Bolton Castle: History of 640-year-old Yorkshire castle where Mary, Queen of Scots was held prisoner and was used to film Heartbeat

Bolton Castle, based in Wensleydale, is Grade I listed building and the name was inspired by the nearby village of Castle Bolton.

In its 646th history it has never been sold and remains in the ownership of the Scrope family and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

In recent years, the castle was the filming location for various TV shows and films including the films Ivanhoe (1952), Elizabeth (1998), ‘Bill’ (2015), and Heartbeat and the original TV adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small.

History of Bolton Castle

The castle was built between 1378 and 1399 by Richard, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton, and is an example of a quadrangular castle.

During the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion against the religious changes implemented by King Henry VIII in 1536, John, 8th Baron Scrope supported them and gave Adam Sedbar, Abbot of Jervaulx sanctuary in the castle.

Consequently, John had to flee to Skipton pursued by the King’s men but Abbot Sedbar was caught and executed. In an act of vengeance, the king ordered Bolton Castle to be set on fire, causing extensive damage and within a few years, part of the damage had been repaired and Sir John had regained his seat in Parliament.

For six months, Mary, Queen of Scots was held prisoner at Bolton; she is thought to have escaped and set off towards Leyburn only to lose her ‘shawl’ on the way, which was the inspiration for the name ‘The Shawl’ of the cliff edge that runs westward out of Leyburn.

Following her defeat in Scotland at the Battle of Langside in 1568, she fled to England, where she posed a threat to the position of the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I. Mary was originally held at Carlisle Castle under the careful supervision of Henry, 9th Baron Scrope, but it proved to be an unsuitable place and in July 1568 Mary was moved to Bolton. The person who was her primary keeper at this location was Sir Francis Knollys.

She was given Henry Scrope’s apartments in the South-West tower and her household included cooks, grooms, her hairdresser, embroiderer, apothecary, physician, and surgeon.

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In January 1569, Mary was removed from the castle for the last time, being taken to Tutbury where she would spend most of the 18 years before her execution in 1587.

In 1630, Emanuel Scrope, 1st Earl of Sunderland died without any legitimate children, so Bolton Castle was inherited by the eldest of his three illegitimate children, Mary and she married Charles Powlett, 6th Marquess of Winchester and 1st Duke of Bolton.

The castle is currently owned by their descendant, Thomas Peter Algar Ord-Powlett, 9th Baron Bolton, who inherited on his father’s death in June 2023.

It is now a tourist attraction and is occasionally rented out for events such as weddings.

Bolton Castle is set to appear in the next episode of the Channel 5 series Yorkshire Great and Small With Dan and Helen tonight (October 3) at 8pm.