Genealogy-Peculiar Places- Eltham Palace History
Royal Christmases Who owned what? Christmas at the Palace? Architecture King John's Barn Medieval Writings Archaic Words Greenwich Maidstone Prime Meridian International Date Line ​Deer Parks London ​Racing horses Middle Park English Civil War
History of Eltham Palace, it's Royal Christmases & more..
Beyond the name
*Please note- This site search does not include the Vic. & Tas. BMD's, Lots o' Links & Worth a Look Books

To celebrate royalty style,

From London, was just a few mile;

A palace for Kings

With Christmassy things,

T'was Eltham, but not for somewhile

PECULIAR PLACEs

and other destinations

ELTHAM PALACE

Once a place for Royal Christmases

ELTHAM is situated on the high road leading from London to the Crays, and then to Maidstone, at a distance of about two miles south-eastward from Greenwich. The place was anciently called Ealdham (the old home or dwelling-place), and was formerly a market town of considerable importance; the markets, however, were discontinued around the time of James I., shortly after the palace ceased to be used as a royal residence. The earliest mention of a royal residence, is in the continuation of the "Historia Major" of Matthew of Paris, (ascribed to William Rishanger), who wrote of it, from the year 1259 down to the close of the reign of Henry III. William Lambarde, in reference to this work, states that, King Henry lll, in 1270, kept a Royall Christmas at Eltham, being accompanied with his Queen and Nobility: and this (he says) was the first warming of the house, after that the Bishop had finished his work. The Bishop that he is referring to, is Anthony Bec, Bishop of Durham, who organised, a considerable amount of work on the property at Eltham.

​

In 1315, Queen Isabella, having taken up her residence at Eltham Palace, there gave birth to a son, who was called, John of Eltham, and afterwards made Earl of Cornwall. Edward II, frequently resided at Eltham, and in 1329 and 1375 Edward III, held his parliament here; and it was at the last mentioned period that a petition was presented by the Commons, requesting the king to make his grandson, ​Richard, Prince of Wales. ln 1347 the Duke of Clarence (Lionel of Antwerp), the king's son, in the absence of his father, kept a public Christmas here.

In 1364, John, King of France, Edward lll's prisoner by conquest, came as an unwilling guest to England, and was entertained by the king and queen at Eltham. Jean Froissart (one of the leading historians of the late Middle Ages) mentions how, on a Sunday afternoon, King Edward and Queen Philippa waited at the gates of the palace to receive the fallen monarch, and how, "between that time and supper, in his honour were many grand dances and carols, at which the young Lord de Courcy distinguished himself by singing and dancing.” This entertainment must have appeared strange to the captive prince, who, when asked to join in with the festivities, replied, " How can I sing in a strange land?" Captive as he was, he seems to have been able to succeed in obtaining the Princess Royal, as his bride.

Eltham Palace was a favourite of Richard ll, and Anne of Bohemia. In 1386, it's recorded (in Holinshed's "Chronicles") that "King Richard ll, holding his Christmasse at Eltham, thither came to him Leo, King of Armenia, whose countrie and realme being in danger to be conquered of the Turks, he was come into these west parts of Christendome for aid and succour at the hands of the Christian princes here. The king honourablie received him, and after he had taken counsell touching his request, he gave him great summes of money and other rich gifts, with a stipend, as some write, of a thousand pounds yearly, to he paid to him during his life." Froissart, in 1395 came to England for the purpose of presenting Richard ll, a volume of his writings.

Parliament met here to arrange King Richard's second marriage with Isabella of Valois (his six year old bride) she was brought there after her wedding, and from the gates of Eltham Palace she departed in state to her coronation. Henry IV, was frequently at Eltham with his Court, here he was espoused to Joan of Navarre, in the presence of the high priest and the chief officers of state, Antonio Riezi acting as the lady's proxy, and actually having the ring placed upon his finger."

In 1409, Henry lV, kept his Christmas at Eltham with his queen, and in 1412 he kept his last Christmas there. His son and successor, Henry V., also resided there, and kept his Christmas at Eltham in 1414. Even Henry VI, once kept his Christmas festivities at Eltham. It was said, that It would be difficult to find a finer banqueting hall in the whole country than that of Eltham. The date of the erection of the banqueting hall unquestionably corresponds with the time of King Edward IV.

Edward IV, resided at Eltham Palace and on the 9th of November, 1480, his third daughter, Bridget, was born there. She was christened in the chapel in the palace, by the Bishop of Chichester and later, became a nun at Dartford. Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, Edward IV, kept his Christmas there in great state in the year 1482-3, on which occasion, it is stated, 'more than two thousand persons were there daily entertained'. Edward IV, is recorded to have laid out large sums on the buildings, and, is supposed to have entirely rebuilt the great hall as it now stands.

​​Henry VII., like his predecessors, generally resided there, and wanted to dine every day in the hall surrounded by his barons. Although Henry VIII, preferred the palace at Greenwich, he sometimes resided at Eltham, and in 1515 he kept his Christmas there. Holinshed recorded the entertainment on that occasion:--"In the year 1515 the king kept a solemn Christmas at his manor of Eltham, and on the Twelfth Night, in the hall, was made a goodlie castle, wonderouslie set out, and in it certaine ladies and knights, and when the kinge and queene were set, in came other knights, and assailed the castle, where many a good stripe was given, and at last the assailants were beaten away, and then issued knights and ladies out of the castle, which ladies were strangelie disguised, for all their apparel was in braids of gold, fret with moving spangles of silver-gilt set on crimson satin, loose and not fastened; the men's apparell of the same - suite made like Iulis (sic) of Hungary and the ladies' heads and bodies were after the fashion of Amsterdam; and when the dancing was done the banket [banquet] was served in of two hundred dishes."

​

Towards the close of the year 1526 the plague raged so fiercely in London that the king and his Court removed to Eltham. Henry VIII, again kept his Christmas there that year, and in 1556 Queen Mary paid a visit to the palace, attended by Cardinal Pole and the Lord Montagu. In the first year of Queen Elizabeth's reign Eltham Palace was for a few days the royal abode; but fearing that the stagnant waters of the moat rendered the palace unhealthy, it was not frequently used by royalty. Sir Christopher Hatton was keeper of Eltham Palace in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and in 1606 James I, was visited at Greenwich by his brother in-law, the King of Denmark. In the surrounding grounds, deer ran free, so the two kings went together to Eltham, where they hunted with "greate pleasure, and killed three buckes on horsebacke." There were three parks attached to this mansion, covering a very extensive tract of ground. The Great Park, the Little, or Middle Park, and Home, or Lee Park, the whole of which were well stocked with deer.

During the Civil Wars, Eltham Palace was occupied by the Parliamentary General, Robert, Earl of Essex, who died there in September, 1646. After the death of Charles I. the royal residence was seized by the Parliament. In 1648, the parks having already been partly broken up and the deer destroyed, Nathaniel Rich purchased the house and a great part of the lands attached to it. Evelyn writes in his diary a few years later on April 22, 1656, "Went to see his Majesty's house at Eltham; both the palace and chapel in miserable ruins, the noble wood and park destroyed by Rich the rebel."

