Individual Details
Robert de Ros, 1st Baron Ros of Helmsley
(1170 - 1226)
Robert de Ros of Helmsley. Robert de Ros was one of the original Sureties of the Magna Carta.
WURTS MAGNA CHARTA provided a brief accounting of the feudal headquarters of some of the Magna Charta Barons. Some of the castles have been badly damaged. Some have disappeared entirely. Often we can learn of them through Medieval and Renaissance accounts, and some of them require the discerning eye of the archeologist. Others await the evidence brought out with a shovel and pick, by the trained archeological historian.
A portion of the information concerning Surety Baron ROBERT de ROOS is as follows:
The Barons de Roos owned Helmsley or Hamlake Castle. Baedeker remarks only that it is an interesting Castle, but we can give some description of it. Hamlake has a rectangular bailey, a barbican, and an outwork at the East end of the bailey. Its singular defense was a double line of ditches, both of which were fed by the River Rye. The curtain wall was built about 1170, and the keep about 1190. The East gateway and barbican are ascribed to the 13th Century. The Castle, except for the keep, was destroyed in 1649. The other half remains, one hundred feet above the bailey. The keep is an excellent example of traditional design, combining the old square style with coming roundness in towers. The outside of the tower is rounded to baffle sappers, and the portion inside the curtain is square, as a convenience for the occupants.
ROBERT de ROOS of Fursan, the Surety, fourth Baron of Hamlake Manor, was born in 1177. When only fifteen years of age he had paid a thousand marks' fine for livery of his lands, and in 1197 when aged twenty years, while with the King of Normandy, he was arrested, though we know nothing of the offense, and was committed to the custody of Hugh de Chaumont. However, de Chaumont trusted his prisoner to William de Spiney, and the latter allowed him to escape out of the Castle of Bonville. King Richard thereupon hanged de Spiney and collected a fine of twelve hundred marks, about eight hundred pounds, from Roos' guardian as the price of his continued freedom.
When John became King, he gave young Roos the whole Barony of his great grandmother's father, Walter d'Espec, as conciliation. About the 14th of King John, Robert assumed the habit of a monk, whereupon the custody of all his lands and Castle Werke, were committed to Philip d'Ulcote. But Robert did not long continue as a recluse, as in about a year he was executing the office of high sheriff of co. Cumberland. At the beginning of the struggle of the Barons for a constitutional government, he at first sided with King John and, in consequence, obtained some valuable grants from the Crown. He was made governor of Carlisle, but was later won over by the Barons. He returned to his allegiance in the reign of Henry III for, in 1217/8, his manors were restored to him, and, although he was a witness to the second Great Charter and the Forest Charter of 1224, he seems to have been in favor with the King.
Roos erected the Castles of Helmsley, or Hamlake, in Yorkshire, and of Werke, in Northumberland. He was a member of the Order of Knights Templar. He died in 1226/7 and was buried "in his proper habit" in the Knights' Church, or the New Temple in London, where his tomb may be seen. His effigy is described by Gough, in "Sepulchral Monuments," as "the most elegant of all the figures in the Temple Church, representing a comly young knight in mail, and a flowing mantle with a kind of cowl; his hair neatly curled at the sides; his crown appears shaved. His hands are elevated in a praying posture, and on his left arm is a short, pointed shield charged with three water-bougets. He has on his left side a long sword, and the armor of his legs, which are crossed, has a ridge, or a seam up the front, continued over the knee. At his feet is a lion, and the whole figure measures six feet two inches." He married Isabel, daughter of William the Lion, King of Scotland, and widow of Robert Bruce.
Surrounded by spectacular banks and ditches, the great medieval castles impressive ruins stand beside the attractive market town of Helmsley. The fortress was probably begun after 1120 by Walter Espec Walter the Woodpecker. Renowned for piety as well as soldiering, this Norman baron of gigantic stature also founded nearby Rievaulx Abbey and Kirkham Priory, both English Heritage properties.
Most of Helmsleys surviving stonework defences were raised during the late 12th and 13th centuries, by the crusader Robert de Roos and his descendants. They include a pair of immensely strong barbican entrances and the high, keep like east tower, unusually D-shaped in plan, which still dominates the town.
