Scarborough Castle The Complete History of Yorkshire’s Great Royal Fortress

Rising above the North Sea, Scarborough Castle occupies one of northern England’s most spectacular defensive positions.

Its history stretches back almost 3,000 years, from prehistoric settlement and a Roman signal station to the Norman fortress transformed by Henry II into a powerful royal castle.

It endured rebellions, sieges and the devastating Civil War bombardment of 1645, when its great tower was shattered.

Even in 1914, German warships fired more than 500 shells at Scarborough, damaging the castle and the town below.

Today, its ruins stand as a remarkable reminder of Scarborough’s long and turbulent history.

Click here to watch our video exploring Lulworth Castle and discover its history.

Before the Castle

Long before Scarborough Castle was built, the headland was already an important and naturally defensive site.

The earliest known evidence of human activity consists of pottery dating from around 2100–1600 BC, while later archaeological discoveries reveal settlement during the Bronze and Iron Ages. The steep cliffs and sea protected three sides of the headland, leaving only the western approach exposed.

The Romans recognised the strategic value of the headland too. In the 4th century, they built a coastal signal station here, probably forming part of a chain of installations designed to watch for raiders approaching by sea.

The station was eventually abandoned as Roman rule in Britain came to an end.

Around the year 1000, a small chapel and cemetery were established among the remains of the Roman station, showing that the headland continued to have significance centuries later.

Later traditions link Scarborough with Viking settlement and Harald Hardrada’s invasion of 1066, but the extent of any Scandinavian settlement remains uncertain and is still the subject of archaeological research.

What is clear is that the headland’s steep cliffs, sea and narrow landward approach made it an exceptional defensive position.

And in the 12th century, the Normans would exploit it to build one of England’s great royal castles.

William le Gros and the First Castle

The first substantial medieval castle at Scarborough is associated with William le Gros, Count of Aumâle.
One of the most powerful Anglo-Norman nobles of his generation, William was created Earl of York by King Stephen in 1138.

His work at Scarborough probably began during the 1130s, when the country was descending into civil war between Stephen and the supporters of Empress Matilda.

The earliest castle was very different from the stone ruins visible today.

William appears to have enclosed the headland and constructed a tower at the entrance, creating a formidable fortress overlooking the sea and harbour.

Very little of this original castle survives above ground, but its location was the key to its importance.

Scarborough was not simply a fortress overlooking a town. It stood above an important natural harbour and controlled a valuable maritime gateway into northern England.

Whoever controlled Scarborough possessed an important strategic position.

But William’s castle would soon become royal property.

When Henry II came to the throne in 1154, he demanded the return of castles built or occupied during the civil wars.

Scarborough, built on a royal manor, passed into the hands of the Crown.

Henry II Creates a Royal Fortress

In 1159, Henry II began transforming Scarborough into a major stone royal fortress.

At the same time, he established a new planned settlement beneath the castle, helping Scarborough develop into an important royal borough and port.

Around £650 was spent on the castle over the following decade — an enormous sum at the time.

Much of this expenditure went into the construction of the castle’s most impressive surviving building: the great tower.

Built between approximately 1159 and 1169, it was both a powerful fortress and a monumental statement of royal authority.

Rising above the headland, the great tower announced that Scarborough was no longer simply the stronghold of a powerful northern lord.

It was a fortress of the English Crown.

The Great Tower

The great tower remains the centrepiece of Scarborough Castle.

Standing around 27 metres high, its walls are approximately 3.5 metres thick.

But it was more than a military stronghold.

The enormous building contained chambers, passages and grand rooms and appears to have served as a royal residence as well as a defensive structure.

Its entrance was deliberately elevated. A flight of steps led towards the first floor through a forebuilding on the south side, making direct assault more difficult.

The tower was designed to impress as much as to defend.

Today, however, it is an open-sided ruin.

Its western wall was destroyed during the intense Parliamentary bombardment of 1645, when roughly half of the great tower collapsed.

The dramatic ruin we see today is therefore partly the product of one of the bloodiest sieges in the castle’s history.

King John and an Enormous Investment

If Henry II established Scarborough as a great royal fortress, his son King John dramatically expanded it.

John recognised the importance of Scarborough and developed it, along with Knaresborough, as one of the Crown’s major castles for controlling Yorkshire.

Between 1202 and 1212, he spent approximately £2,291 on Scarborough — more than he spent on any other castle in the kingdom.

The work included new walls, the extension of the outer defences, a hall in the inner bailey and new royal accommodation.

The castle was becoming something far more than a simple fortress.

