CSG Annual Conference - Harrogate - April 2017 - Skipton Castle

Skipton Castle from the north - with its dramatic plunging descent into Eller Beck. A 1960 British Railways poster by John Greene, (active 1957– c. 1965) credit: National Railway Museum/Science & Society Picture Library. From far right to left: Kitchen; Great Hall & Withdrawing room complex, perhaps c.1227; Mary Queen of Scots Tower (not publicly accessible); the 16th century range ending in the 1550s Octagonal Tower.

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Skipton Castle - Outer Gatehouse from the exterior. The building, probably originally early 14th century (by Robert Clifford post-1310), has been considerably altered by succeeding generations, especially by Lady Anne Clifford in the C17. The upper parts are significantly remodelled. The gate-passage width is nearly 15ft, (comparable to the Bloody Tower, Tower of London), and square portcullis grooves remain on the inside of the gate-arch jambs.

Skipton Castle The form of Romille’s castle is often said to Built on the edge of a gorge of the Eller Beck on have been a motte and bailey although there is the western edge of the Pennines in the Carbon- no evidence for a motte. A partial ringwork, the iferous limestone zone the castle lies on a rise line of which defined the masonry castle, is above the town of Skipton in Craven. more likely. A large outer bailey on the gentle Skipton was royal demesne in 1086 having, slope south of the Eller Beck gorge was laid out. pre-Conquest, been held by Earl Edwin but Rob- Most of this earthwork is now lost under later ert de Romille (1056-1096), a Breton, was grant- buildings although a section of ditching survives ed the lands of Bolton Abbey with over 9000 south of the road called ‘The Bailey’ although acres of ploughland, which included Skipton, this may be a putative borough earthwork. shortly after the Domesday survey. For reasons The curtain and towers, of limestone blocks of unknown he moved the caput of these Yorkshire fine ashlar, of the strong inner ward incorporat- estates from Bolton to Skipton and is said to ing some earlier work (probably late 12th cen- have built the original castle about 1090. During tury) are likely to have been built between the 12th and 13th centuries the tenure of the 1310 and 1314 by Robert de Clifford (1274- castle changed several times but was held, for a 1314). This inner ward has been much altered long period, by the Earls of Aumale and, in her and rebuilt, probably several times, but now own right, by Countess Hawise (d. 1214) before mainly features work of the late 15th century. coming into the hands of the Cliffords in 1311. In 1647 a parliamentary resolution ordered that

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ABOVE: Skipton Castle. Plan from the ‘History and Antiquities of the Deanery of Craven, in the County of York’, by Thomas Dunham Whitaker, 1878 (3rd ed.). BELOW: Skipton Castle. Sketch plan of the ground floor. From: R T Spence, ‘Skipton Castle and its Builders’ 2002. It probably represents the extent of the inner ward of the castle by the early 14th century.

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Skipton Castle: ABOVE: the disposition of the ground floor rooms of the compact Inner Bailey.

BELOW: the layout of the first-floor rooms. Drawings from the current Skipton Castle guidebook, and reproduced with thanks. The north-east round tower (to the right of ‘3’) is part of and connected to the private wing of the Fattorini family who continue to live in the castle’s east range.

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ABOVE: Skipton. View of the rear of the Edward II era Outer Gatehouse from within the courtyard. The ticket office and ‘shell’ room are on the left. Lower stair turret encased by a service building (right). BELOW: The west side of the Outer Gatehouse illustrating the heavily inserted fenestration and an outer west screen wall lining the outer (right) and inner sets of towers. The screen is 17th century infill creating narrow two-storey connecting rooms between the north and south towers. The NW stair- turret is visible top left of the photo. There are some analogies to the 1320s work at Pickering.

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Skipton - Outer gatehouse. 1. View from (©) Google Earth with the stair turret circled, (but not shown on the Whitaker plan). 2. The top of the circular stair turret on the NW side of the inner (rear) NW drum tower. Much of this may be later rebuild. There is no clear evidence for a mirrored stair turret on the NE drum tower. 3. The turret, now encased within the top-floor room in the cafe. 4. The narrow anti-clockwise cut-slab stairs from the ground floor, with an access door from outside the drum tower (now enclosed by a lean-to kitchen).

