Bishop’s Palace Wells, South West, England

The Diocese was created in 909 when it became the seat of a Saxon Bishop, but there were arguments and disputes between the canons in Wells and the monks in Bath and Glastonbury.  It became the Diocese of Wells for a while but Bath and Glastonbury were not happy about this arrangement. It is said 

‘they seldom met together and when they did it had to be on neutral ground, halfway between the two.’

In 1090, the second Bishop, John de Villula, moved from Wells to Bath for political reasons and used the Abbey church as his Cathedral.  

Bishop of Bath, Robert of Lewes, liked the church at Wells and created a Dean and Chapter to serve it in the early 12th Century. It all got even more complicated then, when at the end of the 12th Century, Bishop Savaric Fitz Geldewin decided to force Glastonbury Abbey to join his Diocese, as this would substantially raise his income.  This was approved by Pope Celestine III and the seat became the Diocese of Bath and Glastonbury.  This didn’t go down well with Glastonbury however and they refused to acknowledge Savaric. The next Bishop was Jocelin of Wells and he renounced the claim to Glastonbury in 1219, at which time the name returned to the Diocese of Bath.

Bishop Jocelin of Wells was born in Wells and was very local to his home town.  He restored and enlarged the Cathedral there and added the west front in the 13th Century. He also founded a grammar school and increased the number of canons.  He died in 1242 and the next bishop was Roger.  The monks at Bath appointed him, and his title was confirmed by King Henry III and Pope Innocent IV.  The Chapter of Wells appealed the decision and the matter was resolved by the Pope, who declared on the 3rd of January 1245, that Roger would remain the Bishop, but that the title must become the Diocese of Bath and Wells.  

Bishop Jocelin began the construction of the Bishop’s Palace here in 1210, almost every succeeding Bishop added to the building work throughout the Middle Ages. The Palace was originally surrounded by a deer park, created on land granted by King John. In the 14th Century the walls were built and a moat was added. Within the walls, gardens were created.  The Palace once contained a chorister’s school, grammar school, hospital, chapel, and manor house. 

It was Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury who built the surrounding walls and created the crenulations, moat and drawbridge.  The entrance was protected by a heavy gate, portcullis and drawbridge. Bishop Ralph was not well liked by the citizens of Wells due to his tax rises.

During the great storm of 1703, Bishop Kidder and his wife were asleep in bed when two of the chimneystacks collapsed on them, killing them both. 

In 1953 the Palace was designated as a Grade I listed building.  The Palace now belongs to the Church Commissions and is managed and run by The Palace Trust. It is open to the public although it is often closed on Saturdays for private weddings.