But Helmsley is not only a medieval fortress. During the Elizabethan period the Manners family remodelled the castles chamber block into a luxurious mansion, whose fine plasterwork and panelling still partly survive. The castles first and last military trial came during the Civil War. Held for King Charles, it endured a three month siege before being starved into submission in November 1644 by Parliamentarians under Sir Thomas Fairfax, who was seriously wounded in the fighting. Fairfax then dismantled the defences but spared the mansion, subsequently the home of his daughter and her husband, the profligate Duke of Buckingham.
Demoted to a romantic backdrop when later owners moved to nearby Duncombe Park, Helmsley Castle has recently undergone a thorough makeover by English Heritage, making it more accessible to a wide range of visitors. This includes a brand-new visitor centre also providing tourist information, an audio tour, and an imaginative hands-on exhibition in the mansion range. Displaying a fascinating array of finds from Civil War cannon balls to early tableware, this exhibition explores the social and domestic as well as the military aspects of the fortress. New facilities for disabled visitors include full ground-level ramping, a virtual tour of less accessible areas, and a tactile model with braille text. Enhanced learning resources include family-friendly books and activities.
The most impressive features of Helmsley castle are its large earthworks with two deep ditches that are cut down through the outcrop of rock on which the castle stands. This ringwork formed part of the original earth and timber castle built in the early 12th century by Walter Espec. Following his death in 1154 the castle passed to his brother-in-law, Peter de Roos, and it would be held by descendants of the de Roos line until 1688.
Robert de Roos rebuilt the castle in stone some time after 1186. He replaced the timber palisades with a stone curtain wall that had round corner towers and two entrances, one in the south-east below a strong square tower and one in the north in a gatehouse with paired round towers. He also added two great towers, the east tower and west tower. The defences were further strengthened in the mid 13th century with the addition of barbicans to the north and south gates. William de Roos inherited the castle in 1285 and made substantial changes to the property. He added another storey to the east tower, creating new accommodation, and he strengthened the south barbican. He added a new hall that abutted the west tower which he had converted into comfortable private apartments. The castle remained little changed until the 1560's when the west tower and hall were converted into a fine Tudor house for Edward Manners.
The castle defences remained untested until the Civil War, when, in 1644, a parliamentary force laid siege to the royalist held castle for three months. Lack of food finally forced the garrison to surrender and the castle defences were subsequently demolished to prevent any further threat. The east tower was blown up, and much of the debris still remains in the ditch below. The Tudor house was left intact, but was abandoned in the early 18th century in favour of a new house in the adjacent Duncombe Park.
Robert was Furfan of Helmsley in Holderness, Co. York, Magna Charta Surety, Knight Templar, 4th Baron of Hamlake Manor, Sheriff of Cumberland, was born in 1177 and died in 1226/27. In 1191, he married at Haddington, as her second husband, Isable of Scotland, daughter of William the Lion and widow of Robert Bruce.
-- MERGED NOTE ------------
Robert de Ros of Helmsley. Robert de Ros was one of the original Sureties of the Magna Carta.
WURTS MAGNA CHARTA provided a brief accounting of the feudal headquarters of some of the Magna Charta Barons. Some of the castles have been badly damaged. Some have disappeared entirely. Often we can learn of them through Medieval and Renaissance accounts, and some of them require the discerning eye of the archeologist. Others await the evidence brought out with a shovel and pick, by the trained archeological historian.
A portion of the information concerning Surety Baron ROBERT de ROOS is as follows:
The Barons de Roos owned Helmsley or Hamlake Castle. Baedeker remarks only that it is an interesting Castle, but we can give some description of it. Hamlake has a rectangular bailey, a barbican, and an outwork at the East end of the bailey. Its singular defense was a double line of ditches, both of which were fed by the River Rye. The curtain wall was built about 1170, and the keep about 1190. The East gateway and barbican are ascribed to the 13th Century. The Castle, except for the keep, was destroyed in 1649. The other half remains, one hundred feet above the bailey. The keep is an excellent example of traditional design, combining the old square style with coming roundness in towers. The outside of the tower is rounded to baffle sappers, and the portion inside the curtain is square, as a convenience for the occupants.