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Skipton Castle. The towered curtain that creates the Conduit court within. Forebuilding entrance to the left behind the tree. From right to left: Towers are named: Muniment, Watchtower(centre), Gatehouse, (south Gatehouse D-shaped tower). the castle ‘be disgarrisoned and made untena- The castle remains a home, the owners living ble’, which resulted in the reduction in height of in the east wing, a Tudor extension constructed the towers of the inner court. From 1657 the in 1535-6 and restored in 1659. The medieval indomitable Lady Anne Clifford, countess of parts of the castle are open to visitors as a Pembroke (1590-1676), who had been born in tourist attraction and educational resource. Of the castle, repaired it. the upstanding remains a good phased con- struction plan does not yet appear to have been The parish church of Skipton lies just outside done. Perhaps a future project. the castle with the town extending down the once broad, and still beautiful, High Street south Outer Gatehouse of it. Further south the valley of the River Aire The outer gatehouse complex is a fine double is fairly wide at this point and will have had rich twin drum-towered gate of the 14th century, c. meadow land. The Eller Beck was the site of 1314 or perhaps a little later with its upper several water mills. A park lay north of the stages much repaired by Lady Anne and now castle and large tracts of open moor to the west decorated with the motto DESORMAIS (Hence- and north would have provided alternative hunt- forth) and a fine heraldic plaque with the arms ing areas. The Augustinian Priory of St Mary & of Earl Henry Clifford from circa 1628. The St Cuthbert at Embsay, founded 1120 by cru- building might, in fact, have originated as a sader William Meschin and his wife Cecily de barbican and gatehouse, connected by an en- Romilly (c.1095-1152) daughter of Robert closing wall-walk either side, on a similar prin- Romille, by whom he obtained Skipton, lies ciple to Warwick or Alnwick. The connecting three km to the north east. walls were later built out to include chambers.

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Skipton Castle, looking north towards the present entrance forebuilding, above ‘Lady Anne’s steps’. The Watchtower in the foreground, with its upper post-Civil War rebuilt half above the string-course. One drum (the NE) contains a rare Renaissance- inal Norman gateway has been transformed into grotto of c. 1626. Post 14th-century work on the an early twin-towered gatehouse of the late 12th outer gatehouse masks what could have been or first quarter of the 13th century. Equally the quite an innovative gatehouse model without a forebuilding to this gate passage (see photo clear precedent and would benefit from a de- above) with an assumed, drawbridge and the tailed survey. A number of buildings of various buildings beside and over it are multi-phase and dates stand in the outer ward, most notable the in need of a clearer interpretation to understand well-preserved, freestanding, chapel of St John the form of the 12th century gate (said to be c. The Evangelist, probably of 13th century foun- 1190s) and its 13th century successor (c. 1220s). dation but with much 14th work. Lady Anne’s repairs are generally fairly readily identifiable where they have Renaissance detail The Inner Bailey Gate passage or form, but can, otherwise, be misleading since The gateway / gate passage of the inner court they have now weathered to be similar to earlier appears to be part 12th century, most clearly seen medieval work. looking at the portal from within the inner court, The Curtain Towers but also contains 13th century and later elements much mixed, over and underlying each other in a Clockwise from the twin drum-towered gate- manner that requires skilled detective work to house around the inner court (also called the come to an understanding of the phasing, the Conduit Court) lies the kitchen block, incorpo- location of doors in the various phases and the rating a 13th century round mural tower, which date of a portcullis (see below). Clearly the orig- survives well with roasting hearth, ovens and

