Kirkby Fleetham Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Fletham; Hall Garth

In the civil parish of Kirkby Fleetham With Fencote. In the historic county of Yorkshire North Riding (Modern Authority of North Yorkshire, 1974 county of North Yorkshire).

Site of moated manor house, built in about 1314, when granted licence to crenellate, to Sir Henry Le Scrope, on the site of an earlier motte and bailey castle. Earthworks and some walling are still visible on the site. The motte is roughly square, with a level top which retains traces of building remains in its southern half. A steep-sided moat surrounded the motte. The bailey lies to the south east and contains a number of earthworks which are believed to represent the remains of buildings and other features. A depression to the east of the bailey is interpreted as the silted remains of a fishpond. Further earthworks, north of this depression, mark the sites of three tofts, part of the medieval settlement of Fleetham. Is this square motte actually a more conventional small circular motte recut into the fashionable square shape in the C14?

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SE28479428

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 52355
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is MNY21748 '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
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire (Malvern) p52
    Jackson, M.J., 2001, Castles of North Yorkshire (Carlise) p35-6
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge)
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p301 [slight]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p519
    Pevsner, N., 1966. The Buildings of England: Yorkshire, North Riding (London) p214 [slight]
    Page, Wm (ed), 1914, VCH York, North Riding Vol1 p320-1 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=64760
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p407
• Journal Articles
  • Butler, Lawrence, 1992, 'The Origins of the Honour of Richmond and its Castles' Chateau-Gallard Vol16 p69-80 [Reprinted in Liddiard, Robert, (ed), 2003, Anglo-Norman Castles (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)]
    1972, Château Gaillard Vol5 p107
    I'Anson, W.M., 1927, 'The Mediaeval military effigies of Yorkshire Part II' Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol29 p17
    1884, Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol8 p99
• 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 (1313-17) p175