Flamborough Castle

Flamborough Castle – What Is That Ancient Ruin Beside the Road?

If you’ve ever driven into Flamborough village, you may have noticed an unusual old stone ruin standing in a field near Tower Street, not far from the war memorial.

It’s quite easy to pass without giving it much thought.

There’s no enormous castle, no grand entrance and certainly nothing resembling the great fortress at Scarborough.

Yet those battered old chalk walls are known as Flamborough Castle.

Visitors staying at Lucky Paws Holiday Home at Thornwick Bay may well pass it while exploring the village and wonder exactly the same thing I did:

What on earth used to be there?

The answer takes us back hundreds of years into mediaeval Yorkshire.

Was Flamborough Castle Really a Castle?

Well… yes and no!

Despite the name, Flamborough Castle wasn’t a huge military fortress with enormous curtain walls and armies of soldiers.

It was actually a fortified mediaeval manor house – the home of one of the area’s most important families.

Historic England describes the site as a mediaeval fortified house with associated earthworks. The ruined tower that we see today was just one part of a considerably larger complex.

So imagine less Windsor Castle and more wealthy mediaeval Yorkshire landowners making sure everybody knew he was wealthy and important.

And possibly making sure unwanted visitors thought twice before knocking on the door!

The Constable Family of Flamborough

The family most closely associated with Flamborough Castle were the Constables.

They were an important Yorkshire family and held the manor at Flamborough for generations.

One particularly significant date is 1351.

That year, Marmaduke Constable received a royal licence to crenellate the house. In simple terms, this gave permission to fortify the property and give it the battlements and defensive appearance associated with a castle.

Historic England’s coastal research suggests the tower was probably constructed around this period, although there may have been an earlier manorial site here. One possibility is that fortification provided some protection against Scottish raiders, although status and prestige were also important reasons wealthy mediaeval families fortified their homes.

That’s quite something to think about when you’re driving past it today.

Those walls have been standing there in one form or another for roughly 670 years.

It Was Once Much Bigger Than Today’s Ruin

Looking at Flamborough Castle today, you could easily imagine the little ruined tower was the entire building.

It wasn’t.

The medieval complex was considerably more substantial.

When Sir Robert Constable died in 1537, records indicate that the property included a tower, hall, great parlour, lord’s parlour, chapel, courthouse, mill house and great barn.

Suddenly our little roadside ruin begins to look rather different.

Picture a busy medieval manor rather than one isolated stone building.

There would have been servants, agricultural workers, horses and livestock. Food would have been prepared and stored, disputes settled and estate business conducted.

Around the central buildings were yards, enclosures, tracks and agricultural buildings.

Much of that has disappeared above ground, but archaeological earthworks still survive around the tower.

What Is the Bit We Can See Today?

The most obvious surviving part is the ruined chalk-built tower.

Originally rectangular, only three sides now survive substantially. Historic England records the south wall along with parts of the east and west walls, reaching around four metres in height.

The walls were built using locally available chalk.

There was once a barrel-vaulted basement, and traces of different floor levels can still be identified archaeologically.

There’s even evidence of a mediaeval garderobe drain.

A garderobe was essentially the mediaeval version of a toilet.

Perhaps not quite as romantic as knights, castles and battles – but people still needed the loo in the 1300s!

So What Happened to the Rest of It?

Time wasn’t particularly kind to Flamborough Castle.

The Constable family’s long association with the site lasted until the death of Sir Robert Constable in 1537, and the manor was subsequently abandoned during the 16th century.

Buildings that were no longer needed often became convenient sources of construction material.

Historic England believes much of the stone from the other buildings was robbed out and reused, possibly in later Flamborough buildings or burnt to produce lime.

That happened to historic buildings throughout Britain.

There wasn’t always the modern attitude of preserving something simply because it was old.

If there was a pile of perfectly usable stone sitting nearby and you needed to build a wall, barn or house, somebody was likely to make use of it.

