Bridlington Castleburn

Description

The lost Hundred of Huntow, near Bridlington, has its name restricted now to three farm houses, and its moot hill, nearly hidden by high hedges and ash trees, is to be found in a small pasture field at the end of the narrow lane leading past the gas-works, between Bridlington and the Quay. It is rather peculiar in construction, having two long straight parallel banks of earth, one behind the other, on the east side of the hill proper, for what purpose I know not. Mt Thos. Holderness of Driffield, to whom I am much indebted, says that this hill is protected by a long ditch and rampart on the seaward side. (Nicholson)

The port and harbour of Bridlington were granted to the Priory by King Stephen c 1135; this became the focus for Bridlington Quay, a separate settlement to the market town. A possible defensive site has been suggested as existing in this area, largely based on the fact that Bridlington Quay was referred to between the 13th and early 16th centuries as Castleburn. (Brigham et al, 2008)

Comments

In a letter to a local paper Bryan Waites suggests, on the bases of the place name Castleburn and the comment by him that the hill was 'man made', that this was the site of a castle. The suggestion that the 'man made' features represent a castle site are very weak as this is an area that has had several hundred years of urban development. However, this is not impossible as the site of a small timber castle on the site of an earlier Saxon moot which rapidly lost function and could be dispensed with by 1135. Equally the castle name may just represent a continuation of the site as having some administrative function, but without defences, into the post-Conquest period. A final alternative is it represented some siege work associated with the 1143 warfare in the area between William Albemarle, Earl of York and Gilbert de Gant, Earl of Lincoln (see Bridlington Priory.