Danby Castle

{{Short description|Castle in North Yorkshire, England}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Use British English|date=July 2024}}

File:Danby Castle ruins from the north - geograph.org.uk - 2606955.jpg

Danby Castle is a historic building in Danby, North Yorkshire, a village in England.

The castle was first recorded in 1242, but it was in ruins by 1336, according to local tradition due to a fire and the reuse of its stone in constructing St Hilda's Church, Danby. The current building dates from the late 14th century, with some alterations to the south wing having been made in the mid and late 16th century. During this period, it may have been the home of Catherine Parr. Much of the building later fell into ruin, but part of the southern range was converted into a farmhouse, with a large cellar underneath and a courtroom on the first floor, formerly the great chamber.{{cite book |title=A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 2 |date=1923 |publisher=Victoria County History |location=London |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/yorks/north/vol2/pp332-340 |access-date=12 July 2024}}{{NHLE |desc=Danby Castle |num=1178588 |access-date=13 July 2024}}

The building was grade I listed in 1990. The castle is now a wedding venue, managed by The Gilchrist Collection.{{cite web |title=The Gilchrist Collection – Wedding Venues |url=https://gilchristcollection.co.uk/ |access-date=30 August 2023 }} Danby court leet, the all male, baronial court whose origins were as a manorial court, but whose functions are now restricted to the management of common land,[http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/archive/2000/10/27/The+North+East+Archive/7127182.Court_leet_seeks_peace_to_work/ The Northern Echo: Court leet seeks peace to work – (27 October 2000)] regularly meets in the courtroom.{{cite web|title=Danby Castle: North York Moors National Park|url=http://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/visiting/enjoy-outdoors/walking/our-walks/walking-routes/danby-castle|website=North York Moors National Park|accessdate=5 September 2017}}

File:Danby Castle 4.jpg

The castle is constructed of sandstone with roofs of tile and pantile. It has a square plan with diagonally-projecting corner towers, linked by ranges around a courtyard. The courtyard originally had the great hall to its east, the kitchen to its north, and the main entrance to its west. The southeast corner has been converted and extended to form a farmhouse with two storeys and two bays, and to its west are farm buildings, including a two-storey barn and a single-storey cartshed.{{cite book| last1 =Grenville| first1 =Jane| last2 = Pevsner | first2 = Nikolaus | author2-link = Nikolaus Pevsner | series= The Buildings of England| title =Yorkshire: The North Riding| publisher =Yale University Press | year =2023 | orig-year=1966 |location =New Haven and London | isbn =978-0-300-25903-2 }}