Bolton Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Bolton in Wensleydale

In the civil parish of Castle Bolton With East And West Bolton. In the historic county of Yorkshire North Riding (Modern Authority of North Yorkshire, 1974 county of North Yorkshire).

Remains of a fortified house, built by John Lewyn, master-mason, for Richard le Scrope. Rubble with ashlar dressings. Four 3-storey ranges about a rectangular courtyard, with 4-storey corner towers, that to north-east demolished. Turrets in the centres of north and south ranges. Entrance was by a gatehouse in the east range, with a chamfered pointed arch set in a taller arch, the passage barrel-vaulted. Plinths, quoins. The original windows are lancets with cinque-cusped heads and labels, with some in the south-west tower altered to form 3-light mullion and transom windows. Interior: main chambers on the first floor of the north range, chapel on the second floor of the south range with, in addition, eight apartments and twelve lodgings for retainers. The building was already partly constructed in 1378. Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned here in 1568-9. Besieged and `slighted' during the Civil War in 1645. There are planning similarities with Bodiam Castle in that it can be broken down into eight major household units and some twelve lesser lodgings all integrated into one unified conception The walls have recently been consolidated by English Heritage. Licence to crenellate granted to Richard, Lord Scrope in July 1379.
'Bolton Castle was... intended as a piece of social theatre, an exercise in keeping up with the Nevilles, rather than as purely military defensive engineering.' (King, 2007, p392)

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 321750)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SE03379183

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 48868
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is MYD4561 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.boltoncastle.co.uk/
    http://www.castles-abbeys.co.uk/Bolton-Castle.html
    http://www.dales-castles.org.uk/bolton.htm
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/bolton/bolton.php#castle
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/98/boltoncastle.htm
    http://www.outofoblivion.org.uk/record.asp?id=131
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/bolton.html
• Books
  • Hislop, M., 2007, John Lewyn of Durham: a medieval mason in practice (Oxford: John and Erica Hedges: BAR British series no438)
    Jackson, M.J., 2001, Castles of North Yorkshire (Carlise) p2-5
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire (Malvern) p22-4
    Ingham, Bernard, 2001, Bernard Ingham's Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p84-5
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p303, 421
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p287-8 [plan]
    Trueman, M.R.G. and Neil, N.R.J., 1992, Bolton Castle, North Yorkshire - the North and East Ranges (Lancaster: Lancaster University Archaeological Unit)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p513-4
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p192
    Garlick, Tom, 1972, Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p14
    Simpson, W. Douglas, 1969, Castles of England and Wales p98-101
    Pevsner, N., 1966, The Buildings of England: Yorkshire North Riding (London, Penguin) p104-6
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p211-3
    Illingworth, J.L., 1938 (republished 1970), Yorkshire's Ruined Castles (Wakefield) p136-7
    Page, Wm (ed), 1914, VCH York, North Riding Vol1 p271-3 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=64753#s3
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p208-10
    Speight, H., 1897, Romantic Richmondshire p403-7
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p179-80
    Whellan T, 1859, History and Topography of the City of York and the North Riding of Yorkshire Vol2 p441-7
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p418
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1853, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol2 p227-31
    Grainge, W., 1855, Castles and Abbeys of Yorkshire p341-7
    Britton, John, 1835, The Architectural Antiquities of Great Britain (London) Vol4 p124-6
    Allen, T., 1831, History of Yorkshire Vol3 p505
    Whitaker, T.D., 1823, History of Richmondshire Vol1 p378-80
    Bigland, J., 1812, Beauties of England and Wales Vol16 p909-10
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol6 p67-71
• Journal Articles
  • King, Andy, 2007, 'Fortress and fashion statements: gentry castles in fourteenth-century Northumberland' Journal of Medieval History Vol33 p392
    1995, Rescue News Vol66 p8
    1992-3, Castle Studies Group Newsltter Vol6 19-20
    1992 May 21, Country Life Vol185 p70-3
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p318
    Faulkner, P.A., 1964, 'Castle Planning in the 14th Century' Archaeological Journal Vol120 p225-30, 234
• Guidebooks
  • Orde-Powlett, Tom, nd, Bolton Castle The Historic Heart of Wensleydale
    Jackson, G., 1980 10edn, The Story of Bolton Castle: an Introduction to the Wensleydale Fortress of the Scropes (Dalesman) [original edn 1956]
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls (1377-81) p369
    Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p477
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/yorkseng.html#yorks58]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p554, 564, 569-70
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p79 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl01 ; Vol4 p27 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl04lelauoft; Vol5 p139-40 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl05lelauoft