How many places in the East Midlands still have remains, not just of a castle, but of a royal palace !!

 
The recent geophysical survey of the site has revealed that the remains below ground-level cover an extensive area and stretch far out into the field where there is evidence of a defensive ditch. The excavation in the 1950’s and field walking have also revealed numerous small Roman remains. It seems the site was probably first occupied by the Romans, later becoming first a saxon, then a royal manor. The Plantagenet kings transformed the building into a royal palace. Records from 1164 – 65, during the reign of Henry II,  first mention the Kings’s House at Clipstone, when £20 was spent on the property.

For over 200 years the palace was the main royal residence in the area and  Henry II, Richard I, John, Henry III, Edward I, Edward II, Edward III, and Richard II all stayed for weeks or even months at a time. Ideally situated at the heart of ancient Sherwood, and only a day’s ride from Nottingham, they could enjoy the pleasures of the beautiful countryside and rich hunting away from the main palaces.
Situated on the high ground above the River Maun with the Great Pond of Clipstone to the east, the site would have been fairly secure and very pleasant.

The palace must have been an impressive building by April 1194, when Richard I (the Lionheart) selected it as the place to welcome William the Lion, King of Scotland for his state visit. The palace, built of stone was gradually extended by successive generations. Some of these additions were large and expensive. In 1279 Edward I added two chambers with chapels costing £435 12s 6d, a huge amount. Two years later he built stables for 200 horses at a cost of £104 8s 5d.  In 1348/49 money was spent on the rebuilding of the knights’ chamber and the repair of the great hall, the queen’s hall, the king’s kitchen, the queen’s kitchen, great chamber, Rosamund’s chamber, Robert de Mauley’s chamber, the treasurer’s chamber, the chamber of Lionel, the king’s son, the great chapel, the chapel next to the king’s chamber, the king’s long stable, and the great gateway.

The last known royal visit was by Richard II in 1393. After 1401 the palace was granted as a reward to loyal supporters (returned to the crown on death) and it fell into an increasing state of disrepair. By  1568 the King’s Houses were virtually gone.  For the next 250 years the site was plundered of its stone to build village houses and Clipstone Hall, the replacement manor house.

The archaeology of the palace site

To gain a better understanding of the site we have combined Rahtz work with Masters 2004 geophysical survey to produce diagrams showing the accumulated evidence for walls together with the position of actual and possible walls. Evidence of timber buildings has not been included at this stage. It is clear from the data that extending the geophysics search out to cover a large area would be helpful.

Whether the kings who stayed at Clipstone ever thought of the property as a palace is debatable. What is certain is that the King’s Houses became a high status complex of buildings, reflecting the fact that for over 200 years it was the favoured residence of the Plantagenet Kings when visiting the area. The large sums being expended provide very good evidence that many of the buildings were constructed of stone and records from the 17th century indicate a Romanesque style. The fraction that remains probably dates from around 1279 when Edward I added new King’s and  Queen’s Chambers at a cost of  £435 12s 6d, an enormous sum for the times.

Some of the entries in court and pipe rolls showing the work.

1164          £20 spent on repairs to ‘the King’s Houses’

1170          46s 8d on repairs – a cow cost 2s at the time

1180          Over the previous four years £500 spent on the King’s Houses, including enclosing

                  the deer park and the vivarium(fishpond)

1183           36s 6d spent on utensils for the King’s Houses

1184           Enclosure of the courtyard cost 60s

                   Vivarium broken up and the fish and timber moved to another pond cost 50s

1194           Richard I (the Lionheart) visited - much pleased – he returns on 2nd April to

                   meet William the Lion, King of Scotland. Pond repaired at a cost £12 10s 0d

1220           Repairs to the great dam and the pale about the King’ s Houses cost £70 0s 8d

1223           The King’s chamber burned down. Cost of repairs 15 marks

1233           The King’s chamber rebuilt at a cost of £130

1238           The undercroft below the King’s Chamber converted to a wardrobe

1245            ‘Large and Handsome’ hall built, also a kitchen and wardrobe out of

                   wood for the Queen

1247           A new chapel cost £26 13s 4d

1251           The new chapel and the Queen’s chapel glazed with plain glass and wainscoted.

                   Passageways added to link the King’s chamber, the great hall and the chapel

1279           Edward I adds new King’s and Queen’s chambers at a cost of £435 12s 6d –  

                   the very high cost indicates that they were built with stone

                   The ruin probably dates from this time.

1281           A stable for 200 horses added at a cost of £104 8s 5d

1290           Parliament held at the palace on the 14^th November, first record of ‘Clipiston Regis’

1348           Repairs were carried out to the Knights’ chamber (wood on stone foundation),

                   The great hall, The Queen’s chamber, Rosamund’s chamber, Robert de Manley’s

                   chamber, the Treasurer’s chamber, the chamber of Lionel the King’s son, the King’s

                   long stable, the great gateway , the great chapel, the chapel next the King’s Chamber.

1363           £140 had been spent on repairs in the previous three years

1375            Further repairs recorded

1434           £200 spent on repairs by Henry IV

1446           Over previous 11 years £600 had been spent on repairs and building a new tower.