A bishop's palace is a form of ecclesiastical architecture referring to the official residence of a bishop.The term was not used in the British Isles until the Church of England was restructured following the Norman Conquest of 1066 A.D. However the oldest has been dated to the seventh century. They provided luxury accommodation for the Bishop with facilities for their staff. The term was not developed in a consistent way: See palaces were those which were in the vicinity of the Bishop's cathedral, others were more modest manor houses. They were generally set within an enclosure, sometimes moated, often including ancillary buildings, such as a hall, a chapel or a gatehouse. Although many were used throughout the medieval period, their use declined after the reformation and only a few are still in use in the twenty-first century. Historic England have positively identified about 150 bishop's palaces in England, all of which they regard as being of national importance.
References
- Thompson, M. W. (Michael Welman) (1998). Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales. Aldershot ; Brookfield, Vt.: Ashgate. ISBN 978-1-84014-277-8.
- "Moated site and associated fishponds of a bishop's palace at South Elmham Hall, St. Cross, South Elmham - 1017674 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Historic England. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
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