It was a strategic military base, a royal residence and a powerful symbol of royal authority in the north.

The Castle Under Henry III and Edward I

Work continued under Henry III, who maintained and strengthened the castle throughout his reign.

Its exposed position meant that constant repairs were necessary. Wind, storms and salt air placed enormous strain on the walls and buildings.

Henry III also strengthened the entrance defences, including the barbican and gate tower.

By the mid-13th century, Scarborough had developed into a formidable complex of walls, towers, ditches, gateways and bridges.

It was also an important royal residence.

In 1275, Edward I held court and council at Scarborough, while prisoners captured during his Scottish campaigns were held within the castle.

By this point, Scarborough was firmly established as one of England’s greatest royal fortresses.

Piers Gaveston and the Siege of 1312

One of the most dramatic episodes in Scarborough’s medieval history occurred during the troubled reign of Edward II.

The king’s favourite, Piers Gaveston, had become deeply unpopular with many of England’s most powerful barons.

In 1312, Gaveston took refuge at Scarborough Castle after the political situation became increasingly dangerous.

The Earls of Pembroke and Surrey, together with Henry de Percy, besieged the castle.

Scarborough’s formidable defences offered Gaveston protection, but his position was weakened by a lack of supplies.

Eventually, he surrendered after terms were agreed.

Those terms did not save his life.

Gaveston was taken south under the custody of the Earl of Pembroke, but was subsequently captured by the Earl of Warwick.

He was executed at Blacklow Hill in Warwickshire on 19 June 1312.

His connection with Scarborough has subsequently become one of the castle’s most famous stories — and, centuries later, it would also become the foundation of one of its ghost legends.

A Fortress on the Edge of the Sea

Scarborough’s exposed position meant that the castle was constantly at the mercy of the North Sea.

Storms, wind, salt air and erosion required continual repairs to its walls and buildings.

Over time, the curtain walls, towers, barbican and bridge created a formidable defensive system around the headland.

Inside were royal apartments, kitchens, workshops, religious buildings and a remarkably deep medieval well, more than 46 metres deep and vital during a siege.

The castle was not simply a collection of walls.

It was a self-contained military and royal complex designed to withstand both human enemies and the harsh coastal environment.

Richard III’s Final Visit

By the late Middle Ages, Scarborough remained strategically important because of its harbour and its position on the Yorkshire coast.

In 1484, Richard III became the last English monarch known to stay at Scarborough Castle.

He came while preparing a fleet in response to the expected invasion of Henry Tudor.

The following year, Richard was defeated and killed at the Battle of Bosworth, and Henry Tudor became King Henry VII.

Scarborough’s days as a regular royal residence were coming to an end.

But the castle was far from obsolete.

Rebellion Under the Tudors

During the 16th century, Scarborough Castle continued to find itself at the centre of political crises.

In 1536, the Pilgrimage of Grace erupted across northern England.

The castle’s constable, Sir Ralph Eure, remained loyal to Henry VIII and successfully held the fortress against rebel forces. The castle suffered some damage from gunfire, but remained in royal hands.

Two decades later, Scarborough became the target of another rebellion.

In 1557, Thomas Stafford returned from exile and attempted to launch an uprising against Queen Mary I.

Stafford and his supporters seized Scarborough Castle, but held it for only three days.

The Crown quickly recaptured the fortress, and Stafford and his accomplices were subsequently executed.

Once again, Scarborough’s strategic position had made the castle an attractive target for political rebellion.

Scarborough Castle and the English Civil War

The greatest military crisis in the castle’s history came during the English Civil War.

When war broke out in 1642, local gentleman Sir Hugh Cholmley was initially commissioned to hold Scarborough for Parliament.

But Cholmley changed sides and declared for King Charles I.

Scarborough subsequently became one of the most important Royalist bases in northern England.

Its harbour was particularly valuable. Royalist forces operating from Scarborough could interfere with shipping and supplies, including the coal trade that was vital to London.

Parliament therefore had to remove the castle.

In early 1645, Parliamentary forces captured Scarborough town.

Cholmley withdrew into the castle.

What followed was one of the bloodiest sieges of the entire Civil War.

The Great Siege of 1645

For around five months, Royalist defenders held Scarborough Castle against Parliamentary forces.

The fortress was subjected to intense artillery bombardment.

Parliament’s guns repeatedly hammered the medieval defences, and the enormous artillery assault eventually tore apart the western side of the great tower.

Half of the building collapsed.

The damage was so severe that the tower was left without its western wall, floors, roof or battlements — creating the spectacular ruin visible today.