After being restored, the manor of Eltham was bestowed by Charles II, onto Sir John Shaw, in recognition of his friendship to him while in exile at Brussels and Antwerp. With the exception of certain portions of land originally in the royal park, it continued in the possession of his descendants. The great hall has for ages gone by the name of "King John's Barn," probably from some confusion between King John and a son of Edward II., who was born there, who, was called "John of Eltham." It was actually used for a barn, for some time.

​In the mid 17th century, the owner, Sir John Shaw, built Eltham Lodge in the Great Park and lived there. For the next 200 years Eltham Palace was used as a farm and the buildings were tenanted. The Palace declined into a picturesque ruin, frequented by artists and sightseers. A campaign to save the Great Hall from demolition resulted in its restoration in 1828 but it was still used as a barn. Later in the 19th century Eltham Palace became a gentleman's residence, and glasshouses and gardens were laid out in the west moat. By the 1930's the Palace site was almost completely surrounded by houses. The Great Hall was repaired by Charles Peers, Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments, in 1911-14, and more garden areas were planted.

​In 1933 the Courtauld family obtained a lease of the Eltham Palace site from the Crown and initiated repairs to the buildings.

In 1944 the family surrendered the Crown lease and the site was taken over by the Royal Army Education Corps. The Corps remained until 1992, the grounds being used between 1975 and 1993 as the Royal Parks training facility. The site is now (2001) in the guardianship of English Heritage and is open to the public.

​

Reference

​Old and New London: The southern suburbs By Walter Thornbury, Edward Walford 1893

https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Old_and_New_London_The_southern_suburbs/

Eltham Palace Greater London Authority

​https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1001410

​South London by Besant, Walter 1836-1901

https://archive.org/details/b24852405/

Who's who?

To follow timeline, read column 1, then 2,3,4

War of the Roses- White Rose, House of York, red Rose, House of Lancaster

Wars of the Roses, (1455–85), in English history, was a series of dynastic civil wars whose violence and civil strife preceded the strong government of the Tudors. Fought between the houses of York (white rose) and Lancaster (red rose) for the English throne

Wars-of-the-Roses

Edward, the Black Prince

Richard II, Richard of Bordeaux

spartacus-richard2

The-Black-Prince/

Edward & Philippa's 1st son, Edward, the Black Prince, would never become king as he died before his father but his son Richard would become king.

Edward & Philippa's 2nd son William, died as a baby, their 3rd son, was Lionel of Antwerp (Duke of Clarence)

Richard II's, father, Edward (the black prince), died in 1376, leaving Richard as heir to his grand-father, King Edward III. Upon the King's death, 10-year-old Richard succeeded to the throne. wiki

Anne of Bohemia

Eltham Palace was a favourite of Richard ll, and Anne of Bohemia

A Royal Love Story-Richard II and Anne

englishhistory​

​Anne of Bohemia's death at age 28 was believed to be caused by plague

part 2

Leo, King of Armenia,

came to King Richard II at Eltham, for help

​​Leo King of Armenia

Leo_I,_of_Armenia

Parliament met at Eltham to arrange King Richard's

second marriage to Isabella of Valois

​Isabella of Valois married king Richard II at the age of 6 and was widowed 3 years later.

Isabella_of_Valois

After a feud between Richard & his cousin Henry, eventually, Richard surrendered in August and Henry was crowned in October 1399, claiming that Richard had abdicated of his own free will.

bbc.co.uk/henry_iv

Henry IV

Joan of Navarre

Henry IV, was frequently at Eltham with his Court, here he was espoused to

​Joan of Navarre

the-royal-women/​

In 1444 Eltham was granted to Robert Dauson for seven years.

Henry IV and his son Henry V, Even Henry VI, spent time at Eltham

Henry V

Henry VI

Henry V

henry-v-england

Henry VI

http://www.berkshirehistory

HenryVI wasdeposed on 29 March 1461 after a crushing defeat at the Battle of Towton by Richard of York's son, who took the throne as Edward IV.

Eltham Palace Banqueting hall

​The date of erection of the banqueting hall at Eltham corresponds with King Edward IV's time. He resided at Eltham Palace and on the 9th of Nov.,

​ 1480, his third daughter, Bridget, was born there

Bridget, later became a Nun at Dartford

Edward IV

mysterious

Bridget

murreyandblu

Princess Bridget Plantagenet (1480-1517) dedicated to the Nunnery at Dartford, by James Northcote, RA (Plymouth 1746 – London 1831)

Edward IV, is recorded to have laid out large sums on the buildings, and, is supposed to have entirely rebuilt the great hall as it now stands

In 1522 King Henry the Eighth bestowed the same on Sir Henry Guilford, the comptroller of his household, for forty years.

Henry VII

Henry VIII

Henry VII., like his predecessors, resided at Eltham. Henry VIII, sometimes resided there

Henry VII

tudor/henry-vii-survivor

Henry VIII

https://www.royal.uk/

The manor was held by Sir Thomas Speke; but having by his death fallen into the hands of King Edward the Sixth, was by him granted to Sir John Gates, lieutenant of the Tower, for life; who enjoyed it, however, but for a short time, being executed for high treason in 1553, the last year of that king's reign.

In 1508, the manor of Eltham was held by William Cromer, Esq. and Lord Cobham had a lease of it in 1502.

Queen Mary paid a visit to the palace, attended by Cardinal Pole and the Lord Montagu.

Mary Queen of Scots & son James I

Cardinal Reginald Pole

Cardinal Pole

Reginald Pole was an English cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and the last Roman Catholic archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1556 to 1558

biography/Reginald-Pole

Lord Montagu(Henry Pole) brother of Reginald

​Lord Montagu

henry-pole-in-the-tower/

Christopher Hatton

Robert Devereux

​​Sir Christopher Hatton

​was keeper of Eltham Palace in the reign of Queen Elizabeth

https://spartacus-hatton.htm

​Robert, Earl of EssexParlia-mentary General, who occupied Eltham during the Civil wars

Robert_Devereux,_3rd_Earl

In the reign of King Charles I the lease was held by the Earl of Dorset. In the time of the Commonwealth, the manor of Eltham was seized by Parliament, having been valued was sold with the manor-house, (then called Eltham Place), and a great part of the demesne lands to Nathaniel Rich, of Fulham.

Charles II engraving by William Holl

Oliver Cromwell by Samuel Cooper, Nathaniel Rich, a member of his Army

Nathaniel Rich​ purchased the house in 1648 and a great part of the lands attached to it.

