| Ayton Castle | |
|---|---|
| West Ayton, North Yorkshire, England | |
 Ayton Castle ruins | |
| Coordinates | 54°15′07″N0°29′08″W / 54.25198°N 0.48553°W |
| Site information | |
| Condition | Ruined |
Ayton Castle is a ruined Grade I listed 14th century pele tower castle near West Ayton, North Yorkshire, England.
The castle is sited at the southeast edge of the North York Moors National Park, on rising ground near the main fording point of the River Derwent. [1] It is close to the A170 road, a main road between Thirsk and Scarborough that runs along the park's south edge. [2]
A fortified manor house or castle existed on the site from the 12th century. In the 13th century the occupiers were the de Aton family, who gained their name from the village of West Ayton, which is listed in the Domesday book as "Atune". [1] [2] The area came under regular attack from Scottish raiders, and stronger fortification was required. [3] The pele castle was built by Ralph Eure of Witton in the late 14th century, after inheriting the lands through marriage to the co-heiress Katherine de Aton, daughter of William de Aton, 2nd Baron Aton. [1] The castle became known as the "Defender of the Dales" [4] The castle was abandoned in the late 17th century and became ruinous. [5] Most of the structure below ground has remained intact, including a twin-tunnel vault. [4]
The ruined site was Grade I listed on 18 January 1967. [6] It is a rare example of this type of castle in Northern England. [6] The site is closed to the public but the castle can be seen from a nearby field. [2]
The castle is around 21 metres (69 ft) by 13.5 metres (44 ft). It originally had three stories, each one offset with a chamfered string course. The ruin includes the remains of a peel tower constructed of sandstone. [6]
Edlingham Castle is a small castle ruin, having scheduled monument and Grade I listed building status, in the care of English Heritage. It is located in a valley to the west of Alnwick, Northumberland, England. It has been described as "...one of the most interesting in the county", by Nikolaus Pevsner, the architectural historian. Edlingham itself is little more than a hamlet with a church alongside the castle.
Thorne is a market town and civil parish in the City of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. It was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. It has a population of 16,592, increasing to 17,295 at the 2011 Census.
Kirby Muxloe Castle, also known historically as Kirby Castle, is a ruined, fortified manor house in Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire, England. William, Lord Hastings, began work on the castle in 1480, founding it on the site of a pre-existing manor house. William was a favourite of King Edward IV and had prospered considerably during the Wars of the Roses. Work continued quickly until 1483, when William was executed during Richard, Duke of Gloucester's, seizure of the throne. His widow briefly continued the project after his death but efforts then ceased, with the castle remaining largely incomplete. Parts of the castle were inhabited for a period, before falling into ruin during the course of the 17th century. In 1912, the Commissioners of Work took over management of the site, repairing the brickwork and carrying out an archaeological survey. In the 21st century, the castle is controlled by English Heritage and open to visitors.
Piel Castle, also known as Fouldry Castle or the Pile of Fouldray, is a castle situated on the south-eastern point of Piel Island, off the coast of the Furness Peninsula in north-west England. Built in the early-14th century by John Cockerham, the Abbot of neighbouring Furness Abbey, it was intended to oversee the trade through the local harbour and to protect against Scottish raids. The castle was built using stones from the local beach, and featured a large keep with surrounding inner and outer baileys. It was used as a base by the Yorkist pretender Lambert Simnel in 1487, but by 1534 it had fallen into ruin and passed into the hands of the Crown.
Wressle Castle is a ruined palace-fortress in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, built for Thomas Percy in the 1390s. It is privately owned and it is usually open to the public for a few days each year. Wressle Castle originally consisted of four ranges built around a central courtyard; there was a tower at each corner, and the structure was entered through a gatehouse in the east wall, facing the village.
Weeting Castle is a ruined, medieval manor house near the village of Weeting in Norfolk, England. It was built around 1180 by Hugh de Plais, and comprised a three-storey tower, a substantial hall, and a service block, with a separate kitchen positioned near the house. A moat was later dug around the site in the 13th century. The house was not fortified, although it drew on architectural features typically found in castles of the period, and instead formed a very large, high-status domestic dwelling. It was probably intended to resemble the hall at Castle Acre Castle, owned by Hugh's feudal lord, Hamelin de Warenne.
