CSG Annual Conference - April 2017 - Sheriff Hutton Sheriff Hutton. The South-East corner of the Inner Court viewed from the Middle Court. Entrance and SE Tower, perhaps associated with or accommodating the chapel. THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE 2015-1671 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 31: 2017-18 CSG Annual Conference - April 2017 - Sheriff Hutton ABOVE: Aerial view of Sheriff Hutton from the west. Neville’s lodgings and chambers are in the rectangular corner tower in the lower right hand corner. Photo taken in July 1951 prior to recent housing developments. (CUCAP GU82) BELOW: Pre-1887 photograph showing the view from the south from the park to the castle across the double ditch. The SW tower to the left hand corner. Taken from Dennison 2005, 133 - original photograph is in the Tony Wright collection. THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE 2015-1672 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 31: 2017-18 CSG Annual Conference - April 2017 - Sheriff Hutton Sheriff Hutton: ABOVE: Measured earthwork survey taken from Dennison (2005, 124). BELOW: Schematic reconstruction taken from Dennison (2005) THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE 2015-1673 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 31: 2017-18 CSG Annual Conference - April 2017 - Sheriff Hutton Sheriff Hutton Council of the North and becoming home for the titular President of the Council and his In 1534 John Leland wrote of Sheriff Hutton "I bona fide advisors. saw no house in the north so like a princely logginges" although Leland, writing for Henry In 1537, shortly after John Leland’s visit Hen- VIII, knew this was the home of Henry FitzRoy, ry FitzRoy died and the Council of the North the king’s natural son. As the 15 year old boy started to make increasing use of the King’s was also, at that time, Lord President of the House at York, yet the castle remained an Council of the North, and Warden of the March- occasional residence for the President of the es towards Scotland he and his court based in Council until the end of the 16th century. In the castle were effectively the government of the 17th century, the castle remained, at least the North. partly, occupied and functioned as a manorial court but it began to be systematically robbed The village, as the name states, is built on the of its lead, the valuable large timbers, small end of a lowish promontory in the rolling clay iron work and things like decorative wainscot- lands of the Vale of York. This gives the mas- ting. There was also some stone robbing al- sive stone quadrangular castle some extra visual though the value of that stone was not great prominence, particularly viewed from the and, hence, we are left with todays ruins. southern approach road from York (The castle is invisible from, and has little view of, the The deer park of Sheriff Hutton predates the northern approach). Leland reports the stone for quadrangular castle being in existence before the castle came from Terrington three miles 1282, this originally lay east of the original NNE, on the edge of the Howardian Hills, castle but was enlarged in 1334 and again in where a Jurassic limestone was quarried. the late 14th century to occupy some 290 hect- ares (720 acres) south and south east of the John Neville 3rd Baron Neville de Raby (c. village. Marton Priory, founded by Bertram de 1337-1388) was granted a licence to crenellate Bulmer in the mid 12th century, lies 7 km in 1382 and make a castle in his lands of Shiref- NW. The parish church of St Helen’s has a hoton. Building, on an apparently virgin site, 12th century nave and tower. lt contains the started around this time. An earlier timber cas- stone effigy of Sir Edmund Thweng (d. 1344) tle, beside the parish church, probably original- (the Thweng’s were the Neville stewards) and ly built by a Bulmer - Bertram de Bulmer being an alabaster effigy of a boy, reputedly Edward the eponymous Sheriff of York in 1115 - existed Prince of Wales (1473-84), the 10 year old son and as the Nevilles increased their holdings in of Richard III who was born and died at Mid- Sheriff Hutton on several occasions they had dleham Castle, but more probably a Neville obtaining this earlier old castle and its park child, possibly Ralph Neville, died c.1436. before 1257. The Nevilles had become increas- ingly powerful during the 14th century and were The village, originally Saxon, shows sign of expanding many of their homes in the north (c.f. planned enlargement in the mid 12th and late Middleham). The site by the church was not 13th/early 14th centuries. A grant for a market adequate for the grand house now required for and fair was made in 1378. the Nevilles (still, in 1382, of gentry status In design the inner court of the castle is similar although John’s son Ralph was made Earl of to Bolton and Wressle castles, although appar- Westmorland in 1397). The castle remained a ently somewhat less regular when considered home for the increasingly powerful Nevilles in detail. Overall the inner court measures 66m until the death of Richard Neville, Earl of War- by just over 52m externally. Adjacent to the wick, known as ‘Warwick the Kingmaker’ in south eastern tower, forming part of the east- 1471 when it was seized by the crown. For the ern curtain wall, is the gatehouse which led out next 50 years it was used as a centre of royal into the middle court. This is thought to have authority in the North periodically hosting the been an early 15th century addition to the THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE 2015-1674 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 31: 2017-18 CSG Annual Conference - April 2017 - Sheriff Hutton Suggested phases of development for Sheriff Hutton vil- lage. (From Denni- son, 1998). castle and retains a frieze of four heraldic basement, ground floor rooms and well lit first shields dated after 1402. This gatehouse is one and second floors approximately 6m and 5m of the features which suggests that the castle high respectively. Each floor had windows in was designed as a high prestige residence with the southern and western walls, and where the considerations of the display of wealth and pow- moulding survives, appear to have been typi- er taking precedence over the needs of defence. cally trefoil headed, often with twin lights. The The gatehouse has no has no clear surviving other three corner towers are similar in design evidence for the provision of a portcullis and except that in place of the two high roofed could perhaps be circumvented by a ground upper floors there are three less lofty storeys. floor doorway through the southern curtain wall. There is evidence that ground level chambers within the curtain walls also had windows The south western tower has the best views over facing out of the castle and it is possible that the Vale of York and is thought to have included the doorway through the southern curtain wall parts of the high-status accommodation. lt was was mirrored on the northern and western divided into four floors with barrel-vaulted walls as well. THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE 2015-1675 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 31: 2017-18 CSG Annual Conference - April 2017 - Sheriff Hutton ABOVE: Armorial shields over the gatehouse entrance with heraldic devices. BELOW: Sheriff Hutton. Unknown artist. Medium Etching and aquatint on paper. Dimensions Image: 122 x 174 mm Collection: Tate Acquisition Purchased as part of the Oppé Collection with assistance from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund, 1996. Reference: Tate Britain: T11671. Probably a view from the south-east, c. 1820. The bridge in the background is interesting. The wooden Lady Bridge crossing the double canals had gone by the end of the 16th century, but there was evidence for a footbridge in approximately the same position into the 20th century. THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE 2015-1676 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 31: 2017-18 CSG Annual Conference - April 2017 - Sheriff Hutton Sheriff Hutton (detail). Drawing is part of the Patrick Allan Fraser Album. Medium: Etching on paper. Dimensions 86 x 169 mm. Purchased by the Tate Gallery as part of the Oppé Collection with assistance from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund 1996. Tate Reference T11607. The north side of the castle’s inner court is shown, with York Minster in the far background. This album dates from the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century and comprises ninety-two individually itemised drawings and prints, some of which have now been removed and separately mounted. It was once owned by the gentleman engraver Francis Place and formed part of his collection of ‘pictures, prints drawings & other things belonging to my painting room’ which in his will he bequeathed to his second wife, Ann Wilkinson. Place died in 1728 and his wife in 1732, when the collection was inherited by their two daughters, Frances, who married Wadham Wynd- ham in 1733, and Ann, wife of Stonier Parrott. ABOVE: The north view of Sheriff Hutton near York, dated 1721. Samuel and Nathaniel Buck. The Buck drawing compares closely to the unknown artist of the above etching, who evidently was in the circle of Francis Place. Place’s early style was very similar, c.f. Richmond, c. 1670. THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE 2015-1677 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 31: 2017-18 CSG Annual Conference - April 2017 - Sheriff Hutton Sheriff Hutton, View of the NW Tower (Possibly kitchen and services with chambers over).