Flamborough Castle: A Medieval Fortified Manor House in Yorkshire
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 3.2
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- English
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page9 sections
History
Origins and Fourteenth-Century Construction
Flamborough Castle is a medieval fortified manor house in Flamborough, United Kingdom, established by the Constable family in the late eleventh century. The first fortified manor on the site was built around 1090, and an official associated with the office of constable was present there between 1180 and 1193.
A small private place of worship, or oratory, was added in 1319. The present castle structure was begun by Marmaduke Constable on 12 February 1352, following a licence to crenellate granted by King Edward III on 24 May 1351. This royal authorization permitted the residence to receive defensive features such as battlements. The current structure is therefore dated to 1351 and 1352, while the earlier fortified manor had originated around 1090.
Constable Ownership and Decline
The castle remained with the Constable family until 1537. On 6 July that year, Sir Robert Constable was executed, and the family forfeited Flamborough Castle together with thirty-four other manors to the Crown. John Leland visited in 1537 and described a complex containing a tower, hall, great parlour, lord’s parlour, chapel, courthouse, mill house, and great barn.
The castle was already in ruins by about 1540. Repairs followed in 1543, but the building was largely demolished by about 1573, when the kitchen was removed. The Constable family recovered the Flamborough estate from Queen Elizabeth I in 1582, although they did not return to live at the ruinous castle. They sold it in 1636, and the Strickland family acquired it in 1656.
Later Uses and Archaeological Work
By 1798 the ruins were being used as a cattle barn, a function that continued until at least 1892. Stone was taken from the castle for later buildings in Flamborough, while lime kilns were built within the surrounding earthworks. These installations burned chalk or limestone to make lime for mortar, plaster, and other construction purposes.
J. R. Earnshaw first excavated the surrounding earthworks around 1964. Further excavation and partial repairs took place between 2017 and 2018. Flamborough Castle is a Grade II listed medieval manor house. Its early structure is associated with about 1090, its present castle with 1351 and 1352, and its large-scale demolition with about 1573.
Remains
Manor House Ruins
The Danish Tower
The surviving castle fabric consists of partial ruins built from chalk, with the principal tower known as the Danish Tower. Three of its walls remain, reaching approximately 4 metres in height. The north wall had collapsed by no later than 1925, and the tower’s vaulted chamber had collapsed before 1971. The surviving tower forms the principal upstanding element of the ruined manor house.
The Former Castle Complex
The wider complex described by John Leland in 1537 included the tower, hall, great parlour, lord’s parlour, chapel, courthouse, mill house, and great barn. A kitchen also formed part of the complex before it was removed during the large-scale demolition around 1573. These recorded buildings establish the range of domestic, religious, administrative, and agricultural functions once associated with the manor.
Earthworks and Industrial Features
Flamborough Castle stands within surrounding earthworks, including human-made banks, ditches, platforms, and related ground alterations. Excavation of these features began around 1964, with additional work and partial repairs in 2017 and 2018. The earthworks also contain evidence for lime kilns constructed after the castle had entered its later ruinous phase. Their presence reflects the continued use of the site for building-related activity after the medieval manor had ceased to function as a residence.
