Breckenbrough Castle (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Kirby Wiske

In the civil parish of Newsham with Breckenbrough.
In the historic county of Yorkshire.
Modern Authority of North Yorkshire.
1974 county of North Yorkshire.
Medieval County of Yorkshire North Riding.

OS Map Grid Reference: SE37648423
Latitude 54.25237° Longitude -1.42393°

Breckenbrough Castle has been described as a probable Fortified Manor House.

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains.

Description

Breckenbrough Castle Farm, possibly built on the site of a castle. Air photographs taken in 1999 show a complex of earthworks comprising a series of sub-rectangular enclosures of probable medieval date to the west of the farm. Earthworks immediately to the south of the farm comprising a mound situated at the right angle formed between two banks, may represent later post medieval features, possibly garden features. (PastScape)

The hamlet of Breckenbrough or Breckenborough adjoins Newsham, and was anciently the property of the Lascelles family, one of whom was summoned to parliament among the barons in the 22nd of Edward I., and the following year. They had a castle here in which Sir Thomas Lascelles died in 1619, but every trace of it has disappeared, and its site is now occupied by a farmhouse. (Bulmer 1890)

Air photographs taken in 1999 show a complex of earthworks of probable medieval date to the west of the farm. They comprise a series of sub-rectangular enclosures centred at SE 3757 8423. The most clearly visible enclosure (SE 3757 8420) measures approximately 48m by 41m. A block of ridge and furrow cultivation immediately to the west respects these features. A second block of ridge and furrow to the south appears to partially overlie some of the earthworks (SE 3758 8419). To the south of the farm, centred at 3767 8419, are the bank and mound recorded by authority 3 (these are also depicted on the OS 1856 6 inch map). A second bank is visible forming a right angle with the first; the mound is situated at the approximate right angle. These features may represent garden features of post medieval date. (PastScape)

South of Kirkby Wiske is Breckenbrough. Its capital messuage is mentioned in 1304, (Yorks. Inq. p.m. (Yorks. Arch. Soc.) iv, 96) the park and lodge in 1561, (Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), clx, 45) and in 1618 there was a house there described as having 'two strong, large brick-towers of three stories high, between them only the hall which is faire and large, high roofed, well lighted and a large and good chimney. From each of these towers goes out a wing towards the gate, which make a handsome four-square courte, . . . a very fayre square garden, adjoyning to the south side of the house.' (Test. Ebor. (Surt. Soc.), iv, 269 n.) Of Breckenbrough Castle nothing but a marble step remains; the old Breckenbrough Hall was sold by J. C. Hucks to Mr. Samuelson, who pulled it down and built the modern hall. (VCH)

Comments

Marked as site of a Castle of the Lascelles on 1856 OS map.

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 53880.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) MNY20034.

Books
- Jackson, M.J., 2001, Castles of North Yorkshire (Carlisle) p. 91
  Ingham, Bernard, 2001, Bernard Ingham's Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p. 17
  Page, Wm (ed), 1914, VCH Yorkshire: North Riding Vol. 1 p. 176-83 (tenurial history) online transcription
  1890, Bulmer's History and Directory of North Yorkshire
  Whellan, T., 1857, History and topography of the city of York and the North Riding of Yorkshire (T Whellan and Co) Vol. 2 p. 539 online copy
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
- Brown, Wm (ed), 1906, Yorkshire Inquistions of the reigns of Henry III and Edward I (Yorkshire Archaeological Society) Vol. 4 p. 96
  Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), clx, 45
  Raine, J. (ed), 1869, Testamenta eboracensia or wills registered at York (Surtees Society 53) Vol. 4 p. 269n online copy
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
- Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p. 551
  Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1907, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 1 p. 66-7 online copy

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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