The Royal Palaces of Tudor England
Simon Thurley
Page 189

Imagination and the Knight in a walled garden, illumination by an anonymous Flemish artist 1496. Bahind the archers shooting at a butt is a bowling alley. Like Henry VII's at Richmond it is in a covered cloister; like Henry VIII's alleys, it has an L-shaped plan.

It was built on the north side of the orchard: "for his grace to bowle in as also upon brynyng up of other walles to enclose too wyde places for servants waiters the one upon the este side of the bowlyng aley…thither at the weste ende… wythe lyke enclosing the said aley at bothe ends severall ffrom the said waytyng plcs with lik walls."

This alley had places at each end for people to wait in. More is revealed by the following account.

"Making and dryvyng of staks drawing of bords redy for bothe syds of the bowling aleye to beare therthe bamkwyse a slope for bowls to playe upon, furthermore nat only making of seats within the said bowling aley for the kings grace to rest on closing up brest heigh thest and west end of the bowling aley with borde for gentylmen to leane on."

The carefully prepared boards supported by stakes were covered with potter's clay, and the banks outside the building were turfed to walk on.

All these bowling-alleys were about 210 feet wide. Less is known about their length, but the alleys at Hampton Court measured respectively 230 feet and 210 feet and at Whitehall 160 feet. There were waiting areas at each end, one where the players assembled and the other where the servants collected the balls. This arrangement can be seen in a late fifteenth-century manuscript illumination which shows a bowling -alley in the background. As far as internal features are concerned, the most important element was the provision of sloping sides, but benches and leaning boards were also fitted for convenience of both spectators and players. The surface of the ally itself seems to have been of soap ash and/or 'founder's earth' (spoils from furnaces).

Bodleian Library,
Rawlinson MS. D 780 ff. 161-183 Manor of Grafton.
Paid for our Soveraigne lorde for reparacons done ageynst his Grace's comeing thyether as well in wages to artificers as in purveyors and also for stuffe requiste and necessarie for the said buyldyng from 24th day of June inclusive unto Sondaye the 22nd July by space of 4 weeks. 29 Henry V111, 1537

f. 162
Fellyng and hewyng of tymber in Sawcy Forest for makyng, framyng and setting up of 5 new dore steeds with 5 new cleare story wyndowes sett in the newe walles of the kynges bowlynge aley

Rouf masons
Workyng as well upon lynyng, trosyng owte and bryngyng up the fowndacions of the new work over the north syde of the orcherd made by the kynges commaundement to enclose the new bowlynge aley for his Grace to bowle in as also upon bryngyng up of thother walles to enclose tow voyde places syermerth the waters therone upon the este syde of the bowlyng aley. (total £3-18s-2d)

f. 163
to the churchyarde wall joyning thother at the weste end, buttyng upon the hyghe waye with the like enclosyng the same aley at bothe endes severall from the saide waytyng places with like walles of 14 fote highe, as also upon 5 dore stedes made out in the same walles, one out to the highewaye another ledyng to Grafton Park in the weste voide, to witt tow into the bowlyng aley and oone in the voyde cowrte at the este end of the same bowlynge aley ledyng into the pastures and to Hartwell Park.

Still rowffe masons
At 8d per diem
John Duffeld 16s
John Jennyns 13s 5d
Richerd Atterbere 13s 5d
John Carter 13s 5d.
Nycolas Worwyk 13s 5d
Thomas Chese 13s 5d
William Marshall 13s 5d
John Torpor 13s 5d

At 7d per diem
Thomas Denton 13s 5d
John Atterbere 13s 5d
John Gyrnell 13s 5d
John Asserve 13s 5d
William Hull 13s 5d
William Moore 13s 5d
John Chese 13s 5d
William Chese 13s 4d

Yet more roufe masons
All 13s-5d.
Thomas Tomes
John Wakfeld
Robard Maye
Hary Gardyner
James Bullock
Jeffrey Mendall