But the bombardment was only part of the defenders’ suffering.

Inside the castle, supplies were running out.

Gunpowder became scarce, followed by money and food.

The fighting around the castle was exceptionally fierce, with repeated attempts to capture its approaches and defences.

Eventually Cholmley’s position became impossible to maintain.

On 25 July 1645, after months of resistance, the Royalist garrison surrendered.

The siege had demonstrated both the extraordinary strength of Scarborough’s medieval fortifications and the destructive power of modern artillery.

The Second Siege

Scarborough’s Civil War story did not end in 1645.

In 1648, the castle changed hands once again.

A Parliamentary garrison under Colonel Matthew Boynton was stationed at Scarborough, but when the soldiers went unpaid, Boynton declared for the imprisoned Charles I.

Parliament responded with another siege.

This time, the garrison eventually surrendered in December 1648.

Parliament ordered that the castle should be slighted, meaning its defences were to be deliberately damaged so that it could no longer serve as a fortress.

But opposition from the town helped save Scarborough Castle from complete destruction.

The castle survived.

Its great tower, however, remained permanently ruined.

A Prison, Barracks and Military Fortress

After the Civil War, Scarborough Castle’s role changed.

It became a prison, and one of its most famous prisoners was George Fox, founder of the Religious Society of Friends, better known as the Quakers.

Fox was imprisoned at Scarborough from 1665 to 1666.

The castle also retained military importance.

Following the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, new defensive works and barracks were constructed.

Medieval buildings were adapted for military use, while gun batteries protected the harbour and coastline.

The Master Gunner’s House was also established during this period.

The castle remained a military installation into the 19th century, demonstrating how a fortress created for medieval kings could be adapted to meet very different military threats centuries later.

The Bombardment of 1914

One of the most dramatic events in Scarborough’s history occurred not during the Middle Ages, but in the 20th century.

On the morning of 16 December 1914, two German warships, SMS Derfflinger and SMS Von der Tann, appeared off the Yorkshire coast.

They bombarded Scarborough for around half an hour.

More than 500 shells were fired at the town and castle.

The town was largely undefended, and civilians suddenly found themselves under naval bombardment.

The castle was also targeted.

Shellfire damaged the great tower, curtain walls and the 18th-century barracks. The barracks were so badly damaged that they were later demolished.

Across Scarborough, homes, hotels, shops and other buildings were hit.

Seventeen people were killed and more than 80 were seriously wounded.

The attack caused enormous outrage throughout Britain.

For Scarborough Castle, the bombardment represented another chapter in a history already marked by warfare.

The same headland that had once watched for raiders, medieval enemies and Civil War armies was once again under fire.

From Military Fortress to Historic Monument

In 1920, Scarborough Castle entered state guardianship under the Ministry of Works.

Archaeological excavations followed, particularly around the Roman signal station and medieval chapel.

These investigations transformed understanding of the headland.

Scarborough was no longer seen simply as a medieval castle. Archaeology revealed a much longer history, including prehistoric settlement, Roman military activity and medieval occupation.

Yet the castle’s military story continued.

During the Cold War, a Royal Observer Corps monitoring post was constructed near the cliff edge in 1963. Its purpose was to enable volunteers to monitor and plot the effects of a possible nuclear attack.

The post was closed and buried in 1968.

After centuries of military service, the headland finally became primarily a place of heritage and archaeology.

Today, Scarborough Castle is cared for by English Heritage.

What Can You See at Scarborough Castle Today?

Scarborough Castle covers a huge area of the headland, with spectacular views across both Scarborough bays and the North Sea.

The approach begins with the formidable medieval entrance defences.

The barbican and gatehouse protected the main entrance, while a massive double ditch made an assault from the landward side extremely difficult.

Beyond the entrance are the castle’s baileys and the ruins of its royal and military buildings.

The Great Tower

The great tower is undoubtedly the centrepiece.

Although the western wall was destroyed during the Civil War siege, the surviving masonry gives an excellent impression of the enormous scale of Henry II’s construction.

Look closely and the thickness of the walls becomes particularly impressive.

This was not simply a fortified residence.

It was a declaration of royal power.

The Inner Bailey

The inner bailey contains the remains of medieval domestic and service buildings.

The remains of the former kitchen, brewhouse and bakehouse can still be seen, along with the castle’s remarkably deep medieval well.

Standing here makes it easier to understand how a large garrison and royal household could operate within the fortress.

The Outer Bailey

The outer bailey contains the remains of royal accommodation, including the building now known as Mosdale Hall.

