Kenninghall, Norfolk
Kenninghall is a village and parish in Norfolk.
It is claimed that the name Kenninghall comes from the Saxon words for king, 'Cyning', and palace, 'Halla', but another option has it deriving from the personal name 'Cyna' and the Old English 'hala', a clearing in the woods
Home to the kings of East Anglia, after the Norman invasion of 1066, William the Conqueror granted the estate to William of Albany and his heirs as a residence for the Chief Butler of England.
In the reign of Henry VIII, the estate was granted to Thomas Howard, 2nd. Duke of Norfolk, who abandoned the ruins of older structures within an ancient moat and erected a new East Hall to the north of the Saxon site.
The estate passed to Thomas Howard, 3rd. Duke of Norfolk in 1524. The third Duke spent lavishly to build an entirely new, unfortified, palace of more than 70 rooms, richly furnished with tapestries and thousands of ounces of silver and gilt plate. The house, in the form of an 'H' had three main stories and, in addition to suites of rooms for Norfolk and his extended family, featured a two story Great Hall, a formal dining chamber, a wainscoted chapel with two organs, and an indoor tennis court, probably similar to that at Hampton Court. The estate was confiscated by the Crown when he was arrested on suspicion of treason.
Kenninghall was inventoried by Sir John Gates, Sir Richard Southwell and Wymond Carewe in mid-December 1546, eventually resulting in three documents detailing the house and its contents, now preserved in the National Archives at Kew.
The house served as a residence for both of Henry VIII's daughters, Princess Mary and Princess Elizabeth, at different times during the reign of Edward VI. When Mary became Queen in 1553, she granted the estate to the 3rd. Duke's grandson, Thomas Howard, 4th. Duke of Norfolk.
The 4th. Duke held the estate until 1572, when he was attainted for high treason. Howard had been brought up a Protestant, but entered Roman Catholic plots, including the Northern Rebellion and the Ridolfi Plot, to depose Elizabeth I and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots, whom he planned to marry. The estate was seized by the Crown, and Queen Elizabeth often resided here. When she died in 1603, the house was demolished and the materials sold off.
A two story fragment, probably remains of the 2nd. Duke’s work, still stands close to the Saxon moat, but nothing of the 3rd. Duke’s palace survives.
Between 1727 and 1760, George II issued a charter declaring the inhabitants of Kenninghall exempt from serving in juries outside the parish, and from tolls at fairs across the kingdom.
The wrought iron village sign was a gift from the Women's Institute in 1972. It was designed by a former stage designer, Mr. P. MacNamara of Quidenham, and made by Eric Stevenson of Wroxham.
The sign consists of four crests, and a cat and horse which are partially hidden in the backdrop of trees.
On the apex of the sign is a representation of the ‘Kenninghall brooch’, a type of ornamental cloak fastener, one of which was found in the Anglo-Saxon burial ground excavated in 1869 near to where the sign stands.
Below the name is the crown and coat of arms of King Edward, The Confessor, to whom Kenninghall belonged as a royal manor. The two shields below are, left, the coat of arms of the Howards, Dukes of Norfolk, and right, the Earl of Mowbray. The fourth shield belongs to the Earl of Albermarle who also had a connection with Kenninghall.
Kenninghall, Norfolk
Kenninghall is a village and parish in Norfolk.
It is claimed that the name Kenninghall comes from the Saxon words for king, 'Cyning', and palace, 'Halla', but another option has it deriving from the personal name 'Cyna' and the Old English 'hala', a clearing in the woods
Home to the kings of East Anglia, after the Norman invasion of 1066, William the Conqueror granted the estate to William of Albany and his heirs as a residence for the Chief Butler of England.
In the reign of Henry VIII, the estate was granted to Thomas Howard, 2nd. Duke of Norfolk, who abandoned the ruins of older structures within an ancient moat and erected a new East Hall to the north of the Saxon site.
The estate passed to Thomas Howard, 3rd. Duke of Norfolk in 1524. The third Duke spent lavishly to build an entirely new, unfortified, palace of more than 70 rooms, richly furnished with tapestries and thousands of ounces of silver and gilt plate. The house, in the form of an 'H' had three main stories and, in addition to suites of rooms for Norfolk and his extended family, featured a two story Great Hall, a formal dining chamber, a wainscoted chapel with two organs, and an indoor tennis court, probably similar to that at Hampton Court. The estate was confiscated by the Crown when he was arrested on suspicion of treason.
Kenninghall was inventoried by Sir John Gates, Sir Richard Southwell and Wymond Carewe in mid-December 1546, eventually resulting in three documents detailing the house and its contents, now preserved in the National Archives at Kew.
The house served as a residence for both of Henry VIII's daughters, Princess Mary and Princess Elizabeth, at different times during the reign of Edward VI. When Mary became Queen in 1553, she granted the estate to the 3rd. Duke's grandson, Thomas Howard, 4th. Duke of Norfolk.
The 4th. Duke held the estate until 1572, when he was attainted for high treason. Howard had been brought up a Protestant, but entered Roman Catholic plots, including the Northern Rebellion and the Ridolfi Plot, to depose Elizabeth I and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots, whom he planned to marry. The estate was seized by the Crown, and Queen Elizabeth often resided here. When she died in 1603, the house was demolished and the materials sold off.
A two story fragment, probably remains of the 2nd. Duke’s work, still stands close to the Saxon moat, but nothing of the 3rd. Duke’s palace survives.
Between 1727 and 1760, George II issued a charter declaring the inhabitants of Kenninghall exempt from serving in juries outside the parish, and from tolls at fairs across the kingdom.
The wrought iron village sign was a gift from the Women's Institute in 1972. It was designed by a former stage designer, Mr. P. MacNamara of Quidenham, and made by Eric Stevenson of Wroxham.
The sign consists of four crests, and a cat and horse which are partially hidden in the backdrop of trees.
On the apex of the sign is a representation of the ‘Kenninghall brooch’, a type of ornamental cloak fastener, one of which was found in the Anglo-Saxon burial ground excavated in 1869 near to where the sign stands.
Below the name is the crown and coat of arms of King Edward, The Confessor, to whom Kenninghall belonged as a royal manor. The two shields below are, left, the coat of arms of the Howards, Dukes of Norfolk, and right, the Earl of Mowbray. The fourth shield belongs to the Earl of Albermarle who also had a connection with Kenninghall.