More information : (SU 1819 3023) Clarendon Palace (NR) (Remains of) (1)
Clarendon was a royal manor at least from the time of William 1 (2), contemporary documents showing it to have been the site of a military rendezvous, probably in 1072 (4). A major royal residence was established from the time of Henry II (2) and the framing of the Constitutions of Clarendon (4) and it reached its zenith as a royal palace during the reign of Henry III. It fell into disuse under the Tudors and was sold by Charles I (2)
Surviving documents record the existence of a great hall, the king's and queen's apartments, several chapels, a kitchen and various other offices.
A major excavation of the site was carried out between 1933 and 1939 (2) by T Borenius and J Charlton (4) (see plans (3) & (4)) During this period a very large area in the western and northern parts of the site was cleared, excavated and planned, and work on the east and south had been begun when it was brought to a halt by the outbreak of war. The excavation revealed traces of earlier foundations underlying the buildings of the 12th and 13th centuries: these no doubt represented the hunting lodge of the Norman kings. (3)
By 1963 a solitary crag of walling was visible (5), much of the site having reverted to its pre-excavation state, being covered by dense undergrowth and well grown trees (1) (see also air-photograph (6).) (2-6)
The palace buildings extend over an area roughly 240.0m NE-SW by 80.0m and lie within a sub-rectangular enclosure formed either by the footings of a wall, or a bank up to 1.2m high. Both bank and surmounting wall remain on the SE side. Many of the buildings are now only footings exposed during excavation, but the E end of the Great Hall remains to a height of 5.0m. The site lies under dense woodland undergrowth and is littered by many excavation spoil heaps.
SU 18142 30173 (7) A tile kiln in use probably between 1237 and 1244, was located beneath the Salsary in 1937, and removed to the British Museum in 1965 (8) [See SU 13 SE 86]
The bank of the park pale (SU 13 SE 42) remains in a reduced state inside and parallel to the SE side of the palace enclosure and may originally have extended across the ground now covered by the W range of palace buildings.
Instrumental re-survey at 1:2500. (9)
Clarendon was established as a royal palace during the 12th century with Henry II primarily responsible for its transition from a hunting lodge. New additions, of a mid-12th century date, include the king's quarters, `La Roche' wine cellar, All Saints Chapel and the Great Hall. By the early 13th century further extensive expansion took place instigated by Henry III. This included the construction of King's Chapel and the Antioch chamber under the supervision of Elias de Dereham (1236) who was also responsible for the construction of Salisbury Cathedral. Stained glass windows in the chapel closely resembled those found at Salisbury Cathedral.
The layout of the palace was not formal, with unaligned buildings situated around courtyards. Many of the buildings were constructed of dressed flint; Chilmark and Caen stone were also used. The external wall were often limewashed. The interior decor was often lavish with plaster tinted blue by the inclusion of lapis lazuli thought to come from Afganistan, and the use of Purbeck marble for pillars. Several tile pavements were used; one circular pavement present in King's Chapel used tiles from one of the Clarendon kilns.
A survey of 1272-3 showed the palace to be in a state of disrepair and included fire damage, a series of repairs was carried out. Another survey dated 1315, showed the buildings again to be in a bad state of repair. The last phase of major rebuilding took place in the mid-15th century, but was followed by a decline by the number of royal visits that were made to Clarendon; the last recorded visit took place in 1574 by Queen Elizabeth I, when all that appeared to remain of the palace was a `lodge'. It is during this period that Clarendon changed from a palace to a place of a more local significance, with the prominence of the prison, first recorded in the 13th century, the most obvious manifestation of this. A survey of 1650 refers to the old Gatehouse as the Kings Manor. Archaeological evidence supports continued occupation within the area of the western entrance continuing into the 17th century.
Excavations carried out in 1821 revealed the general outline for the palace but damaged any straitigraphical relationships between the walls and floor levels. Excavations also took place 1933-39, 1957, and 1964-5. These located Roman pottery, coins and a fragment of box tile. These are probably residual, representing Roman occupation within the vicinity (SU 13 SE 7). Earlier Medieval structures were noted but not fully investigated, these were present within the area of the 12th century Great Hall and Great Courtyard. There is documentary evidence of an `Old Hall' situated south of the site; the structure situated within the correct siting is known to be 13th century but has not yet been investigated to see whether it incorporates or overlays earlier elements.
The ceramic assemblage is mid-late 13th century, perhaps continuing into the 14th century. Almost all are products of the Laverstock Kilns. These kilns developed as a result of the demands of the palace. The absence of later wares when there is documentary evidence of occupation 1300-1500 may be explained by the removal of debris which took place, during one of the periods of rebuilding, or that the main areas of later activities has not yet been investigated. (10-11).
A detailed survey of the masonry foundations and earthworks of Clarendon Palace was carried out by the RCHME in March 1994. (12)
There is no record of Henry VII or VIII staying at Clarendon, and the last recorded works at Clarendon are in 1496. When Queen Elizabet visited Clarendon in 1574, the palace was already ruined. (13)
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