, 2.7 metres internally, occurs opposite the vaulted building where the ground is terraced. Between the tower and the terrace the wall contains putlog holes (for scaffolding), and has four small, deeply splayed, arched loops, in random rubble, that narrow at the outer face to 60 centimetres by 7 centimetres. There is evidence of a former opening to the immediate north of the tower. A section of the wall is visible along the southern perimeter of the palace where it acts as a retaining wall to the higher land to the south, surviving to a height of about 0.6 metres above the terrace. On the eastern side the only visible remains are an isolated section some 8 metres in length and 2 metres high, engulfed within the hedge some 9 metres south of the stables. The earthworks are more distinct in the upper, southern end, of the enclosure. Apart from some more obvious terraces, most of the earthworks are amorphous, and probably represent building debris.
Although the manor of Chudleigh appears to have belonged to the bishops of Exeter before the Norman Conquest, the first reference to episcopal property in the parish occurs in a charter of Bishop Bartholomew (1161-84). There is no reference to a dwelling until the episcopal registers commence in the second half of the 13th century which record that Bishop Bronescome (1257-80) was present in the manor for several days in almost every year of his bishopric. The first reference to official business being undertaken occurs in 1321 when Bishop Stapeldon (1307-26) conducted an ordination in the chapel. A hall is referred to in 1350 in the bishopric of Grandisson (1326-69), and a chancellery in the bishopric of Brantyngham (1370-94). More importantly, in 1379 Brantyngham obtained a licence to crenellate, the only such licence for an episcopal manor in Devon. The register of Bishop Lacy (1420-55) contains the most abundant references to the structure in which the Register's chamber, new lower chamber, parlour, and a chapel or oratory adjoining the great chapel, are referred to. Chudleigh appears to have been one of the most popular rural houses with successive bishops spanning 150 years: Stapeldon, Grandisson, Brantyngham, Stafford (1395-1419), and Lacy, all being in residence for significant periods. Bishop Lacy died at Chudleigh. The registers of subsequent bishops have not been published, but a survey undertaken after the bishopric of Redman (1495-1501) states that the buildings were in need of essential repair.
In 1550, Edward VI compelled Bishop Vesey to dispose of the manor, which was conveyed to Thomas Brydges. In 1598 it passed to Thomas Hunt, and was sold by that family in 1695 to the Cliffords who retained ownership until recently. The present farmhouse, a Listed Building Grade II, has no parts earlier than the late 17th century. The site was called Palace Farm in the late 18th century, at which time the area of the ruins was utilised as an orchard. This is the first reference to the site as a palace rather than a manor. At that time it was recorded that an arched gateway was in existence in the garden of Palace Cottage. In the mid 19th century it was recorded that burials were disturbed in the eastern corner of the orchard when the road to the quarry was widened. The freestanding remains and the perimeter wall are Listed Grade II*. Other details: Monument 24838.

Department of National Heritage, 1996, Proposed Works at Bishop's Palace, Chudleigh, Devon (Correspondence). SDV338013.

Scheduled monument consent granted for works concerning the rebuilding of a recently damaged part of the precinct wall.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 1998, Proposed Works at Bishop's Palace, Chudleigh, Devon (Correspondence). SDV338014.

Scheduled monument consent granted concerning the repair of galvanised roofing.

Parker, R. W., 1999, Archaeological Recording at Palace Farm, Chudleigh (Report - Survey). SDV336345.

