Helmsley Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Elmesley; Helmsey Blackamoor

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

Ruins of Helmsley Castle which comprise a formidable double ditch, hewn from solid rock on the west side, surrounding an oblong inner bailey. The concentric rectangular ringwork is generally attributed to Walter l'Espec, founder of the nearby Rievaulx Abbey, who held the site from 1120 to 1153. The massive earthern rampart between the deep ditches was probably originally surmounted by a timber stockade. A stone castle was raised by Robert de Roos some time between 1186 and 1227. The curtain wall enclosing the inner bailey featured circular towers protecting 3 of the 4 corners, 2 semi-circular towers flanking the northern gatehouse plus a larger projecting D-shaped tower keep located on the eastern curtain. On the western side the curtain wall is sharply set back roughly half-way along its length and a square tower situated in the angle. A simple gate tower provided access on the southern side. A range of domestic buildings including a great hall were situated on the west side of the inner bailey. The entrances were strengthened in the mid C13 with the addition of an outer gatehouse in front of the north gate and a large barbican beyond the south gate. During C14 the south barbican was strengthened, 2 upper floors were added to the keep and a new hall built in the south west corner. In the 1560s Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland, built a house in the shell of the west tower which survives largely unaltered. In November 1644 following a 3 month siege the castle surrended to the Parliamentary commander Sir Thomas Fairfax and its subsequent slighting was severe. Most of the curtain wall and towers survive only as footings although the courtyard front of the keep stands almost extant.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Masonry Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry ruins/remnants 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 328274)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SE61108363

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; 58805

• Web site links
  • http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/castles/helmsley%20castle.htm
    http://www.touruk.co.uk/castles/castle_Helmsley.htm
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/helmsley/helmsley.php#castle
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/100/helmsleycastle.htm
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.367
• Books
  • Jackson, M.J., 2001, Castles of North Yorkshire (Carlise) p27-30 [plan]
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire (Malvern) p44-7
    Ingham, Bernard, 2001, Bernard Ingham's Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p70-1
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p290-1
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p518
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p241-2
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p188, 204
    Garlick, Tom, 1972, Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p19-20
    Pevsner, N., 1966. The Buildings of England: Yorkshire, North Riding (London) p188-9
    McDonnell and others, 1963, History of Helmsley (York) p135-58
    Illingworth, J.L., 1938 (republished 1970), Yorkshire's Ruined Castles (Wakefield) p45-51
    Page, Wm (ed), 1914, VCH York, North Riding Vol1 p487-93
    Armitage and Montgomerie, 1912, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Yorkshire Vol2 p50-1
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p224-6
    George Frank, 1888, Ryedale and North Yorkshire antiquities
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol2 p100-8
    Whellan T, 1859, History and Topography of the City of York and the North Riding of Yorkshire Vol2 p243-4
    Grainge, W., 1855, Castles and Abbeys of Yorkshire p266-71
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol8 p149-51
• Journal Articles
  • Anon, 2004, CSG Newsletter Vol6 Issue1 p2
    Wilson, P.R., 1989, ‘Excavations at Helmsley Castle' Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol61 p29–33
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p315
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T., 1986, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1985' Medieval Archaeology Vol30 p173
    1986, ‘The Yorkshire Archaeological Register: 1985' Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol58 p203
    Simpson, 1965, in Samll, Proceedings of the Fourth Viking Conference Aberdeen University Studies Vol149 p166-75
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p249-280]
    1958, Medieval Archaeology Vol2 p196
    1934, Archaeological Journal Vol91 p371
    I'Anson, W.M., 1916-7, Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol24 p325-68
    I'Anson, W.M., 1913, 'The castles of the North Riding' Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol22 p352-56 [plan]
    1895, Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol13 p26
    1881, Archaeological Journal Vol38 p28, 338
    Clark, G.T., 1874, The Builder Vol32 p67-9 [reprinted MMA]
    1867, Archaeological Journal Vol24 p336
    1808, Gentlemans Magazine Vol78 pt1 p201
• Guidebooks
  • Clark, J., 2004, Helmsley Castle North Yorkshire (English Heritage)
    Peers, Sir Charles, 1986, Helmsley Castle, North Yorkshire (English Heritage)
    Peers, Sir Charles, 1934, Helmsley Castle, Yorkshire (HMSO)
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/yorkseng.html#yorks49]
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Wright, J., 1994, West Yorkshire Archaeology Service (Reports) Report177