Skipton Castle
Skipton Castle is one of the best preserved
castles in Yorkshire, so well preserved that part of it is still being lived in
by the present owners. The present stone castle can be traced back to the 1090s,
and no doubt this will have been preceded by a wooden fortress much earlier. The
castle was built by Robert de Romille and over the years the castle changed
hands and families many times.
Lady Anne Clifford (1590-1676) owned the castle during the civil war (1642-45)
when the castle withstood a three year siege. After the siege was over Oliver
Cromwell ordered the "slighting" of the castle and the roofs were demolished.
Lady Anne restored the castle and to commemorate the ending of the repairs she
planted a Yew tree in the courtyard known as Conduit Court in the year 1659 and
the tree still exists today.