Little by little, the great medieval manor disappeared.

Even the Tudors Didn’t Really Think It Was a Castle

There’s a wonderful historical detail that rather confirms our earlier question about whether Flamborough Castle was really a castle.

The Tudor antiquarian John Leland, writing in the 16th century, described it as being regarded more as a manor place than a castle.

So even hundreds of years ago people were apparently debating what to call it!

Nevertheless, Flamborough Castle is the name that survived.

And I think we’re better off for it.

“Flamborough Fortified Manor House” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.

The Ruin Found Another Use

Even after the grand manor had disappeared, the surviving tower remained useful.

By 1798, the vaulted undercroft was apparently still intact and was being used as a cattle shed.

I love details like that.

A building constructed for one of medieval Yorkshire’s powerful families eventually ended up sheltering cows.

History has a habit of bringing everybody back down to earth!

The Constables Left Other Traces Around Flamborough

The family’s story isn’t confined to the castle.

Nearby St Oswald’s Church contains a remarkable memorial associated with Sir Marmaduke Constable, who died in 1520. The church itself has mediaeval origins, with surviving fabric dating back to around 1100.

So when you’re exploring Flamborough, the castle, church and village aren’t separate bits of history.

They’re different pieces of the same story.

Families lived here, worshipped here, farmed the surrounding land and controlled estates that shaped the development of the village.

Why Hasn’t Somebody Rebuilt It?

Because what survives is historically important in its own right.

Flamborough Castle is protected as a Scheduled Monument, recognising its national archaeological importance. The surviving tower is also a Grade II listed building.

And much more survives than the walls we can easily see.

Below the grass are foundations and archaeological deposits capable of telling historians more about medieval life in Flamborough.

In some ways, that’s what makes the site interesting.

You’re not looking at a reconstructed tourist attraction.

You’re looking at the genuine remains.

Easy to Miss – But Worth Looking For

One reason I wanted to write about Flamborough Castle is that it’s completely different from attractions where you arrive at a large car park, buy a ticket and follow signs around.

This little piece of Yorkshire history just sits quietly within the village.

Thousands of visitors probably pass it every year on their way towards Flamborough Head, North Landing or Thornwick Bay.

Some will barely notice it.

Others will spot those strange old walls and wonder what they are.

Now you know.

They’re the remains of the home of a powerful mediaeval Yorkshire family, with a history stretching back hundreds of years.

Another Reason to Explore Flamborough Village

When people come to this part of East Yorkshire, understandably the spectacular coastline receives most of the attention.

We have Flamborough Head, the lighthouse, North Landing, Danes Dyke, Bempton Cliffs and those magnificent chalk cliffs.

But there’s another Flamborough away from the sea.

The village itself has centuries of history.

And that’s one of the things I like about this part of Yorkshire.

You can come for a seaside holiday and suddenly find yourself standing beside something built when medieval kings ruled England.

From Lucky Paws at Thornwick Bay

Guests staying at Lucky Paws Holiday Home don’t have to travel far to discover any of this.

Flamborough village is right on our doorstep.

The castle ruins make an interesting little piece of local history to look out for while you’re passing through – particularly now you know what those old walls represent.

There’s no need to turn it into a major expedition.

Simply notice it.

Have a look.

And imagine how different this little corner of Flamborough must have looked when a substantial fortified manor stood here more than six centuries ago.

Next Time You Pass Flamborough Castle…

Take another look at those weathered chalk walls.

Imagine the tower complete.

Imagine the hall and chapel nearby.

The barns and yards.

Horses arriving along mediaeval tracks.

Servants going about their work.

The Constable family are overseeing their Yorkshire estate.

Almost everything has disappeared.

Yet somehow, after centuries of North Sea weather and enormous changes to the village around it, that little piece of mediaeval Flamborough is still standing.

And that’s why the mysterious ruin beside the road deserves considerably more than a passing glance.

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