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Founded 1955
Elsyng: A Tudor Royal Palace in Enfield, by Martin J. Dearne
Enfield (or Elsyng) Palace was originally a moated manor house which was developed by Sir Thomas Lovell and subsequently taken over by Henry VIII and made into a Royal Palace. There are no original drawings or illustrations of it except for one tapestry which shows it, or at least a typical small palace representing it, very schematically and on which the cover illustration is loosely based. Therefore the archaeological work being undertaken in 2004 on the site it once occupied in the grounds of the later Forty Hall by the Enfield Archaeological Society in partnership with the London Borough of Enfield and with the sanction of English Heritage is very important in trying to find out more about the palace. However, as far as we know, it is likely that its layout was on traditional Tudor Royal Palace lines as shown so well at Eltham Palace. That is it would probably have been a moated site with a main entrance across a drawbridge and through an impressive gatehouse (believed to lie at an angle across the northern end of the lime tree avenue leading away from the present Forty Hall) into an Outer Court, then another closely guarded entrance into an Inner Court housing the Privy Apartments for the King and his family and close circle. The Outer Court would have been a bustling centre for the various domestic activities necessary to let King Henry and his court live in the private apartments of the Inner Court in a style to which they were becoming accustomed as England increasingly became a major player in the power politics of Renaissance Europe.
We know that at Elsyng there was a chapel, covered bowling green and conduits bringing a supply of fresh water down hill from the vicinity of what is now Forty Hall. The existing lakes (in the now overgrown area west of the lime tree avenue) may have been modified to serve as fish stews to hold a supply of fresh water fish such as carp for the table. Under the regime of the Roman Catholic church, meatless days featured prominently in people's lives. However, some of the lakes still in this area could have formed water gardens created by Henry VIII or a later owner of the palace; if so they are an extremely rare survival of the opulence of Tudor court living. Bridges also led across Maidens Brook to the forest of Enfield Chase where Henry and his nobles enjoyed hunting the deer in the enclosed deer park and there was a set of terraced formal gardens and orchards attached to the palace.
The King made regular 'progresses' of the more than fifty Royal Palaces and houses he had, accompanied by either the full court or a small set of courtiers. Being one of these palaces the Council of State met on occasion at Elsyng with the presence of high ranking officials such as the Secretary of State, the Lord Keeper (of the Royal Seal) and the Lord Chamberlain. Elsyng had to provide suitable (probably pretty lavish) accommodation for them and their horses and royal messengers must have ridden many miles delivering the Council's instructions from Enfield throughout the country. Elsyng, therefore, was more than one of many palatial homes for the King, when he was there it was the seat of government for the whole of England and Wales.
Consequently the palace, in the Outer Court and elsewhere in the complex, would have included dozens of different domestic areas. There was a Hall Kitchen for general use and the Privy Kitchen for royal use. There was an Alms House (providing leftover food for the poor), a Boiling House (containing a large 'copper' or vat for boiling), a Buttery (through which passed all the ale and wine from the cellars), a Coal House, a Granary, a Pantry, Poultry Store, Rush House, Scalding House (where poultry was plucked) and a Scullery (for washing–up), a Spicery, a Flesh Larder; commodious stables; and a sixty foot long Shed for roasting meat on racks!
The Privy Apartments meanwhile included the King's Bedchamber and Raying Chamber (for dressing), the King's Stole Chamber holding the royal close-stool (a personal toilet as can be seen at Hampton Court), the Presence Chamber (for meeting selected persons), the Privy Chamber, the Parlour, the Privy Jakes (loos for the royal family!), the Prince's Closet, the Rockers' Chamber (used by staff who rocked the hanging cradle for royal babies), a Library, the Wardrobe (like today's wardrobes in function but a room all to itself) and a 'Great Chamber'. Not only that but there must have been many more bedrooms as well because at various times in addition to Henry VIII and Officers of State, Prince Edward (later King Edward VI) and Princess Mary (later Queen Mary) were also living in the palace.
The palace must have had a significant impact on Enfield Town's economy because of the continuous huge supply of provisions, fuel, building materials (bricks, tiles, glass) and animal feedstuffs which would have been required and the number of staff which it would have employed. Life for those living in Enfield at the time, employed at the palace or not, would however have had little in common with the way the court lived. The activities of royal households were strictly governed by ordinances and regulations including the Bouche of Court – a list of those persons whom the King allowed to be lodged and entertained. The rations provided for instance depended on the grade of that person in the Royal Household. For a Duke or Duchess the morning's ration was 1 chete loaf (made from wheat with the coarsest bran removed), 1 manchett loaf (made from white flour), 1 gallon of ale; and in the afternoon 1 manchett loaf, 1 gallon of ale and 1 pitcher of wine.
The King normally rose at about 7 a.m. and heard mass, either in a small Oratory near the entrance to the Privy Apartments or in the Chapel. The morning might be devoted to outdoor pursuits such as hunting with his courtiers in the Chase, archery or falconry when the weather was fine or to bowls, cards or music if it was inclement or he was overtaken by affairs of state such as meetings with courtiers or the Council, business with the Secretary of State or ambassadors. In bad weather, exercise could be taken in a Long Gallery.
Dinner was usually at about 11 a.m. and supper 5 – 6 p.m. The Hall Kitchen with its large fireplaces and spits for roasting meat and charcoal stoves had to start work at about 5.30 a.m. The Privy Kitchen could be more flexible e.g. in coping with the King's late return from hunting. Even food cooked in the Privy Kitchen was taken to the Privy Chamber accompanied by a fanfare of trumpets and much ceremony and then the King was personally served by the Gentlemen and Ushers of the Privy Chamber and a taster was employed to prevent poisoning!.
After Henry VIII's death, Queen Elizabeth I eventually felt that Elsyng Palace had become cold and old fashioned and favoured Theobalds Palace at nearby Cheshunt. Elsyng fell into decay and was later, after passing through less exalted owners than the royal family, demolished, accounting for the widespread distribution of demolition debris beneath the soil in the grounds of Forty Hall.