In March 2020, my first academic year at the University of York, where I am currently studying a BA in History and English and Related Literature, was abruptly cut short following the outbreak of the Covid.19 pandemic. As was the case with most students, this was a personal blow. Consequently, I found that numerous exams and essays were completely cancelled, thus crucial aspects to my learning programme were permanently removed. I would not resume study until I returned to university in October.
Having now found myself in a situation in which I had more disposable time to kill, I decided to spend this wisely an embark on a short writing exercise on a topic of my choice, the goal being to retain a level of writing which would enable to be resume my next year of study with greater ease. As an avid Medievalist, I decided to write a piece on Sheriff Hutton Castle, a ruin close to where I live which, despite being mentioned in several books, is lacking any sort of recent analysis solely based on its own historical merit.
The more I read on the castle’s illustrious history, the more I found this to be unusual; indeed, the castle itself was built by the formidable Nevilles in the late 14th century, after which it passed to the Crown and thus into the possession of King Richard III. During the Wars of the Roses, many notable historical figures graced Sheriff Hutton as the country remained embroiled in brutal and bloody civil war. These included Edward, Earl of Warwick and Margaret Plantagenet – the children of George, Duke of Clarence, and Elizabeth of York who was strategically incarcerated at Sheriff Hutton on Richard’s orders after it came to light that a betrothal existed between Elizabeth and Richard’s nemesis, Henry Tudor, the future King Henry VII. There were even rumours that the former king, Edward V and his brother Richard – now remembered as the ‘princes in the tower’ were kept alive and hidden at Sheriff Hutton, although this remains a subject of ongoing debate.
Under the Tudor monarch’s Sheriff Hutton retained its royal links. In 1525, King Henry VIII sent his illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy to be raised and educated by the finest humanist scholars from Sheriff Hutton, where he was to establish his own court. Given that King Henry still lacked a legitimate male heir, it was rumoured that he was intend on naming Fitzroy his successor. Fitzroy remained at Sheriff Hutton for 4 years, where he was taught alongside Henry Howard, now regarded as one of the finest poets of the age, who, alongside Sir Thomas Wyatt, was responsible for introducing the sonnet to the English language.
During the later 16th century, plans were drawn up for a Royal Progress north, which were to include Sheriff Hutton. Thus, the arrival of Queen Elizabeth I was expected, and the gardens were restructured under the orders of Robert Dudley, who was responsible for similar renovations at Kenilworth, which was regarded as one of the ‘wonder houses’ of the age; it is possible that Sheriff Hutton was just as grand.
Nevertheless, by the turn of the century, Sheriff Hutton Castle had fallen into ruin, as the grand age of the castle drew to a close. Consequently, the walls, towers and roofs were plundered and pillaged, and little of the once mighty fortress remains. The more I read and gathered information about the history of the castle, the greater I felt a duty to retell its story, which appears to have been eclipsed by other greater fortresses, such as Middleham and Bolton. Equally, the history of Sheriff Hutton Castle is fragmented, and thus open to interpretation. This allowed for a greater creative licence, inducing me to retell the story from a unique perspective based on my own prior knowledge of the age.
Subsequently, what was initially a short essay turned into a 200-page book. As I became engrossed in my research I spent more and more time at the ruin, speaking with locals and other historians, in order to piece together an accurate portrayal of the castle’s history and its impact on the surrounding 21st century landscape. I found that it remains a staple mark upon the community, physically and metaphorically dominating the area which, although much changed, is still intrinsically tied to its regal heritage and past. This makes the lacking of any recent information on the castle all the more tragic; indeed, so little of it remains that its future is still uncertain despite the best efforts of English Heritage to preserve the remaining four towers of the inner ward which, in 2001 were near collapse.
Therefore, the aim of this book is not only to retell the story of one of Yorkshires most overlooked castles, but to encourage the restoration and preservation of our historic sites which are threatened by an ever-changing climate, which, if necessary steps are not taken to ensure their care, will be lost to us forever.
Please feel free to follow my Facebook page @PrincelyLodgingBook, where I regularly update information on my work and share interesting facts about Sheriff Hutton Castle.
‘A Princely Lodging: A History of Sheriff Hutton Castle’ will be released later in 2020 is available via Feedaread, Amazon or through me directly.
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