Helmsley Castle

Not much of Helmsley Castle remains. Built between 1186 and 1227, it remained in the possession of the de Roos family and its descendants until 1688 or '89 when it was purchased by Sir Charles Duncombe.

By this time the castle was largely in ruins having been beseiged in 1644 by Parliamentary forces for three months. Lack of food forced the garrison to surrender and the castle defences were subsequently demolished to prevent any further threat. Today the only buildings in good repair are the west tower, pictured left, and the later mansion built by Edward Manners, the third Earl of Rutland, who owned the site from 1563 to 1587.

Perhaps the most impressive features of Helmsley Castle are its two deep ditches or moats cut through the outcrop of rock on which the castle stands. Much of the debris of the east tower, blown up in the seige described above, still remains in the ditch below.

Date of Our Last Visit: July 2002