York Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Cliffords Tower

In the civil parish of York.
In the historic county of Yorkshire Ainsty & York (Modern Authority of York, 1974 county of North Yorkshire).

Motte and bailey of 1068, destroyed 1069, rebuilt in timber until burnt down in anti-jewish riots in 1189, rebuilt again in timber until blown down in gale in 1228. Final built in stone from 1224-50. Main survivor is quatrefoil keep on motte known as Clifford's Tower. In circa 1089 the Foss was dammed to create a moat around the keep and bailey. Although infilled, the line of the moat survives beneath the surfaces of the carpark, footpaths and access roads around the castle.

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 )

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SE60475158

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; 58151, 1379266

• Web site links
  • http://www.york.gov.uk/walls/11th/index.html
    http://www.castlegate.net/castles/YORK/index.htm
    http://www.bispham2.freeserve.co.uk/castles/york.htm
    http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/castles/cliffords%20tower.htm
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/cliffords-tower/ct.php
    http://www.touruk.co.uk/castles/castle_cliffordstower.htm
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/105/yorkcastle.htm
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.362
    http://www.norman-world.com/angleterre/Patrimoine_architectural/Angleterre/Castles/york/york1.htm
    http://www.york.gov.uk/walls/11th/index.html0
    http://www.york.gov.uk/walls/11th/index.html1
    http://www.york.gov.uk/walls/11th/index.html2
• Books
  • Wilson, B. and Mee, F., 2005, The city walls and castles of York: the pictorial evidence (York: York Archaeological Trust - The archaeology of York supplementary series; 1/3)
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire (Malvern) p114-8
    Ingham, Bernard, 2001, Bernard Ingham's Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p44-7
    Richard Hall, 1996, English Heritage book of York (London: English Heritage) p15, 21, 40, 43, 48, 58-9, 73, 91
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p282-5
    Pevsner, Nikolaus and David Neave, 1995. The Buildings of England: Yorkshire, York and the East Riding (London) p190-191
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p138, 184, 358
    McNeill, Tom, 1992, English Heritage book of castles (London: English Heritage) p128
    Drage, C., 1987, 'Urban castles' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p117-32
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p528-9
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p209-10
    Harvey, J., 1975. York. (London: Batsford)
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p351-2
    RCHME, 1972. An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the City of York, 2: The Defences (London, HMSO) p59-86, 176-9
    Garlick, Tom, 1972, Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p26-7
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p889-894
    Tillott, P.M. (ed), 1961, VCH York, City of York p521-8
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p125-7
    Toy, Sidney, 1939, Castles: A short History of Fortifications from 1600 BC to AD 1600 (London) p132-5
    Illingworth, J.L., 1938 (republished 1970), Yorkshire's Ruined Castles (Wakefield) p116-22
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p8
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p242-8
    Armitage and Montgomerie, 1912, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH York Vol2 p43-4
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Cooper, T.P., 1911, History of the Castle of York (London)
    Cooper, T.P., 1904, York, the Story of its Walls and Castles (London) p3-214
    Camidge, 1904, Clifford's Tower, York (York) [history]
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p277-9
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol2 p534-48
    Twyford and Griffiths, 1880, Records of York Castle (London) p3-45 [weak]
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p169-71
    Lockwood and Cates, 1834, History and Antiquites of the Fortifications of the City of York (London) p43-4
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol6 p78-80
• Journal Articles
  • Harfield, C.G., 1991, 'A Hand-list of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book' English Historical Review Vol106
    Taylor, A.J., 1986, ‘The date of Clifford’s Tower, York' Archaeological Journal Vol111 p153-9 [reprinted in Taylor, A.J., 1986, Studies in castles and castle-building, (London: Hambledon Press) p241–7]
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p311
    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]
    Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
    O'Neil, B.H.St.J., 1939, Antiquaries Journal Vol19 p85-9 [on dating]
    O'Neil, B.H.St.J., 1934, Archaeological Journal Vol91 p296-300, 362-3
    Benson, G. and Platnauer, H., 1902. 'Notes on Clifford's Tower, York' Yorkshire Philosophical Society Report p68-74 and paltes VI, VII
    Clark, G.T., 1875-6, Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol4 p35-40
    Clark, G.T., 1874, Archaeological Journal Vol31 p255-9
• Guidebooks
  • Butler, L.A.S., 1997, Clifford’s Tower and the Castles of York (English Heritage)
    Anon, 1987. Clifford’s Tower and the castles of York. (English Heritage)
    O'Neil, B.H.St.J., 1979 (2edn), Clifford's Tower, York Castle (HMSO)
    1981, York Castle (RCHME)
    1973, York Castle: an illustrated history (RCHME)
    Renn, D.F., 1971, Clifford's Tower and the castles of York
    O'Neil, B.H.St.J., 1936, Clifford's Tower, York Castle (HMSO)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • The Anglo-saxon Chronicle; Worcester Chronicle AD1067; Worcester AD1069
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Speed, John, 1611-12, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain [http://faculty.oxy.edu/horowitz/home/johnspeed/Cities30.htm]
    William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/yorkseng.html#yorks22]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p540
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p54