John O'Gaunt's Castle was a royal
hunting lodge. It is situated in the civil parish of
Haverah Park near
Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and civil parish in the North Yorkshire District, district and North Yorkshire, county of North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist de ...
, now in
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...
(historically in the
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...
).
History
The castle was considered to be the hunting lodge of
John O'Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, who was Lord of the Manor of
Knaresborough
Knaresborough ( ) is a market and spa town and civil parish on the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, England. It is east of Harrogate and was in the Borough of Harrogate until April 2023.
History
The Knaresborough Hoard, the largest hoard of ...
for twenty-eight years until 1399.
Strongly sited on the end of a spur at
Haverah Park, is a ditched platform 35mx30m which had a curtain wall and a gatehouse, with a bridge over the moat. Within are buried footings of a central tower, 15m square, and 1 wall which probably formed part of a range. It was situated within the royal lordship of Knaresborough.
Edward III
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 ...
had building works in progress here in 1334. In 1372 he granted it, along with Knaresborough to his son John of Gaunt, from whom it gained its name.
The castle was listed for the first time on 17 December 1929.
Description
The hunting lodge was a stone tower built atop on a square foundation. The lodge also had a chapel. The roof was made out of
lead
Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...
. A wide ditch surrounded the castle.
References
See also
*
Beaver Dyke Reservoirs
*
Castles in Great Britain and Ireland
Castles have played an important military, economic and social role in Great Britain and Ireland since their introduction following the Norman invasion of England in 1066. Although a small number of castles had been built in England in the 105 ...
*
List of castles in England
This list of castles in England is not a list of every building and site that has "castle" as part of its name, nor does it list only buildings that conform to a strict definition of a castle as a medieval fortified residence. It is not a list ...
Castles in North Yorkshire
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