Harsley Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Hatlesey; Hartesey vel Harlesey

In the civil parish of West Harlsey. In the historic county of Yorkshire North Riding (Modern Authority of North Yorkshire, 1974 county of North Yorkshire).

The farmhouse incorporates part of C14 castle but is mainly of C19 date. The building is of two storeys and is of rendered stone with a pantile roof. The house is of four bays, the right hand bay has a lower roof. Bay two contains a four-panel door with overlight set in a plain doorcase with pilasters, frieze and cornice. Stables at Harsley Castle Farmhouse. Part of the early C15 castle keep, now stables. The single storey, three bay building is of coursed rubble stone and has two plain waggon openings to the centre and left, to the right is a smaller doorway. There are three chambers with stone barrel vaulted roofs, the chamber to the left has the remains of a large chimney. Castle was in existence by 1423 when Sir James Strangeways took it over. It later fell into disuse after the manor was forfeited to the crown in C16. A moat still survives as do the massive vaulted undercrofts which are used as cellars.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 332522)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SE41539803

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 55698; 55709; 1266470
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is MNY496 '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.

• Books
  • Jackson, M.J., 2001, Castles of North Yorkshire (Carlise) p25-7 [plan]
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire (Malvern) p42
    Ingham, Bernard, 2001, Bernard Ingham's Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p19
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p413
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p290
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p528
    Jennings, B. (ed), 1970, History of Harrogate and Knaresborough p345-7
    Pevsner, N., 1966. The Buildings of England: Yorkshire, North Riding (London) p151
    Page, Wm (ed), 1914, VCH York, North Riding Vol1 p434-8 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=64780
    Armitage and Montgomerie, 1912, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Yorkshire Vol2 p48-9
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p223
    Whellan T, 1859, History and Topography of the City of York and the North Riding of Yorkshire Vol2 p329
    Allen, T., 1831, History of Yorkshire Vol3 p537
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p327
• Journal Articles
  • Dennison, Ed and Richardson, Shaun with contributions by Erik Matthews, 2007-8, 'Recent Work on some North Yorkshire Castles' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol21 p157-166
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p553
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p68 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl01
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Matthews, E. and Richardson, S., 2007, Harlsey Castle, North Yorkshire: Some Preliminary Observations [unpublished report for Mrs S. Kirk, Harlsey Castle Farm]