The Bishop's Palace was a large manorial complex probably first established in the late 12th or early 13th century. Bishop Bantryngham obtained a licence to crenallate in 1379 and by the late medieval period, it had developed into an impressive complex of buildings in a walled precinct, of which parts still survive. The buildings are known from 14th and 15th century documentary sources to have included a hall, a chapel (with a belfry, 'deambulatory', north vestibule and a further chapel or oratory adjoining), a parlour and rooms variously described as the chancellors chamber or chancelry, the registers chamber and the new lower chamber (see Laithwaite 1987). The precinct was entered through a gatehouse, which is said to have been located close to the farmhouse at the north end of the site, and survived into the late 18th or early 19th century (see Jones 1852). Other buildings known to have been connected with the manor include a slaughter house and a mill located on the nearby Kate Brook. In 1550, the palace, which may already have been in decline, was sold by Bishop Veysey and passed into secular hands. In 1695 the site was acquired by Lord Clifford of Chudleigh and it remained part of the Clifford estate until recently. Following the sale of the palace, the site appears to have declined in status, and was operated as a farm rather than a great house. The buildings themselves seem to have been allowed to decay, or were perhaps deliberately demolished or quarried for building materials. Some of the remaining buildings probably owe their preservation to being adapted for farm use.
Recorded by Exeter Archaeology in 1999. The existing farmhouse remains a private residence and was not included in the recording project. It is a grade IIlisted building and was incorporated into the scheduled area in 1994. There is a strong possibility that the house may incorporate parts of medieval structures; the front elevation is bent at an odd angle, the fenestration is eccentric and the relationship of the roof and eaves to the internal floor levels is also unusual. These anomalies are more likely to be the result of the alteration or remodelling of an earlier structure than deliberate features of a new build. A cursory inspection of the interior and roofs suggests that the existing building is largely of late 16th or 17th century date; however, earlier fabric may survive obscured by the existing rendered finishes. The farmhouse stands close to the supposed site of the gatehouse and it is possible that it may incorporate parts of a range of ancillary buildings associated with the gatehouse. The existing stabling and barns to the south east of the farmhouse are of late 18th or 19th century date, and no evidence for earlier farm buildings is now visible. The standing buildings within the palace precinct clearly represent only a small part of the surviving remains. The earthworks and the evidence of raised ground levels (especially towards the south part of the site) suggest that the palace remains survive over a large area and are buried in places to a considerable depth. Unfortunately the three standing structures are so fragmentary that the layout of the palace and the positions of its principal buildings, cannot be determined with any confidence from the visible evidence. The ruined structures are widely separated and therefore must relate either to independent buildings, or to outlying wings of a large and relatively loosely planned complex.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1999, The Bishop's Palace, Chudleigh (Report - Survey). SDV338015.

A nationally important site, only a few ruined features and low earthworks now survive. Earthworks visible as levelled stances with associated amorphous low banks and traces of agricultural activity. Much surface disturbance but also potential for survival of footings and foundations of structures, especially in areas where soil cover is quite deep. The RCHME survey reveals a number of linear slopes which appear to subdivide the site into distinct parcels, some suggest presence of building stances, others enclosures or plots. The eastern part of the site is composed of slight level stances of uncertain origin and function, located on the fairly steep natural slope, some apparently overlaid by the east boundary wall. Jones (1852) notes that the burying ground of the chapel lay in the east corner of the orchard, and that some skeletons were dug up 'when the road to the quarry was recently widened'.
No finds of archaeological significance were discovered during field work but exploratory digging in the area in the 1950's by local men resulted in some finds being deposited in Exeter Museum.

Child, P./Bayles, M., 1999, Work at Bishops Palace Chudleigh (Correspondence). SDV338082.

Letters regarding removal of a tree from the boundary wall of the Bishops Palace.

Exeter Archaeology, 2003, Archaeological Assessment of Proposed Development at 6 The Square, Chudleigh, 2 (Report - Assessment). SDV338022.

Parker, R. + Allan, J. + Fletcher, M. + Higham, R. + Laithwaite, M., 2006, The Bishop's Palace at Chudleigh, 193-240 (Article in Serial). SDV338151.