Much of the medieval structure has disappeared, but the surviving remains reveal how Scarborough functioned as a royal residence as well as a military stronghold.

The Roman Signal Station and Medieval Chapel

At the seaward end of the headland are the remains of the Roman signal station.

The visible earthworks and foundations reveal the outline of a much older military installation.

Nearby are the remains of the medieval chapel dating from around AD 1000.

Few places allow visitors to stand within a medieval royal castle while looking across the remains of a Roman coastal warning system.

English Heritage describes the site as encompassing around 3,000 years of history, and its visitor facilities include an exhibition containing archaeological finds from across the site's long history.

The Ghosts and Legends of Scarborough Castle

Scarborough Castle has accumulated its share of ghost stories over the centuries.

Given its history of sieges, executions, imprisonment and warfare, it is hardly surprising that supernatural stories have become attached to the ruins.

But these belong to the castle’s folklore rather than its documented history.

One of the most famous legends concerns Piers Gaveston.

Gaveston was certainly at Scarborough Castle in 1312, and he certainly surrendered after the castle was besieged.

But he was not executed at Scarborough.

He was taken south and eventually killed at Blacklow Hill in Warwickshire.

According to later ghost stories, however, his connection with the castle did not end there.

A headless apparition associated with Gaveston is said to wander the castle grounds.

Other reports speak of unexplained footsteps, voices and strange sounds around the ruins.

There are also stories of a headless horseman, a mysterious white lady and phantom soldiers appearing around the castle.

One particularly atmospheric legend concerns a spectral drummer, whose ghostly drumming is supposedly a warning of approaching disaster.

None of these stories can be established as historical fact.

But that does not make them uninteresting.

Ghost stories are part of the way historic places evolve in popular memory, and Scarborough Castle has more than enough real history to provide the foundation for its legends.

The ruined great tower, Civil War scars, Roman remains and cliffs overlooking the North Sea create an atmosphere in which it is easy to imagine the past lingering.

Scarborough Castle Today

Today, Scarborough Castle is one of northern England’s most impressive medieval ruins, with its walls and great tower still dominating the headland above the town and harbour.

Open to the public and cared for by English Heritage, the castle offers visitors the chance to explore almost 3,000 years of history, from prehistoric and Roman remains to its medieval royal fortress, Civil War scars and role in the conflicts of the modern age.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Scarborough Castle built?

The first medieval castle was established by William le Gros, Count of Aumâle, probably during the 1130s. Henry II subsequently rebuilt the fortress in stone, with the great tower constructed between approximately 1159 and 1169.

Who built Scarborough Castle?

The earliest medieval castle is associated with William le Gros, Count of Aumâle. Henry II later transformed it into a major stone royal fortress, while King John and Henry III carried out extensive further construction.

Was Scarborough Castle built by the Romans?

No. The Romans built a 4th-century signal station on the headland, centuries before the medieval castle. The medieval castle developed later, beginning in the 12th century.

Was there a Viking settlement at Scarborough?

A Scandinavian or Anglo-Scandinavian settlement has traditionally been associated with Scarborough, and later sources connect the area with the Viking invasion of 1066. However, the extent and nature of any Viking settlement remain debated, and English Heritage identifies this as an area requiring further research.

Why is Scarborough Castle important?

Scarborough Castle was one of England’s most important medieval royal fortresses, controlling a strategically valuable harbour and coastal position. Its history spans almost 3,000 years, with prehistoric, Roman, medieval, Civil War and modern military remains surviving on the headland.

Who destroyed Scarborough Castle’s great tower?

The western wall of the great tower collapsed during the intense Parliamentary bombardment of the castle during the Civil War siege of 1645.

How long did the Great Siege of Scarborough Castle last?

The siege lasted approximately five months, ending with the surrender of Sir Hugh Cholmley and the Royalist garrison on 25 July 1645.

Was Piers Gaveston killed at Scarborough Castle?

No. Gaveston surrendered Scarborough Castle in 1312 and was subsequently taken south. He was captured by the Earl of Warwick and executed at Blacklow Hill in Warwickshire on 19 June 1312.

Was Scarborough Castle attacked during the First World War?

Yes. On 16 December 1914, German warships bombarded Scarborough. More than 500 shells were fired at the town and castle, damaging the castle’s great tower, walls and barracks. Seventeen people were killed and more than 80 were seriously wounded.

Who looks after Scarborough Castle today?

Scarborough Castle is cared for by English Heritage and is open to the public. The site contains archaeological remains spanning thousands of years, while the castle itself is a nationally important historic monument.