Upsall Castle

Upsall Castle stands in a quiet corner of North Yorkshire, near Thirsk. It is a ruined quadrangular castle begun in 1327 by Geoffrey Scrope, with parts still visible above ground. The Scrope family once owned the site, and their mason markings and coat of arms remain faintly on the ruins. A later manor house replaced the castle and was rebuilt in the 19th century after a fire in 1918. The old gatehouse west of the Garden Cottage and the remains of the castle walls are protected as listed monuments.

The castle’s history includes a dramatic moment in 1609 when Stephen Proctor and Timothy Whittingham captured three priests, including John Mush and Matthew Flathers, in the castle vaults. By 1828 only fragments remained, turned into farm buildings. The Constable family held the castle until 1768, and John Constable reportedly left a curse on any disloyal owner. Local folklore tells of a man who dug up two pots of gold beneath a bush at the castle.

Visitors today see the surviving southeast tower called Kitchen Tower and the foundations of the south and west walls. The north and east structures lie buried beneath the ground. The old gatehouse and castle walls stand as reminders of the Scrope family’s past. The surrounding parkland and manor house ruins offer a quiet place to walk and imagine the castle’s former life.