Bishops Frome Bishops Palace

In the civil parish of Bishops Frome.
In the historic county of Herefordshire (Modern Authority of Herefordshire, 1974 county of Hereford and Worcester).

The Bishop of Hereford held the manor of Bishop's Frome at Domesday, one of 20 manors in Herefordshire. There was certainly a hall and associated buildings here suitable for accommodating a bishop's retinue, as Bishop Cantiloupe stayed here a few times between 1275-82, as did Bishop Swinfield (1283-1317). It was not used as a residence after the late C13. There is nothing visible left of this house. Site cannot be located but is probably near the church, as is the case with other episcopal palaces in Herefordshire. The placename "Court Farm" in this area may be significant. Thompson identifies this site with Cheyney Court (SO66934770) where a C16/C17 barn is said to have been used as a chapel but the SMR puts the palace site near the church. However, the SMR record for Cheyney Court (7424) does suggest this was a high status site and it must be considered a possible location of the bishops palace, although I do wonder why other authors have not made the same link as Thompson.

This site has been described as a;
Palace.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Possible.
Uncertain remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SO664483

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; 112232

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 26366, 7424

• Web site links
  • http://www.smr.herefordshire.gov.uk/db.php?smr_no=26366
• Books
  • Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p177
    RCHME, 1932, An inventory of the historical monuments in Herefordshire. Vol2: east p11
• Journal Articles
  • Tonkin, J.W., 1976, 'The palaces of the bishop of Hereford' Transactions of the Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club Vol42 p53-63