The_Army_in_Cromwellian_Eng

​​​​Charles II (The Merry Monarch)

https://www.britannica.com/

Eltham Lodge

After the restoration, Sir John Shaw having purchased a subsisting term of this manor, procured a renewal of the lease in 1663. Then vested in Sir Gregory Shaw, Bart, to whom it has been renewed for eight years from April 1796, and again for seven years from 1804 (c). With the exception of certain portions of land originally in the royal park, it continued in the possession of his descendants. ​Eltham Palace was used as a farm and the buildings were tenanted. In the late 1800's,

Eltham Palace became a gentleman's residence, and glasshouses and gardens were laid out in the west moat. By the 1930's the Palace site was almost completely surrounded by houses.

​Sir John Shaw1st Baronet of Eltham Lodge, Kent was an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1679

Sir_John_Shaw,_1st_Baronet

Stephen & Virginia Courtauld, at Eltham, with their pet lemur, Mah-jongg

In 1933 the Courtauld family obtained a lease of the Eltham Palace site from the Crown and initiated repairs to the buildings. The Courtauld Wing and a squash court were built, incorporating the Great Hall and a three-gabled building. Plans for the gardens were initially prepared by Andrew Mawson & Partners and exhibited at Chelsea Flower Show in 1935. These plans were adapted by the site architects, Seely and Paget, and then further adapted before and during implementation by the Courtaulds, in consultation with John Gilmour (the Assistant Director of Kew). Ornamental plantations, shrubberies, and specimen trees were added to the areas within, and to the south and east of the moat, and seven new garden areas were laid out.

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/

Cardinal Pole

Or, The Days of Philip & Mary. An Historical Romance · Vol 1

Wm Harrison Ainsworth 1863​

https://www.google.com.au/

​Cardinal Pole

Or, The Days of Philip & Mary. An Historical Romance · Vol 2

Wm Harrison Ainsworth 1863​

https://www.google.com.au/

House of Plantagenet

The information above, was taken from-

Old and New London: The southern suburbs By Walter Thornbury, and Edward Walford 1893

books/edition/Old_and_New_London_The_southern_suburbs

​Select Views of London & its Environs 1804

https://archive.org/details/selectviewsoflon

Christmases

Part of the Banqueting Hall, Eltham palace, by Paul Sandby c.1730-1809

The earliest account of a royal residence at Eltham is given by Matthew Paris the historian, who relates that Henry III. with his queen, and the principal persons of the realm, solemnised the feast of Christmas here in 1270.

Remains 1796

The Christmas of 1270, was considered to be, the first warming of the house of Eltham

​10 reasons why Henry III may have been a great king

https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/reasons

​In 1364, John, King of France, Edward lll's prisoner was entertained by the king and queen at Eltham. It wasn't Christmas time, but, there was a great celebration. From the time he arrived, until supper, in his honour were many grand dances and carols, at which the young Lord de Courcy distinguished himself by singing and dancing.

The royal feasts at Christmas were celebrated there in 1384, 1385, and 1386

Great Hall Eltham Palace

Henry IV. celebrated Christmas there in the years 1405, 1409, and 1412; and in 1414, the succeeding monarch, Henry V. kept that feast at Eltham, at which time an alarm was given by sudden news of a tumultuous assembly of the Lollards in St. Giles's Fields. The feast of Christmas was again celebrated here in 1429 by Henry VI. with great magnificence.

Eltham appears to have been the place chosen for the celebration of those court pageantries, and gorgeous festivals of the church

Let us next consider what it means when the king is said to have kept his Christmas at a place. During the festival — for twenty days — he kept open house, nominally. That is to say, all comers received food and drink: his guests, one supposes, were bidden. Every day during the festival the king sat at the feast wearing his crown and his robes of royal state. Richard II., the most prodigal of all princes that ever lived, entertained every day no fewer than ten thousand persons at his palace. What the number was at Christmas no one knows.

South London by Besant, Walter 1836-1901

https://archive.org/details/b24852405/

It would be difficult to find a finer banqueting hall in the whole country than that of Eltham

Christmas were kept there by Edward IV. and his court in 1483, when two thousand persons were daily fed at the royal tables. ​

​Henry VII., like his predecessors, generally resided there, and wanted to dine every day in the hall surrounded by his barons.

Although Henry VIII, preferred the palace at Greenwich, he sometimes resided at Eltham, and in 1515 he kept his Christmas there. Holinshed recorded the entertainment on that occasion:--"In the year 1515 the king kept a solemn Christmas at his manor of Eltham, and on the Twelfth Night, in the hall, was made a goodlie castle, wonderouslie set out, ....and when the dancing was done the banket [banquet] was served in of two hundred dishes." Old & New London

William I 'The Conqueror'

Some may not know that, on Christmas Day in 1066, after defeating King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings, William I 'The Conqueror' was crowned King at Westminster Abbey.

History of Royal Christmases

https://www.royal.uk/history-royal-christmases

In the Middle Ages, Christmas gifts were usually exchanged at New Year or on Twelfth Night. In 1392 the citizens of the City of London gave Richard II a one-humped camel and a pelican.

History of Royal Christmases

Civil war in England broke out between Charles I (Royalists) and Parliamentarians in 1642.,,,When Charles and the Royalists were defeated in 1646 the Long Parliament (sitting since 1640) passed an Ordinance that abolished the feasts of Christmas, Easter and Whitsun, known as the Christian festival of Pentecost. Charles was later executed in 1649 and England became a Republic.

​History of Royal Christmases

Charles II set about restoring the Monarchy and ....also reversed the legislation that prohibited religious festivals.

History of Royal Christmases​

King Richard's sumptuous court at Eltham, where he celebrated in particular three Christmasses at Eltham, at which every imaginable entertainment was provided for a court overflowing with all the beauty and chivalry that could flatter a monarch, and scatter flowers over the dangerous precipice to which he was hastening. "The king," says Hollinshed, "kept the greatest part, and maintained the most plentiful house that ever any king in England did, either before his time or since ; for there resorted daily to his court above ten thousand persons, that had meat and drinke there allowed them. In his kitchen there were three hundred servitors, and every other officer was furnished after the like rate. Of ladies, chamberers, and landerers, there were above three hundred at the least; and in precious and costlie apparell they exceeded all measure onelie used in the court in those dayes, but also other people abroad in the townes and countries, had their garments cut far otherwise than had been accustomed before his dales, with embroderies, rich Airs, and goldsmith's worke, and everie daie there was devising of new fashions, to the great hinderance and decaie of the commonwealth." From this description, the reader may easily picture what must have been the splendid profusion which marked King Richard's doings at Eltham, when arriving with his gorgeous retinue from the capital, he "courted repose" in a new and most extravagant series of festivities.

During a festival, King Richard had daily to his court above ten thousand persons, that had meat and drink there allowed them.

The extensive park, which spread its wooded avenues in all directions, afforded ample scope for the indulgence in silvan sports; while minstrels, jesters, and jongleurs drove ennui from the gate, and kept the monarch and his guests in a continued enjoyment of mirthful excitement.

Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales: South 1872 John Timbs

Henry VIII. was there again in 1526, but Christmas was not celebrated that year with the accustomed solemnities for fear of the plague, and hence was afterwards remembered by the name of the

​still Christmas.

During the time of Henry VIII, Eltham deteriorated, to the point where, it was no longer used as a royal residence, so the Christmas festivities discontinued

Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III, is credited for introducing the Christmas tree

​to Britain.

History of Royal Christmases​​

​At Eltham..no doubt word would be sent long beforehand if the King proposed to keep Christmas there. The yeomen of the kitchen had the beef put in the pickling tubs in November— vast quantities of beef, for, Christmas or not, the staple food of everybody in the winter was salt beef...Eltham, no doubt, depended upon the rich and fruitful country in which it stood. At eight miles from London, the markets there were of very little use. The annals of the Palace are simple, rather than scanty; in fact, there is plenty of mention made of the Palace, yet very little of importance is recorded concerning it. All that is recorded of it belongs to peace and festivity and the season of Christmas.

​South London by Besant, Walter 1836-1901

​How did they provide for so many guests?

​How did they provide for the maintenance of so many guests? To feed two thousand every day is a great undertaking. We are accustomed to believe that the roads in winter were so bad as to be impassable. Now, everything had to be brought there, whatever the condition of the roads. And they were bye-roads, not high roads...due notice was certainly given; a vast quantity of salt provisions was laid down in readiness: for the rest, the country was fertile and well cultivated. The Park contained deer, but they could not kill all; the Thames, only three miles away...was full of salmon and every kind of fish: the banks of the lower reaches and those of the Ravensbourne, were the homes of myriads of wild birds. Still, one feels that the inland communications of the fourteenth century must have been a great deal better than those of the seventeenth century in order to allow.. Christmas being kept in magnificence and profusion by 2,000 people in a country village

​South London by Besant, Walter 1836-1901

Christmas Light Show, Eltham Palace

Everyday Life in Medieval London Anglo-Saxons to the Tudors By Toni Mount 2014

https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Everyday

Christmas Light Show, Eltham Palace

attractions/eltham-palace-christmas-lights-a4011856.html​

​The Childhood and Schoolroom Hours of Royal Children By Julia Luard 1865​

Includes, Royal Christmases

books/edition/The_Childhood_and_Schoolroom_Hours

Architecture

​Like most of the moated manor houses of the Middle Ages, the palace of Eltham was nearly square in plan, and embraced four courts or quadrangles enclosed by a high wall. The moat which surrounded it was of great width; the principal entry was over a stone bridge and through a gateway in the north wall. There was also another gateway and bridge on the opposite side of the enclosure. The most important part of the buildings consisted of a high range which crossed the court from east to west, and included the hall, the chapel, and the state apartments.

Old & New London, Thornbury & Walford

Eltham Palace Royal Lodgings, sketch by Peter Stent c1653

​Edward IV, expended great sums in improving the parks and buildings at Eltham; and his badges, still remaining amongst the ornaments of the hall, bear sufficient evidence that this noble piece of architecture was part of what he erected.

Henry VII. rebuilt one front of this palace.

Examples of Gothic architecture 1895, by Pugin, Augustus, Pugin, Augustus Welby Northmore; Willson, Edward James

archive.org/details/examplesofgothic01pugiuoft/page/30

​The great quadrangle covered nearly three acres of ground, and appears to have been divided into two courts, by the hall and other buildings which formed the middle range. The outer court, towards the north, in which were situated the offices enumerated in the survey of 1649, contained about one acre within the buildings. The southern, or inner court, containing the chief lodgings, was considerably smaller...The outward walls retain several projections, which originally supported large chimneys, turrets, or bay-windows, of which nothing but the basements are left. These ruins appear to have belonged to buildings of different ages, some constructed of brick, and some of stone, beneath which were spacious vaults and passages, most of them, undoubtedly, contrived for sewers, though they have been transformed by romantic imagination into passages for secret approach or retreat.

Examples of Gothic architecture 1895 ​

The interior view, as it appeared when perfect, and furnished for the reception of its royal masters, must have been highly magnificent and beautiful, as we may fairly judge from the naked remains of its architecture

Examples of Gothic architecture 1895

A..horizontal section, is here given of the upper part of one of the bay-windows, shewing the form of its vaulted roof. The key-stones to the ribs, amounting to no fewer than forty in number, are all richly sculptured with ornamental foliage, or the armorial badges of King Edward IV.; amongst which the falcon within a fetter-lock, and the rose en soleil, are conspicuous.

Examples of Gothic architecture 1895 ​

falcon and fetter-lock

falcon within a fetter-lock

Its magnificent timber roof of the late fourteenth century, ..the boldness of the builders employed by Richard II. who contrived so great a feat as roofing such a hall in one span...the great hall on the monastic model remained through the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the centre of the English house.

​​​Old and New London: Thornbury, & Walford 1893

Gables, Eltham Palace (Godfrey)

Example- Parapet

Example of Buttress

Architectural terms

Barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design.

Buttery originally a large cellar room under a monastery, in which food and drink were stored for the provisioning of strangers and passing guests

Loop-holedan arrowslit, a narrow vertical window in a wall through which an archer could shoot

Turrets a small tower on top of a larger tower or at the corner of a building or wall, typically of a castle

Sallyports A sally port is a secure, controlled entry way to a fortification or prison. The entrance is usually protected by some means, such as a fixed wall on the outside, parallel to the door, which must be circumvented to enter and prevents direct enemy fire from a distance

Corbelled(of a structure) supported on corbels

Hewn stoneSomething that's hewn is carved out of wood or another hard material. A hewn rock statue is cut and shaped out of a slab of stone

​Parapet a low protective wall along the edge of a roof, bridge, or balcony

Window tracery decorative ribwork subdividing a window opening

Corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the structure

Sculptured corbelsa structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket.

Cinquefoil-headedan ornamental design of five lobes arranged in a circle, e.g. in architectural tracery or heraldry

Mullion a vertical bar between the panes of glass in a window

Transom a strengthening crossbar, in particular one set above a window or door

Buttress a structure of stone or brick built against a wall to strengthen or support it

Cornice an ornamental moulding round the wall of a room just below the ceiling

Spandrils An arch inside of a square, will leave two almost triangular sections either side at the top, these are spandrils or spandrels.

Falcon and fetterlock Falcon and Fetterlock, the badge of Richard, Duke of York, at St Laurence's, Ludlow.

Fetterlock a D-shaped fetter for tethering a horse by the leg, now only as represented as a heraldic charge.

Fetter restrain with chains or manacles, typically around the ankles.

Groining The word "groin" refers to the edge between intersecting vaults. Sometimes the arches of groin vaults are pointed instead of round. A groin vault or groined vault is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults.

