Skipsea abandoned Norman castle site wows archaeologists
Thousands of visitors flock to UK castles each year, some with links to Harry Potter, others with a long history of sieges, but for two archaeologists from the University of York, the site of what was a remote Norman castle in East Yorkshire is just as alluring.The castle near the village of Skipsea was built in about 1086, according to English Heritage, and was the residence and administrative centre of the Lords of Holderness.Little evidence of it remains today, but recent research has revealed that the motte - or mound - previously thought to have been created by the Normans, actually dates from the Iron Age.Archaeologist Dr Elaine Jamieson, fieldwork project manager, said the site had a fascinating history.
"I probably see it with completely different eyes to the tourists who are looking for a stone castle, but I see the castle in all the earthworks," she said."Our work up here on this ridge suggests it might have had two baileys - one on the ridge - and one on the other side of the motte," she said. The castle would have likely originally have been built from timber, before being rebuilt in stone, she added.After the castle was abandoned, Dr Jamieson said it was possible local villagers took the stone to use elsewhere.The area was controlled by the last Anglo-Saxon King of England, Harald Godwinson, and, after the Norman Conquest of 1066, became the estate centre of the Lords of Holderness."After the Norman Conquest, this land was given by William the Conqueror to Drogo de la Beuvrière, who was a Norman, and a knight who fought with him at the Battle of Hastings," Dr Jamieson said."He [Drogo de la Beuvrière] was also married to William the Conqueror's niece, who he allegedly murdered before fleeing back to France."The land was then given to Odo, Count of Champagne - and it was more likely than not that it was him that built the castle," she added.
Dr Jim Leary, from the University of York's archaeology department, said interest at the site went way back beyond Norman times."We know that the earlier stages of the mound are Iron Age - probably a burial mound - and then later on that was adapted as a medieval motte," he said."The surrounding area would have once been very different," he said."This was one huge lake and Holderness was a really watery area, with a whole series of lakes - sort of like beads on a necklace."He said it would have been a lush, rich area - wonderful for fishing and fowling and would have drawn people to it."We know from the archaeology that we have been finding there were hunter gatherers in the Mesolithic period, and then in the Neolithic and Bronze Age [and] right the way through to the Iron Age," he said."This would have once been an island protruding out of the lake," he told the BBC's Hidden East Yorkshire podcast.According to English Heritage, the castle declined from about 1200 when the lords of Holderness moved their administrative residence to Burstwick, east of Hull.It was ordered to be destroyed in 1221 when Count William de Forz II rebelled against the king. By 1350, the castle was being leased for pasture and the borough was abandoned.Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Furious neighbours of King Charles's Highgrove say they have nowhere to leave their cars due to hordes of tourists - despite paying for one of Britain's most expensive parking permits
Furious neighbours of King Charles 's country home say they have nowhere to park because of hordes of tourists visiting the estate. Residents living in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, near Highgrove House, pay for one of Britain's most expensive parking permits. But despite the hefty fee of £640 they can't park their vehicles outside their homes and claim the town is used as a 'car park'. 'They're about £600 a year, a hell of a lot, and there's no allocated spots for residents so it's just a free for all,' explained resident Steve Tayler, 72. Another resident, Kenneth Ford, 68, added: 'Personally I think it's a lot of money to be paying. 'If you go somewhere with your car you have nothing to say that you had that space. 'So every time you go somewhere and come back you could not have a space, so you could be paying the £600 a year for nothing. 'At the end of the day, like in all these towns, it's set up more for people coming into the town rather than the residents.' Despite the hefty fee of £640 residents can't park their vehicles outside their homes and claim the town is used as a 'car park' The price of the permits are double the cost of some of London's most expensive boroughs. And only half of the spaces in West Street are allocated to locals, meaning they struggle to find a place to park. John Evans, 87, said: 'I was looking out my kitchen window one day and there was a coach full of tourists that had come from Germany, parked in West Street. 'And because there's a real need for large vehicles to have places to park, I've seen coaches in the car park here. It happens all the time. It's crazy.' Dee Buss, 78, added: 'It has really been bad. 'I have no choice but to buy a permit because parking in the street is nigh on impossible. 'This my eighth year with the parking permit and the price has just gone up and up and up. 'We have a situation where because we have so many Airbnb's and second homes, people literally park where they see a space without thinking. 'In the house across, there's an elderly disabled lady who had a hospital appointment on Saturday but couldn't get her car out because another had been parked over her entry. 'Obviously we're happy to have King Charles over at Highgrove, but there's so many tourists and it seems to leave Tetbury as the car park.' However, the council does provide free parking for all at the Old Railway Yard car park in the town. Councillor Paul Hodgkinson, portfolio holder for parking at Cotswold District Council, said: 'With officers from the council, I have spent time in Tetbury talking to residents, local businesses and other stakeholders so have a good understanding of the issues they are facing. 'In recognition of the needs of season ticket holders, half of the standard parking bays in the West Street Car Park on Old Brewery Lane are allocated to them. 'While we understand that holding a season ticket does not guarantee a parking space and that these tickets are not exclusively for residents, opportunities to expand off-street parking in the town are unfortunately limited. 'In addition, we also provide the old rail yard carpark in Tetbury which is free of charge. We remain committed to ongoing dialogue with local residents and businesses.' The estate, bought in 1980, is the private residence of King Charles and Queen Camilla. The house runs public tours for charity from April to October. And the gardens are managed by The King's Foundation, the charitable organisation which oversees all of Charles' philanthropic initiatives. They attract more than 40,000 visitors a year with proceeds being ploughed back into the Foundation's work promoting traditions heritage skills and building sustainable communities.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Skipsea abandoned Norman castle site wows archaeologists
Thousands of visitors flock to UK castles each year, some with links to Harry Potter, others with a long history of sieges, but for two archaeologists from the University of York, the site of what was a remote Norman castle in East Yorkshire is just as castle near the village of Skipsea was built in about 1086, according to English Heritage, and was the residence and administrative centre of the Lords of evidence of it remains today, but recent research has revealed that the motte - or mound - previously thought to have been created by the Normans, actually dates from the Iron Dr Elaine Jamieson, fieldwork project manager, said the site had a fascinating history. "I probably see it with completely different eyes to the tourists who are looking for a stone castle, but I see the castle in all the earthworks," she said."Our work up here on this ridge suggests it might have had two baileys - one on the ridge - and one on the other side of the motte," she said. The castle would have likely originally have been built from timber, before being rebuilt in stone, she the castle was abandoned, Dr Jamieson said it was possible local villagers took the stone to use area was controlled by the last Anglo-Saxon King of England, Harald Godwinson, and, after the Norman Conquest of 1066, became the estate centre of the Lords of Holderness."After the Norman Conquest, this land was given by William the Conqueror to Drogo de la Beuvrière, who was a Norman, and a knight who fought with him at the Battle of Hastings," Dr Jamieson said."He [Drogo de la Beuvrière] was also married to William the Conqueror's niece, who he allegedly murdered before fleeing back to France."The land was then given to Odo, Count of Champagne - and it was more likely than not that it was him that built the castle," she added. Dr Jim Leary, from the University of York's archaeology department, said interest at the site went way back beyond Norman times."We know that the earlier stages of the mound are Iron Age - probably a burial mound - and then later on that was adapted as a medieval motte," he said."The surrounding area would have once been very different," he said."This was one huge lake and Holderness was a really watery area, with a whole series of lakes - sort of like beads on a necklace."He said it would have been a lush, rich area - wonderful for fishing and fowling and would have drawn people to it."We know from the archaeology that we have been finding there were hunter gatherers in the Mesolithic period, and then in the Neolithic and Bronze Age [and] right the way through to the Iron Age," he said."This would have once been an island protruding out of the lake," he told the BBC's Hidden East Yorkshire to English Heritage, the castle declined from about 1200 when the lords of Holderness moved their administrative residence to Burstwick, east of was ordered to be destroyed in 1221 when Count William de Forz II rebelled against the king. By 1350, the castle was being leased for pasture and the borough was to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Edinburgh Live
3 hours ago
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh University boss who 'didn't know his own salary' spent £47k on luxury travel
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A uni boss who told MSPs he didn't know his own £421,667 salary spent £47,000 on luxury foreign junkets in just two years. University of Edinburgh vice-chancellor and principal Sir Peter Mathieson racked up £42,456 on business class flights to destinations including South Africa, South Korea, the US and Hong Kong between March 2022 and May last year. An investigation by the Sunday Mail uncovered £3059 spent on accommodation, and £1336 on transport in Milan, London, Texas, Brussels, Warsaw and Hong Kong from September 2023 to last July. It comes as his lecturers are set to walk out in a dispute over a refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies as part of plans to save £140million. The principal, who took the role in 2018, appeared at a Holyrood committee last week and claimed he didn't know how much he earned. Scottish Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills Miles Briggs said: 'When Sir Peter plans to cut many hundreds, and possibly more than a thousand, jobs at the University of Edinburgh, people will be surprised that there is still the budget for trips of this sort. 'International travel to promote the university may be reasonable, but it's difficult to see why it should cost tens of thousands of pounds while swingeing cuts are being made elsewhere and so many jobs could be under threat.' Unison's lead for universities, John Mooney said: 'People are appalled by the behaviour of Scotland's university top brass. Especially when the sector is in serious debt and hard-working staff are losing their jobs. 'Chancellors and principals get paid eye-watering salaries well beyond anything their students and staff could dream of. 'I can assure you ordinary university staff don't have the luxury of not knowing what their salaries are.' Mathieson – who earned £421,667 last year according to the uni's latest accounts – has racked up thousands on business class travel. A total of £8458 was spent on return business flights from Heathrow to South Africa's OR Tambo airport to visit the University of the Wit-watersrand in recognition of the importance of 'partners from the global south being in attendance' at a COP27 summit in May 2022. Expenses also included return flights from Edinburgh to South Korea which cost £8818 in May 2024. That was for a symposium aimed at fostering UK-Korea partnerships. He also claimed £4127 for return business class flights from Edinburgh to Washington in March 2022 and New Jersey in November 2023. And £4946 was spent to fly to Hong Kong in April last year. Holyrood committee convener Douglas Ross told Mathieson his reported six-figure package was more than the combined wages of First Minister John Swinney and PM Keir Starmer. Mathieson said: 'The figure that is often quoted in the press is something around £400,000 a year but I don't scrutinise my slip so I don't know the exact figure. 'I don't think it's quite as high as that but I'm certainly very well paid. 'I'd need to get my P60 out to show it to you but I don't carry that figure around in my head but I'm very well paid.' . He also confirmed he was given a five per cent pay rise last year and a 2.5 per cent increase this January When Ross asked if, given the cuts, a reduction in his salary would be beneficial, Mathieson said: 'I've made the point in the discussions about senior team pay that you could pay the senior team of Edinburgh university nothing and it would make almost no difference to the size of the expenditure challenge we face.' The expense figures were obtained by the Sunday Mail under Freedom of Information laws. Prior to March 2022, the university's travel management partner was Key Travel and as a result, in the 2021/22 financial year, the university does not hold details on flight class or destination. From August 1 2021 to February 28. 2022, the university holds only the year of the transaction, cost, and travel type. Members of the University and College Union will strike on June 20, with a five-day walkout in September. Mooney said: 'It's highly paid bosses' incompetence that got us into this mess but it's lower paid staff who pay the cost with their jobs and low pay. Our education system is too important for Scotland's skills, jobs and economy, we need to hold these people accountable.' The University of Edinburgh said: 'Each of these visits represent milestones for important projects and partnerships, many being the culmination of years of work by academics and professional staff from across the university.' It said its global profile is something it is 'hugely proud of' and added: 'As the University's most senior leader, the principal's presence at such events is vital for building relationships, encouraging investment and underlining our ongoing commitment to work with partners in delivering positive change worldwide.'
