Sheriff Hutton Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Shirehuton; Shirhuton; Shirifwottes; Shirefhoton; Sherry-Hutton; Castle Ile

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

The standing and buried remains of a large fortified house, built in 1382, as the successor to the earlier earthwork castle by the church (qv). It consisted of four angle towers and connecting ranges and was in a ruinous condition by 1618. The two western towers remain together with the gatehouse (probably an early C15 addition), and fragments of the two other towers and connecting ranges. Under the south west tower is a deep cellar. Licence to crenellate granted to John, Lord Neville in 1382. Leland wrote 'I saw no house in the north so much like the palace of a prince.'
Privately owned and access to the interior by prior arrangement only but a public footpath around the castle gives good views of the castle and the extensive garden earthworks. Used as a palace for Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset, the acknowledged bastard son of Henry VIII, during his childhood.
Systematical robbed of its fixtures, fitting, timbers and fine stone it shared the fate of most castles and its "gates were more likely stolen than stormed" (Richardson, 2009).

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 329526)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SE651662

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 58375
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is MNY21539 '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.ecastles.co.uk/hutton.html
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheriff_Hutton_Castle
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/100/sheriff.html
• Books
  • Hislop, M., 2007, John Lewyn of Durham: a medieval mason in practice (Oxford: John and Erica Hedges: BAR British series no438)
    Dennison, E. (ed), 2005, Within the pale: the story of Sheriff Hutton Park [by the Sheriff Hutton Women's Institute Community Pale Project] (York: William Sessions) [esp chap 'The Second Sheriff Hutton Castle' p96-121]
    Jackson, M.J., 2001, Castles of North Yorkshire (Carlise) p70-74 [plan]
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire (Malvern) p90-1
    Ingham, Bernard, 2001, Bernard Ingham's Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p86-7
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p390
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p298-9
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p525
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p297
    Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1975, The history of the King's Works Vol3: 1485-1660 (part 1) (London) p293-5
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Pevsner, N., 1966. The Buildings of England: Yorkshire, North Riding (London) p339-40
    Illingworth, J.L., 1938 (republished 1970), Yorkshire's Ruined Castles (Wakefield) p142-3
    Calthrp, C., 1923, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH York, North Riding Vol2 p174-76 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=64637#s2
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p259-61
    Wheater, W., 1884, Historic Mansions of Yorkshire Vol1 p214-32
    Tempest, S., 1875, The History of Sheriff Hutton and District
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p211, 419
    Grainge, W., 1855, Castles and Abbeys of Yorkshire p237-42
    Gill, Thomas, 1852, Vallis Eboracumenses p426
    Todd, G., 1824, Castellum Huttonicum, Some Account of Sheriff Hutton Castle (York)
    Bigland, J., 1812, Beauties of England and Wales Vol16 p248-50
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p343
• Journal Articles
  • Richardson, Shaun and Dennison, Ed, 2008-9, 'Architectural and Archaeological survey of the North-east Tower of Sheriff Hutton Castle' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol22 p179-200 [extensive report]
    Richardson, Shaun and Dennison, Ed, 2007-8, 'The Castles of Sheriff Hutton' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol21 p172-88
    Dennison, E., 1998, 'Recent Work at Sheriff Hutton' CBA Forum (newsletter of CBA Yorkshire) p7-12
    Dennison, E., 1997, 'Sheriff Hutton Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol154 p291-6
    1934, Archaeological Journal Vol91 p390
    1893, Journal of the Society of Antiquaries Vol28 p9-11
    Pritchett, 1887, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol43 p229-31
• 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 (1381-85) p108
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/yorkseng.html#yorks51]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p543, 550
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p65-6 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl01
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Richardson, Shaun, 16 May 2009, 'Sheriff Hutton Castle and its designed Landscape' Castles, Landscapes and Lordship: Aspects of Castle Studies (Royal Archaeological Institute/Yorkshire Archaeological Society Medieval Section Conference at York)
    Richardson, Shaun and Dennison, Ed, 2008, Sheriff Hutton Castle, Sheriff Hutton, North Yorkshire: Architectural and Archaeological Survey of the North East Tower (2 vols) [unpublished EDAS report 2002/158.R01 for English Heritage and Dr R Howarth]
    GSB Prospection Ltd, 2006, Sheriff Hutton: The Second Castle and Gardens [GSB report 2006/02 for Ed Dennison Archaeological Services Ltd]
    GSB Prospection Ltd, 2004, Sheriff Hutton, North Yorkshire [GSB report 2004/89 for Ed Dennison Archaeological Services Ltd]
    Humble, E., 2003. Yorkshire courtyard castles and social identities c 1360 - 1420: ambitions and anxieties (University of York)
    Field Archaeology Specialists Ltd, 2003, Conservation Plan: Sheriff Hutton Castle, North Yorkshire [FAS report for Dr R. Howarth]
    English Heritage, 29/01/2002, Sherriff Hutton quadrangular castle and early garden earthworks
    Dennison, E., 1996, Sheriff Hutton Castle, North Yorkshire: An Architectural and Archaeological Survey [EDAS report 1996/10R.01 for English Heritage and Dr R Howarth]
    Winton, H., 1993, Sheriff Hutton Project (National Monuments Record Centre) [Aerial photographical Interpreation Report]
    McCavana, Kate, 1993, 'Sheriff Hutton Castle: An Archaeological Survey of the South West Tower and South Range' (University of York)