YORK CITY WALLS TRAIL
Norman
It took William I two years to move north after his victory at Hastings in October 1066 and his coronation as king on Christmas Day 1066.
There was a strong anti-Norman feeling in the north and this was coming to a head around York during the summer of 1068.
William moved quickly to try to squash this potential rebellion. He marched north. His advance caused such alarm that he entered the city unopposed. On his arrival he set about his normal activity in hostile territory. In York he built two castles, York Castle and Baile Hill.
York Castle
The original structure was built by William I in 1068 as a motte and bailey castle.
The Prison
After the civil war in 1644, the castle became a prison.
Clifford’s Tower
On top of the mound at Castle Hill are the remains of Clifford’s Tower.
The Old Baile
York was one of the few towns in England in which William the Conqueror built two castles.
The Walls
The outer ditches of the fortifications were re-dug during the Norman period in York, and the earth ramparts increased in height, though there is evidence, particularly north-east of the Multangular Tower, that this was not done in a single operation but in successive enlargements.