Ayton Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Aiton

In the civil parish of West Ayton.
In the historic county of Yorkshire North Riding (Modern Authority of North Yorkshire, 1974 county of North Yorkshire).

The monument includes the remains of a medieval manorial centre and later fortified house complex at Ayton Castle. Included in the scheduling are the standing ruins of a fortified house and the earthwork remains of buildings which all lie within a courtyard, a series of wide terraces on the slope above the tower and, in a field to the south, the earthwork remains of a set of fishponds. The main phase of development was a C13 manorial complex surrounded by a stone curtain wall with a gatehouse. A tower was added in the late C14, built by Sir Ralph Eure. The ruined tower represents the only standing remains of the complex

This site has been described as a;
Tower House.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Uncertain remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 327062)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SE98818511

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; 65095

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/101/aytoncastle.htm
• Books
  • Jackson, M.J., 2001, Castles of North Yorkshire (Carlise) p1
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire (Malvern) p17
    Ingham, Bernard, 2001, Bernard Ingham's Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p102-3
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p297
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p286
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p513
    Rimington, F. and Rutter, J., 1967, Ayton Castle, its History and Excavation (Scarborough Archaeological and Historical Society research reports No5)
    Pevsner, N., 1966, The Buildings of England: Yorkshire North Riding (London, Penguin) p68
    Illingworth, J.L., 1938 (republished 1970), Yorkshire's Ruined Castles (Wakefield) p135
    Page, Wm (ed), 1923, VCH York, North Riding Vol2 p441
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Wheater, W., 1884, Historic Mansions of Yorkshire p13-29
• Journal Articles
  • Evans, C.P., 1968, 'A Resistivity Survey at Ayton Castle' Transactions of the Scarborough Archaeological and Historical Society Vol11
    Wilson, David M and Hurst, D G., 1962-3, Medieval Archaeology Vol6-7 p307-8, 336, 338
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p548
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p62