Whorlton Castle & Gate House
Over 1500 years of history
Whorlton Castle & Gate House History
Remains of motte and bailey and later stone castle. These earthworks are of the early mount and bailey type, modified for the addition of a later stone keep. A ditch 60ft wide, and 11ft deep encompasses the motte, and a roughly rectangular bailey is attached to the north east and south east sides. Further earthworks may possibly indicate a settlement and fishponds. The gatehouse is C14 rectangular structure of dressed stone, with a projecting vice at the north west angle. About 24yds to the west are the remains of the castle comprising some vaulted cellars, the largest of which measures 29ft by 13ft 9 inches. The castle was described as ruinous in 1343 but the date of dismantling is not known. A two-storied dwelling house was built against the north west end of the gate house at the end of C16 or beginning of C17. (PastScape)
monument includes two groups of features; those relating to the medieval castle with its landscaped vista and those associated with the medieval village of Whorlton. The Norman motte and bailey, altered by the addition of a stone-built tower house, is situated at the top of Castle bank, while a series of garden earthworks, ponds and park pale occupy the slopes to the east of the castle; much of the land surrounding the castle had been cultivated during the medieval period and large areas of ridge and furrow are still visible. The remains of the village lie to the south, on Howe Hill, and represent an expansion of the settlement westwards from Whorlton Lane, along an old road to Swainby. Also included in the monument are the ruined parts of the Holy Cross Church, which has Norman origins. The motte is a flat-topped mound, squarish in plan and measuring 60m by 50m across, which is partly surrounded by a ditch up to 20m wide by 5m deep with a 2.5m high outer bank. Some of the cellars may date to the Norman period but most of the masonry, including the gatehouse tower, belongs to the 14th century tower house built on the site. To the south and east of the motte a relatively level platform, bounded by a steep 2m-3m high scarp with a 1m deep ditch at its foot, forms the outer court or bailey. A modern farm building in the northern half of the bailey is excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath it is included. A dried-up pond in the south east corner of the bailey is a later addition and is probably associated with the later garden landscaping; it drained into a second pond at a lower level outside the bailey which drained in turn, to a now boggy area beside the stream which flows west from Whorlton village. Immediately to the east of the bailey, the modern road is flanked by two roughly symmetrical rectangular enclosures, each 40m by 20m across bounded by 1m high banks; these were laid out as ornamental gardens, at the end of the medieval period. A sharply defined rectangular pond, 190m long by 20m wide and up to 3m deep, lies along the eastern side of the garden enclosures and is divided into two unequal parts by the modern road. This pond is one of the latest features to have been constructed when the castle grounds were landscaped. To the south of and east of the castle, a number of earthworks are visible which relate to the imparkment of the estate which was begun in the 13th century. A boundary feature or park pale runs from the northern end of the rectangular pond north eastwards for 340m where it meets a stream in a deep gully; it comprises a double bank with a ditch between and, although altered by agriculture, earthworks are still up to 0.5m high in places. Between the park pale and the modern road are a series of low parallel ridges and furrows which show that this area was once under arable cultivation but, apart from an area of ridge and furrow to the north of the rectangular pond, there is no evidence of medieval earthworks beyond the park pale. The road once ran slightly north of its present route and its original edge is indicated by a slight bank. Boundary features and cultivation earthworks are also visible in the graveyard of Holy Cross Church and in the land between the church and the village. The Church of the Holy Cross dates to the 12th century and, although only the 14th century chancel is in use, the original arcades of the ruined nave are still standing. The graveyard, now largely disused, will have been in use from the medieval period.
