Sonning Bishops Palace

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Sonnyng; Sunnyng

In the civil parish of Sonning.
In the historic county of Berkshire (Modern Authority of Wokingham, 1974 county of Berkshire).

Site of the palace of the Bishops of Salisbury, revealed by excavations in 1912-14. The earliest remains found dated to C13, with alterations in C14 and C15. The main building was moated on three sides and bounded to the north by the Thames. No surface remains are now visible. licensed in 1337 and licence ratified in 1377.

This site has been described as a;
Palace
Fortified Manor House.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Possible.
Cropmarks/slight earthworks remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU75467549

PastScape number; 244651

Web site links

http://www.berkshirehistory.com/castles/sonning_bpal.html

Books

Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p157-8, 627-9
Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p123, 129, 136, 167, 168, 185
Page, Wm and Ditchfield, P.H. (eds), 1923, VCH Berkshire Vol3 p211, 223 [manorial history http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=43208]
Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p411

Journal Articles

Long, E.T., 1940, The Berkshire Archaeological Journal Berkshire Archaeological Society Vol44 p108-9
Keyser, C.E. and Brakspear, H., 1916, ‘Notes on excavations carried out on the site of the palace of the Bishop of Salisbury at Sonning’ The Berks, Bucks and Oxon Archaeological Journal Vol22 p2-21

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 (1334-38) p498
Calendar of Patent Rolls (1377-81) p9, 10

Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)

Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p27

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Sonning Bishops Palace

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU75467549

Sources of information, references and further reading