Skipsea Castle, East Riding of Yorkshire

Over the centuries hundreds of castles have been constructed across England, although it is the period after the Norman Conquest of 1066 when castles sprang up across the country. At the time, the defensive structure was a necessity against local unrest, but even through until the seventeenth century, the castle was often needed.

Today many castles are visitor attractions, including the likes of Warwick Castle. Numerous others though are simply overlooked. This is because whilst some castles are complete, like the Tower of London, others have been ravaged by time and conflict until there is little evidence left of their existence. One such example of this is Skipsea Castle.

Motte of Skipsea Castle - Phil Williams - CC-BY-SA-2.0

Located on the B1249 road at Skipsea Brough, 8 miles south of Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, some visitors to Skipsea Castle might be disappointed about what they actually see. As they approach there are no impressive battlements to observe, and indeed the only intriguing thing to see against the landscape is a distinctly unnatural looking hill. This hill though is all that remains of Skipsea Castle, the hill being the bailey of the Norman motte and bailey castle.

Construction of Skipsea Castle was started shortly after the Norman Conquest, when William I gave the lordship of Holderness to Drogo de la Beauviere, one of his most trusted supporters.

The location for Skipsea Castle was carefully chosen as on one hand it needed to be able to control the surrounding area, but also needed to be easily defended. Thus the bailey was constructed within the marshy area of Skipsea Mere, and was partially surrounded by a lake. Indeed the motte was separated from the bailey, and only joined by a wooden walkway.

For a hundred and thirty years Skipsea Castle prospered, and remained the seat of the Counts of Aumale for this period. A fortified town was created on a nearby ridge of land to add to the castle’s prestige and security. Eventually though, in about 1200AD, Skipsea Castle fell out of use as the headquarters, for the Lordship of Holderness was moved to the manor of Burstwick.

Shortly afterwards the defensive structures of Skipsea Castle were destroyed, at the behest of King Henry III, when Count William de Forz II, the then owner of Skipsea Castle rebelled against the crown with a number of other nobles. A few years later the Count was reconciled with the king, but by then all that remained of Skipsea Castle was the bailey.

Skipsea Castle - Stephen Horncastle - CC-BY-SA-2.0

Today Skipsea Castle is in the hands of English Heritage, and is open to the public free of charge. Whilst there are no stone fortifications to marvel at, it is still possible to walk over the bailey and imagine the impressive castle that once stood there.

Copyright - First Published 29th December 2011