The Gentleman's Magazine January 1837

The_Gentleman_s_Magazine/DXmyKOEllosC?gbpv=1

Eltham Palace, Examples of Gothic Architecture

The plan of Eltham Palace, showing the existing buildings of a later date, gives interesting evidence of the original fortifications ofAnthony Bec, Bishop of Durham, who probably first raised the walls of what afterwards became a royal house. Bishop Bec seems to have held the place from 1296 to 1311.

History of architecture in London, the course of architecture in England until 1800: Godfrey, Walter Hindes

Eltham through Time

Then & Now pics of Eltham Palace etc.

Eltham Through Time

​The plan of this capacious mansion formed a quadrangular figure, of rather irregular dimensions; the west side measuring about 381 feet, including some projections at the angles; the east side 374 feet; and the north and south sides nearly 350 feet. The whole of this area was raised about 15 feet, and surrounded by a moat of great breadth, the water flowing up to the external walls of the palace. There were two bridges over the moat, one on the north side, where was the approach to the principal gate ; the other on the opposite quarter, leading towards the gardens and pleasure-grounds. Only the north bridge is now standing; the waters of the moat have been drained, and the whole of the ancient buildings swept away, with the exception of the great hall, and a building of two stories near the east end of the hall, probably a fragment of the lodgings erected by Henry VII.

Examples of Gothic architecture 1895

​In describing the architecture of this beautiful hall,..The internal dimensions are 101 feet 4 inches by 36 feet; so that the length is rather less than three times the breadth, and is divided into six compartments, or bays, by the arched trusses which form the main supports of the roof. Five bays are lighted by as many pairs of windows on each side; the sixth having two large oriels, or projecting windows. All the light was derived from these windows on the sides, the hall being joined at both ends to other apartments now destroyed. The principal entrance is on the north side, close to the east end of the hall, opening from the outer court; opposite to this is another door, which led into the inner court; and a communication with the kitchens, butteries, and other culinary offices, was made by two doors at the east end of the hall...On a comparison of Eltham hall with other ancient rooms of the like description, we shall find but few superior to it in dimensions, and none of finer proportions, or more scientific construction.

Examples of Gothic architecture 1895 ​

Chronological History and Graphic Illustrations of Christian Architecture in England 1835 By John Britton

https://books.google.com.au/books?id=ekoUxE2s

Gothic Architecture

https://www.britannica.com/art/Gothic-art​

Historical and Descriptive Account of the Royal Palace at Eltham (1828) Buckler

https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/An_Historical

Eltham Through Time

From a survey taken by the state, after the death of Charles the First, in 1648, it appeared that the capital house, built with brick, stone, and timber, called Eltham House, consisted of a fair chapel, a great hall, thirty-six rooms and offices below stairs, with two large cellars. Above stairs in lodgings, called the king's side, were seventeen lodging-rooms; on the queen's side, twelve chambers ; and on the prince's side, nine lodging-rooms; in all thirty-eight, with various other necessary apartments and closets. Thirty-five bayes of buildings round the court-yard, which contained one acre of ground, the said bayes of buddings consisting of seventy-eight rooms, used as offices. The whole, it appeared, were much out of repair, and the materials valued at £753, exclusive of the charge of taking it down.

​​The picturesque beauties of Great Britain: Allen, Thomas

Plans & Elevations

The windows of the hall are ranged in couples, in five spaces on both sides, occupying the length

of the building, from the east wall to the angle of the lays; every window is cinquefoil-headed and divided by a mullion without a transom, around which in some instances the thick trails of ivy impart a highly picturesque effect, which is heightened by the broad streams of cheerful sunlight that fall through the empty panels; and every space is divided by a buttress, which terminates below the cornice, and at the foot of the windows has twice the projection of the upper hall. Altogether, however, these supports are slender and partake of the same light and elegant proportions which characterise the whole building. The walls alone are adequate to the weight which presses on them, but their strength is increased by the buttresses —features which are almost inseparable from the ancient style of architecture, and were frequently used for ornament even when their strength was superfluous.

Old & New London, Thornbury & Walford

Eltham Palace, North Bay of Hall

Staircase, Eltham Lodge

Eltham Lodge (Godfrey)

Plan of Eltham Lodge (Godfrey)

King John's Barn

Henry VIII. In this reign, Eltham began to decline in the royal favour...The stagnant waters of the moats were thought to make Eltham unwholesome, and the palace never recovered its ancient preference; though it was occasionally visited by the court so late as the year 1612, when James I. came there several times to enjoy his favourite exercise of hunting deer in Eltham parks.

Examples of Gothic architecture 1895

Of Eltham Palace, the principal remains are the great hall, where the parliaments were held and entertainments given, the extensive walls by which the whole site is enclosed, still pretty entire, two ancient stone bridges, the farm-house, and some detached offices. The hall is now used as a barn; and the other buildings, converted into modern dwellings, are called, with the surrounding premises, "Court Farm"

​Select Views of London & its Environs 1804

https://archive.org/details/selectviewsoflon

The whole building was in bad repair, and untenantable (1895)

The buildings were dismantled, and have been gradually sinking under the effects of time and neglect (1895)

​The main body of the hall was rescued from speedy decay by order of Government in 1828, when £700 were expended on it. When it was first used as a barn, now more than a century ago, most of the windows were bricked up

​​​Old and New London: Thornbury, & Walford 1893

How did the place get the name of King John's Barn, or Palace?

How the place got its popular name as King John's Palace it is not easy to say, for there fs nothing to show that it was a favourite resort of his, although his son Henry the Third kept his Christmas here, at times, with great splendour; perhaps because a Prince John was actually born at Eltham, the son of Edward the Second and Isabel of France, who had barely attained his majority when he died, and

who has left no mark in history.

​All the Year Round 1892, Charles Dickens

The Great Hall, has for ages gone by the name of "King John's Barn", probably from some confusion between King John and a son of Edward II, who was born there, and who....was called "John of Eltham"

Old & New London, Thornbury 1893

Old_and_New_London_a_Narrative

​John of Eltham, The Lost prince

historytheinterestingbits.com/lost-prince-john-of-eltham/

​Subterranean passages have been traced for some distance in a south-easterly direction, but these are now converted into drains. It appears to have been about the year 1836 that the discovery of these passages was made; and from a pamphlet published a few years ago we learn that a trap-door under the ground floor of one of the apartments led into a room below, ten feet by five in dimensions, from which a narrow passage about ten feet in length led to a series of passages, with decoys, stairs, and shafts, some of which were vertical and others on an inclined plane: these were once used for admitting air, and for hurling down missiles and pitch-balls upon the heads of those below. These passages were explored to a distance of nearly 500 feet, 200 of which lay under the moat. In a field between Eltham and Mottingham the arch had been broken into, but still the passage could be traced farther, proceeding in the same direction. In that part immediately under the moat two iron gates were found, completely carbonised, whilst large stalactites, formed of super-carbonate of lime, which hung down from the roof of the arch, sufficiently indicated the lapse of time since these passages had been previously entered. The passages now serve as drains in connection with the dwelling house which now stands upon the site of the ancient buttery at the eastern end of the great hall. The moat, which still surrounds the entire building, has been partially drained and turfed, and that part lying on the north side, which is spanned by the ancient bridge, is exceedingly picturesque, the effect being heightened by the herons and other species of water fowl that adorn its banks.

