Northallerton and Bishop Rufus Palace

Northallerton is in the North Riding of York, roughly half way between the major medieval ecclesiastical seats of York and Durham. The Manor was held, most of the time, by the Prince-Bishops of Durham. They chose to built firstly a Motte and Bailey Castle at the site, then latterly a luxurious fortified palace, known as Bishop Rufus’ Palace in Northallerton. The site has since been demolished but throughout the Medieval and Tudor periods it was substantial and regularly utilised by the church and crown. 

Origins of the Fortifications at Northallerton

There is evidence of a Norman era Motte and Bailey castle being built at Northallerton. This was most likely constructed by William the Conqueror when he was encamped at Northallerton in 1068. The site was seized by William Cumin for the King of Scotland in 1141 and rebuilt during their occupation of the town. Once surrendered it is likely that this fortification was placed into the hands of the Prince-Bishop of Durham, who already had an influence and fortified buildings in the area. It is thought that this Motte and Bailey was destroyed in the 1170’s. Most of the site is now covered by later buildings and infrastructure: railways lines cross much of the site, for example. As a result there are few parts of the site that are visible, with just parts of the earthworks of the western side of the Bailey discernable as these are on lands surrounded by railway tracks. Other parts of the site were built on for the Prince-Bishops, as the outlying parts of the original Motte and Bailey are where the later palace was constructed.

Bishop Rufus’ Palace

The Prince-Bishops of Durham held the Manor of Northallerton and needed a substantial fortification within its boundaries. When the Motte and Bailey castle was demolished, possibly on the order of King Henry II, they chose to build a much more comfortable and substantial structure within the Manor. The result was what is called Bishop Rufus’ Palace.

The palace was built adjacent to the Motte of the previous structure, building over parts of the previous Bailey. Details of exactly what was built are limited. We know that it was a moated site and that it was a high status building. Much later, in 1505, it was described by John Leland as being:

strong and well moated

The palace was certainly impressive enough. It had many royal visits and other notable guests from the secular and ecclesiastical worlds.

Important Guests

• 1199 – Archbishop of Canterbury
• 1201 – King John
• 1236 – King Henry III [twice]
• 1291 – King Edward I
• 1292 – King Edward I
• 1293 – King Edward I
• 1296 – King Edward I
• 1298 – King Edward I
• 1299 – King Edward I
• 1303 – King Edward I
• 1304 – King Edward I
• 1312 – King Edward II
• 1327 – King Edward III
• 1331 – King Edward III
• 1333 – King Edward III and Queen Philippa
• 1356 – King Edward III [after opening a Carmelite Friary in Northallerton]
• 1405 – Henry IV [after suppressing the rebellion of Richard Scrope, Archbishop of York and Thomas Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, some of whose followers had assembled at Northallerton]

Medieval Northallerton

The Manor of Northallerton grew in importance as a result of the Prince-Bishops use of it as an administrative centre and place of residence. As such, they invested in buildings beyond the Castle and Palace. For example, they constructed a large Parish Church.

All Saints Church was built in the early 12th century. It was developed over the medieval era. For details of what was added and when, see the featured image at the top of the page.

Importance of Bishop Rufus’ Palace

As the above shows, the site was fit for Kings and Queens, who could quite easily have opted to stay at other sites nearby. Bishop Rufus’ Palace was therefore clearly important and comfortable. It served a much broader purpose than simply being a residence fit for royals and senior clerics though.

Administratively, the site was where the See of Durham oversaw its landholdings within the North Riding of York from. This was important through the medieval era as the Prince-Bishops held lands across the region. They, as with magnates such as the Earls of Salisbury, Westmorland, and Northumberland, were frequently engaged in disputes over landholdings and needed to assert their claims, and demonstrate good lordship, over the centuries – and in the case of the aforementioned names, particularly so in the 15th century when there were numerous disputes over land rights.

Militarily Northallerton was also significant. The Palace itself was moated but not particularly strong as a defensive structure. It’s weakness as a defensive site was illustrated in 1319 when Scottish forces ransacked Northallerton and much of the North Riding. The damage to the Manor then was such that the Proctor of the Parish Church in Northallerton was granted a licence to collect alms across the realm to pay for the rebuilding and repairs to the church: damage which is still evident to this day in places.

