Ravensworth Castle, Yorkshire

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Ravenswathe; Kirkby Ravensworth; Ravenswath

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

Built in the late C14 out of sandstone, the castle was used as a quarry by the inhabitants of Ravensworth village when it was abandoned in C16. It is now listed in the "Buildings at Risk" register, launched in 1998 by English Heritage: "Much repointing and consolidation needed to all parts of the building. Significant parts of the standing remains, including the gate tower are now at risk." The castle originally had curtain walls and three towers. The best preserved part of the castle is the three-story north west keep/gate tower and its arch. Here was the main entrance to the castle. The arch was protected by a portcullis, the guiding slots for which can still be seen.

This site has been described as a;
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 322820)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NZ142076

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; 21560

• Web site links
  • http://members.fortunecity.com/hburdon/
• Books
  • Jackson, M.J., 2001, Castles of North Yorkshire (Carlise) p60-1 [plan]
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire (Malvern) p76
    Ingham, Bernard, 2001, Bernard Ingham's Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p74-5
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p385
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p295
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p523
    Pevsner, N., 1966, The Buildings of England: Yorkshire North Riding (London, Penguin) p288
    Illingworth, J.L., 1938 (republished 1970), Yorkshire's Ruined Castles (Wakefield) p130
    Page, Wm (ed), 1914, VCH York, North Riding Vol1 p88-9
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 229-30
    Speight, H., 1897, Romantic Richmondshire p189-90
    Whellan T, 1859, History and Topography of the City of York and the North Riding of Yorkshire Vol2 p500-1
    Courthorpe, W., 1857, Historic Peerages of England p194-5
    Grainge, W., 1855, Castles and Abbeys of Yorkshire p366-70
    Allen, T., 1831, History of Yorkshire Vol3 p519
    Whitaker, T.D., 1823, History of Richmondshire Vol1 p122-3
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol8 p155-7
• Journal Articles
  • Ryder, P.F., 1979, ‘Ravensworth Castle, North Yorkshire' Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, 51 p81-100
    1977, Fort Vol4 p83
    1798, Gentlemans Magazine Vol68 pt1 p109
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/yorkseng.html#yorks60]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p554, 565
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p78-9 Vol4 p27