Mortlake Palace

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Wimbledon

In the civil parish of Richmond Upon Thames.
In the historic county of Surrey (Modern Authority of London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, 1974 county of Greater London).

The manor of Mortlake was in the hands of the Archbishops of Canterbury before the Conquest, but no record exists of the date at which they first obtained it. At the time of the Domesday Survey it was very extensive, consisting of land for 35 ploughs. It included the manor of Barnes, which was held as 8 hides by the canons of St. Paul's, and seventeen houses in London and four in Southwark were attached to it. It had two mills and took 20s. toll from Putney, probably for a market or ferry there. It also included Wimbledon, which is not mentioned in the Domesday Survey, and as late as 1291 is described as a grange attached to Mortlake. During the time that Mortlake belonged to the see of Canterbury the archbishops frequently resided there. Anselm celebrated Whitsuntide there in 1099. Archbishop John Peckham dated letters from there in 1281. In 1314 the archbishop complained that his trees had been felled at Mortlake, and in the same year the archbishop (Walter Reynolds) died here. While under sentence of excommunication issued in 1330 Archbishop Mepham resided here, and Archbishop Courtenay in 1385 obtained exemption from the onerous demands of the king's purveyor for himself and his tenants at Mortlake. Archbishop Arundel forfeited all his lands, including Mortlake, in 1397 on account of his share in procuring a council of regency in 1386. He recovered them on the accession of Henry IV. Archbishop Morton was staying at Mortlake in 1494–5 when the corporation of Canterbury consulted him about the king's demands for money or men to fight against the King of the Scots. Archbishop Warham dated one charter only from Mortlake. In 1533, while Cranmer was archbishop, it is recorded that certain surplices and other ornaments were stolen from the church of Mortlake.

This site has been described as a;
Palace.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Nothing visible remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ20467606

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; 401196