01969 623 981
Facebook Instagram
£0.00 0

No products in the cart.

Return To Shop
Shopping cart (0)
Subtotal: £0.00

Checkout

MENUMENU
  • Home
  • Visitor Information
        • Visiting The Castle
          • Opening Times and Daily Activities
          • Admission Charges
          • Castle Shop
          • Dogs at Bolton Castle
          • Places to Stay
          • Access Statement
          • Children’s Activity Packs
          • Holiday Rental
          • Find us
        • Admission Information
          • Activity packs and guide books
          • Group Tours
          • Garden Tours
          • Book A Group Tour
          • Children’s Activity Packs
        • About The Castle
          • History
          • Gallery
          • Education
          • Volunteering at Bolton Castle
          • Location Shoots
  • Falconry Experiences
    • Falconry Experiences
    • Full Day Castle Experience
    • Half Day Falconry Experience
    • Owl Experience
  • The Gardens
    • Garden History
    • Garden Tours
    • The Dyer’s Garden
    • Mary Garden
    • Rose Garden and Rose Arbour
    • Herb Garden
    • Bowling Green
  • Tea Room
  • Events
  • News & Press
  • Weddings & Private Events
  • Contact

Return to previous page
Home Visitor Information

History

Bolton Castle was built by Sir Richard le Scrope, Lord Chancellor of England to Richard II. The licence to crennelate was granted and building commenced in 1379 and was completed in 1399. The family had raised to prominence a generation before under Sir Henry Le Scrope who was Chief Justice of The Kings Bench, Chief Justice of The Common Pleas and father of Sir Richard. Having said this, a member of the family called Richard FitzScrob – Scrob, being the earliest Norman spelling of the name Scrope – had built Richard’s Castle in Herefordshire in 1050, so the family must have borne some political power well before this time.

Sir Henry had served in the retinue of The Earl of Warwick in France and later with John of Gaunt. His first action was at The battle of Crecy, being Knighted at The Battle of Durham. He fought in every major campaign between 1346 and 1384, when he challenged Robert Grosvenor to his right to bear the Arms ‘Azure, a Bend d’Or’. In 1385, a General Proclamation was made throughout the host that all who were interested in the dispute should appear on 20th August at Newcastle on Tyne. The case took four years to be determined and judgement was given in Westminster Hall, in favour of Scrope. Many of the most interesting and powerful persons of the land gave evidence, including John of Gaunt and Owen Glendower.

He obtained the wardship of the three heiress daughters of Robert, Lord Tiptoft who was reputed to have salvaged King John’s treasure from ‘The Wash’. The three girls were betrothed to Scropes’ sons and are all left legacies in Scrope’s will where he refers to them as ‘my dearest daughters’.

Between 1371 and 1375 he served as Lord Treasurer and was made Lord Chancellor in 1378, which post he held until 1380, but he then served again from 1381 to 1382. The following explanation was given for his having The Great Seal taken from him; “After the death of Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March, and of some other tenants in captive, numerous applications were made to The King for their lands, which fell to The Crown in consequence of the minority of their heirs. His Majesty, regardless of his own pecuniary necessities, having commanded The Chancellor to comply with those requests, Scrope ventured to remonstrate and urged the propriety of keeping the lands in The King’s own hands for the supply of exigencies. Incensed at this behaviour, Richard sent messenger after messenger to Scrope, desiring him forthwith to return The Great Seal, but he “(refused) to deliver it up to any person other than The King himself.”

There is considerable mystery as to the origins of the major Scrope wealth. Henry and Geoffrey Le Scrope reputedly founded the family fortune, however there is a problem with this. They undoubtedly acquired some land holdings, but on a minor scale. Henry also applied for a licence to embattle his manor house at Kirby Fleetham, but his declared remuneration from gifts and fees, never amounted to more than about £80 per annum (Brigette Vale). Richard Le Scrope spent a reputed 18000 Marks on building Bolton Castle between 1378 and 1399, he also bought the Kingdom of The Isle of Man for his son William for a further £10000. This represents about £90 million at today’s prices. He acquired some of his properties by lending money on the security of land. When people were unable to pay back these funds these lands and manors became forfeit to him. The licence to crenellate Bolton Castle was granted in July 1379, although the contract with Johan Lewyn, mason, was made in September 1378. Leland (later – in the reign of Henry VIII) describes in his ‘Itinerary’ how Bolton was 18 years in building and cost 1000 Marks per annum and was completed in 1399. He also describes ‘An Astronomical Clock’ in the courtyard and the way “the smoke was conveyed from the hearth in the hall, through tunnils through the walls and no other louvers”. Sir Francis Knollys describes Bolton as having “The highest walls of any house he had seen”.