​​Old and New London: The southern suburbs By Walter Thornbury, Edward Walford 1893

How easy, with neglect, a Royal Palace & Banquet Hall, over time, became a place to store hay, surrounded by stagnating water

​ ​By the end of the Tudor reign, the palace was falling into ruin, the great hall of the palace, was later to be known as 'King John's barn'.

Upon the breaking out of the civil war in the reign of Charles I., the parliamentary general, Robert, Earl of Essex, took up his residence in this royal mansion, and here he died in 1646. It was confiscated, together with other possessions of the crown, on the death of the king; and in 1649, a survey of the palace, with all its appurtenances, was made by commissioners from the parliament, for the purpose of exposing the whole to sale as national property. In this parliamentary survey, "the capital mansion called Eltham " is said to contain one fair chapel, one great hall, forty-six rooms and offices on the ground floor, with two large cellars and on the upper floor, seventeen lodging-rooms on the king's side, twelve on the queen's side, and nine on the prince's side, in all thirty-eight; and thirty-five bayes of building, in which were seventy-eight rooms in the offices round the court-yard, which contained one acre of ground. All the rooms were unfurnished, except the hall and chapel ; and the whole building was in bad repair, and untenantable

Examples of Gothic architecture 1895

The British Museum

The only parts now remaining are the banqueting hall; an ivy-covered bridge of three ribbed arches which spans the moat on the north side, and still forms the entrance to the budding; part of the embattled wall, flanked with loop-holed turrets; some curious drains, supposed formerly to have been used as sallyports on occasions of emergency; and a building at the east end of the hall, with fine corbelled attics and ancient gables, formerly the buttery, but now a private residence, called the Court House. This latter building was thoroughly restored, and a new wing added to it in 1859, at which time the great hall, which had been for many years used as a barn, was cleared out, and the eastern end of it considerably altered, being made to serve as the entrance to the house. By far the most interesting of these remains is the magnificent banqueting hall, with its beautiful high-pitched roof, entirely constructed of oak, in tolerable preservation, with hammer beams, carved pendants and braces supported on corbels of hewn stone. Its dimensions are too feet in length, 55 in height. and 30 in breadth. "The hall," writes Mr. Buckler, in his "Historical and Descriptive Account of the Royal Palace at Eltham" (1828), "was the master feature of the palace. With a suite of rooms at either extremity, it rose in the centre of the surrounding buildings, as superior in the grandeur of its architecture, as in the magnificence of its proportions and the amplitude of its dimensions."

​​​Old and New London: Thornbury, & Walford 1893

King John's Barn, Eltham (London, Old & New)

Medieval writings &

​Archaic words

​Historia Major- Matthew Paris

​Matthew Paris, known as Matthew of Paris c. 1200 – 1259, was a Benedictine monk, English chronicler, artist in

illuminated manuscripts and cartographer, based at St Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire. He wrote a number of works, mostly historical, which he scribed and illuminated himself, typically in drawings partly coloured with watercolour

​washes, sometimes called "tinted drawings". Some were written in Latin, some in Anglo-Norman or French verse.

Life of Matthew Paris, By Richard Vaughan

https://archive.org/details/matthewparis012094mbp/page

Matthew Paris

Map of England & Scotland by Matthew Paris

Maps by Matthew Paris

​​Matthew Paris's English history 1235 to 1273. Volume 1.

English translation by ​J. A. Giles 1852

https://archive.org/details/matthewparissen01rishgoog/

Matthew Paris's English history.1235 to 1273. Volume 2.

English translation ​J. A. Giles 1853

https://archive.org/details/matthewparissen00rishgoog/

Matthew Paris's English history.1235 to 1273. Volume 3.

English translation ​J. A. Giles 1854

https://archive.org/details/matthewparissen01parigoog​

Historia Major

​https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Historia_Major

Chronica Majora

​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronica_Majora​

St. Albans Abbey

‘The St. Albans Chronicles’ were written at the end of the 12th century. They were hand-written in Latin by Roger of Howden (Yorkshire) (~1150 to ~1201), Roger of Wendover (Buckinghamshire) (~1170 to 1237), Matthew of Paris (~1200 to 1259) and William of Rishanger (~1250 to 1320). Three were Benedictine monks at St.Albans Abbey

The Saint Alban’s Chronicles

Jean Froissart(1337-1405) was a medieval author and court historian. The Chronicles of Froissart are considered the best primary source covering The Hundred Years' War.

https://biography.yourdictionary.com/jean-froissart

That delightful historian of chivalry, Sir John Froissart, has related, with his peculiar liveliness and simplicity, how he came to Eltham in the year 1395, while Richard II. was holding a parliament, or rather a council of state, in this palace ; and how he presented a volume of his Chronicles to the king, who received him in the royal bed-chamber in the most gracious manner.

Words used in Eltham Palace story, top of page

Stipend a fixed regular sum paid as a salary or as expenses to a clergyman, teacher, or public official.

Prelates high-ranking member of the clergy, such as a cardinal, abbot, or bishop, who has authority over lesser clergy. Both Catholic and Protestant religions have prelates in their ranks.

​Primate church primate," noun use of Late Latin adjective primas "of the first rank, chief, principal," from primus "first"

Dais a low platform for a lectern or throne, or Days

Pleasaunce pleasance

Stripea stroke with a whip

Vestigea trace or remnant of something that is disappearing or no longer exists

​Lollards popular derogatory nickname given to those without an academic background, educated (if at all) only in English, who were reputed to follow the teachings of John Wycliffe in particular

Pitch-balls a black or dark viscous substance obtained as a residue in the distillation of organic materials and especially tars

Early thermal weapons

Comptroller Around the 15th century, Middle English speakers altered the spelling of "conterroller".

1: a royal-household official who examines and supervises expenditures.

​2: a public official who audits government accounts and sometimes certifies expenditures. (merriam-webster)

Demesne a piece of land attached to a manor and retained by the owner for their own use.

Words often used by Matthew Paris

​​​Perambulation of Kent conteining the description, hystorie, and customes of that shyre 1570. By Lambarde, William

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A72509.0001.001

​​Evelyn's diary

John Evelyn lived in the busy and important times of King Charles I., Oliver Cromwell, King Charles II., King James II., and King William, and early accustomed himself to note such things as occurred, which he thought worthy of remembrance. He was known to, and had much personal intercourse with, the Kings Charles II. and James II.; and he was in habits of great intimacy with many of the ministers of these two monarchs, and with many of the eminent men of those days, as well among the clergy as the laity. Foreigners distinguished for learning, or arts, who came to England, did not leave it without visiting him.

