Ayton Castle is a ruined

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

14th century

pele tower Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and about 1600. They were free-standing ...

castle near

West Ayton West Ayton is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. Located upon the west bank of the River Derwent adjacent to East Ayton. According to the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 UK census, West Ayton parish had a po ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, England.

Location

The castle is sited at the southeast edge of the

North York Moors The North York Moors is an upland area in north-eastern Yorkshire, England. It contains one of the largest expanses of Calluna, heather moorland in the United Kingdom. The area was designated as a national parks of England and Wales, National P ...

National Park, on rising ground near the main fording point of the River Derwent. It is close to the

A170 road The A170 is an A road in North Yorkshire, England that links Thirsk with Scarborough through Hambleton, Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, and Pickering. The road is , and a single carriageway for almost its totality. The route has been in existence s ...

, a main road between

Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England; it is known for its racecourse and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological finds indicate there was a settlement in Thirsk aro ...

and

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

that runs along the park's south edge.

History

A fortified manor house or castle existed on the site from the 12th century. In the 13th century the occupiers were the de Aton family, who gained their name from the village of West Ayton, which is listed in the Domesday book as "Atune". The area came under regular attack from Scottish raiders, and stronger fortification was required. The pele castle was built by Ralph Eure of Witton in the late 14th century, after inheriting the lands through marriage to the co-heiress Katherine de Aton, daughter of William de Aton, 2nd Baron Aton. The castle became known as the "Defender of the Dales" The castle was abandoned in the late 17th century and became ruinous. Most of the structure below ground has remained intact, including a twin-tunnel vault. The ruined site was Grade I listed on 18 January 1967. It is a rare example of this type of castle in Northern England. The site is closed to the public but the castle can be seen from a nearby field.

Architecture

The castle is around by . It originally had three stories, each one offset with a chamfered string course. The ruin includes the remains of a

peel tower Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the England, English and Scotland, Scottish Border country, borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and ab ...

constructed of sandstone.

Citations

References

* * {{Castles in North Yorkshire Castles in North Yorkshire Buildings and structures in North Yorkshire Demolished buildings and structures in North Yorkshire Former castles in England