Scarborough Castle

Scarborough Castle stands on a clifftop overlooking the town of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, in England. The earliest castle fortifications on the site were built in the 1130s, and over the centuries several other structures were added. Today, the castle is a ruin, but still attracts many visitors to climb the battlements, take in the views and enjoy the accompanying interactive exhibition run by English Heritage.

History

Prior to the establishment of the castle in the twelfth century, an Roman signal station stood on the site, and there is some evidence of an Iron Age settlement. Little is known about the circumstances surrounding the original foundation of the castle: its founder was William le Gros, Count of Aumale (died 1179), a powerful Anglo-Norman baron who built the castle following his receipt of the Earldom of York from King Stephen in 1138. Some information has survived in the chronicle of William of Newburgh, a monk who wrote about the foundation of the castle in the 1190s. William le Gros built a wall on the landward side, and a gate tower at the entrance.

It has been argued that these earliest fortifications were wood-built, so rapidly decayed; after twenty years, Henry II (reigned 1154-1189), who had ordered the barons' estates to be returned to the Crown, extensively rebuilt the castle, including the keep which survives to this day, and an inner wall to protect the bailey. This rebuilding occurred between 1157 and 1169, creating a much stronger stone complex. Alternatively, Henry may simply have destroyed the original tower, replacing it with the three-story keep.

Both William and Henry would have recognised the economic significance of building a castle at Scarborough, as east coast ports were much in-use for trade; it is likely that Scarborough's 'Old Town' rapidly appeared around it, especially once Henry granted Scarborough the status of a royal borough. The castle was an attractive assignment for would-be governors, highly sought-after by powerful nobles of the day loyal to the King. Overall, Henry's interest in the castle seems to have been a strategy to weaken William's power over much of Yorkshire at that time, and can be seen as one story in the long struggle for power between the monarchy and the barons which occurred in the two centuries after the Norman Conquest.

Strife continued during the reign of King John (reigned 1199-1215), during which time the castle developed its military role. John's rule was strongly opposed by the northern barons, so the castle at Scarborough needed to be fortified as a strategic stronghold. John visited the castle only four times during his reign, but spent a considerable sum on upgrading the defences, including the curtain wall on the west and south sides, and a new hall called the 'King's Chamber'. John granted the townsfolk certain economic freedoms which ensured their loyalty to the Crown while the rest of Yorkshire turned against him; he also had a small fleet of ships stationed in the harbour below.

References

• Binns J (2001) The History of Scarborough from Earliest Times to the Year 2000. Blackthorn. ISBN 0954630009.
• Clark GT 'Scarborough Castle'. The Yorkshire Archaeological and Topographical Journal VIII.
• Dalton P (2001) The Foundation and Development of Scarborough in the Twelfth Century. In Crouch D & Pearson T (eds) Medieval Scarborough Studies in Trade and Civic Life, Yorkshire Archaeological Society Occasional Paper 1. West Yorkshire: Yorkshire Archaeological Society & Scarborough Archaeological and Historical Society.
• Hinderwell T (1811) The History and Antiquities of Scarborough, and the Vicinity. York: Thomas Wilson & Sons.

External links

• Castle Explorer - Scarborough Castle - unofficial site including a brief history
• Scarborough Castle - unofficial site highlighting major figures involved in its building; includes a detailed time line and a map of the site
• The Heritage Trail - Scarborough Castle - unofficial site including a brief history and images of various sites of national heritage