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.
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