For generations, residents of Collyweston – a village in central England nestled on the banks of the River Welland – have passed down stories of the grand Tudor palaces and royal processions through the valley below. Stories, and the story of a king’s mother who called this place home.
Over the centuries, although the memory of the palace’s location faded, the stories persisted. But when some amateur historians unearthed a portion of the long-lost palace buried under several feet of soil, the legend suddenly came to life. Historians at the University of York have confirmed their findings.
“We’re a small village, a small group of enthusiasts, and what we’ve accomplished here is basically miraculous,” said Chris Close, 49, president of the Colley Weston Historical and Preservation Society. explain. “You know, it’s not every day that you get to unearth a piece of your country’s past.”
Mr Close, a soft-spoken, warm-hearted man with a dimpled smile who grew up in Colly Weston, has family roots stretching back 400 years. He remembered hearing stories about the palace as a child. It belonged to Lady Margaret Beaufort, who played an important role in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars over the British throne. She obtained it in 1487, two years after her son was crowned King Henry VII. He, his sons Henry VIII and Elizabeth I all walked the palace halls.
After the end of the Tudor dynasty in 1603, the palace fell into disrepair. Its contents were sold, parts were demolished or repurposed, and new buildings were erected. The palace slowly disappeared into history and into the dirt. almost.
Fast forward to 2017, and Mr. Close became president of the historical society — somewhat by accident. History had never been his passion, but he promised his great-uncle, who once led the organization, to help it continue to grow. A year after his great-uncle’s death, he made good on his promise.
Mr Close, who works by day for a British company building new homes, took over the association’s top job at an uncertain time. The organization’s membership, which at the time was mostly pensioners, had dwindled, leaving only 500 pounds (about $635) in the bank. The meeting was mostly about working on Colley Weston’s old records, with little mission, and a handful of members were considering calling it a day. Mr. Cross knew he needed to inject some energy into the process.
He changed the association’s communications from print to email. He set up social media accounts. Crucially, he asked members what they really wanted to focus on. The response was clear: they wanted to find a Tudor palace.
Villagers suspect there are residues hidden under the soil, but with limited expertise and even less money, they have little recourse.
“Really, it was our naivety that got us through,” Cross said with a laugh.
First, they relied on information about the palace’s history, which they knew little about—including local legends that had circulated over the years.
Today, Collyweston has a population of 564 and is little more than a few handsome stone houses with beautiful views over vast fields. But anyone who looks closely can catch a glimpse of royal history, said Sandra Johnson, 68, a retired real estate agent who now does research for the historical society full-time and helps care for her grandchildren.
She noted that local residents have long referred to the area’s walled gardens as “palace gardens,” and some terraces and fish ponds can still be seen carved into the landscape.
“We know it’s here,” she said, a broad smile spreading across her face. “It’s just a matter of getting the evidence to prove it.”
For months, the group dug through old maps and records. They only go so far.
Around that time, the group contacted Dr Rachel Delman, now a historian at the University of Oxford, who was conducting research on the palace. Her work details the palace architecture she discovered in various historical archives.
The study “brings a little bit of light” to the program, Cross said.
But amateur historians soon realized that archeology had become a high-tech pursuit, and they needed to embrace technology, too. They applied for a grant and received enough funding to hire a company to conduct a drone survey and geophysical scan of the village. The growing buzz around them in Colley Weston has helped attract new members.
The real breakthrough came from ground-penetrating radar scans in 2021 and 2022, which revealed man-made material beneath the soil. This guides them on where to dig.
Last May, they discovered the first evidence of the palace walls: part of the clear base of the thick wall and what experts later confirmed were foundations.
The goal is to eventually find enough artifacts for analysis and dating. The group hopes to create a digital model of the palace and display it in a small museum curated by Ms Johnson in the chapel of the country church.
While finds from this era are not particularly rare in Britain, historians welcomed the discovery because the palace played an important role in its day and was discovered by an amateur group.
Professor Kate Giles, historian at the University of York, points out that Britain has a wealth of local historical societies, but in the case of Colley Weston “having a Tudor palace on its doorstep makes its work particularly interesting” People are excited.
Dr Delman, whose research helped launch the hunt, said the discovery had the potential to enrich public understanding of a former royal power base commissioned by a Tudor woman, “making it a nationally and internationally important site.” Sites of great significance”.
In early February, volunteers took out shovels for a two-day dig, one of several planned this year to better understand what the palace looked like.
Along an alleyway on a small patch of grass, a dozen residents — including young professionals, parents, a former prison guard and several retirees — gather around 50-year-old archaeologist Jennifer Browning. Four small trenches surrounded by ropes were dug under the watchful eye.
In one trench, dirt was carefully removed from what appeared to be slate floors and foundation stones. Elsewhere, part of the wall has begun to appear.
“We just don’t know what it is, but it’s meant to be there,” Ms. Browning said, standing above a 3-foot-by-5-foot trench, pointing to three large, neatly arranged rocks about two feet low. “The problem is, in a small ditch like this, you only get a little snapshot.”
Excavations have so far been carried out on private land and although the site is considered a historic monument, the public does not have access to the site under British law. The group got permission from the property owner to explore the trench and then refill it with soil, but they were on a tight schedule over the weekend because the owner planned to pave the grassy area soon.
“It’s going to be really interesting to see how it all comes together,” said volunteer James Mabbitt, 42, who has lived in Colley Weston for the past decade as he stood on a In the trenches, measurements are made of stones that may be from Tudor times.
His wife, Melissa, 43, passed by with their young daughter and other villagers curious about the work. “For a small place, it has an amazing history,” Ms. Mabbitt said, excitement ringing in her voice. Ancient Roman ruins have also recently been discovered nearby, she noted. “I think it captures the local community spirit.”
By late afternoon, the volunteers stopped for snacks and tea while talking about their findings. Mr Close congratulated them on finding “the clearest evidence yet” of the palace’s construction.
“I’ve had people ask me, ‘Why would you want to be involved in something like this?'” he said. “Listen, one day, when everyone leaves this world, you can say you helped find a Tudor palace.”