Summary of the various archaeological projects which have been carried out on the Bishop's Palace at Chudleigh. The article contains a review of documentary evidence, earthwork survey and examination of standing buildings. Originally in a rural setting, the palace is now on the fringes of Chudleigh. The entrance is marked by Palace Farm, the garden of which roughly corresponds to the area formerly occupied by the palace. The site appears to have belonged to the Bishops of Exeter before the Norman Conquest. At the time of Domesday Survey it was probably part of the manor of Bishopsteignton. It became a separate manor by the 13th century. Alienated in 1550 by Bishop Veysey. Swete visited remains in 1794. His sketch showns a large ruined building which was evidently subsequently demolished as nothing like it survives today. A complex pattern of earthworks survive reflecting building platforms, enclosures, demolition debris, farming and possibly quarrying activity. The standing remains comprise: Sections of the boundary wall. A pair of massive vaulted cellars (Building A) which formed the western end of a substantial range, now surrounded by modern sheds and overlain by a 19th century farm building. The boundary wall of a courtyard and adjacent vaulted room (Building B). A bulding platform to the north of this suggests the former presence of a range of rooms. An isolated baulk of walling (Building C). The existing farmhouse may incoporate parts of medieval structures. Its eastern wall may in fact be the western wall of the former gatehouse of the palace. The burials recorded in the 19th century is thought to be unrelated to the site, perhaps part of an earlier cemetery.
In its developed later medieval form the palace at Chudleigh consisted of a roughly triangular precinct enclosed by a wall circa 10 feet high. Documentary evidence indicates that by the 15th century the buildings included a hall, chapel, parlour, various chambers, a deambulatory and a slaughterhouse. There must also have been kitchens, serivce rooms, stores, stables and the other facilities of a large medieval house. Unfortunately, the surviving remains are too fragmentary to enable the overall layout of the palace with any confidence. Nevertheless the standing remains are important survivals. Building A in particular is one of the most remarkable pieces of medieval domestic architecture surviving in the country. Appendices discuss: The licence to crenellate granted in 1379 - it is suggested that the 'arrow loops' in the surviving stretch of the western perimeter wall may be a token gesture to the repertoire of features which a high-status residence of the period would be expected to display. Fragments of medieval floor tiles, produced in the Exeter area, with heraldic patterns which probably came from the palace chapel. Pottery and ridge tiles including a sherd belonging to a 14th century Malagan albarello from southern Spain. See article for full details.

Christie, N. + Geake, H. + Gaimster, M. + O'Connor, K. + Sherlock, R., 2007, Medieval Britain and Ireland in 2006, 236-240 (Article in Serial). SDV361695.

Bishop's Palace at Chudleigh (SX8658 7888). Survey of fragmentary remains by R. Parker and J. Allen of Exeter Archaeology and R. Higham of Exeter University. Reference to Devon Archaeology 64.

Dean, R., 2008, The Bishop's Palace, Palace Farm, Chudleigh, Devon. Results of an Archaeological Earth-resistance Survey (Report - Geophysical Survey). SDV342043.

Geophysical Survey conducted across the site of the Bishop's Palace in order to prospect for buried building remains and areas of potential past activity associated with the Palace. A series of linear anomalies were recorded across the survey area following a north-south, east-west directional trend which probably mostly represent building remains. Anomolies recorded on a northwest-southeast, northeast-southwest orientation in Area 7 may represent periods of activity not associated with the Palace. A series of uncharacterised small anomalies were also recorded in locations 3, 4 and 5 which may represent filled pits or hollows. They could possibly be associated with the graves recorded in the area in the 19th century.

English Heritage, 2009, Heritage at Risk Register 2009: South West, 111 (Report - non-specific). SDV342694.

Generally satisfactory condition, but with significant localised problems. Principal vulnerability scrub and tree growth.

English Heritage, 2010, Heritage at Risk Register 2010: South West, 104 (Report - non-specific). SDV344777.

English Heritage, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011: South West, 109 (Report - non-specific). SDV355280.

Generally satisfactory condition, but with significant localised problems. Declining.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4200 - Archaeological Projects at the Bishops Palace at Chudleigh
• EDV4469 - Geophysical Survey at The Bishop's Palace, Chudleigh

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