Tickhill Castle, Doncaster
Tickhill Castle is located in the town of Tickhill, near Doncaster in South Yorkshire. The first construction of fortifactions at the site took place shortly after the Norman Conquest of England, when Tickhill was held by Roger de Busli. It has since been transformed into a stone castle with much of the bailey walls remaining intact. Tickhill is one of the few castles in the north of England to retain a moat, which can be seen by passers by on the public road. Tickhill Castle is held by the Duchy of Lancaster. It is a private residence but hosts one open day a year for members of the public to see parts of the castle.
Origins of Tickhill Castle
Roger de Busli constructed a Motte and Bailey castle at Tickhill as the Normans enforced their control over England. By 1102 this castle was recognisable as a developed structure with the Motte having settled and the Bailey area being well established under the direction of Robert of Bellême. It was at around this time that the castle saw its first military action. Tickhill was taken by forces loyal to King Henry I.
Development of Tickhill Castle
The site saw further military action in the reign of King Henry II. He took the castle and it has remained in the hands of the crown or Duchy of Lancaster ever since. It was King Henry II who authorised the construction of a stone keep on the site along with a stone bridge over the moat. King Henry II and Queen Eleanor stayed at the castle, with Eleanor establishing a chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas on the site.
Siege: Richard I
When King Richard I was imprisoned on the continent, Tickhill Castle was taken by his brother, John. Upon the King’s return to England the castle did not submit to the King’s authority and Richard I had to send a force to besiege and take the castle. Local historians have suggested that this action may have been the inspiration for sections of the ‘Ivanhoe’ story [see this page]. Later, when King, John invested in the castles defences with the addition of a barbican to the castle taking place at his direction.
Siege: Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster
Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster lay siege to Tickhill during a revolt against King Edward II. He failed in his attempt to secure the castle: he was similarly unsuccessful in his attempts to prize away Consiborough and Pontefract, and was later caputured at Boroughbridge which resulted in the Earl being taken to Pontefract Castle where he was executed in 1322. You can read more about the Earl’s revolt and execution here.
John of Gaunt and the Duchy of Lancaster
Edward III granted Tickhill to his son, John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster. Since then, Tickhill Castle has been held by the Duchy of Lancaster. Under the Duchy the castle saw several improvements, along with ongoing maintenance to retain the military functionality of the site. This continued until after the English Civil Wars when the site became less important as a military base and was moved toward being a residence.
15th century
In the 15th century defences at Tickhill were again improved. The Barbican as we see it today dates from this period, as do some of the refinements to the keep and bailey walls.
St. Leonard’s Hospital, Tickhill
By Richard Croft, CC BY-SA 2.0,
A hospital was known to be in place in Tickhill as early as 1225, when it was noted as being in need of donations and the Bishop condemned the state of the friars who ran the hospital. This early hospital was a leper hospital on the outskirts of Tickhill on Spital Hill. In 1470 a new hospital dedicated to St. Leonard was opened in the centre of Tickhill. This hospital appears to have been for more general medical purposes as leper hospitals would not typically be opened in a town centre. The building in which St. Leonard’s Hospital operated is still standing, as shown in the image above.
Tickhill Castle Links
Historic England – official listing for Tickhill Castle.
Tickhill HIstory Society – local history society page about the castle.
Doncaster History – a Doncaster history group’s page on Tickhll castle.
The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture – detail of the building and its features.
Visit Doncaster – details of the annual open day. Note, this castle is only open to the public on ONE DAY A YEAR.
Image Details
Featured Image: “Tickhill an Old Castle near Doncaster in Yorkshire,” etching, by the British artist and printmaker George Vertue. Published by the Society of Antiquaries of London. View of Tickhill Castle. 304 mm x 455 mm. Courtesy of the British Museum, London.