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Lichfield Cathedral Close and Bishop Palace
In the civil parish of Lichfield.
In the historic county of Staffordshire (Modern Authority of Staffordshire, 1974 county of Staffordshire).
St Mary's Vicarage, built in 1710 incorporates the remains of C13 to C14 defensive close wall and tower built by Bishop Walter de Langton, forming its eastern and southern sides. The close was licensed in 1299, 1348 and 1523. Other parts of the Close defences remain. Medieval bishop's palace first documented in 1295, destroyed during the Civil War. Thompson writes "Bishop Langton received, in 1306, a licence to crenellate Beaudesert, Staffs and Ashby, Northants and all episocopal palaces in England." This must include Lichfield and Coventry but probably not Chester. Possible site of Lichfield Castle (qv). The close was called a castle in 1317.
This site has been described as a;
Fortified Ecclesiastical site
Palace
Timber Castle.
The confidence
that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry footings remains.
A Royal licence
to crenellate was
granted in 1299 April 18.
A Royal licence
to crenellate was
granted in 1306 Sept 16.
A Royal licence
to crenellate was
confirmed on 1348 April 18.
A Royal licence
to crenellate was
confirmed on 1523 June 20.
This site is a
Grade 2* listed
building protected by law*. (Images
of England number 382793, 382790, 382792)
The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SK11560991
PastScape number;
306610, 306605, 306581
Books
- Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p167, 173
Salter, Mike, 1997, Castles and Moated Mansions of Staffordshire (Malvern) p32-3
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p228-9
Tringham, N., 1993, 'The palace of Bishop Walter Langton in Lichfield cathedral close' in Maddison, J. (ed) Medieval Archaeology and Architecture in Lichfield p
Salter, Mike, 1993, Midlands Castles (Birmingham) p61
Greenslade, M.W. (ed), 1990, VCH Staffordshire Vol14 p3, 11, 16, 57-67, 103, 152, 217, 220
Drury, P., 1987, The Capitular Estate of Dean and Chapter of Lichfield Cathedral
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p454
Pevsner, N., 1974, The Buildings of England: Staffordshire (London, Penguin) p187-8
Greenslade, M.W. (ed), 1970, VCH Staffordshire Vol3 p150, 159
Lynam, C., 1908, in Page, Wm. (ed), VCH Staffordshire Vol1 p370-1
Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p404, 405
Shaw, Stebbing, 1798, The History and Antiquities of Staffordshire (J.Nichols abd Son) [Republished 1976 by EP Publishing] Vol1 p234-
Journal Articles
- Coulson, C., 1982, 'Hierarchism in Conventual Crenellation: An Essay in the Sociology and Metaphysics of Medieval Fortification' Medieval Archaeology Vol26 p69-100
Beresford, W., The Reliquary Vol7 p249
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents
- This section is far from complete and the secondary
sources should be consulted for full references.)
- Calendar of Patent Rolls (1292-1301) p408, 409
Calendar of Patent Rolls (1301-7) p462
Calendar of Patent Rolls (1348-50) p56
Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, of the Reign of Henry VIII Vol3 pt2 p1316 no3146.20
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
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*The listed building
may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site
of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.
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