Bishop Rufus Palace, Northallerton

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Northallerton Bishops Palace; new castle of Alvertun

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

Site of motte and bailey castle and an adjacent fortified palace of the Bishops of Durham. First record of the castle at Northallerton is in 1130 when Bishop Rufus built the motte and bailey as a residence. Castle was either rebuilt or enlarged in 1142 by Bishop Cumin and further work was carried out by Bishop Pudsey in 1174. By 1176 the castle had been razed to the ground on the orders of King Henry II. After this a more substantial fortified palace surrounded by a moat was built to replace the traditional motte and bailey castle. The palace was in use by 1199. Renovation work was carried out in 1226, 1292 and 1309. There is a reference in the early C14 to a pele tower being built at the palace. The palace was an important centre for the administration of the bishops' lands in Yorkshire and served as a major residence for the bishops and their staff. The palace lay on the main road from York to Durham and was a regular stopping place for royalty and other dignitaries. Described by Leland in good condition circa 1535-43. It was a ruin by 1658. The site is now a cemetery.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Pele Tower
Palace.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Cropmarks/slight earthworks remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SE36449387

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; 53968

• Web site links
  • http://www.northallerton-online.co.uk/History/Bishops_Palace.htm
• Books
  • Jackson, M.J., 2001, Castles of North Yorkshire (Carlise) p52-4 [plan]
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire (Malvern) p67
    Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p174
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p51-4
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p301 [slight]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p58n, 522, 538
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p268
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p258
    Le Patourel, H.E. Jean, 1973, The Moated Sites of Yorkshire (The Society for Medieval Archaeology Monograph Series 5) p120
    Illingworth, J.L., 1938 (republished 1970), Yorkshire's Ruined Castles (Wakefield) p129-30
    Page, Wm (ed), 1914, VCH York, North Riding Vol1 p418-9
    Armitage and Montgomerie, 1912, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Yorkshire Vol2 p34-5
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p238-9
    Whellan T, 1859, History and Topography of the City of York and the North Riding of Yorkshire Vol2 p80-82
    Hutchinson, Wm, 1785-94, The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham Vol3 p518-9, 535-6
• Journal Articles
  • I'Anson, W.M., 1913, 'The castles of the North Riding' Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol22 p368-9 [plan]
    1808, Gentleman's Magazine Vol78 pt1 p381
    1799, Gentleman's Magazine pt2 p949 [slight]
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p551
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p67