ROBERT de ROOS of Fursan, the Surety, fourth Baron of Hamlake Manor, was born in 1177. When only fifteen years of age he had paid a thousand marks' fine for livery of his lands, and in 1197 when aged twenty years, while with the King of Normandy, he was arrested, though we know nothing of the offense, and was committed to the custody of Hugh de Chaumont. However, de Chaumont trusted his prisoner to William de Spiney, and the latter allowed him to escape out of the Castle of Bonville. King Richard thereupon hanged de Spiney and collected a fine of twelve hundred marks, about eight hundred pounds, from Roos' guardian as the price of his continued freedom.
When John became King, he gave young Roos the whole Barony of his great grandmother's father, Walter d'Espec, as conciliation. About the 14th of King John, Robert assumed the habit of a monk, whereupon the custody of all his lands and Castle Werke, were committed to Philip d'Ulcote. But Robert did not long continue as a recluse, as in about a year he was executing the office of high sheriff of co. Cumberland. At the beginning of the struggle of the Barons for a constitutional government, he at first sided with King John and, in consequence, obtained some valuable grants from the Crown. He was made governor of Carlisle, but was later won over by the Barons. He returned to his allegiance in the reign of Henry III for, in 1217/8, his manors were restored to him, and, although he was a witness to the second Great Charter and the Forest Charter of 1224, he seems to have been in favor with the King.
Roos erected the Castles of Helmsley, or Hamlake, in Yorkshire, and of Werke, in Northumberland. He was a member of the Order of Knights Templar. He died in 1226/7 and was buried "in his proper habit" in the Knights' Church, or the New Temple in London, where his tomb may be seen. His effigy is described by Gough, in "Sepulchral Monuments," as "the most elegant of all the figures in the Temple Church, representing a comly young knight in mail, and a flowing mantle with a kind of cowl; his hair neatly curled at the sides; his crown appears shaved. His hands are elevated in a praying posture, and on his left arm is a short, pointed shield charged with three water-bougets. He has on his left side a long sword, and the armor of his legs, which are crossed, has a ridge, or a seam up the front, continued over the knee. At his feet is a lion, and the whole figure measures six feet two inches." He married Isabel, daughter of William the Lion, King of Scotland, and widow of Robert Bruce.
Surrounded by spectacular banks and ditches, the great medieval castles impressive ruins stand beside the attractive market town of Helmsley. The fortress was probably begun after 1120 by Walter Espec Walter the Woodpecker. Renowned for piety as well as soldiering, this Norman baron of gigantic stature also founded nearby Rievaulx Abbey and Kirkham Priory, both English Heritage properties.
Most of Helmsleys surviving stonework defences were raised during the late 12th and 13th centuries, by the crusader Robert de Roos and his descendants. They include a pair of immensely strong barbican entrances and the high, keep like east tower, unusually D-shaped in plan, which still dominates the town.
But Helmsley is not only a medieval fortress. During the Elizabethan period the Manners family remodelled the castles chamber block into a luxurious mansion, whose fine plasterwork and panelling still partly survive. The castles first and last military trial came during the Civil War. Held for King Charles, it endured a three month siege before being starved into submission in November 1644 by Parliamentarians under Sir Thomas Fairfax, who was seriously wounded in the fighting. Fairfax then dismantled the defences but spared the mansion, subsequently the home of his daughter and her husband, the profligate Duke of Buckingham.
Demoted to a romantic backdrop when later owners moved to nearby Duncombe Park, Helmsley Castle has recently undergone a thorough makeover by English Heritage, making it more accessible to a wide range of visitors. This includes a brand-new visitor centre also providing tourist information, an audio tour, and an imaginative hands-on exhibition in the mansion range. Displaying a fascinating array of finds from Civil War cannon balls to early tableware, this exhibition explores the social and domestic as well as the military aspects of the fortress. New facilities for disabled visitors include full ground-level ramping, a virtual tour of less accessible areas, and a tactile model with braille text. Enhanced learning resources include family-friendly books and activities.