Visitor Information

  • Visitor Information
  • Activity packs & guide books
  • Falconry Experiences
  • Group Tours
  • Garden Tours
  • Castle Shop
  • Tea Room
  • History
  • Holiday Rental
  • Find us
  • Contact

What our visitors say about the castle

A Visitor
Best castle I've EVER been to
Absolutely loved it here, we were lucky enough to come when people were in costume. Master David provided a GREAT tour, very very interesting, extremely knowledgeable, and humorous. I would recommend it to anyone
A visitor
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Bolton Castle. The way the castle was exhibited was fantastic, it gave you a real feel for what it would’ve been like. The staff were so passionate, especially Dave who took the time to share his knowledge with our children in a very engaging way. The tea and pasties were delicious and it was lovely to be able to see the birds of prey in the gardens. We would definitely recommend visiting.
Visitor March 2024
Brilliant Castle with lots to see and do - and a great café too!
What a fantastic Castle! So much to see, every room was so interesting. Lots of info, but not too much to get boring. The day we visited was bright and sunny, the view from the roof top was truly 360' and we could see for miles! The star of the place was LEE! He did a brilliant chat and display of Archery and then we were truly entertained and informed about the birds of prey that he obviously is totally passionate about, flying display and close-up contact with beautiful birds. It was superb. Finally we went to see the Wild Boars with their little Humbug piglets! Our lunch in the cafe was delicious and so fresh. We cannot recommend this highly enough.
A visitor April 2024
An excellent day out!
Our first stop was the tea room. The woodburner warmed the cosy little room, the coffee was good and the service was fast and friendly. Prices were very good value and the homemade pasties and pies ( including boar pie) were melt-in-the-mouth gorgeous. The cakes looked wonderful but we were stuffed. Staff in the gift shop were entertaining and the Castle itself was steeped in story, with plenty of little nooks and crannies to explore, and set out in ways that made it fun and interesting. The have-a-go archery got us all competing with each other and Kelly's Bird of Prey display was wonderful. We loved it!
Mike Cowan
What a day that was.
Please thank ALL your team including the grass cutting guys. You and they all helped the day to run so well.
The re-enactment team were brilliant and please pass on our thanks . For the car drivers it was almost the highlight of the day to have the flag laid down in front of the car. Really great touch.
Last but not least Lorna. What  an amazing job she did. Over and above.
Everyone was amazed how quick the service was and how good the products were.
Please pass on our thanks to lord Bolton.

Download the Bolton Castle app

Download our new audio App from Apple's App Store or Google Play Store and hear the stories of the castle brought alive. Our easy to navigate App is a fun way to find out about our turbulent history, our castle incumbents and their way of life through the ages. There's an audio tour for each room of the castle, so you can dip in and out as much as you wish, with voices from our Living History team who know and love the castle. Find out about Mary Queen of Scots' captivity, how Lord Scrope's army prepared for war, and how the servants made sure life included some luxuries as well as day to day chores to keep this home functioning, amongst other sneak peeks on life in a castle. It's time to immerse yourself in our history and find out more than you ever thought you needed to know!  Free with entry, the audio App lets you unlock the stories behind the castle walls.

Facebook Instagram Tripadvisor

Bolton Castle
Nr Leyburn
North Yorkshire
DL8 4ET

T: 01969 623981
E: info@boltoncastle.co.uk

School booking enquiries
E: dave@timetalks.org.uk

Bolton Castle

Sign up to our newsletter

Web design and branding Yorkshire by Feel Design

  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
0