Orsett - the Bishop of London's palace

Edmund Bonner was Bishop of London from 1539 to 1549 and again from 1553 to 1559. The earthworks at Orsett show a ring and bailey which is said to be the remains of Bishop Bonner's palace. The earthworks consist of a circular enclosure (with an internal diameter of 200 feet ), surrounded by ditch approximately 50 feet wide. To the north is an oblong bailey enclosed by a well-defined ditch. On the north side defences are strengthened by a second ditch. The only building remains consist of a fragment of rubble foundation on the north-west side of the ringwork. In a wood, 200 yards to the west, is a large oblong fish pond.

In Domesday (1086) it says that 13 hides were held in Orsett by the Bishop of London. Some of the material from the palace was re-used to repair nearby Orsett church. The earthworks are scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act. They are on private land, with no public access.