The most impressive features of Helmsley castle are its large earthworks with two deep ditches that are cut down through the outcrop of rock on which the castle stands. This ringwork formed part of the original earth and timber castle built in the early 12th century by Walter Espec. Following his death in 1154 the castle passed to his brother-in-law, Peter de Roos, and it would be held by descendants of the de Roos line until 1688.
Robert de Roos rebuilt the castle in stone some time after 1186. He replaced the timber palisades with a stone curtain wall that had round corner towers and two entrances, one in the south-east below a strong square tower and one in the north in a gatehouse with paired round towers. He also added two great towers, the east tower and west tower. The defences were further strengthened in the mid 13th century with the addition of barbicans to the north and south gates. William de Roos inherited the castle in 1285 and made substantial changes to the property. He added another storey to the east tower, creating new accommodation, and he strengthened the south barbican. He added a new hall that abutted the west tower which he had converted into comfortable private apartments. The castle remained little changed until the 1560's when the west tower and hall were converted into a fine Tudor house for Edward Manners.
The castle defences remained untested until the Civil War, when, in 1644, a parliamentary force laid siege to the royalist held castle for three months. Lack of food finally forced the garrison to surrender and the castle defences were subsequently demolished to prevent any further threat. The east tower was blown up, and much of the debris still remains in the ditch below. The Tudor house was left intact, but was abandoned in the early 18th century in favour of a new house in the adjacent Duncombe Park.
Robert was Furfan of Helmsley in Holderness, Co. York, Magna Charta Surety, Knight Templar, 4th Baron of Hamlake Manor, Sheriff of Cumberland, was born in 1177 and died in 1226/27. In 1191, he married at Haddington, as her second husband, Isable of Scotland, daughter of William the Lion and widow of Robert Bruce.
WURTS MAGNA CHARTA provided a brief accounting of the feudal headquarters of some of the Magna Charta Barons. Some of the castles have been badly damaged. Some have disappeared entirely. Often we can learn of them through Medieval and Renaissance accounts, and some of them require the discerning eye of the archeologist. Others await the evidence brought out with a shovel and pick, by the trained archeological historian.
A portion of the information concerning Surety Baron ROBERT de ROOS is as follows:
The Barons de Roos owned Helmsley or Hamlake Castle. Baedeker remarks only that it is an interesting Castle, but we can give some description of it. Hamlake has a rectangular bailey, a barbican, and an outwork at the East end of the bailey. Its singular defense was a double line of ditches, both of which were fed by the River Rye. The curtain wall was built about 1170, and the keep about 1190. The East gateway and barbican are ascribed to the 13th Century. The Castle, except for the keep, was destroyed in 1649. The other half remains, one hundred feet above the bailey. The keep is an excellent example of traditional design, combining the old square style with coming roundness in towers. The outside of the tower is rounded to baffle sappers, and the portion inside the curtain is square, as a convenience for the occupants.
ROBERT de ROOS of Fursan, the Surety, fourth Baron of Hamlake Manor, was born in 1177. When only fifteen years of age he had paid a thousand marks' fine for livery of his lands, and in 1197 when aged twenty years, while with the King of Normandy, he was arrested, though we know nothing of the offense, and was committed to the custody of Hugh de Chaumont. However, de Chaumont trusted his prisoner to William de Spiney, and the latter allowed him to escape out of the Castle of Bonville. King Richard thereupon hanged de Spiney and collected a fine of twelve hundred marks, about eight hundred pounds, from Roos' guardian as the price of his continued freedom.
When John became King, he gave young Roos the whole Barony of his great grandmother's father, Walter d'Espec, as conciliation. About the 14th of King John, Robert assumed the habit of a monk, whereupon the custody of all his lands and Castle Werke, were committed to Philip d'Ulcote. But Robert did not long continue as a recluse, as in about a year he was executing the office of high sheriff of co. Cumberland. At the beginning of the struggle of the Barons for a constitutional government, he at first sided with King John and, in consequence, obtained some valuable grants from the Crown. He was made governor of Carlisle, but was later won over by the Barons. He returned to his allegiance in the reign of Henry III for, in 1217/8, his manors were restored to him, and, although he was a witness to the second Great Charter and the Forest Charter of 1224, he seems to have been in favor with the King.
