Beaulieu Palace, Boreham

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; New Hall; Convent and School of the Cannonesses of the Holy Sepulchre; Walkfares

In the civil parish of Boreham.
In the historic county of Essex (Modern Authority of Essex, 1974 county of Essex).

Surviving wing of a great quadrangular palace built by Henry VIII soon after 1518 and called by him Beaulieu. He rebuilt or enlarged an existing house which was already an important building, and made a magnificent building which was one of his favourite residences. Mary Tudor lived here much of the time between 1532 and 1533. In 1573 Elizabeth granted New Hall to Thomas Ratcliffe, Earl of Sussex, who made considerable alterations and probably largely rebuilt the north wing which is the present building. The building was bombed in 1943 and subsequently repaired. There are also extensive C20 additions and alterations. Licence to crenellate granted to Thomas, earl of Ormonde in 1491 for the house then called Walkfares.

This site has been described as a;
Palace
Fortified Manor House.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry ruins/remnants remains.

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1491 Nov 8.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL734103

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 378691

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 30269

• Web site links
  • http://www.newhall.org.uk/home/community/history/house-history
• Books
  • Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p166
    Thurley, Simon, 1993, The Royal Palaces of Tudor England (Yale University Press) p44-5, 49-50 [plan]
    James, T.B., 1990, The Palaces of Medieval England (London; Seaby) p156
    Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1982, The history of the King's Works, vol4: 1485-1660 (part 2) (London) p172-5
    Pevsner, N. (Revised by Radcliffe, Enid), 1965, The Buildings of England: Derbyshire (London, Penguin)
    RCHME, 1921, An inventory of the historical monuments in Essex. Vol2 [central and south-west] p24-6
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p256-65
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p301
• Journal Articles
  • Egan, Geoff (ed), 1983, 'Post-medieval Britain in 1982 [excavations round-up]' Post-Medieval Archaeology Vol17 p193-4
• 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 (1485-94) p367
    Calendar of Patent Rolls (1485-94) p367
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/essexeng.html#essex14]
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Thurley, Simon, 1991, English Royal Palaces, 1450-1550 (unpub PhD thesis; London) p122-5