KINGSTON HUNDRED 



RICHMOND 



RICHMOND ANCIENTLY SHEEN 



Richemount, Rychemonde (xvi cent.). Syenes, 

 Shenes, Scenes, Senes (xiii cent.) ; Shene, Shine, and 

 West Shene, 1 later. 



The parish of Richmond, with its church of St. 

 Mary Magdalene, lies on the right bank of the River 

 Thames, which forms its western boundary, 16 

 miles above London Bridge. The acreage of the 

 civil parish of Richmond is 1256, of which 557 

 belong to the Crown and include 67 acres in Rich- 

 mond Park, 353 in the Old Deer Park, and 137 in 

 Kew Gardens." The greater part of the parish 

 lies low, being about 50 ft. above the ordnance 

 datum, but the ground rises to 100 ft. on the 

 summit of Richmond Hill, the upward slope being 

 from north to south. The top of the hill, however, 

 where the ' Star and Garter ' stands, is in Petersham 

 parish. The top soil is gravel, sand, or clay, on a 

 subsoil of London Clay. 



The original hamlet of Richmond, or Sheen 

 as it was called before the reign of Henry VII, lay in 

 a hollow on the north-east side of the royal palace 

 which stood between the river and the green. 

 There is nothing to show when a palace was 

 erected here. In 1292 there was a capital messuage 

 appurtenant to the manor. 2 Edward I was at 

 Sheen on 5 August 1 299,' and resided there during 

 part of September and October 1305.' In the latter 

 year he gave audience at this place to the commis- 

 sioners sent from Scotland to arrange the Scottish civil 

 government.* It is probable that Edward III, who 

 frequently stayed at Sheen,' either built or enlarged 

 an already existing manor-house, 7 where he ultimately 

 died. Richard II was there immediately afterwards, 

 if not at the time. 8 The palace was one of his 

 favourite resorts, and his queen, Anne of Bohemia, 

 dated several instruments here. She held the manor 

 of Isleworth on the other side of the Thames. 9 The 

 queen died here in 1394, and Richard's distress was 

 so great that he ordered the royal house to be de- 

 stroyed. 9 " It remained in partial ruins until it was 

 rebuilt, according to Stow, by Henry V about the 

 same time as he founded the Carthusian monastery 

 near it, soon after his accession. 1 " The rebuilding, how- 

 ever, probably more truly belongs to Henry VI," who 

 carried it on in order that the palace might be worthy of 

 the reception of his queen, Margaret of Anjou. 11 Ed- 

 ward IV granted it to his queen for life." Henry VII 

 frequently made it his residence, and in 1492 he 

 held a grand tournament there which is described by 



Stow : ' In the moneth of May following, was holden 

 a great and valiant justing within the kinges manor of 

 Shine, nowe called Richmond, in Southerie, the 

 which endured by the space of a moneth, sometime 

 within the saide place, and sometime without, uppon 

 the greene without the gate of the said manner. In the 

 which space a combate was holden and done betwixt 

 Sir James Parkar, knight, and Hugh Vaughan, gentle- 

 man usher, uppon controversie for the armes that 

 Gartar gave to the sayde Hugh Vaughan ; but hee 

 was there allowed by the king to beare them, and 

 Sir James Parkar was slaine at the first course.' '* In 

 December 1497," while the royal family were staying 

 at Sheen, the palace was almost entirely destroyed by 

 fire, but was rebuilt by Henry with great splendour 

 and completed in 1501. It was at this time that 

