Tickhill Castle

]] The castle started as an 11th-century motte-and-bailey earthwork named Blythe Castle, built by Roger de Busli, a major landholder listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as holding 174 estates in Nottinghamshire, on land granted to him by the Norman king William the Conqueror. The castle was deliberately built on the Nottingham/Yorkshire border, as Roger held authority in both. After a siege in 1102 Robert Bloet added a curtain wall to the rampart around the bailey; the first part of the castle to be built of stone. From 1151 to 1153, the castle was held by Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester before his death after being poisoned. In 1180 construction began on an 11-sided or circular keep…

After the Civil War, the Hansby family built a large house, which retains the fortified Norman gatehouse and may incorporate parts of the old hall. The site of the bailey is now part of the gardens. The castle is now a private residence and the monument is maintained by the Duchy of Lancaster, and opened to the public one day a year. Tickhill Castle is open only one day a year on the second Sunday of each June between the hours of 2.00 to 4.00 p.m.