Roos erected the Castles of Helmsley, or Hamlake, in Yorkshire, and of Werke, in Northumberland. He was a member of the Order of Knights Templar. He died in 1226/7 and was buried "in his proper habit" in the Knights' Church, or the New Temple in London, where his tomb may be seen. His effigy is described by Gough, in "Sepulchral Monuments," as "the most elegant of all the figures in the Temple Church, representing a comly young knight in mail, and a flowing mantle with a kind of cowl; his hair neatly curled at the sides; his crown appears shaved. His hands are elevated in a praying posture, and on his left arm is a short, pointed shield charged with three water-bougets. He has on his left side a long sword, and the armor of his legs, which are crossed, has a ridge, or a seam up the front, continued over the knee. At his feet is a lion, and the whole figure measures six feet two inches." He married Isabel, daughter of William the Lion, King of Scotland, and widow of Robert Bruce.
Surrounded by spectacular banks and ditches, the great medieval castles impressive ruins stand beside the attractive market town of Helmsley. The fortress was probably begun after 1120 by Walter Espec Walter the Woodpecker. Renowned for piety as well as soldiering, this Norman baron of gigantic stature also founded nearby Rievaulx Abbey and Kirkham Priory, both English Heritage properties.
Most of Helmsleys surviving stonework defences were raised during the late 12th and 13th centuries, by the crusader Robert de Roos and his descendants. They include a pair of immensely strong barbican entrances and the high, keep like east tower, unusually D-shaped in plan, which still dominates the town.
But Helmsley is not only a medieval fortress. During the Elizabethan period the Manners family remodelled the castles chamber block into a luxurious mansion, whose fine plasterwork and panelling still partly survive. The castles first and last military trial came during the Civil War. Held for King Charles, it endured a three month siege before being starved into submission in November 1644 by Parliamentarians under Sir Thomas Fairfax, who was seriously wounded in the fighting. Fairfax then dismantled the defences but spared the mansion, subsequently the home of his daughter and her husband, the profligate Duke of Buckingham.
Demoted to a romantic backdrop when later owners moved to nearby Duncombe Park, Helmsley Castle has recently undergone a thorough makeover by English Heritage, making it more accessible to a wide range of visitors. This includes a brand-new visitor centre also providing tourist information, an audio tour, and an imaginative hands-on exhibition in the mansion range. Displaying a fascinating array of finds from Civil War cannon balls to early tableware, this exhibition explores the social and domestic as well as the military aspects of the fortress. New facilities for disabled visitors include full ground-level ramping, a virtual tour of less accessible areas, and a tactile model with braille text. Enhanced learning resources include family-friendly books and activities.
The most impressive features of Helmsley castle are its large earthworks with two deep ditches that are cut down through the outcrop of rock on which the castle stands. This ringwork formed part of the original earth and timber castle built in the early 12th century by Walter Espec. Following his death in 1154 the castle passed to his brother-in-law, Peter de Roos, and it would be held by descendants of the de Roos line until 1688.
Robert de Roos rebuilt the castle in stone some time after 1186. He replaced the timber palisades with a stone curtain wall that had round corner towers and two entrances, one in the south-east below a strong square tower and one in the north in a gatehouse with paired round towers. He also added two great towers, the east tower and west tower. The defences were further strengthened in the mid 13th century with the addition of barbicans to the north and south gates. William de Roos inherited the castle in 1285 and made substantial changes to the property. He added another storey to the east tower, creating new accommodation, and he strengthened the south barbican. He added a new hall that abutted the west tower which he had converted into comfortable private apartments. The castle remained little changed until the 1560's when the west tower and hall were converted into a fine Tudor house for Edward Manners.