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Skipton Castle, from the south-west (cropped). 1825, John Coney. © The Gott Collection. The present entrance forebuilding (left), Gatehouse Tower (middle) and the Watch Tower right. Note alterations to the lower lights (as currently seen). serving hatch with 14th century detail visible, Within the Conduit Court stands a Yew tree and a large latrine emptying into the Eller Beck. planted by Lady Anne in 1659. On the east side A large first-floor hall with a suitably imposing of the court a twin-bayed two-storey range with fireplace comes next followed by a suite of a central door opens directly onto a dividing private rooms with fine views to the north over wall with a heraldic plaque featuring the arms of the Beck and towards the park. Three round Henry 10th Baron Clifford (1454-1523), known towers, containing rooms that, presumably, as the Shepherd Lord supposedly because he functioned as residential chambers although spent his youth in hiding as a shepherd. This one is identified as a muniment tower, complete building is well integrated with the older towers the circuit. These tower appear to be late 13th to function as a Tudor manor house, which is century or early 14th century. what its façade strongly resembles.

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ABOVE: Skipton Castle. South gatehouse tower (left) and Watch Tower (right). Compared to the John Coney drawing on the previous page it is difficult to reconcile the configuration of the lights / arrow loops. Clearly there has been alteration, but it is not clear if some of the alterations are post-Coney in an effort to emphasise military features, or whether the earlier loops have been unblocked, which would seem more reasonable. BELOW: Looking back within the Conduit Court to the Norman rear gate-arch, with the flat inner face of the south ‘D’-shaped gate-tower of the early C13. The central Yew tree far left.

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ABOVE: Domestic rooms - Solar, bedchamber and withdrawing room above on the inside of the courtyard, backing onto the Muniment Tower. The armorial plaque bear the arms of John Clifford, ninth lord of Skipton, (d. 1461). The beasts supporting the shield are wyverns - half dragon, half sea serpent. BELOW: The courtyard side of the ‘Banqueting Hall’ on the first floor.

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ABOVE: Skipton’s Inner Gatehouse at basement (dungeon), courtyard and first-floor levels. BELOW: Left: Section through north tower, looking N. Right: Section through entrance passage looking S. From Derek Renn, ‘An Angevin gatehouse at Skipton Castle’, Château Gaillard 7, 1975. Measured and drawn by A B Rawson and J Hales, Skipton, 1974.

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Skipton Castle. Gatehouse. 1. The rear of the Norman gate-arch, perhaps the earliest remaining part of the castle. 2. Looking west along the added gate passage, towards the much rebuilt forebuilding. The stone-flagged floor may have replaced an earlier timber drawbridge. Below the floor is a vaulted chamber which may have been the drawbridge pit. 3. Looking east toward the Inner Bailey (Conduit Court) with the Norman entrance. 4. Evidence in the form of square narrow portcullis grooves in front of the Norman gateway on both sides. The grooves continue into the chamber above.

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Skipton Castle 1. First-floor portcullis chamber plan from Renn, 1975. The portcullis is, unusually, at the inner end of the gate passage. 2. The south groove (B) from the ground floor rising up to position B on fig. 1. 3. The south groove B within the first-floor portcullis chamber, with a square recess that may have housed the socket or bracket for the lifting mechanism. 4. The equivalent portcullis groove on the north side marked ‘A’ in fig.1.

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Skipton Castle - Elements of the Angevin gatehouse complex: 1. Arrow loop niche embrasure with round-headed rear-arch in the north ‘D’-shaped gatehouse tower courtyard level. 2. Connecting rooms of the gatehouse at courtyard level, north tower. 3. Interior side of doorway to what is now called the ‘dungeon’ - the space under the gate-passage. Note tapered chamfer. 4. The vaulted ‘dungeon’ which was probably the original drawbridge pit in part.

