Northallerton Castle was a defensive structure in

Northallerton Northallerton ( ) is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the River Wiske in the Vale of Mowbray and had a population of 16,832 in 2011. Northallerton is an administrative centre for York and North Yorkshire ...

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 ...

, England. The structure is thought to have been constructed and was largely made out of timber with a palisade wall. It was destroyed by order of King

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

in 1178. The ground outlines of the site were removed by railway building in the first half of the 19th century.

History

Northallerton Castle, located at what would become known as Castle Hills in the town, was also the site of a possible Roman camp. It was the first of two castles built in Northallerton, though the Bishop's Palace site, the later castle, was more of a fortified manor house. A

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

south-west of the church is recorded as far back as 1068, and a castle was also recorded in the 1140s, as a property of the Bishop of Durham, being seized by

William Cumin William Cumin (or de Comyn or de Commines) (died ) was a bishop of Durham, and Justiciar of Scotia. Life Several Cumins were clerks in the chanceries of King Henry I of England and King Henry II of England, as well as in the dioceses of Rouen ...

as a way of extending the Scottish border southwards. Edwards and I'Anson state that the castle was built by King William in 1068, who was known to have encamped at Northallerton whilst conducting the

Harrying of the North The Harrying of the North was a series of military campaigns waged by William the Conqueror in the winter of 1069–1070 to subjugate Northern England, where the presence of the last House of Wessex, Wessex claimant, Edgar Ætheling, had encour ...

. In 1143, Cumin surrendered the castle to his nephew,

Richard Comyn Richard Comyn (died c. 1179) was a Scottish noble of unknown parentage who is known to have been the nephew of William Cumin. Biography Richard was probably born between 1115 and 1123. In 1144, William Comyn gave him Northallerton Castle, whic ...

. However, a castle is thought to have been built by Bishop Hugh Pudsey in 1174, who took part in a rebellion against Henry II, leaving the castle in the safe keeping of his nephew, Hugh Count of Bar. Pudsey is also referred to as having "greatly enlarged" the castle at Northallerton around 1174 (the time mentioned above when he was also attributed with its initial building) as a way of providing security for his estates in

Allertonshire Allertonshire or Allerton was a wapentake and liberty in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England. Northallerton, current name of Allerton, was historically associated with the Bishopric of Durham, being an ecclesiastical peculiar and exclave ...

. It is known that the location of Castle Hills (SE365940) was the site of some defensive structure made from timber. The great tower and a palisade wall are thought to have been made from wood, but the rest of the castle is undetermined in its structure. A castle was mentioned near to Northallerton during the

Battle of the Standard The Battle of the Standard, sometimes called the Battle of Northallerton, took place on 22 August 1138 on Cowton Moor near Northallerton in Yorkshire, England. English forces under William of Aumale repelled a Scottish army led by King Davi ...

(1138) and since neither of the subsequent castles in Northallerton were in use at that time, it is thought to be the Norman motte at

Yafforth Yafforth is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England about west of Northallerton. The village lies on the B6271 road between Northallerton and the village of Scorton, North Yorkshire, Scorton. The parish had a population of 174 ...

, the mound of which is still obvious in modern times. In 1177, Bishop Hugh Pudsey was required to appear before Henry II and account for his actions, having been suspected of allowing Scottish troops free access across his lands in years previous. Pudsey paid a retainer into the royal coffers and surrendered all his castles, however, some reports state that the castle at Northallerton (''castellum novum de alverton'') was spared, but later destroyed on the wish of the king. Only the north-eastern arc of the castle edge remains - the rest of the site was destroyed when the railway was built through the location in 1838. Whilst it was being dug out for the tracks, a selection of stones were found, one bearing the inscription ''INSTANE FLA. HYRO LEG. VI V''. However, the stone was lost in 1877.

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References

Sources

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External links

Northallerton Castle Hills
– Gatehouse Gazetteer {{Castles in North Yorkshire Castles in North Yorkshire