Topcliffe Castle (also known as Maiden's Bower) is an abandoned castle located near the village of

Topcliffe, North Yorkshire Topcliffe is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The village is situated on the River Swale, on the A167 road and close to the A168 road, A168. It is about south-west of Thirsk and south of the county town of Northallert ...

, England. The castle was built at the junction of the

River Swale The River Swale in Yorkshire, England, is a major tributary of the River Ure, which becomes the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse, that empties into the North Sea via the Humber Estuary. The river gives its name to Swaledale, the valley throu ...

and Cod Beck. A motte and bailey castle was constructed around 1071. Archbishop Geoffrey of York re-fortified the castle in 1173 during the revolt of 1173-74, with William de Stuteville appointed as governor. Topcliffe Castle plan

The Percy family held Topcliffe.

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

spent a few hours resting at the castle in August 1333. The castle appears to have been abandoned during the 14th century. In 1489, on the site of the castle, Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland was slain by an angry mob in regard to higher taxation.

References

*Levitt, Paul C. ''Yorkshire's Secret Castles: A Concise Guide & Companion''. Grub Street Publishers, 2017. *Salter, M. ''The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire''. Folly Publications, 2001. Castles in North Yorkshire {{England-castle-stub