Scheduled MonumentsEnglandCrayke Castle: a motte and bailey and later stone castle of the bishops of Durham, incorporating part of an Anglo-Saxon monastic cemetery

Crayke Castle: a motte and bailey and later stone castle of the bishops of Durham, incorporating part of an Anglo-Saxon monastic cemetery

England
List entry 1016530
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1016530
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
2.87 hectares
Grid reference
SE5595070726
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Crayke Castle is a motte and bailey earthwork situated near the village of Crayke in North Yorkshire, established by the Prince-Bishops of Durham as a fortified administrative centre. The castle incorporates within its defensive circuit elements of an earlier Anglo-Saxon monastic cemetery, evidence of settlement continuity on this strategically significant site. The motte and bailey earthworks, which form the principal visible remains, date from the Norman period, whilst later medieval modifications and the construction of stone buildings represent subsequent phases of occupation and refinement. The site served as an important episcopal stronghold controlling the landscape of the Vale of York and demonstrates the military and ecclesiastical authority wielded by the Durham bishops in this region.

Crayke Castle: a motte and bailey and later stone castle of the bishops of Durham, incorporating part of an Anglo-Saxon monastic cemetery is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1016530. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Crayke Castle: a motte and bailey and later stone castle of the bishops of Durham, incorporating part of an Anglo-Saxon monastic cemetery?

Crayke Castle is a motte and bailey earthwork situated near the village of Crayke in North Yorkshire, established by the Prince-Bishops of Durham as a fortified administrative centre. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1016530.

Who is responsible for protecting Crayke Castle: a motte and bailey and later stone castle of the bishops of Durham, incorporating part of an Anglo-Saxon monastic cemetery?

Crayke Castle: a motte and bailey and later stone castle of the bishops of Durham, incorporating part of an Anglo-Saxon monastic cemetery is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1016530.

What other scheduled monuments are near Crayke Castle: a motte and bailey and later stone castle of the bishops of Durham, incorporating part of an Anglo-Saxon monastic cemetery?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Site of Marton Augustinian priory including mill, fishponds, and water meadows (2.7 km), Round barrow 330yds (300m) S of Barhouse Farm (3.1 km), Round barrow 150m south of Warren House (4.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Crayke Castle: a motte and bailey and later stone castle of the bishops of Durham, incorporating part of an Anglo-Saxon monastic cemetery

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Crayke Castle: a motte and bailey and later stone castle of the bishops of Durham, incorporating part of an Anglo-Saxon monastic cemetery's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Crayke Castle: a motte and bailey and later stone castle of the bishops of Durham, incorporating part of an Anglo-Saxon monastic cemetery

Crayke Castle: a motte and bailey and later stone castle of the bishops of Durham, incorporating part of an Anglo-Saxon monastic cemetery stands on Lias Group, bedrock that formed in the Aalenian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone.