A Six-Day Tour of Tudor North Yorkshire
This six-day tour will take you to the majestic abbeys and mighty castles of North Yorkshire and incorporates the great city of York, a northern stronghold in the Tudor period.
We recommend staying in York and the Yorkshire Dales for three days each and using them as bases for day trips to explore the surrounding areas. If you are short of time, either would work well for a long weekend.
Let’s go!
Day One: Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx, nr Helmsley, North Yorkshire YO62 5LB
A good starting point for the tour is the glorious Rievaulx Abbey, 10 miles north of York, in an area known as the Vale of York. While not as large as its cousin at Fountains, the setting of Rievaulx Abbey is heavenly; it is nestled in a verdant valley, protected on its northern side by a steep, wooded escarpment.
The abbey church’s ruined east end, the cloisters’ outline, the ragged remains of the claustral buildings, and features such as steps up to the abbot’s lodgings survive. There is a small museum on-site, which holds numerous artefacts, including some exquisitely carved, decorative features that were hacked down during the bloody and violent days of the Dissolution. Look out for the huge, lead ingot stamped with a Tudor rose, the fate of the smelted leaden features of any dissolved abbey.
The visitor centre at Rievaulx has been significantly upgraded in recent years, and now there is a very tempting gift shop and a spacious cafe that looks out over the ruins. It is a fine place to stop and contemplate the beauty of the place.
Finally, if you have time, another nearby location that you might wish to visit is Mount Grace Priory. This was one of only nine medieval, Carthusian Monasteries in England. The monks lived a solitary life, and one of the cells has been recreated as it would have been during the medieval period. The unusual ruins of this Carthusian monastery are the best preserved in the country, making this a worthy detour.
Distance to Sheriff Hutton: approximately 17 miles
Sheriff Hutton Castle
Sheriff Hutton, York YO60 6ST
Lying just north of York, Sheriff Hutton was once one of the most strategically important northern strongholds of the medieval period. Built in the fourteenth century, the castle reached its zenith around the time of the Wars of the Roses and was greatly favoured by Richard III. He had been raised at Middleham Castle, also in North Yorkshire, and was much-beloved by the region’s people.
It was to Sheriff Hutton that Richard sent his niece, Elizabeth of York, and her sisters, for safekeeping when Henry Tudor and Richard vied for the Crown at the Battle of Bosworth. Later, towards the end of the castle’s heyday, it became home to the young Henry Fitzroy, the illegitimate son of Henry VIII. He was sent north to learn the art of kingship as titular head of the Council of the North, which, at the time, was based at the castle.
The decline of Sheriff Hutton came when the Council mentioned above moved its headquarters to York in 1539. Once abandoned, the castle soon fell into disrepair, and today only fragments of this mighty fortress survive, including parts of the gatehouse and its corner towers. Unfortunately, the castle sits on private land, so you cannot explore the crumbling walls at close quarters. However, a short circular walk around the perimeter allows you to view the precariously balanced ruins at a safe distance.
Make sure you visit the village church, St Helen and Holy Cross, where a badly eroded medieval tomb was long thought to be that of Edward of Middleham, son and heir of Richard III and Anne Neville. It is now thought it is likely to be the tomb of another high-status Lancastrian. It is worth a few minutes walk from the nearby castle to explore this treasure.
Distance to York: approximately 10 miles
Days Two and Three
York
The ancient city of York is the crowning jewel of North Yorkshire. Its tangible history stretches back to when the Romans founded the walled city of Eboracum as its northern capital. Medieval buildings and streets abound, thus making York deserving of at least two days of sightseeing if you are to cover all the major historic sites at anything less than break-neck speed. Here, we will give only a flavour of the ‘must-see’ locations for any Tudor history lover:
York Minster and Site of Archbishop’s Lodgings
Deangate, York YO1 7HH
The jewel in York’s gem-studded crown is its Minster. The honey-coloured stone makes it gleam in the sunshine, and its beauty will take your breath away. The Minster, and the now lost archbishop’s palace, once sited to its north (now Dean’s Park), played centre-stage during Henry VII’s 1486 visit to York.
During his week-long stay in the city, the king celebrated a chapter of the Order of the Garter, with religious celebrations and feasting held in both the church and palace. Of the Archbishop’s Palace, sadly, only the old chapel survives. Here, in 1483, Edward of Middleham was created ‘Prince of Wales’ in the presence of his parents, Richard III and Anne Neville.
King’s Manor & Abbey Gardens
Exhibition Square, York YO1 7EP
The King’s Manor lies close to the Minster, outside the original city walls. It is now home to the Centre for Medieval Studies of the University of York. The building was once the abbot’s lodgings for St Mary’s Abbey. While the abbey church and its claustral buildings were dismantled soon after the Dissolution, the abbot’s lodgings were converted, becoming the administrative centre of the north for Henry VIII’s Council of the North.
The Walls and Medieval Gates
York has some of the best-preserved medieval walls in England. All four of its medieval gates or ‘bars’ survive: Bootham Bar, Monk Bar, Walmgate Bar and Micklegate Bar. These stately structures once controlled access into and out of the city. In spring, daffodils festoon the steep banks adjacent to the walls, and there are fine views out over the city from the wall walks. I recommend heading anticlockwise from Monk Bar. A five-minute walk will deliver some breath-taking views of the Minster.
From a Tudor lover’s point of view, the following are of interest: Micklegate Bar houses ‘The Henry VII Experience’, the latter entering into the city through this gate in 1486; Monk Bar contains ‘The Richard III Experience’, and it was through Walmgate Bar that Henry VIII and Catherine Howard entered the city in 1541.
Merchant Adventurers’ Hall
Fossgate, York YO1 9XD
This grand dame of history was built in the first half of the fourteenth century. It is an astonishing survivor of time and is still used by York’s Guild of Merchant Adventurers. It has everything you would want from a medieval and Tudor building; timber frames, wattle and daub, wonky wooden floors and an impressive great hall.
Barley Hall
2 Coffee Yard, York YO1 8AR
A beautifully executed recreation of a wealthy merchant’s house. You will find it nestled among the ancient snickelways of York, close to the ancient thoroughfare of Stonegate.
Clifford’s Tower
Tower Street, York YO1 9SA
Clifford’s Tower is a photogenic, medieval tower under the guardianship of English Heritage. What we see today is all that remains of a far grander structure. This was a part of York’s Castle complex, which was at its zenith during the medieval period. By the sixteenth century, York Castle was falling into disrepair. However, this did not stop Henry VIII from having Robert Aske, the leader of the Pilgrimage of Grace executed on a specially constructed scaffold, sited outside Clifford’s Tower on 12 July 1537.
Distance to Markenfield Hall: approximately 30 miles
Day Four
Markenfield Hall
Near Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 3AD
Markenfield Hall is an ‘outstanding’ example of a northern manor house from the reign of Edward II. Its builder was John de Markenfield, a social climber who rose from the ranks of a clerk, under Edward I, to Chancellor of the Exchequer to Edward II. He collected taxes for the king and seems to have been an unpalatable character, a man pardoned of rape and ultimately excommunicated by the Pope for holding a cleric hostage over a dispute.
Nevertheless, in the early fourteenth century, he was given the licence to crenellate and fortify his manor house, which lay just three miles south of Ripon. The house, which he constructed, has survived remarkably intact. Today, it is tucked away along a mile of track, which makes the approach even more enchanting.
Markenfield Hall is a picture-perfect moated manor house surrounded by low, quasi-defensive walls, accessed by a sixteenth-century gatehouse, with the charming stone-built house lying on the far side of an extensive courtyard. One of the most remarkable things about the place is its warmth; it is a family home, and you will feel that from the moment you walk through the door. Even the once austere great hall is somewhere you can imagine curling up in front of the magnificent fireplace and losing yourself in a good book.
While this is a medieval house, it does not disappoint in terms of its Tudor history. John Markenfield V was the last Markenfield to live at the hall. He was a devout Catholic in the heart of Elizabeth I’s Protestant England. John took a central role in the Rising of the North in 1569 and survived only by fleeing abroad, never to return, with his house falling forfeit to the Crown.
Markenfield Hall is off the usual Tudor trail but is a little gem not to be missed. You can arrange a ‘Tiny Tour’ by contacting the estate office via the Hall’s website.
Distance to Fountains Abbey: approximately 8 miles
Fountains Abbey
Fountains, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 3DY
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/fountains-abbey-and-studley-royal-water-garden
If you want to experience the majesty of England’s ruined abbeys, there is nowhere finer than Fountains Abbey, near Ripon. It is under the guardianship of the National Trust and is their most popular heritage destination, and with good reason.
The substantial ruins of this, the most significant Cistercian Abbey in England, are considerable. Be prepared to be thrilled at the sight of the abbey church and its great bell tower revealing itself through the trees as you walk down the winding path from the visitor centre.
When the splinter group of monks from St Mary’s Abbey in York first founded the monastery here, in 1132, they chose well. Although landscaped during later centuries, the pretty wooded valley surrounding the abbey provided an idyllic setting for a life of quiet devotion and prayer.
Today, you can explore the Abbey’s ruins, including the magnificent, vaulted undercroft, which survives intact and take an easy, circular stroll to Studley Royal, where you will find a glorious lake and surrounding parkland stocked with deer. Car parks and cafes are sited at both visitor entrances. You could easily pass a couple of hours here and more if you explore the park at Studley Royal and the Seven Bridges Valley walk.
Distance to Snape Castle: approximately 13 miles
Day Five
Snape Castle and St Mary’s Chapel
East Snape, Bedale, North Yorkshire DL8 2TJ
Snape makes it onto the itinerary as the second marital home of Katherine Parr, who moved to the castle as the wife of Lord Latimer, a man some twenty years her senior, in 1534.
Despite its peaceful surroundings, during her time at Snape, Katherine was entangled in the dangerous uprising of the north, known as the Pilgrimage of Grace, in 1537. At the time, Lord Latimer was away in London, and Katherine and her two stepchildren were held hostage at Snape by the rebels, demanding Lord Latimer’s commitment to the cause. After this incident, the Latimers moved away to Northamptonshire, most likely for increased security.
Sadly, most of the castle has been lost to time; only the remodelled south range survives, much of it now serving as a private home and thus, it is inaccessible to the public. However, it is possible to follow a public footpath that meanders its way around the side of the castle to gain access to the chapel of St Mary. This still serves the parish as a church. Along the way, you will see the area that would have been the castle’s courtyard and the crumbling ruins of its east and north ranges.
Once inside the chapel, it is incredible to imagine that you are standing where a young Lady Latimer once worshipped, unaware that ‘crowns and sceptres…and not needles’ were her destiny.
Afterwards, you might consider heading into the heart of the village, where a lovely local pub, The Crown Inn, can serve you a hearty lunch.
Distance to Jervaulx Abbey: approximately 9 miles
Jervaulx Abbey
Jervaulx, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 4PH
Only one word comes to mind when I conjure up the memory of my visits to Jervaulx Abbey: romance. There is none of the jaw-dropping, sweeping majesty of the great abbey at Fountains. However, tucked away as it is and reached only by a quarter of a mile walk across a field, Jervaulx’s ruins suck you into a time of rural isolation and peaceful tranquillity that the monks once enjoyed.
Its crumbling walls support rambling wild roses; gaping doorways and carved stone window frames reveal idyllic views across the lush Wensleydale countryside. You might well find a handful of other visitors wandering around the abbey’s remains, but primarily disinterested sheep grazing in the adjacent fields will be your companions. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Margaret Douglas, Henry VIII’s niece, and her husband, Matthew Stewart, Earl of Lennox, were granted the lands at Jervaulx. Subsequently, they built a fine manor house within the old abbey precinct.
Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Henry VIII’s niece, Margaret Douglas, and her husband, Matthew Stuart, Earl of Lennox, were granted the lands at Jervaulx. They built a fine manor house there, within the old abbey precinct.
I always feel it would be a wonderfully idyllic place to picnic on a fine summer’s day. However, if a picnic is not your thing, there is a lovely cafe with indoor and outdoor seating adjacent to the abbey’s car park.
Distance to Middleham Castle: approximately 4 miles
Day Six
Middleham Castle
Castle Hill, Middleham, North Yorkshire DL8 4QG
Middleham Castle is famous for being the childhood home of Richard III. He was raised at Middleham in the household of his uncle, Richard Neville, also known as Warwick the Kingmaker. This time, spent in the isolated and rugged northern shire, would bind Richard forever in the hearts of the people of Yorkshire.
Unlike Snape, Middleham is an excellent example of an early medieval defensive fortress. It was built at the end of the twelfth century, then expanded and modernised over three hundred years. Today, the castle sits adjacent to the market town of Middleham, best known for its racehorses, who you are more than likely to bump into trotting up and down the main street.
The castle ruins are substantial and managed by English Heritage. A haunting statue of Richard III, sited in the castle’s courtyard, honours its deep Ricardian roots. Enjoy the remains of the massive central keep, in which it is believed Edward of Middleham, Richard’s son and heir, died. There are also extensive fourteenth-century lodgings and service offices built into the castle’s walls, as well as the ruins of the chapel adjoining the central keep.
Distance to Bolton Castle: approximately 8 miles
Bolton Castle
Nr Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 4ET
Bolton Castle in Wensleydale is best known as one of the first places in which Mary, Queen of Scots was incarcerated following her forced abdication in 1568. It is an austere place, dominating the landscape of the gently sloping valley in which it is sited.
The castle was built in the fourteenth century for Richard le Scrope, Lord Treasurer and Lord Chancellor under Richard II. The adjacent village of Castle Bolton grew up around the castle in service to the lords of the manor.
The building is arranged as a single, square fortified keep, with vaulted chambers for storage on the ground floor and living quarters, including a great hall, chapel, and a presence chamber on the first and second floors.
However, with all the castle’s chambers built into its walls, its design was highly innovative in its day. Although part of the castle lies in ruins, fortuitously, the south-west tower, which contained the high-status lodgings survive. Therefore, you can stroll around the rooms occupied by Mary, Queen of Scots, during her six-month stay at the castle.
The landscape of Wensleydale has a rugged beauty to it. It is easy to stand at the window of Mary’s bedchamber and gaze out across the valley, as Mary indeed must have, wondering what fate would have in store for her.
Interestingly, adjacent to the castle car park is a wooded area in which wild boars are raised. Of course, these were abundant in medieval England but were later hunted to extinction. While wild populations have re-established themselves in the recent past, it is unusual to see them up close, as you can at Bolton Castle.
Total Distance: approximately 69 miles.
Recommended Places to Stay
York: Base yourself in York to visit Rievaulx Abbey, Sheriff Hutton and York’s attractions.
Clementine’s Town House Hotel: 4-5 St Peters Grove, York YO30 6AQ
www.clementinestownhouse.co.uk
Described as York’s newest boutique hotel offers 4-star luxury accommodation with chic style and comfort at its heart. Refurbished 2021.
Grays Court Hotel: Chapter House St, York YO1 7JH
The vibrant and diverse history of Grays Court provides the opportunity to stay, dine and relax in a building that has seen knighthoods bestowed, played host to kings and has the privilege of being the only privately owned building in York with direct access to York’s City walls.
The Yorkshire Dales
You can reach all the locations in the Dales (the final six locations) from one base, doing day trips out to each one. I recommend basing yourself in one of the Bay Tree Cottage properties. However, if you prefer to move along the route, you could stay at The Blue Lion, a traditional English pub with rooms, for the final four locations.
Base yourself at Bay Tree Cottages to visit Markenfield Hall and Fountains Abbey.
Bay Tree Cottages: School Ln, Dacre Banks, Harrogate HG3 4ER
Luxury awaits in these fabulously appointed, family-run cottages. Choose from one of three properties: Bay Tree Barn, Bay Tree Cottage and Bay Tree Meadow.
Base yourself at The Blue Lion to visit Snape Castle, Jervaulx Abbey, and Middleham and Bolton Castles
The Blue Lion, Leyburn: Main Street, East Witton, North Yorkshire DL8 4SN
Surrounded by the splendour of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and nestled in the heart of iconic Wensleydale, The Blue Lion, an historic eighteenth century property, encapsulates the finest elements of traditional rural England.