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Bibliography Ward, John, 1866, Skipton Castle: including Goodall, John, 2011, The English Castle 1066-1650 sketches of its noble owners and its historical asso- (Yale University Press) 148, 223, 244, 408, 420, 472-3 ciations (Skipton: James Tasker) Turner, Maurice, 2004, Yorkshire Castles: Explor- Turner, T. H. and Parker, J. H., 1859, Some account ing Historic Yorkshire (Otley: Westbury Publish- of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol. ing) passim 3 Part 2, 211 Spence, Richard T., 2002, Skipton Castle and its Grainge, W., 1855, Castles and Abbeys of York- Builders (Skipton: Skipton Castle) shire 157-169 Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses Whitaker, T. D., 1812, The History and Antiquities of Yorkshire (Malvern: Folly Publications), 94-8 of the Deanery of Craven in the County of York (London), 322-51 Ingham, Bernard, 2001, Bernard Ingham's York- shire Castles (Dalesman), 72-3 Grose, Francis, 1785 (new edn, originally 1756), Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by coun- Antiquities of England and Wales (London) Vol. 6 ties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press), 308-9 Periodical Articles Spence, Richard T., 1991, Skipton Castle in the Great Nevell, Richard, 2014-15, ‘Castles as prisons’ Cas- Civil War 1642-1645 (Skipton: Skipton Castle) tle Studies Group Journal Vol. 28, 203-224 King, D. J. C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum Brown, R. Allen, 1959, ‘A List of Castles, 1154– (London: Kraus) Vol. 2, 526 1216’ The English Historical Review Vol. 74 p. Ryder, P. F., 1982 (paperback edn 1992), The Medi- 249-280 (Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Cas- eval Buildings of Yorkshire (Ash Grove Book) 87- tles, conquest and charters: collected papers 107 (Woodbridge: Boydell Press), 90-121) Williams, D., 1981, Medieval Skipton (Craven Dis- Renn, D. F., 1975, ‘An Angevin gatehouse at trict Council) p. 10 Skipton Castle’ Château Gaillard Vol. 7, 172-182 Renn, D. F., 1973 (2 edn.), Norman Castles of Gee, E. A., 1969, ‘Skipton Castle; The King’s Britain (London: John Baker), 312 Manor (York)’ The Archaeological Journal Vol. 125, 333-4 Pevsner, N., 1959, Buildings of England: Yorkshire: West Riding (London, Penguin), 479-80 (Sanderson), 1913, The Builder Vol. 104,712-13 Illingworth, J. L., 1938 (republished 1970), York- Tipping, H.A., 1911, Country Life Vol. 39, 162-70, shire's Ruined Castles (Wakefield), 106-11 198-205 Primary Tipping, H. A., 1924, English Homes, period 1 Vol. 2 (London), 59-78 Clay, C.T. (ed), 1947, Early Yorkshire Charters. Based on the Manuscripts of the late William Farrer Ambler, L., 1913, The old halls and manor houses Vol. VII: The Honour of Skipton (Yorkshire Archaeo- of Yorkshire, with some examples of other houses logical Society Record Series, Extra Series, 5) built before the year 1700 (London: Batsford), 47-8 Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Edmondson, T.W., 1912, The early history of Skipton Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272- Castle (Bradford Historical and Antiquarian Society) 1422 (Boydell Press) (lists sources for 1272-1422) Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of C145/68(23) (Survey of 1307) The National Ar- England (London: Methuen and Co) chives reference (calendared in Maxwell Lyte, H.C., Mackenzie, J. D., 1896, Castles of England; their 1916, Calendar of Inquisitions Miscellaneous story and structure (New York: Macmillan) Vol. 2, (Chancery), preserved in the Public Record Office 263-5 (HMSO) Vol. 2 p. 6 No. 23 Dawson, 1882, History of Skipton (London), 65-86 C145/99(1) (Survey of 1324) The National Archives Whitaker, T. D., 1878 (3rd edn edited by A.W. Morant), reference (calendared in Maxwell Lyte, H.C., 1916, The History and Antiquities of the Deanery of Craven Calendar of Inquisitions Miscellaneous (Chancery), in the County of York (Leeds and London), 395-420 preserved in the Public Record Office (HMSO) Vol. 2 p. 207 No. 830 Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol. 3 (London) E142/50 (Survey of 40 Edward III) The National Archives reference

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