More information : SE 6961 7488. Slingsby Castle (NR) (remains of) (NAT). (1)
Slingsby Castle built in the early 17th century by Sir Charles
Cavendish on the site of an earlier structure mentioned circa 1345. A rectangular block with corner turrets, pedimented and mullioned windows. "Slighted" in the Civil War. Grade II. (2-3)
The remains of the castle are as described by previous authorities and there are no traces of the earlier structure referred to. A
massive ditch, probably the remains of a moat, 22m wide and 3.4m deep borders the castle on its west and north sides. This ditch is also evident on the east side, average 16m wide and 3m deep, but has been greatly infilled and mutilated by modern allotment gardens. In the south west corner the ditch has again been infilled but a depression 30m long, 16m wide and 1m deep continues around the south side before being totally destroyed by modern buildings. It seems probable, therefore, that the castle was ditched or moated on all four sides, although there is now no trace of an original breach, the two present approaches in the south and north east corner being modern constructions.
A hollow way on the west side is portrayed on Authority 1 and this may have indicated an approach to the castle, but this has now been ploughed out, only an 80m length of the east side now surviving. Published Survey (25") revised. (4)
The whole (of the masonry fabric) is in poor condition with further
possibilities of collapse. APs show what may be a second moated enclosure or a series of fishponds to the west of the castle at SE 6945 7495. (5-5a)
The north and west side of the moat described by authority 4 were mapped from good quality air photographs. The remaining sides were either masked by trees or had been built on. The hollow way also described forms the east of an asymmetric, polygonal enclosure, 210m by 130m, defined by 1 ditch and 1 bank on 4 sides, centred at SE 6945 7492. This was visible as an earthwork on early photography but has since been ploughed level and on some later photography it is visible as a cropmark. It may be Medieval or Post Medieval in date. The north side of this enclosure has a number of contemporary features attached to it. Two of them at SE 6956 7507 and SE 6949 7506 are possibly watercourses each defined by 1 ditch and two banks. The former survived as an earthwork on the latest photography. There are also a pair of parallel banks at SE 6945 7506, the function of which are unknown. They may form part of a water management system, with the watercourses to supply the moat. (Morph Nos. HH.73.23.1-5).
This description is based on data from the RCHME MORPH2 database.
(6)
SE 696 748. Slingsby Castle. Scheduled no. NY/373. (7)
Listed by Cathcart King (8) |