The castle defences remained untested until the Civil War, when, in 1644, a parliamentary force laid siege to the royalist held castle for three months. Lack of food finally forced the garrison to surrender and the castle defences were subsequently demolished to prevent any further threat. The east tower was blown up, and much of the debris still remains in the ditch below. The Tudor house was left intact, but was abandoned in the early 18th century in favour of a new house in the adjacent Duncombe Park.
Robert was Furfan of Helmsley in Holderness, Co. York, Magna Charta Surety, Knight Templar, 4th Baron of Hamlake Manor, Sheriff of Cumberland, was born in 1177 and died in 1226/27. In 1191, he married at Haddington, as her second husband, Isable of Scotland, daughter of William the Lion and widow of Robert Bruce.
-- MERGED NOTE ------------
Robert de Ros of Helmsley. Robert de Ros was one of the original Sureties of the Magna Carta.
WURTS MAGNA CHARTA provided a brief accounting of the feudal headquarters of some of the Magna Charta Barons. Some of the castles have been badly damaged. Some have disappeared entirely. Often we can learn of them through Medieval and Renaissance accounts, and some of them require the discerning eye of the archeologist. Others await the evidence brought out with a shovel and pick, by the trained archeological historian.
A portion of the information concerning Surety Baron ROBERT de ROOS is as follows:
The Barons de Roos owned Helmsley or Hamlake Castle. Baedeker remarks only that it is an interesting Castle, but we can give some description of it. Hamlake has a rectangular bailey, a barbican, and an outwork at the East end of the bailey. Its singular defense was a double line of ditches, both of which were fed by the River Rye. The curtain wall was built about 1170, and the keep about 1190. The East gateway and barbican are ascribed to the 13th Century. The Castle, except for the keep, was destroyed in 1649. The other half remains, one hundred feet above the bailey. The keep is an excellent example of traditional design, combining the old square style with coming roundness in towers. The outside of the tower is rounded to baffle sappers, and the portion inside the curtain is square, as a convenience for the occupants.
ROBERT de ROOS of Fursan, the Surety, fourth Baron of Hamlake Manor, was born in 1177. When only fifteen years of age he had paid a thousand marks' fine for livery of his lands, and in 1197 when aged twenty years, while with the King of Normandy, he was arrested, though we know nothing of the offense, and was committed to the custody of Hugh de Chaumont. However, de Chaumont trusted his prisoner to William de Spiney, and the latter allowed him to escape out of the Castle of Bonville. King Richard thereupon hanged de Spiney and collected a fine of twelve hundred marks, about eight hundred pounds, from Roos' guardian as the price of his continued freedom.
When John became King, he gave young Roos the whole Barony of his great grandmother's father, Walter d'Espec, as conciliation. About the 14th of King John, Robert assumed the habit of a monk, whereupon the custody of all his lands and Castle Werke, were committed to Philip d'Ulcote. But Robert did not long continue as a recluse, as in about a year he was executing the office of high sheriff of co. Cumberland. At the beginning of the struggle of the Barons for a constitutional government, he at first sided with King John and, in consequence, obtained some valuable grants from the Crown. He was made governor of Carlisle, but was later won over by the Barons. He returned to his allegiance in the reign of Henry III for, in 1217/8, his manors were restored to him, and, although he was a witness to the second Great Charter and the Forest Charter of 1224, he seems to have been in favor with the King.
Roos erected the Castles of Helmsley, or Hamlake, in Yorkshire, and of Werke, in Northumberland. He was a member of the Order of Knights Templar. He died in 1226/7 and was buried "in his proper habit" in the Knights' Church, or the New Temple in London, where his tomb may be seen. His effigy is described by Gough, in "Sepulchral Monuments," as "the most elegant of all the figures in the Temple Church, representing a comly young knight in mail, and a flowing mantle with a kind of cowl; his hair neatly curled at the sides; his crown appears shaved. His hands are elevated in a praying posture, and on his left arm is a short, pointed shield charged with three water-bougets. He has on his left side a long sword, and the armor of his legs, which are crossed, has a ridge, or a seam up the front, continued over the knee. At his feet is a lion, and the whole figure measures six feet two inches." He married Isabel, daughter of William the Lion, King of Scotland, and widow of Robert Bruce.
