Danish Tower, Flamborough

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Flamborough Castle; Flaynburgh

In the civil parish of Flamborough.
In the historic county of Yorkshire East Riding (Modern Authority of East Riding of Yorkshire, 1974 county of Humberside).

Remains of medieval fortified manor house and associated earthworks. Called stump of pele tower by some but clearly a fortified manor house of some size and quality. Marmaduck, Constable of Holderness, obtained a licence to crenellate in 1351, another licence obtained the next year may have been for this site or Beacon Farm (qv). Leland described the place as "taken rather for a manor place than a castle". Coursed squared chalk rubble with some patching in red brick. Originally rectangular on plan, 3 sides only now surviving. 1 altered doorway to east elevation with plain jambs and square head. Interior retains putlog holes and chamfered springers for barrel-vaulted basement.

This site has been described as a;
Fortified Manor House.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry ruins/remnants remains.

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1351 May 24.

A Confirmation licence to crenellate was granted in 1352 Feb 11.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 166824)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TA22607034

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 81854

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/101/flamboroughcastle.htm
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire (Malvern) p38
    Ingham, Bernard, 2001, Bernard Ingham's Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p25
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p421
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p285 [slight]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Boynton, 1894, in Fisher, Flamborough Village and Headland (Hull) p81-2
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p415
• Journal Articles
  • Earnshaw, J.R., 1965, The Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol41 p322
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls (1350-54) p75
    Calendar of Patent Rolls (1350-54) p225
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/yorkseng.html#yorks38]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p547
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p61