James Nedeham or Nedham (died 1544) was an English architect who was Clerk of the King's Works for

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

Family background

His family had Derbyshire origins and his grandfather lived at Needham Grange at Hartington Middle Quarter. He was a relation of the Elizabethan merchant and prospector

George Nedham George Nedham (Needham) was a supporter of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War who, following their defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, emigrated to the West Indies. First he went to Antigua, and later migrated to Jamaica. Here h ...

Royal works

He became a member of the London Carpenter's Company in 1514. First serving the royal works as a carpenter, Nedeham was appointed Clerk of the King's Works on 1 October 1532. He was a successor to the Master Carpenter Humphrey Coke, and he was employed as a military carpenter at

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

in 1522, and as a gunner the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

in 1525. He constructed galleries around the garden of the London house of the

Marquess of Exeter Marquess of Exeter is a title that has been created twice, once in the peerage of England and once in the peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the peerage of England in 1525 for Henry Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon. For mor ...

in 1530. At

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

, he was involved in the construction of a new terrace on the north side. There were benches and Henry VIII used it as a range for his hand guns. The terrace was built on a series of brick vaults which also served to drain the water from the castle gutters. The framework of a timber arbour accessed from the terrace was painted by John Hethe with "white and fine bice and gold antique gilt". At

Greenwich Palace Greenwich ( , , ) is an area in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian ...

, Nedeham constructed kennels for the king's greyhounds at the tilt yard, a cockpit for fighting birds and seats for male spectators and for

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...

, a shelter for the king to stand in to practice with hand guns, Nedeham's account for Windsor includes refreshing the Queen's privy chamber for

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the Wives of Henry VIII, second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading ...

in June 1533. The ceiling had been decorated with mirrors, possibly for

Philippa of Hainault Philippa of Hainault (sometimes spelled Hainaut; Middle French: ''Philippe de Hainaut''; 24 June 1310 (or 1315) – 15 August 1369) was List of English consorts, Queen of England as the wife and political adviser of King Edward III. She acted a ...

, and 115 looking glasses were scoured at a cost of 9 shillings and 5 pence. In 1534, Nedeham asked

Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; – 28 July 1540) was an English statesman and lawyer who served as List of English chief ministers, chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false cha ...

for a larger budget for works at the Tower of London for a new gate and bridge and major repairs to the roof of the White Tower. In December 1534, he directed works at

to make an artificial forest for the Lord of Misrule's boar hunt. In April 1538, Nedeham was granted leases from various former monastic properties including lands from the convent of St Mary Wymondley in Hertfordshire, and made Wymondley Priory his home. Nedeham rebuilt the

Jewel House The Jewel House is a vault housing the British Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, Crown Jewels in the Waterloo Block (formerly a barracks) at the Tower of London. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 and refurbished in 2012. Regalia ...

at the Tower of London, and in November 1538, he and colleagues Henry Johnson and Anthony Anthony advised Christopher Morris, the Master of the King's Ordnance, on the building of storehouse and workshops for artillery at the Tower. An account book for 1539 mentions a timber "standing" at

Egham Egham ( ) is a town in the Borough of Runnymede in Surrey, England, approximately west of central London. First settled in the Bronze Age, the town was under the control of Chertsey Abbey for much of the Middle Ages. In 1215, Magna Carta was ...

meadows, probably erected for deer hunting. James Nedeham died in 1544 and was buried at Little Wymondley. The monument was later destroyed, but a drawing shows a classical structure polychromed as marble with pillars and an architrave surmounted by obelisks. His own house in London in All Hallows Lombard Street parish was adjacent to an inn called the "White Hart of the Mystery or Art of the Fishmongers". He married Alice Goodere. His son John Nedeham was heir to his property.''Visitation of Hertfordshire'', p. 77.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nedeham, James 1544 deaths 16th-century English architects Year of birth unknown English surveyors