Bishops Waltham Palace, South east England

The medieval church, in England and Wales, was divided into 21 dioceses. Each diocese had a bishop whose job it was to oversee the administration of each area, this included both their own estates and the monasteries which fell under their jurisdiction, although many of the monasteries would oversee themselves if they were connected to another monastery. However, the Bishop still had the right to visit and inspect them if he chose to. Each diocese would also have its own estates which were controlled by the bishop, and from which he would derive an income for himself and the chapter or priory connected to his own seat. In addition to this, many Bishops also held royal court appointments. The medieval Bishops of Winchester, for example, included four Treasurers and ten Lord Chancellors.  All of which meant that any bishop would have to do a lot of traveling to be able to visit locations throughout their diocese, as well as visits to the court in London, so they would often have several houses in their own diocese which they would stay in, as well as a house in London.

The bishops were part of the church, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t have their enemies.  The bishops were large landholders, held their own courts, and were often the focus of discontent, either from aggrieved parties, townspeople, or those who felt they were oppressed by the taxes they had to pay to the church.  For example, in 1381, during the Peasants Revolt, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Simon of Sudbury was murdered.  The bishop’s wealth alone could also make them a target, so it’s not surprising that moats, high walls and gatehouses are often found as features of their palaces.

A medieval Bishop was an important political figure, both within the church, as well as in the local region.  They were often also involved in national politics.  Although a medieval Bishop was linked to his Cathedral, he was not likely to have spent much time there.  A Bishop also had a large support staff. Other than his household servants, he would have had clerks, archdeacons, rural deans to supervise the administration of parishes, the vicar-general who was the bishop’s deputy in spiritual affairs, the chancellor who supervised the church courts, and the treasurer to look after the accounts and records. Each of his individual estates would also have had its own staff, with a steward appointed to oversee each of them.  The bishop was simply at the top of this hierarchy.

The buildings at a Bishop’s palace were used for many purposes. While primarily the home of the bishop, the palace was not just a house, buildings were also needed where the bishop would entertain high ranking officials, and hold court. It was a place that needed to show off the wealth and power of the bishop, as well as have the space needed for the various offices which ran their vast estates.  They were often fortified, even if not as defensible as a castle. Larger diocese often maintained at least one castle as well. The palaces would also need to have a large amount of accommodation, not only for the large staff, but they would also be visited by high officials, and even the King himself. Henry V stayed here while preparing his army for the French invasion in 1415.  

Royal visits to Bishops Palaces were not unusual.  The palaces of the Bishops of Winchester for example, were located at convenient points on the roads from London to the ports at Southampton and Portsmouth, and were suitable places for the monarch and his entourage to stay. The large size of the places meant that they could accommodate a large number of guests. They also usually had local hunting grounds, which were handy if the King wanted to stay for a longer period.  The bishops were expected to entertain royal guests in style, and at the bishop’s expense. We know that Henry III visited bishop’s Waltham on several occasions. 

The shape and design of the bishop’s palaces in the Middle Ages, closely resembled the homes of secular Lords. The great hall was the centre of medieval life, and so it was also the centre of medieval buildings, with the kitchen, great chamber and chapel in close proximity. Towards the later Middle Ages, further bedchambers were added to provide more privacy.  Other buildings typically found at the palaces included brewhouses, bakehouses, stables and barns. 

There has been a Manor at Waltham, belonging to the Bishops of Winchester, since the early 10th Century, however the first reference to a Palace at Waltham occurs in 1138, in a list of castles built by the then Bishop of Winchester, Henry of Blois. Henry of Blois returned in 1158 from a three year stay at the Abbey of Cluny, in Burgundy, where he had been trained.  It is not known if he went to Cluny to help that Abbey, or if he fled England, as at the time he left England, Henry II was busy dismantling the castles in England which had been built during King Stephens reign, without royal permission, some of which belonged to the bishop. Whatever the case, it was after his return that he began to rebuild his palace at Waltham on a larger scale. 

Bishop’s Waltham Palace was in regular used in the 13th and 14th Centuries.  The accounts from the Winchester Pipe Rolls show continued spending on maintenance and rebuilding works at the palace. A new kitchen and brewhouse were added in 1252, and a new Lord’s chamber was added in 1340. The Winchester Pipe Rolls are the estate accounts of the Bishops of Winchester, and are a remarkable survival. The records begin in the early 13th Century, and continue to the early 18th Century. Some years are missing, and others are incomplete, but the depth of information provided on the subjects of agriculture, prices, wages, land market and peasant societies, is almost unparalleled.

While the layout of Bishop’s Waltham Palace can be attributed to Henry of Blois in the 12th Century, in the 14th Century it underwent remodelling works after William of Wykeham became Bishop of Winchester in 1367. Over £1,500 was spent on the works to the principal buildings, to create a more modern residence.  The hall was rebuilt first in 1378-81, followed by a new service area and kitchen in 1387-93, and a new chamber was added in 1394-96. William of Wykeham was not born into the nobility, but instead rose in the ranks as a clerk of the Kings Works at Windsor, where he had been responsible for overseeing Edward III’s rebuilding of Windsor Castle. His knowledge of building work proved useful in the work he had carried out at Bishop’s Waltham, where he often supervised the work personally. William died at Bishop’s Waltham on the 27th of September 1404, while he was in his chantry chapel in Winchester Cathedral.

What we see at Bishop’s Waltham Palace today is, in the lower part of the walls and layout, the work of Henry of Blois in the 12th Century, however the upper parts of the building are from William of Wykeham’s remodelling work from 1387-93.  Wykeham had the 12th Century walls taken down to their foundations, then rebuilt and heightened.  When he was finished, all the external walls were plastered and limewashed up to the detailed carved stonework.  The windows were glazed, some with painted glass and shutters, the floors were laid with coloured tiles, and the roofs were heavy oak beams. Some of the walls were panelled in oak, while others were decoratively painted.  The whole complex was originally surrounded by a moat. These decorative details are long gone, and it can be difficult to image them once laid over the ruined flint stone work that remains today.