NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, ENGLAND—Members of the Collyweston Historical and Preservation Society (CHAPS) have discovered stone walls of Collyweston Palace in England’s East Midlands after a five-year search, according to a report in The Guardian. The Tudor palace was the home of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII. Pre-wedding festivities for Margaret Tudor and James IV of Scotland were held at the house in 1503, and Henry VIII held court there in 1541. The palace fell out of use by the mid-seventeenth century. The CHAPS team members identified their initial search locations using “local folktales and hearsay,” and employed ground-penetrating radar to look for traces of the structure. They eventually uncovered palace walls earlier this year. Researchers from the University of York examined stone moldings at the site to confirm the identification, and will assist with the continuing excavation and conservation process. “We’ve done it all on an absolute shoestring,” explained CHAPS chairman Chris Close. To read about the discovery of Henry VIII's jousting yard on the former grounds of Greenwich Palace, go to "Joust Like a King."
