(Illustration artist impression of Bishops palace Somersham with brief History Michael B Goodrick)

The Palace was constructed of terra cotta coloured brick with tiled roof. There were two courtyards and numerous outbuildings serving a variety of purposes, which I describe later. A moat that surrounded the front of the building was more decorative than defensive. It was probably constructed to provide drainage from nearby fields and reserve water for two fishponds. Two nearby streams were also used to feed the moat.

All that now remains of the Palace are the abutments of a moat bridge (about 230 metres south of the Church of St. John the Baptist) and part of a garden wall, with entrance, built alongside the Palace in the early part of the 16th century.

In 991 Duke Brithnoth (The Saxon) was the first Lord of the Manor of Somersham. He was an extremely rich man owning a great deal of land throughout the country. Some of his property was in Northumberland and it was there that he raised an army to do battle with the Vikings shortly after they had landed at Maldon in Essex. Brithnoth rode south with his army and is said to have stopped at Ramsey Abbey seeking rest and refreshment for his men. The Abbott stated he would gladly accept Brithnoth and his senior officers as honoured guests but would be unable to give food or accommodation to the remainder of his army. Annoyed, Brithnoth rode onto the Abbey at Ely and made the same petition.

This time his request was accepted and he and his men were treated to a lavish feast by Aelsi, Abbot of Ely. Brithmoth was well connected with the church and had relatives who had taken holy orders. Shortly before continuing on his journey Brithnoth promised various lands, including Somersham, to the Abbey on the understanding that if he were killed his body would be laid to rest at the Abbey. Abbot Aelsi agreed and Brithnoth rode south to do battle content in the belief that his life in the after world was now adequately catered for. After the battle Brithnoth was found with his head cut off. The Vikings had claimed it as a trophy. Knowing of his desire to be buried at Ely his headless body was carried to Abbot Aelsi. A wax head was made, for fear an incomplete body might be rejected at the gates to heaven, and he was laid to rest as requested. Despite objections by the Abbot of Ramsey, for Brithnoth had likely made similar promises to him prior to their falling out, Somersham became the property of the Abbey of Ely. As it was one of the few dry areas in the region some type of lodgings would, no doubt, have been constructed at Somersham. The location was well suited as a ‘stop oft’ on the then long and difficult journey from Ely to London. Clean drinking water was available and a wooden church, which is thought to have stood nearby, would have met the spiritual needs of the religious travellers. The Duke of Brithnoth’s tomb can still be seen in Bishop West’s Chapel, Ely Cathedral.

1086 The Doomsday Book records that Somersham was still owned by the Abbey at Ely and consisted of 1000 acres, 3 square miles of woodland, 20 acres of meadow and 3 fisheries. The woodland, or forest as it is often later referred to, was probably situated towards Woodhurst (as the name suggests). Although the population and buildings were not described in the survey, the mention of the 3 fisheries indicates that Somersham was inhabited and some structured buildings would have been in existence.

1109 A Bishop, named Hervey, was allocated to the Abbey at Ely and it became a ‘Bishopric’. The lodge at Somersham continued to develop and became ‘official lodgings’. Although the first chronicled use of Somersham spa water was not made until the 18th century, the Romans, centuries before, had made long journeys to the area, no doubt to take the waters. Famous for their belief in the power of spa water, it was the Romans who gave Somersham its name (summer station). It is also likely that the Bishop made use of the same spa waters for medicinal purposes and the brewing of ale. A good stock of fresh fish and the odd wild deer that strayed from the nearby forest meant the Bishop could maintain a healthy life style.

1190 Somersham was by now becoming an important and thriving community and King Richard I granted permission to hold a weekly Thursday market. This was, of course, an ideal venue for the Bishop to trade his own produce. The charter that was issued marks the date when Somersham first became a town.

1197 King Richard I, known affectionately as ‘The Lionheart’, visited the Palace and to ensure a ready supply of fresh venison on future visits, granted the Bishop permission to hunt deer in the forest of Somersham. This would have suited the Bishop, as he no longer had to rely on strays for his own use.

1199 King Richard died and was succeeded by his brother John. The new King was approached and asked if the practice might be allowed to continue. An invitation was given to his highness to use the facilities at the Palace. Permission was granted and King John is thought to have made numerous visits to Somersham prior to his death in 1216.

1229 King Henry III granted the Bishop of Ely ‘Somersham Forest’. Bishop Hugh de Northwold was in residence at the Palace, Somersham and remained until 1254. It was he that set about raising funds to improve the structure of the nearby church.