 the name of the manor was changed by command 

 of the king from Sheen to Richmond, after his earl- 

 dom of Richmond in Yorkshire. 1 * A second fire 

 broke out in 1507, but the palace was again repaired 

 in the same year.' 7 Henry VII was at Richmond 

 when he died. 18 Henry VIII spent the Christmas 

 after his accession at the palace with his queen, 

 Katharine of Aragon. The king and queen resided 

 constantly at Richmond, which was the scene ot 

 great festivities during such times. Their son, 

 christened Henry, was born there on New Year's 

 Day, 1511, but died on 22 February. 19 In 1515 

 peace between England and France was sworn at 

 Richmond. 10 Some years after this the king received 

 a present of Hampton Court (q.v.) from Wolsey, and 

 as a return the cardinal received permission to reside 

 at the royal manor of Richmond,' 1 where he kept up 

 so much state as to increase the growing ill-feeling 

 against him." Among other occasions Wolsey retired 

 to Richmond in 1525 on account of the plague 

 which was then raging in London." When he fell 

 into disfavour he took up his residence at the 

 Lodge in the ' great ' park, and subsequently moved 

 to the Priory," where, shortly before his death, he is 

 known to have conferred with Thomas Cromwell in 

 the gallery.* 5 The palace was used as a residence by 

 Anne of Cleves from 1540 until the accession of 

 Edward VI, who seems to have been much attached 

 to it, although it was not considered to suit his health. 1 * 

 Mary occasionally held her court at Richmond, 17 

 and spent part of her honeymoon here in 1554.*" 

 In that year her sister Elizabeth was taken to Richmond 

 as a prisoner on her way to Woodstock," but the 



1 West Sheen was a separate hamlet 

 (so marked on Norden's map), which was 

 pulled down in 1769. 



la Burt, Richmond Fcttry, 13. 



* Chan. Inq. p.m. 21 Edw. I, no. 50. 



Cal. Pat. 1292-1301, pp. 430, 472. 



Ibid. 1 301-7, pp. 378-82, 384, 403-4. 



' Folkestone Williams, Domettic Memoirs 

 nfthe Royal Family, i, 20. 



6 Cal. Pat. 1327-54, fanim. 



1 Abbrev, Rot. Orig. (Rec. Com.), ii, 294. 



8 Walsingham, Gttta Abbatum S. 

 Albani (Rolls Ser.) i, 326, 330. 



Pat. 17 Ric. II, pt ii, m. 5 bit ; 18 

 Ric. II, pt. i, m. 19, &c. 



to f.C.H. Surr. i, 363 ; Stow, C/iron. 

 <ed. i), 307. 



" Mem. of Hen. V (Rolls Ser.), IOZ. 



11 Pat 20 Hen. VI, pt. iii, m. 33 5 23 

 Hen. VI, pt. ii, m. 5, 25, &c. 



" See Patent Roll cited above, date of 

 8 May 1445, for stone, brick, tiles, lead, 

 iron, glass, timber, nails, &c., taken to 

 Sheen for repairs of the king's house. 



18 Pat. 6 Edw. IV, pt i, m. 4. 



M Stow, Annalts (ed. Howes), 475. 



u The date is given by other authori- 

 ties as 1498 or 1499 ; Pettuta Monumenta 

 (Sue. of Antiq.), ii ; Manning and Bray, 

 Surr. i, 410 ; Lysons, Environt of London, 

 i, 438. 



16 Stow, op. cit. 483 ; Folkestone Wil- 

 liams, op. cit i, 319 ; Cat Anct D. 

 A. 8422. 



533 



W Stow, op. cit. 483. 



u>L.and P. Hen. VIII, iv (3), 5774 



(5, v). 



19 Folkestone Williams, op. cit. ii, 1-3; 

 L. and P. Hen. Vlll. i, 1491, 1495. 



"Ibid, ii (i), 307. 



n Stow, op. cit. 526. 



M Folkestone Williams, op. cit ii, 13. 



L. and P. Hen. fill, iv (i), 1525. 



94 Stow, op. cit. 553. 



* L. and P. Hen. Vlll, iv (3), 6530. 



98 See manor ; Folkestone Williams, 

 op. cit. ii, 69. 



17 Acts of P.C. 1552-6, paaim. 



98 Stow, op. cit. 625. 



Ibid. 624. 



