Sigston Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Kirby Sigston; Kirkby Sigston; Berford; Beresend; Beresende

In the civil parish of Winton Stank And Hallikeld. In the historic county of Yorkshire North Riding (Modern Authority of North Yorkshire, 1974 county of North Yorkshire).

Moated C14 quadrangular castle. The land on which the castle was built was acquired by John de Sigston in 1313 and a licence to crenellate was granted for 'Beresende' in 1336. The foundations of the curtain walls and central keep survive as upstanding earthworks. The moat is partially dry and partially marsh-filled. There are remains of extensive ridge and furrow in fields to the north of the castle.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SE41659515

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 55701
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is MNY502 '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) p74-6 [plan]
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire (Malvern) p92
    Ingham, Bernard, 2001, Bernard Ingham's Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p22-3
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p301 [slight]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p520
    Pevsner, N., 1966. The Buildings of England: Yorkshire, North Riding (London) p212
    Page, Wm (ed), 1914, VCH York, North Riding Vol1 p405-7 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=64777
    Armitage and Montgomerie, 1912, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Yorkshire Vol2 p51
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p261-2
    Whellan, T., 1857, History and topography of the city of York and the North Riding of Yorkshire (T Whellan and Co) Vol2 p334
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p411
• Journal Articles
  • I'Anson, W.M., 1913, 'The castles of the North Riding' Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol22 p342
• 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 (1334-38) p221