1250 Construction of the Chancel of St. John the Baptist began. Rubble and barnack stone were used to make a more permanent structure.

The main street is thought to have travelled from east to west and ‘south’ of the church at that time. The present crossroads appear too small to hold a market. This theory would account for the sharp bends in the present main road system through the town. It follows that the entrance to the Palace would have been nearer to the main street, so much more fitting for a building of such importance. It is also conceivable that the sign of the cross would have been placed at the entrance to the Palace on the then junction.

On relocation, the junction adopted the name ‘The Cross’, a reference to a religious symbol and not as some consider a ‘crossroads’. The Cross has now gone. It is possible that the white post standing at the St. Ives road junction is the remains of the bottom half.

1251 Bishop Hugh de Northwold, on returning from Ely, was required to travel to Doddington to find a man to transport him by boat back to Somersham. He was apparently excited by a report of wild pig having been seen in Somersham Woods.

1254 Bishop Hugh de Northwold died and was buried in Ely Cathedral where his tomb can still be seen.

1257 Bishop Hugh de Balsam lived at the Palace until 1286. The Bishop was a hard task master and demanded fixed quantities of produce from tenants working the land. He is reported to have decreed that any tenant not reaching his full quota through ‘lack of animal to pull the plough’ would be required to plough a further nine acres every year to make up any deficiency. During his stay at Somersham he is also recorded as employing potters and charcoal burners. This suggests a large community was already in existence around the Palace.

1279 The house and gardens were described in a survey as covering 6 acres with fishponds. Alongside the Palace stood a vast forest of 200 acres.

1316 Bishop John Hotham came to Somersham. As mentioned, the then official Bishop’s residence stood where the ruins of Park House now stand. However Bishop Hotham did not consider the property worthy of his rank, let alone that of visiting royalty! He arranged for a palace ‘fit for a King’ to be constructed near the site of the first residence. When the new ‘Palace’ was completed Bishop Hotham wasted little time in inviting the then monarch King Edward II to Somersham.

1320 King Edward II produced a charter which granted "Joh`es de Hothum-Somersham manor’ mercat’ feria" (John of Hotham, Somersham manor, market and fair). It therefore seems likely that the King spent some time at the Palace as the granting of such a charter was considered an honour. The fair was to be held each year to celebrate the birth of St. John the Baptist (connected by name to the local church). On the 24th of June that year the first fair was held in Somersham. It lasted for three days and wandering entertainers arrived from all over the region, keen to cash in on this new venue for their talents. The tradition of Somersham Fair carries on to this day.

1332 In addition to the usual serving staff the Bishop is recorded as employing at Somersham, "five ploughmen, two carters, two shepherds, an oxherder, a swineherder and a gardener," an indication of the busy day to day running of the Palace. A large agricultural environment must have been in existence to warrant such specialist employees. The transportation of livestock would have been a constant headache to the Bishop. The safest and quickest method of transporting animals would have been by flat-bottomed boat.

1334 King Edward II had died in 1327. Bishop Hotham was keen to curry favour with the new monarch. Finally, seven years after his coronation, King Edward III visited the Palace. The king was a keen huntsman and would no doubt have made use of the many sporting facilities available at Somersham.

1337 On the 14th of January Bishop John de Hotham died at Somersham Palace. His tomb is still to be seen in Ely Cathedral.

1348 Additional capital to finance the Palace was acquired by raising rents on land around Somersham. Those who could not afford to pay were put to work at the Palace.

Contemporary records show there were 460 acre’s rented out to 26 tenants at 8d to

2s 4d an acre.

1355 Lady Wake (Blanche Plantagenet), best known as Lady Blanche, took up residence at nearby Colne. As a member of the royal family she carried great influence.

1359 Bishop Thomas L’Isle, described as being ‘very outspoken’, was resident at the Palace when he unwisely made comments about the King’s appointment of Robert Stretton as Bishop of Litchfield. Lady Blanche, on hearing of what he had said, sought revenge and accused the Bishop of being involved in the burning of houses in Colne some years earlier.

The case was heard in the King’s Court and the Bishop was found guilty, in his absence, and fined £900. He paid the fine but demanded a retrial by his peers. Soon afterwards the Bishop’s servants were repairing a fence at the edge of the Palace grounds when they were approached by Lady Blanche’s steward who accused them of straying on to land belonging to her Ladyship. A fight developed and the steward was killed.