It’s importance as a military site should not be underestimated though. Leland noted of the town that:

The towne of Northalverton, is yn one fair long streate lying by south and north

And it is this which made the Manor important. Any army marching north or south on the eastern side of the country would need to pass Northallerton. Though alternaive routes were there, they were harder to travel along and so a rapid deployment of English forces against the Scots, or a fast advance by Scottish forces into England, would often pass through the area. This is one of the reasons why King Edward I stayed at Bishop Rufus’ Palace so frequently. It was an ideal location to encamp an army at on route to the Scottish border.

When Margaret Tudor made her way to Scotland for her marriage to King James IV, Northallerton and Bishop Rufus’ Palace were chosen as one of the places suitable for the princess, her entourage, and her 1500 strong guard to stay en route to her wedding in Scotland.

That military role extended beyond the medieval era. In the English Civil Wars Northallerton was occupied by troops for most of the conflict: from the Scots taking Newcastle onwards. It later served as an encampment for the Duke of Cumberland’s army in the 18th century. The  British Army later used the area as well, with rifle ranges being built to the east of the town.

For a comparison with other Bishop’s Palaces, see this page on Cawood which was a contemporary palace built by the Archbishops of York.

Borough Liberties

From 1334 until the 16th century Northallerton enjoyed Borough Liberties. It was governed by a Borough Council and appointed its own officials, including a bailiff who was elected via the manorial court of the Prince-Bishop. Other officials included two constables, two ale-tasters and two inspectors of meat and fish. This system of administration remained in place throughout the Wars of the Roses. The Borough had a licence to hold a fair once a year – additional fairs granted in the Tudor era, and to host a market.

Allegiances in the Wars of the Roses

The Prince-Bishops of Durham during the 15th century were:

• 1406-1437 : Thomas Langley
• 1437-1457 : Robert Neville 
• 1457-1476 : Lawrence Booth
• 1476-1483 : William Dudley
• 1484-1494 : John Sherwood

The family allegiance of Bishop Robert Neville clearly aligned the See of Durham to the fortunes of his family during the 1440/50’s. This stemmed in part from some disputes over land rights that the diocese had with the Percy family. Some of these disputes had turned violent: before the Percy-Neville feud. Brief details are noted on on our page on regional feuds of the 15th century.

His successor, Bishop Lawrence Booth, was from a Lancastrian family but integrated into the administration of the Yorkist regime under King Edward IV. As a result, during the Wars of the Roses the lands held by the Prince-Bishops of Durham tended to be relatively independent of either faction, with the bishop taking an approach of working with whichever royal house was in power. Unlike some of the other leading disoceses and bishops of the era, the bishops of Durham managed to avoid being imprisoned by either faction during the conflict.

Charitable Work in Northallerton

The Maison Dieu, founded in 1476 by one Roger More, for establishing a chantry and for certain charitable purposes.—The endowment consists of four dwelling-houses occupied by four sisters or almspeople, two closes in the township of Northallerton and Romanby containing 13 a. 2 r. 35 p., let at £24 a year, five cottages let at £6 10s. a year, and £107 10s. 7d. consols, £103 4s. 6d. local loans £3 per cent. stock (held by the official trustees) and £93 15s. 6d. in the savings bank. The net income is divided between the four poor women occupying the almshouses.

British History Online – ‘Parishes: Northallerton’, in A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 1, ed. William Page( London, 1914)

Northallerton Links

Heritage Gateway – sources and brief information on the Palace at Northallerton.

Heritage Gatehouse – sources and brief information on Castle Hills, the site of the Motte and Bailey.

Historic England – official listing for the site.

Gatehouse Gazetteer – Castle Hills, the Motte and Bailey Castle.

Gatehouse Gazetteer – Bishop Rufus’ Palace.

British History Online – ‘Parishes: Northallerton’, in A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 1, ed. William Page( London, 1914)