At 7d per diem
Hary Wylson
William Jonson
John Ares
Richard Smythe
John Hull
Thomas Thorpe
William Attwyne
John Lolley
John Sympson

all 12s-3d
William Dyxson 11s
Thomas Burges 11s 1d

Rawlinson MS. D 780
ff. 161-183 Manor of Grafton

Common laborers
Laboryng as well upon dighyng and careyng of diverse greate hilles of rubyshe over the northe syde of the old orchard as also levelyng the grownd for the said bowlyng aley,

f. 173v
The kynges mannor of Grafton: from Sondaye 22nd July unto Sondaye 19th August 29 Hen. VIII 1537. Buyldyng and reparacons done ayengst his Gracis comyng thither.
makyng a dryvyng of slates, drawyng of bordes redy for both sydes of the bowlynge alley to beare theither bank wyse aslope for the bowles to playe upon, furthermore not only makyng of seates within the said bowlynge aley for the kynges grace to rest on, closing up brest hegh thest and west end of the bowlyng aley with borde for gentylmen to leane, with settyng on locks upon the doores of the bowlyng aley

f. 174v
Roughmasons
Workyng upon bryngyng up of the walles inclosyng the bowlyng alley, the walles of the tow voyde cowrtes, as copyng of the walles throwgheout both of the cowrtes and bowlynge aley with particons of the same with like workyng in laying and fyllyng the said chymnes with hard stone within the quoynes.
John Duffyld at 8d per diem 12s
At 7d per diem John Jenys 10s. 6d

Rest of men at 7d per diem all taking 9s 11d
Ricard Atterbere
John Atterbere
John Carter
Nycolas Warwyk.
Total £4-2s

f.175v
Dighyng of clay by syde Yardley for the bankes of the aley with like dighyng of grett turffes for the bankes without the alley to walk upon.

f.176
Common labourers laboryng upon rammyng and levelyng the grownd of the bowlyng aley with lome as also settynge owt the bankes slope with potters claye for bowylys to banke and playe upon, with like turvyng with grene turffe the walkyng places over the northe syde of the bowlyng aley within the wall and not only fellyng of trees by the kynges commaundment without the wall on the northe side of the bowlyng aley, within and withoute the bothe voyde cowrtes, but likewise of trees in the hedgys of the highewaye and the Farmors close playne done for the kynges grace to see to the parke and to the pasture.Total £6-17s-11d.

Common laborers
At 5d per diem, receiving 7s 1d
Hary Nicolls
William Marshall
Hary Chease
Roberd Overett
Thomas Mylles
Nicolas Browghton
John Howghton

Men receiving 10d
Thomas Glune
William Lygnell

20d.
James Aleyth
William Haxsold
John Jakson
Thomas Jakson
Jeffry Ferys
Richerd Waren
John Harrett
Roberd Bateman

The potter maker laboryng upon the temperyng the said cleye redy for the work men to laye upon the sydes sloped with the same claye of the bowlyng aley. John Yngram at 7d per diem, 2s 11d

f.177
Bordes
Stephon Gwythyn of Stone in Strottford 203 quarters and 5 fotte of borde bowght for the bordynge of the sydes of the bowlyng aley at 2s-6d the hundred. 7s-6d and a half

f.178v
Candles
Thomas Lumberd 4 lbs of candells spent by the carpenters, kerver and laborers workyng in the aley the nyght for hastye spede 1d and a half the pound 6d.

f.179
Sand
John Wattson of Cosgrave 10 lodes of sand from the pytt to the mannor at 5d the lode 4s 2d
Roberd Adkyns of Potterys Perry 15 lodes to the manor for the bowlyng aley 6s 3d
Rauf Jakson of Graftone 27 lodes 11s 3d
Total £3-5s-4d.

f.179v
Carriadge of claye
Cosgrave men at 3d the lode.
William Spenser of Cosgrave for 7 lodes of Potters claye from the Potters pytt of Perry to Grafton for to make the slope bankes of the bowlyng aley 3d the lode 21s., to hym for 5 lodes of the same 15d
Cuttberd Emerson 9 lodes 2s 3d
Thomas Becham 6 lodes for like use 18d
John Wattson 5 lodes for same aley 15d
Total 23s.

f.180v
Carriadge of turffe
John Rawlens of Yardley 6 lodes of turfe to laye upon walking place and the northe side of the aley to make it green 1d and a half the lode 9d
Richerd Goodman the elder 6 lodes of turffe for like use 9d
John Browne of Yardley 8 lodes 12d
Richerd Whalley of Grafton 8 lodes 12d

f.181
Locks & Keys
John Marshall of Pawlers Perry for 2 locks sett uppon the dores of thest and west end of the bowlyng aley with 3 keys 2s.