The present-day castle at Skelton stands on a site that has been continuously occupied since about 1070. The community around it dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period, and possibly even earlier. And yet, unseen from any passing road or footpath, its very existence is unknown to many.

With a history spanning eleven centuries, there have been just three dozen owners, from ten families: de Brus, Fauconberg, Conyers, Atherton, Darcy, Kempe, Trotter, Hall, Hall Stevenson, and Wharton.

The cast of characters includes: a politically astute Norman lord of the manor, a medieval “idiot from birth”, a Georgian “demoniac”, and a profligate MP for Beverley who died in debtors’ prison.

This book tells the stories of these people, these families; and through them, this castle.

Target publication date: August 2026