The Diary of John Evelyn (Volume 1 of 2) by John Evelyn

The Diary of John Evelyn (Volume 2 of 2) by John Evelyn

Lords meeting Ladies, Holinshed's Chronicles

Holinshed's Chronicles, is a collaborative work published in several volumes and two editions, the first edition in 1577, and the second in 1587. It was a large, comprehensive description of British history. The Chronicles have traditionally been a source of interest to many because of their extensive links to Shakespeare's history plays, as well as King Lear, Macbeth and Cymbeline.

Greenwich & Local Towns

Image source: Canva

The county town of Kent is very advantageously situated upon the eastern bank of the river Medway; but it is doubtful whether its antiquity can be traced to a more remote period than the time of the Anglo-Saxons.

​​The picturesque beauties of Great Britain:

​by Thomas Allen 1835

​​https://archive.org/details/picturesquebeaut00alle

​Eltham Palace (scheduled ancient monument) lies within the parish of Eltham, Greater London, 3.5km to the south-east of Greenwich and Blackheath.

​ELTHAM PALACE, Greenwich -| Historic England

The prime meridian is the line of 0 longitude, the starting point for measuring distance both east and west around the Earth...there is an international agreement that the meridian that runs through Greenwich, England, is considered the official prime meridian.

Different countries published maps and charts with longitude based on the meridian passing through their capital city. Finally, at an international convention called by U.S. President Chester Arthur in 1884, representatives from 25 countries agreed to pick a single, standard meridian.

prime meridian | National Geographic Society

​In 1884 the Prime Meridian was defined by Transit Circle telescope at the Royal Observatory which was built by Sir George Biddell Airy, the 7th Astronomer Royal, in 1850. The cross-hairs in the eyepiece of the telescope precisely defined Longitude 0° for the world.

Greenwich is located on the South-east side

​of London

Greenwich, is the home, of the Prime Meridian

The prime meridian and the International Date Line create a circle that divides the Earth into the eastern and western hemispheres. This is similar to the way the Equatorserves as the 0 latitude line and divides the Earth into the northern and southern hemispheres. (National Geographic Society)

Earth is split up into a number of timezones. Most timezones are exactly one hour apart..The implementation of Greenwich Mean Time was the first step to determine the time zone of other countries

https://24timezones.com/#/map

Maidstone 1835

​Maidstone

​In Domesday Record, the name is written Meddestane. This town is pleasant and spacious, possessing an ample population; a stone bridge, composed of seven arches, crosses the river... It underwent reparation in the reign of James the First, but still remains narrow and inconvenient. The town is composed of four principal streets, intersecting each other near the site of the ancient market-cross, which fabric was taken down some years back, and in its place now stands a commodious fish-market.

The chief source of the wealth of this prosperous town is derived from the cultivation of hops, which occupies the principal residents of the place. Immense fortunes have been accumulated by the growth of that useful plant... The manufacture of linen thread was introduced here from Flanders, in the reign of Elizabeth, and still continues to flourish; but a far more lucrative branch of traffic has been discovered within the last forty years, in the distillation of a spirit termed Maidstone Geneva, which has been cultivated to a great extent. This town derives much advantage from the navigation of the Medway, as a considerable traffic is carried on by that stream from hence to Rochester, Chatham, and London. The corn-mills also produce abundance of meal and flour, which are shipped off for the use of the above towns, as well as great quantities sent to the London market weekly.

Gin is an alcoholic liquor obtained from grain and molasses. The raw alcohol obtained from this source is re-distilled, then flavoured with the necessary material which varies with the brand, quality, etc., and re-distilled. It is flavoured with a large number of substances, such as angelica root, calamus root, sweet fennel, juniper, cinnamon, liquorice, etc. It is now usually sold at "70 proof"

www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Research/Pub/

The River Medway, Kent

https://britishheritage.com/travel/river-medway

The church stands at the western part of the town... the college, erected...in the reign of Richard the Second...Among the various charitable institutions existing at Maidstone, are a grammar and two charity schools. Not far from the new gaol are extensive barracks, and a depot for cavalry, wherein are trained all the horse troops destined for the East India service.

​​The picturesque beauties of Great Britain: Allen 1835

A market cross, or in Scots, a mercat cross, is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns, where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or a baron. Market crosses were originally.. free-standing stone or high crosses, often elaborately carved.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_cross

Covered Market crosses, were simply, sheltering places, for country people, who came with their goods to the nearest market town. As small as they may seem to our present notions, they were amply sufficient for...their day.

Ancient Stone Crosses of England By Alfred Rimmer 1875

books/edition/Ancient_Stone_Crosses_of_England/

The River Medway, Kent

Lord Vesci procured the moiety of Eltham which Walter de Mandeville possessed, by..exchange of other lands; and obtained a royal charter for a market to be held every Tuesday in Eltham, and an annual fair of 3 days.

An Entirely New & Accurate Survey Of The County Of Kent, With Part Of The County Of Essex, by William Mudge, 1801

http://mapco.net/kent1801/kent1801.htm

​Mottingham facts for kids

Mottingham was originally a hamlet in Eltham parish, in the Blackheath hundred of Kent

https://kids.kiddle.co/Mottingham

Eltham Market Place,..the sight of the booths, the Merry-go-rounds, the Wild beasts shows & such country pomps, was.. very attractive

The Cornhill magazine 1863

The_Cornhill_Magazine/adNGAAAAcAAJ

Eltham itself, seems to have been a settlement of some kind, a town or village, in very ancient times. In the thirteenth century it was considered of importance enough to receive the grant of a market day every Tuesday, and a Fair for three days every year, namely, the day before the Feast of the Trinity, the Feast itself, and the day after. In the fourteenth century the market day was altered to Monday, but the Fair remained ; in the fifteenth century the market day returned to Tuesday and the Fair was changed to three days on the Eve of St. Peter and St. Paul, on the Feast itself, and on the day after. The market and the Fair have long since been discontinued. On those rare occasions when the Court was actually in Residence at Eltham, the market had to furnish supplies, to which all the country round had to contribute; nothing short of provisions for the maintenance of thousands of people daily.

​South London by Besant, Walter

The Parks

There were three parks attached to the palace, named the Great Park, the Middle or Little Park, and Horne Park, containing altogether 1265 acres. The deer were all destroyed by the soldiers and lawless people; and a great quantity of fine oak timber was so totally cut down and wasted, that at the restoration of Charles II., scarcely a tree was left growing.

Examples of Gothic architecture 1895

​​A tilt-yard or tilting-court enclosed courtyard

​for jousting

​The old tilt-yard or tilting-court in the palace, was for many years converted into a market garden; its high wall and archway of ruddy brick, which alone remain to mark its site, are well worthy of notice. The Middle Park, has gained some notoriety, in the racing world—as the home of the famous stud of racehorses belonging to the late Mr. William Blenkiron... The Middle Park establishment is kept in remembrance by the "Middle Park Plate,' founded in 1866, which is one of the chief races at the Newmarket Second October Meeting. The memory of the Horn Park is still preserved in Horn Park Farm.