Surrounded by spectacular banks and ditches, the great medieval castles impressive ruins stand beside the attractive market town of Helmsley. The fortress was probably begun after 1120 by Walter Espec Walter the Woodpecker. Renowned for piety as well as soldiering, this Norman baron of gigantic stature also founded nearby Rievaulx Abbey and Kirkham Priory, both English Heritage properties.
Most of Helmsleys surviving stonework defences were raised during the late 12th and 13th centuries, by the crusader Robert de Roos and his descendants. They include a pair of immensely strong barbican entrances and the high, keep like east tower, unusually D-shaped in plan, which still dominates the town.
But Helmsley is not only a medieval fortress. During the Elizabethan period the Manners family remodelled the castles chamber block into a luxurious mansion, whose fine plasterwork and panelling still partly survive. The castles first and last military trial came during the Civil War. Held for King Charles, it endured a three month siege before being starved into submission in November 1644 by Parliamentarians under Sir Thomas Fairfax, who was seriously wounded in the fighting. Fairfax then dismantled the defences but spared the mansion, subsequently the home of his daughter and her husband, the profligate Duke of Buckingham.
Demoted to a romantic backdrop when later owners moved to nearby Duncombe Park, Helmsley Castle has recently undergone a thorough makeover by English Heritage, making it more accessible to a wide range of visitors. This includes a brand-new visitor centre also providing tourist information, an audio tour, and an imaginative hands-on exhibition in the mansion range. Displaying a fascinating array of finds from Civil War cannon balls to early tableware, this exhibition explores the social and domestic as well as the military aspects of the fortress. New facilities for disabled visitors include full ground-level ramping, a virtual tour of less accessible areas, and a tactile model with braille text. Enhanced learning resources include family-friendly books and activities.
The most impressive features of Helmsley castle are its large earthworks with two deep ditches that are cut down through the outcrop of rock on which the castle stands. This ringwork formed part of the original earth and timber castle built in the early 12th century by Walter Espec. Following his death in 1154 the castle passed to his brother-in-law, Peter de Roos, and it would be held by descendants of the de Roos line until 1688.
Robert de Roos rebuilt the castle in stone some time after 1186. He replaced the timber palisades with a stone curtain wall that had round corner towers and two entrances, one in the south-east below a strong square tower and one in the north in a gatehouse with paired round towers. He also added two great towers, the east tower and west tower. The defences were further strengthened in the mid 13th century with the addition of barbicans to the north and south gates. William de Roos inherited the castle in 1285 and made substantial changes to the property. He added another storey to the east tower, creating new accommodation, and he strengthened the south barbican. He added a new hall that abutted the west tower which he had converted into comfortable private apartments. The castle remained little changed until the 1560's when the west tower and hall were converted into a fine Tudor house for Edward Manners.
The castle defences remained untested until the Civil War, when, in 1644, a parliamentary force laid siege to the royalist held castle for three months. Lack of food finally forced the garrison to surrender and the castle defences were subsequently demolished to prevent any further threat. The east tower was blown up, and much of the debris still remains in the ditch below. The Tudor house was left intact, but was abandoned in the early 18th century in favour of a new house in the adjacent Duncombe Park.
Robert was Furfan of Helmsley in Holderness, Co. York, Magna Charta Surety, Knight Templar, 4th Baron of Hamlake Manor, Sheriff of Cumberland, was born in 1177 and died in 1226/27. In 1191, he married at Haddington, as her second husband, Isable of Scotland, daughter of William the Lion and widow of Robert Bruce.
Events
| Birth | 1170 | Hamlake, Lincolnshire, England | |||
| Marriage | 1191 | Haddington, Lincolnshire, England - Isabella of Scotland | |||
| Death | 1226 |
Families
| Spouse | Isabella of Scotland (1160 - ) |
| Child | Sir William de Ros, 5th Baron of Hamlake Castle (1196 - 1264) |
| Father | Everard de Ros (1144 - 1183) |
| Mother | Roysia Trusbut (1146 - 1194) |