Cotherstone Castle

Has been described as a Certain Timber Castle (Motte), and also as a Certain Masonry Castle

There are masonry footings remains

NameCotherstone Castle
Alternative NamesCotterstone; Cuderston; Cutherston; Codrestune; Hallgarth
Historic CountryYorkshire
Modern AuthorityDurham
1974 AuthorityCounty Durham
Civil ParishCotherstone

Earthwork remains of motte with possible bailey, probably founded circa 1090 and licenced in 1201. There are also the remains of a two-winged building which is thought to be a hall of later date. The remains consist of the castle mound, average height 3.4 metres and one fragment of masonry footing 9 metres long. A series of terraces have been constructed across what was probably the bailey. As well as the 'two winged building' there are remains of a formal garden and fishponds. (PastScape)

Gatehouse Comments

Licence granted in 1201. This castle is said by tradition to have been destroyed by the Scots in one of their plundering expeditions, and the fragments of burnt wood which have been dug up on the site may corroborate the story, although such stories are more 'attractive' than the more prosaic and usual accidental fires relatively common in medieval houses with open fires and candles.

- Philip Davis

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceNZ013199
Latitude54.574951171875
Longitude-1.98091995716095
Eastings401330
Northings519970
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Turner, Maurice, 2004, Yorkshire Castles: Exploring Historic Yorkshire (Otley: Westbury Publishing) p. 69, 101, 237
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles and Tower Houses of County Durham (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 24
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 33
  • Ingham, Bernard, 2001, Bernard Ingham's Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p. 18
  • Jackson, M.J., 1996, Castles of Durham and Cleveland (Carlisle) p. 25-6
  • Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 301 (slight)
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 516
  • Ryder, P.F., 1982 (paperback edn 1992), The Medieval Buildings of Yorkshire (Ash Grove Book) p. 87-107
  • Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p. 216
  • Renn, D.F., 1973 (2 edn.), Norman Castles of Britain (London: John Baker) p. 160
  • Pevsner, N., 1966, Buildings of England: Yorkshire: North Riding (London, Penguin) p. 125
  • Ramsden, D., 1947, Teesdale p. 112-3
  • Illingworth, J.L., 1938 (republished 1970), Yorkshire's Ruined Castles (Wakefield) p. 126
  • Page, Wm (ed), 1914, VCH Yorkshire: North Riding Vol. 1 p. 118-21 online transcription
  • Armitage and Montgomerie, 1912, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Yorkshire Vol. 2 p. 45
  • Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England; their story and structure (New York: Macmillan) Vol. 2 p. 217-8 online copy
  • Whellan, T., 1857, History and topography of the city of York and the North Riding of Yorkshire (T Whellan and Co) Vol. 2 p. 513 online copy
  • Whitaker, T.D., 1823, A History of Richmondshire in the North Riding of the County of York (London) Vol. 1 p. 141 online copy

Journals

  • Butler, Lawrence, 1994, 'The Origins of the Honour of Richmond and its Castles' Château Gaillard Vol. 16 p. 69-80 (Reprinted in Liddiard, Robert, (ed), 2003, Anglo-Norman Castles p. 91-103 (Woodbridge: Boydell Press))
  • I'Anson, W.M., 1913, 'The castles of the North Riding' Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol. 22 p. 341-3

Primary Sources

  • Hardy, T.D. (ed), 1837, Rotuli Chartarum, 1199-1216 (Record Commission) p. 89b online copy

Other

  • Constable, Christopher, 2003, Aspects of the archaeology of the castle in the north of England C 1066-1216 (Doctoral thesis, Durham University) Available at Durham E-Theses Online
  • Creighton, O.H., 1998, Castles and Landscapes: An Archaeological Survey of Yorkshire and the East Midlands (PhD Thesis University of Leicester) p. 537 online copy
  • Coulson, C., Handlist of English Royal Licences to Crenellate 1200-1578 p. 4