York Castle

York Castle is a fortified complex in the city of York, England. It consists of a sequence of castles, prisons, law courts and other buildings, which were built over the last nine centuries on the north-west side of the River Foss. The now ruined keep of the medieval Norman castle is commonly referred to as Clifford's Tower. Built originally on the orders of William the Conqueror to dominate the former Viking city of Jórvík, the castle suffered a tumultuous early history before developing into a major fortification with extensive water defences. After a major explosion in 1684 rendered the remaining military defences uninhabitable, York Castle continued to be used as a jail and prison until 1929.

The first motte and bailey castle on the site was built in 1068 following the Norman conquest of York. After the destruction of the castle by rebels and a Viking army in 1069, York Castle was rebuilt and reinforced with extensive water defences, including a moat and an artificial lake. York Castle formed an important royal fortification in the north of England. In 1190, 150 local Jews died in the timber castle keep; most of them committed suicide in order not to fall into the hands of the mob. In the middle of the 13th century, Henry III rebuilt the castle in stone creating a keep with a unique quatrefoil design, supported by an outer bailey wall and a substantial gatehouse.

During the Scottish wars between 1298 and 1338, York Castle was frequently used as the centre of royal administration across England, as well as an important military base of operations. York Castle fell into disrepair by the 15th and 16th centuries, becoming used increasingly as a jail for both local felons and political prisoners. By the time of Elizabeth I the castle was estimated to have lost all of its military value but was maintained as a centre of royal authority in York.

Text adapted from “York Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

York Castle ranks #359 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #28 of the 329 mapped in England. Founded 1068, it is older than 89% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 317 atlas entries founded in the 11th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 13,591 times in the last 60 days, more than 95% of the atlas. 8 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Sheffield, 69 km away. See how England compares in the castle statistics.

View on the interactive castle map →

Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