Elsyng Palace facts for kids
Elsyng Palace was a grand palace from the Tudor times. It was located in Enfield, north London, where Forty Hall is today. For a long time, no one knew exactly where it was. But in the 1960s, archaeologists started digging and found its remains!
Where Was Elsyng Palace?
Elsyng Palace was also known as Enfield House. It's important not to confuse it with another old building called Enfield Manor House. That one was closer to Enfield Town and parts of it lasted until 1928. Elsyng Palace was on a separate large estate called Wroth's, and later Worcesters.
The palace was located within the land of the later Forty Hall estate. It was to the north-east of Forty Hall and south of Turkey Brook. Today, the site of Elsyng Palace is a protected historical site.
History of Elsyng Palace
The land where Elsyng Palace stood was first known as Wroth's Place. In 1413, John Tiptoft, 1st Baron Tiptoft inherited it. His son, John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester, is believed to have built the first house there. After the Earl of Worcester's death in 1470, the estate passed through his family.
In 1492, the land came to Sir Thomas Lovell. He was a very important person in the government, known as the Speaker of the House of Commons. Sir Thomas Lovell made the house much bigger. He turned it into a large brick palace that could host the royal court. He also helped improve the local church in Enfield.
When Sir Thomas Lovell died in 1524, the estate eventually became the property of King Henry VIII in 1539. King Henry VIII loved Elsyng Palace! He visited it more often than any other non-royal person's house. Important visitors from other countries often stayed there too. The King used the estate, which was called Little Park, for hunting.
Henry VIII's children, Prince Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth, spent parts of their childhood at Elsyng. In 1542, the palace had many repairs done for a Christmas visit by the royal children. It was at Elsyng that Elizabeth and Edward learned their father, King Henry VIII, had died. Later, when Elizabeth became Queen, she is thought to have stayed at Elsyng at least four times.
During the time of the Stuart kings, Elsyng Palace was used less. The royals preferred a nearby palace called Theobalds. In 1608, King James I had parts of Elsyng demolished. The bricks were used to build extensions at Theobalds.
The remaining part of Elsyng, including the gatehouse, was lived in for a while. But by 1630, it likely started to fall apart. In 1641, King Charles I sold the palace.
In 1646, Nicholas Raynton, who owned the nearby Forty Hall, died. His son, also named Nicholas, then bought the remains of Elsyng Palace. He wanted to make the Forty Hall estate larger. The ruins of Elsyng might have been kept for a short time. But eventually, the palace was completely taken down in the 1650s. Some of its bricks were reused in other houses around Enfield.
Finding the Palace Again
People didn't know exactly where Elsyng Palace was for many years. But in the 1960s, the local Enfield Archaeological Society started looking. They found parts of Tudor brick drains and traces of the royal rooms. More digs happened in 2004, 2005, and later. These digs have uncovered more parts of the palace and its other buildings.