The remains of the medieval village lie beside a hollow way which runs along the brow of Howe Hill, south west towards Swainby. The line of hollow way is visible as a parallel series of narrow linear terraces and south of this are the rectangular platforms of house plots or yards. Ridge and furrow earthworks are also apparent to the south of the village. At Domesday, Whorlton was recorded as belonging to the Manor of Hutton Rudby then held by Robert, Earl of Mortain. Accounts from the 13th century name the stronghold variously as `Potto' and `Hwernelton' castle and from the 12th to the 16th century, Whorlton remained under the control of de Meynell family and it was they who created Whorlton Park. The layout of the park and the village of Whorlton was recorded in detail on a map of 1628. Finds of Roman artefacts have been made close to the church, suggesting that the settlement may have had much earlier origins. (Scheduling Report)
Gatehouse of motte-and-bailey castle of which no other building survives but some vaulted undercrofts (q.v.). Late C14, altered in C16. Sandstone ashlar on high chamfered plinth; roofless and floorless. Rectangular plan shows central through-passage,with springing of a high vault remaining, and one large room at either side on each floor, surrounded by small mural chambers. 3 storeys, 3 wide bays. Segment-arched entrance in 2 planes, the outer curved, the inner chamfered. Modern wood lattice filling with wicket door. 3 shields in cusped panels above. Flanking first-floor cross windows in chamfered reveals and similar top-floor windows. Scattered slits and small single lights. Second-floor drip bands. Plainer rear elevations with 2 blocked doorways and scattered slits. One cross window at top right and a 2-light window (lost mullion) at top left. Drawbar tunnel in doorway and later pintles. Round-arched door to projecting staircase tower on left, which holds newel stair broken at the top. Interior: Caernarvon arches to several mural chambers, some of them garderobes, represent the original building period, as do the wide splays and segmental rere-arches of the smaller windows. Later, larger doorways and windows have Tudor rere-arches. Wall-passages missing in places, but first-floor and ground-floor fireplaces and chimneys remain. Ribs of the central vault have a single hollow chamfer, probably also original. Signs of later buildings, now gone, both inside and out. (Listed Building Report)
One of several castle that are sited on the edge of the higher lands of the North York Moors, such as Pickering and Helmsley.
Shaun Underwood .CASE 17Y07
I never really believed in supernatural stuff I always tried to debunk ghost
sightings and in my career as an investigator, being a parapsychologist i have
to look to science to help prove or disprove but one incident made me believe
and think otherwise. I know they say that the more haunted locations you
investigate then it’s just a matter of time before you come face to face with
your fears of meeting a spirit or ghost. Way back in 2007 i found myself coming
face to face with what I know is called a "shadow person”. I can’t say why
it picked that night and at that time to show its self to me but it did. I know
that everything I have picked up about investigating the paranormal
just went out of the window, When I think about it now I feel stupid. I had
camera in one hand and digital camera in the other hand and at no point when I
was face to face with the shadow did I ever once try to get real proof of what
I was looking at, I know I saw this Shadow move from the corner
of my eye. I know this happened three times before I turned to face it. I must
have been only four to seven feet away from this Shadow person and it would
have been so easy to hit the PLAY BUTTON on the camera but sadly that never
happened. It truth I stood there rooted to the floor, could not move to do
anything. When I think back of the smell of rotten flesh that so over powered
me to the point i had frozen to the spot with fear. I know to me at the time it
seemed to last hours but I know it only lasted maybe 30 seconds. I know when it
turned away from me and started to move away from me I just run up the side of
the moat and over the small fence, I know I was only a few seconds behind this
dark figure of a human and there was no way it could have left my
sight so fast if it had been human or of the living. No person could ever
smell like that and be living. I was so close to it but I could not see if it
was male or female. I know it stood around 5feet in height with slim build but
I cant say anymore.
I know that I should have done my job; I know I should have done more than I
did that night in November 2007. When I do any location now I always think of
that night and how my heart just about beat its way out of my chest, how many
hands shock’ how the sweat dripped from my hands. So now I tell myself that
this was the first and last time I would let fear take over my hold body to the
point I can't carry out my job. However I have been so lucky since then to have
had another two sightings and many type of paranormal activity. My degree tells
me that these forms of paranormal activity can't and should not take place but
I know that ghosts are real no matter what other parapsychologist try to tell
me, they’re here and have been for 1000s or years in one form or other just
need to be as lucky as I or for sure to be in the right place. Many things I do
now when investigating ghosts and haunting co insides with science and I always
try to tell others when researching and investigating that rule out everything
normal and what you have left is paranormal.
The pictures that have added to this page are of Whorlton Castle. The location I had my first paranormal sighting has been added to the map also for anyone who wishes to investigate this great location. 17 years ive spent researching these castle walls and grounds. To this very day I still do a few nights per month.I think when you spend so much time like I have at this location that it would be just a matter of time before you see the things your looking for.
Whorlton Castle, Paranormal Activity.In seventeen years we have had the following eg:
Sightings of young women.
Childs crys.
Womens Scream.
Footsteps.
Mans Voice"unknown words"
Loud bangs.
Horse
You can see by the last picture just how far away I was when this activity took place. I will be adding more case files over the next few weeks that have truly beat me as an investigator. I hope you "Enjoy" reading what took place at this great locations.
Be safe folks and Happy hunting!!!!
Shaun Underwood
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