Kirkbymoorside, Stutevilles Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Kirkby Moorside; Vivars Hill; Viviers Hill; Vivers Hill

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

The remains of the medieval moated manor house. Vivers Hill Castle was inhabited by the Stuteville family by 1200. It is sited on a hillside just below the spring line. The moat is a well preserved earthwork with a ditch typicaly over 2.5m deep and 8m wide with a slight bank on its external side. It encloses a roughly rectangular island, circa 90m by 70m, which is slightly raised and divided into three west facing terraces. The island contains a number of low earthwork features, especially on the two uppermost terraces, which are interpreted to be the remains of buildings and other features. The lower terrace is noticeably flat and may have been a garden. The moat ditches on the north and south sides of the island run downhill and would not have contained standing water. Instead, these would have been used for drainage, the south ditch still acting as a seasonal stream course.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Fortified Manor House.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Earthworks remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SE69968678

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; 58672