English Heritage

1201Royal Visit

King John stays at the castle.

1317Beseiged

Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, besieges and captures the castle.

1347Dukes of York

On the death of the last Earl de Warenne, the castle becomes part of the estate of the Dukes of York.

1415-46Traitor's Widow

Richard of Conisbrough is executed for plotting against Henry V. Richard's widow lives in the castle until her death.

1446-1538Abandoned

The castle falls out of use and becomes ruinous and indefensible. It therefore avoids damage during the English Civil War.

1819Famous in Fiction

Sir Walter Scott uses Conisbrough – which he believes is Anglo-Saxon – in his novel Ivanhoe, making it famous worldwide.

21st CenturyModern Interpretation

English Heritage installs a new visitor centre, wall-projected talking characters, audio-visuals and graphic-novel display panels telling the story of Hamelin, the castle's builder.

Learn more about the history of Conisbrough Castle