Old & New London, Thornbury 1893

By the early 19th century the parkland had been reduced to two small areas of 50 acres (c 21ha) and 70 acres (c 29ha); the rest had reverted to arable or pastureland. The larger park was cleared of its parkland trees between

​1808 and 1828.

historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1001410

Middle Park was by now the largest and most successful stud in the world and considered to be one of the biggest attractions in the country.

The Middle Park Stakes is run on the famous Rowley Mile at Newmarket; where it has been held nearly every year since 1866. The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts. It is run ...over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres) wiki

https://thamesfacingeast.wordpress.com/tag/middle-park/

in 1834, and began a business as a general agent in Cheapside. In 1845, he added to his establishment a manufactory of stocks and collars, and three years later retired in favour of his son.

About 1852, Blenkiron, moved to Middle Park, Kent, he brought with him seven or eight brood mares, and Neasham, the head of the list of Eltham sires. His establishment rapidly increased, until it was augmented to upwards of two hundred of the highest class and best mares that money and experience could produce.

He died at Middle Park 25 September 1871, in his sixty-fourth year, and was buried in Eltham churchyard 30 September.

https://wikivisually.com/wiki/William_Blenkiron

After the death of Mr. William Blenkiron, the "stud," which included the celebrated horses Gladiateur and Blair Athol, was sold by auction in 1872, realising a sum of £107,100.

There were three parks attached to the palace, named the Great Park, the Middle or Little Park, and Horne Park

The Deer in the parks attached to the Palace, were well hunted and destroyed

The deer, as may easily be imagined, were well hunted and destroyed by the soldiery and others during the time of the Commonwealth; besides which most of the trees were cut down. In 1648, the parks having already been partly broken up and the deer destroyed, Nathaniel Rich purchased the house and a great part of the lands attached to it.

​​Old and New London: The southern suburbs By Walter Thornbury, Edward Walford 1893

Nathaniel Rich, has been blamed for the demise of the Parks and has been referred to as,

"Rich, the Rebel"

Great Park is now Royal Blackheath Golf Club and the Lodge is the clubhouse.

Eltham Lodge & Great Park, now a Golf Course

Eltham Palace gardens today

​The 20th/21st century garden is 19 acres in extent and broadly Arts and Crafts. There is a rockery, sunken rose garden and medieval bridge.

Eltham Palace Gardens

​Today, the moat holds water on two and a half of its four sides:..beyond which is a Japanese-style rockery and cascade made in the 1930's,..the water flows into the north arm of the moat, under the C15 north entrance bridge (listed grade I) and then into the northern part of the west moat. The water is terminated here by a square pond with a fountain, this feature marking the northern end of the formal garden laid out in the southern part of the west moat. A path leads from the square pond to the south, through a series of garden rooms enclosed by evergreen and deciduous shrubs, to a sunken garden around a rectangular pond...There is an herbaceous border along the north wall of the south moat and the south-east corner consists of lawn and trees.

Eltham Palace, Greenwich | Parks and Gardens

Times of Upheaval

​Henry VIII. was at Eltham again in 1526, but Christmas was not celebrated that year with the accustomed solemnities for fear of the plague, and hence was afterwards remembered by the name of the still Christmas.

​Ring a ring o'roses

A pocket full of posies

Atishoo! Atishoo!

We all fall down

Is said to have originated, from the time of the Black death

Cheerful as this children's rhyme sounds, one theory of its origin is as a description of plague. 'Ring o'roses' referred to the skin changes that resulted from it, and sneezing was a symptom of the respiratory form of the disease. The pleasant smell of a posy of fragrant herbs was believed to prevent contagion from bad smells, and many of those who 'fell down' in real life never got up again. Though the rhyme is now all that remains of the plague in English folk memory, it dominated English life for two-and-a-half centuries, from 1348 to 1679, and left its mark on history and literature.

Read more................

https://www.historytoday.com/archive/feature/plague

​​​The Great Plague of London​ 1665

​This was the worst outbreak of plague in England since the black death of 1348. London lost roughly 15% of its population. While 68,596 deaths were recorded in the city, the true number was probably over 100,000. Other parts of the country also suffered. The earliest cases of disease occurred in the spring of 1665 in a parish outside the city walls called St Giles-in-the-Fields. The death rate began to rise during the hot summer months and peaked in September when 7,165 Londoners died in one week. Rats carried the fleas that caused the plague.

Read more.........

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources

​The “Great Plague” was now killing over a thousand people a day, and at its peak, and it had grown so deathly quiet in London that throughout the City the river could be heard flowing under the nineteen arches

​of the old bridge.

https://lostcityoflondon.co.uk/tag/great-plague/

They say, Fire is a cleanser.

The year after the Great Plague, in 1666, London was charred & consumed, but the Great fire.

Towards the close of the year 1526 the plague raged so fiercely in London that the king and his Court removed to Eltham. ​

​​Old and New London

In London after the Black Death, the plague resurfaced about every 10 years from 1348 to 1665. There were 40 outbreaks in just over

​300 years.

How 5 of History's worst pandemics, finally ended

https://www.history.com/news/pandemics

After the Black Death, the main plague epidemics occurred in 1563, 1593, 1625 and 1665. The first, in 1563, probably caused the greatest proportional mortality of all the London outbreaks, accounting for one-quarter to one-third of the city's population: probably as many as 18,000 people died.

​https://www.historytoday.com/archive/feature/plague

The Black Death, which hit Europe in 1347, claimed an astonishing 200 million lives in just four years.

Black Death, From the Swiss manuscript the Toggenburg Bible, 1411.

The Great Plague of 1665 was the last and one of the worst of the centuries-long outbreaks, killing 100,000 Londoners in just seven months.

All public entertainment was banned and victims were forcibly shut into their homes to prevent the spread of the disease.

​

Red crosses were painted on their doors along with a plea for forgiveness:

“Lord have mercy upon us.”

All told, the Great Fire had destroyed 13,200 buildings and left an estimated 100,000 people homeless. Over 400 acres of the city had burned, leaving behind a desert of charred stone and smoldering wood beams.

​“London was, but is no more,” Evelyn lamented.

https://www.history.com/news/when-london-burned-1666

The English Civil Wars (1642-1651) stemmed from conflict between Charles I and Parliament over an Irish insurrection. The first war was settled with Oliver Cromwell’s victory for Parliamentary forces at the 1645 Battle of Naseby. The second phase ended with Charles’ defeat at the Battle of Preston and his subsequent execution in 1649. Charles’ son, Charles, then formed an army of English and Scottish Royalists, which prompted Cromwell to invade Scotland in 1650. The following year, Cromwell shattered the remaining Royalist forces and ended the “wars of the three kingdoms,” though Charles II eventually ascended to the throne in 1660.

Read more..........

www.history.com/topics/british-history/english-civil-wars

Eltham Palace today