Thirsk Castle

Thirsk Castle was a defensive Medieval castle in the town of Thirsk, in North Yorkshire, England. The castle was one of three held by the de Mowbray family in Yorkshire.

Thirsk Castle
Thirsk, North Yorkshire in England
Castle Croft, Thirsk. The castle was to the left.
Thirsk Castle Location within North Yorkshire
Coordinates	54.232°N 1.345°W / 54.232; -1.345
Grid reference	SE427820
Type	Castle
Site history
Built	c. 1092
In use	c. 1176
Fate	Demolished

History

Thirsk Castle belonged to the de Mowbray family, who possessed two other castles in Yorkshire, at Burton-in-Lonsdale and Kirkby Malzeard.^[1] Additionally, the de Mowbray family had a fourth castle at Epworth on the Isle of Axholme (now Lincolnshire).^[2] Thirsk Castle is believed to have been built in the 1090s, with the castle becoming a holding place for the gathering fighters for the Battle of the Standard at nearby Northallerton. The massed fighters set out for the battlefield from Thirsk Castle.^[3]

The date of the castle's construction has been the subject of some debate, with writers in the 19th century believing it to predate the Conquest, however there is no evidence of this.^{[4][note 1]} In the late 1130s/early 1140s, monks who had lost their lands in Cumbria to Scots raids, were offered sanctuary at the castle before being given lands by the de Mowbray family at Byland for their own house.^[7]

Roger de Mowbray lost favour with the king (Henry II of England), and rebelled against him in the Great Revolt.^[8] Henry later besieged Thirsk Castle, and de Mowbray was forced to give up his castles, including Thirsk in 1175.^[9] Henry II ordered that the castles at Kirkby Malzeard and Thirsk be destroyed in early 1176.^[10] Roger de Mowbray left to Crusade in the Holy Land, dying after being taken prisoner after the Battle of Hattin.^[3][11]

The castle was said to have covered 4 acres (1.6 ha), being quite prominent on the skyline in Thirsk, and commanding the road north from York.^[12][13]

After its destruction, material from the castle was said to have been used in the construction of the church in Thirsk, (which can be seen in the background of the image).^[2] The de Mowbray family still owned the land, and a manor house that was built upon the site was supposedly destroyed in a Scots raid in 1322. Excavations on the site have determined that the Bailey rampart was about 460 feet (140 m) in length, which had a ditch on the outer side some 33 feet (10 m) wide, and 6 feet 7 inches (2 m) deep. The site is now scheduled monument.^[14]

Notes

1. Jefferson writing in The History of Thirsk states the town grew from a few houses clustered around the 10th century castle.^[5][6]

References

1. Pounds, Norman John Greville (1990). The medieval castle in England and Wales : a social and political history. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 63. ISBN 0521383498.
2. MacKenzie, James Dixon (1896). The castles of England : their story and structure Volume 2. London: Heinemann. p. 269. OCLC 504892038.
3. Thomas, Hugh M. (23 September 2004). "Mowbray, Sir Roger de". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/19458. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
4. Horrocks, John Robert (2013). The Early Norman Castles of the North of England (Thesis). University of Central Lancashire. p. 98. OCLC 1136927957.
5. Jefferson 1821, p. 10.
6. "Genuki: THIRSK: Geographical and Historical information from the year 1829., Yorkshire (North Riding)". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
7. "Houses of Cistercian monks: Byland | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
8. Whellan, T. (1859). History and Topography of the City of York, and the North Riding of Yorkshire: embracing a general review of the early history of Great Britain, and a general history and description of the County of York, Volume 2. Beverley: John Green. p. 149. OCLC 74378767.
9. McCluskey 2006, p. 4.
10. Joseph, Charles Boltolph (1899). The History of the Noble House of Stourton, of Stourton, in the County of Wilts. London: Elliot Stock. p. 745. OCLC 1184612200.
11. Jefferson 1821, p. 27.
12. Jefferson 1821, p. 20.
13. Page, William, ed. (1968). The Victoria history of the county of York, North Riding. London: Dawsons of Pall Mall for the University of London Institute of Historical Research. p. 58. ISBN 0712903100.
14. Historic England. "Thirsk Castle: a motte and bailey castle (1008761)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 July 2022.

Sources

• Jefferson, J. B. (1821). The history of Thirsk. York. OCLC 2014571.
• McCluskey, Bernard (2006). "Archaeological Watching Brief, Castle Garth, Thirsk, N Yorkshire". Archaeological Services WYAS. Wakefield: West Yorkshire Archaeology Service. doi:10.5284/1025264.

External links

• Historic Gateway description