Scarborough Castle: The Yorkshire castle which has withstood the ravages of time

Three German warships appeared and, whilst one of them was laying mines, two battle cruisers, the Derrflinger and Von der Tan were in Scarborough Bay. At 8.05am, the pair opened fire. An estimated 500 shells were fired, 17 people were killed and more than 80 seriously wounded.

A Leeds man staying in Scarborough recalled: ‘To be in a town that is being bombarded by warships is a never to be forgotten experience…I got up and peeped out of the window, and then saw a couple of vessels at the foot of the Castle Hill.

"They were lying broadside to the castle, but owing to the haze, and having only seen pictures of warships, I could not see discern through the mist what they really were…Then I saw a flash (it was a red light); it was followed by a loud crash, and on my left, I noticed that the old wall of the Castle was falling.

"Another red light appeared, and 30 seconds later another crash and another portion of the wall was smashed.’

Shells aimed in the Castle’s direction caused damage in several Headland areas.

A coastguard station was totally destroyed, there were breaches in the Castle’s curtain wall, the great tower was hit, leaving scars still visible today.

An 18th century barracks built into the ruins of a medieval royal lodging was damaged beyond repair but unoccupied at the time.

The Scarborough attack handed the First World War effort a major propaganda tool and the cry ‘Feed the Guns. Remember Scarborough’ helped boost a recruitment drive.

Scarborough Castle’s Headland site, occupying the tip of a promontory that projects into the North Sea, presents a wealth of fascinating historical information.

Tools and Beaker pottery fragments unearthed from the Bronze Age (c.2500 until c.800 BC) suggest the earliest evidence of human activity. Other finds include a Bronze Age axe-head and a magnificent sword.

During the late 4th century, the Romans (occupying Britain from 43AD to 410) erected a tower with a wall and ditch on the same Scarborough Headland. This was one of a number of signal stations they built on Britain's north-eastern coast line.

After the Romans left Britain, the Scarborough signal station was eventually dismantled (though traces may still be located) and a chapel created along with a small cemetery.

Scarborough's first castle was founded by William le Gros during the 1130s. He was responsible for enclosing much of the Headland site with a wall and erecting a tower on the position of the present keep.

During Henry II's reign, Scarborough Castle was rebuilt at a cost of around £650 – an enormous amount at the time – and this was spread over the ensuing ten years.

The main expenditure was on a new tower or keep, constructed 1159-69. Henry also enclosed the new structure and its surrounding courtyard of domestic buildings with the inner bailey wall.

When King John (c.1167-1216) came to the throne, he spent £2,291 on Scarborough – more than any other castle in the country. Both Knaresborough and Scarborough castles were developed as major royal strongholds to control Yorkshire.

Scarborough Castle figured prominently in national events throughout the Middle Ages (c.1154-1485) and Tudor period (c.1485-1603) and was besieged on a number of occasions most notably in 1312, 1536 and 1557.

The last king to visit the Castle was Richard III (r.1483-5) when he stayed there in 1484.

Although, briefly abandoned in the early 17th century, Scarborough Castle was the scene of much activity during the English Civil War (1642-1651) – fought between the Roundheads or Parliamentarians, and the Royalists loyal to King Charles I (r.1625-1649).

From the 1650s, the Castle served as a garrison and a prison. Founder of the Society of Friends, George Fox, was held there for his radical religious beliefs between April 1665 and September 1666.

During the years leading up to the 1914 attack, various activities at the castle were noted in the Press. An announcement from February 1902 informed that the Coastguard station on the Scarborough Castle Hill had been turned, by the War Office, into a war signalling station.

The signaller had already commenced duty, and watches would be kept daily on duty from daylight to dusk.

During Sunday afternoon August 20, 1905, four attempts were made to secure the gold medal offered by the Scarborough Amateur Swimming Club ‘to swimmers succeeded in swimming round the Castle foot’. Only one completed the distance (two miles), this being A. Hogg, a local man. His time was 65 minutes.

Members of the Yorkshire Archaeology Society visited Scarborough Castle in February 1907 where excavations had been carried out at and near the base of the keep.

Discovered was a well 76 feet in depth, and the dungeon at the base of the keep was uncovered. A collection of articles which had been discovered was on display in the guardroom and included mainly cannon balls, pottery, old clay pipes and stone of the Norman period.

By September 1907, Scarborough Corporation was successful in securing a lease of Scarborough Castle ruins and Hill from the Crown, and had made new footpaths and other improvements. A charge of 1d was made for admission to the Castle yard, and 2d for admission to the keep.

In a thunderstorm during mid-1913, Scarborough Castle was struck by lightning. The summit of the eastern end of the structure was battered, a quantity of masonry being hurled to the ground.

After the December 1914 attack, the Castle yard was not reopened to the public until April 1, 1915. Four years later, Scarborough Corporation was in negotiations with the Crown authorities for the purchase of the Castle Hill along with the ruins of the castle. It was understood the sale would be subject to an agreement that the castle ruins were maintained.

The Scarborough Corporation agreed in February 1920 to allow F.G. Simpson, the well-known antiquarian, to carry out the excavations of the Roman fort remains on the Scarborough Castle Hill.

Excavation work in August 1921 exposed evidence of the medieval chapel. Experts suggested that after the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539, the chapel would no longer be used for religious purposes and then probably became a dwelling.

A report from October 1924 gave more excavation details: ‘The occupation of the site in pre-Roman times has been proved, and a considerable quantity of domestic pottery and objects has been found, in addition to bronze and flint tools and weapons.’

A notice from August 13, 1937 informed that Scarborough Castle was now in the hands of expert officials of the Office of Works for renovation and preservations.

For many years the remains of the fortress had been scheduled under Parliamentary statute as a public monument, and were leased to the Corporation along with the grounds. ‘The lease expired a few months ago, and the State, whose property it is, had again assumed responsibility for its care and maintenance,’ it was added.

In 1954, Scarborough Castle, visited by 72,812 people, was the most popular ancient monument in the Northern region. Since 1984, the Castle has been in the care of English Heritage, which continues to run it as a popular visitor attraction.

Thanks to Kate Maughan-Brown at English Heritage for help with this piece.