The Bishop, now fearful of the power of her Ladyship, sold most of his property and went into hiding. Again in his absence Lady Blanche had the Bishop tried and convicted of being an accessory to murder. Bishop LIsle appealed to the Archbishop of Canterbury for help. The Archbishop stated he was unable to and advised him to try and make peace with Lady Blanche and the King.

In desperation the Bishop travelled to Rome and begged help from the Pope. The Pope was more sympathetic and instructed that all involved in the matter should be brought before him.

His demands did not go down well with King Edward III who instructed that he wanted no further meddling from Rome.

Furious, the Pope sent a messenger to The Bishop of Rochester with written instruction as to what he wanted done in retaliation. The messenger was intercepted by the King’s men and executed.

On hearing of the execution the Pope wrote to King Edward demanding justice be done or he would suffer the consequences. The King did not bother to reply and the tension rose.

1361 Bishop Llsle conveniently died in exile. Thus defusing a situation that may well have changed the course of history.

1422 On the 3lst of August King Henry V died of dysentery at Vincennes and was succeeded by his 9 months old son Henry VI. Little is recorded about the Palace during this period but it can be assumed that the I5th century Bishops of Ely would have at least visited the Palace at regular intervals. The 15th century Bishops were:

Bishop Alcock spent most of his time in office improving buildings throughout the region, but alas not at Somersham. He was the founder of Jesus College, Cambridge and began construction of the Bishop’s Palace situated on The Green, Ely. He was also responsible for the construction of a chapel in the east corner of Ely Cathedral. Bishop Alcock is said to have spent many hours in the chapel praying for his soul.

1506 Bishop James Stanley was well known for extravagance and on his appointment he decided he would make Somersham Palace his home. He remained at Somersham until his death in 1515. The Bishop made numerous improvements to the main structure of the building and the surrounding grounds. Friends and family were with him during his stay and would have had some say in the improvements made. It is most likely that the walled garden was constructed around this time. Deer are known to have roamed the grounds around the Palace and would have had a tendency to eat any unprotected crops. Some of the wall still remains and the current owner keeps the garden in splendid order.

1520 Bishop Nicholas West wrote to Cardinal Wolsey complaining that Somersham Palace was surrounded by water and his only visitors had to arrive by boat. He further complained that the earth banks surrounding the property were in danger of collapse and that he feared drowning.

His worry was so great that 100 men were tasked with watching the banks at night. If the defences collapsed bells were to be sounded to warn all of the imminent danger.

1528 Cardinal Wolsey attempted to acquire the Palace at Somersham but was unsuccessful. Although still powerful, he was falling out of favour. Two years later he was arrested for treason. He died at Leicester on the 29th of November 1530.

1533 These were turbulent times. Henry VlII had been King since 1509 and was constantly falling out with the church over his desire to remarry. Catherine of Aragon was being accommodated, to all intents under house arrest, at Buckden Palace near Huntingdon, but she disliked the building and asked King Henry if different accommodation could be found. Fotheringay Castle, Somersham Palace and Kimbolton Castle were offered. Fotheringay had previously been used to house prisoners and was rejected. Somersham was ‘too familiar’ and not suitable. And so it was that Catherine went to Kimbolton (now a private school).

1534 Thomas Goodrick became Bishop of Ely. He is, to this day, the least liked of the Ely Bishops still vilified with old prejudice that no longer stand close scrutiny, historical tradition not fact. His name still spelled Goodrich incorrectly his name correctly spelled Goodryke or Goodrick Not Goodrich. For it was Goodrick who removed many of the statues and paintings from the Cathedral. He was most likely working on the instruction of King Henry VIII, and in his defence, would have been mindful of what happened to all those who fell out of favour with Henry (usually execution).

He is said to have had little regard for the Cathedral and spent much of his time in London and Somersham. Even now many people are unaware that he was the 39^th Lord Chancellor and worked as a diplomat and affairs of state frequently employed in embassies to foreign courts. He loved Ely and Somersham and spoke of both with fondness, wishing to be back there away from politics.

King Henry is likely to have visited Somersham as a guest of Bishop Goodrick. Some of the fields around the Palace were, at that time, named ‘King’s Ground’ and ‘Bluffs’ after him.

1554 Bishop Thomas Goodrick died at the Palace. He was buried in Ely Cathedral and a brass over his tomb is still visible, Richard Cox succeeded Bishop Goodrick.