Tale of a Castle

UPSALL. Near the great house on the steep hillside is the fine forge of 1859, with the words Upsall Town carved over its horseshoe archway. Higher still climb the few cottages, to where an opening in the road suddenly reveals a magnificent view to the west, over the great Plain to the long low lines of the fells.

Built by the Turtons who have lived here for nearly two centuries, the 19th century Upsall Castle was destroyed by fire in 1918. The first castle was from the 14th century a home of the Scropes, though their story belongs to Masham and Bolton Castle.

A tale of their association with Upsall concerns a Scrope who found the first castle in ruins, and dreamt that if he stood on London Bridge he would find enough money to build it again. We are told that, dressed as a beggar, he stood there for three days till a tinker said, “I see you are as poor as I am, but if only I could get to Yorkshire, I would soon be rich.”

 “What would you do?” Scrope asked. “I would find gold under an elder tree near Upsall Castle,” replied the tinker. The tale goes on to say that Scrope hurried back to Yorkshire, found the gold, and rebuilt the castle.

Nearer Felixkirk is Nevison House, said to have been one of the hiding-places of Nevison, the highwayman whom Charles the Second nicknamed Swift Nick.

(from Arthur Mee's Yorkshire North Riding)