Upsall Castle is a fourteenth-century ruin, park and manor house in Upsall, in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England.
Clifton Hall was a fortified manor house in the village of Clifton, Cumbria. Dating from around 1400, it was constructed by either Elianor Engaine or her son-in-law William Wybergh, and was held by the Wybergh family until the 19th century. Initially taking the form of an "H"-plan design built around a central hall, around 1500 a three-storey stone pele tower was added, providing both additional security and acting as a status symbol for the family. At the start of the 17th century a new stone hall was added to the south of the tower.
The Cleveland Hills are a range of hills on the north-west edge of the North York Moors in North Yorkshire, England, overlooking Cleveland and Teesside. They lie entirely within the boundaries of the North York Moors National Park. Part of the 110-mile (177 km) long Cleveland Way National Trail runs along the hills, and they are also crossed by a section of Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk. The hills, which rise abruptly from the flat Tees Valley to the north, include distinctive landmarks such as the cone-shaped peak of Roseberry Topping, near the village of Great Ayton – childhood home of Captain James Cook.
Dacre Castle is a moated tower house in the village of Dacre, 4 miles (6.4 km) south-west of Penrith, Cumbria, England. It was constructed in the mid-14th century, probably by Margaret Multon, against the background of the threat of Scottish invasion and raids, and was held in the Dacre family until the 17th century. The tower house is 66 feet (20 m) tall, built out of local sandstone, topped by crenellations, with four turrets protruding from a central block, and includes an ornate lavabo in the main hall. Renovated during the 1670s and 1960s after periods of disrepair, the castle is now used as a private home.
Gleaston Castle is a medieval building in a valley about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) north-east of the village of Gleaston. The village lies between the towns of Ulverston and Barrow-in-Furness in the Furness peninsula, Cumbria, England. Gleaston Castle has a quadrilateral plan, with a tower at each corner. The largest of these, the north-west tower, probably housed a hall.
Lockwood is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland with ceremonial association with North Yorkshire, England. The population of Lockwood ward in the Redcar and Cleveland Unitary authority taken at the 2011 census was 2,022.
Elsdon Tower is a Grade I listed medieval tower house converted for use as a Rectory situated at Elsdon, Northumberland. Originally part of the estate of Elsdon Castle, it later become a rectory and is now a private residence. The original construction dates from the 15th century and has been modified several times.
Burneside Hall is a converted medieval pele tower in Burneside, Cumbria, England.
Paull Holme Tower is an unusual late-medieval fortified tower in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
Ravensworth Castle is a ruined 14th-century castle in the village of Ravensworth, North Yorkshire, England. It has been designated a Grade I listed building by English Heritage.
Whorlton Castle is a ruined medieval castle situated near the abandoned village of Whorlton in North Yorkshire, England. It was established in the early 12th century as a Norman motte-and-bailey associated with the nearby settlement. The castle is an unusual example of a motte-and-bailey that remained in use throughout the Middle Ages and into the early modern period.
Crayke Castle is a Grade I listed 15th-century castle in Crayke, North Yorkshire, England. The castle consists of a restored 15th-century four-storey tower house with attached outbuildings to the rear and a separate ruined 15th-century tower, the "New Tower". It is situated on Church Hill in the village of Crayke.
Kilton Castle is a ruined castle overlooking the valley of Kilton Beck, near to the village of Kilton in the historic county of the North Riding of Yorkshire in England. The castle was built in the 12th century and was described as being in a ruinous state by the 14th century, with it being totally abandoned by the 16th century. Kilton Castle was owned by several noble families who hailed from the area; de Brus, de Kilton, Autrey, de Thweng, de Lumley.
Snape Castle is a semi-fortified manor house in the village of Snape, North Yorkshire, England. The castle is 3 miles (5 km) south of Bedale and 19 miles (31 km) north of Ripon. At the time of Henry VIII, John Leland described it as "...a goodly castel in a valley [be]longing to the Lorde Latimer.." The castle is now a private residence, and is a grade I listed building.
