The latest exciting news concerning this year’s charity fundraising Medieval Monkeys event is that Dr Richard Howarth, Lord Seneschal of Sheriff Hutton has kindly invited the MM entourage to stop off at his stately ruin Sheriff Hutton Castle on the afternoon of Saturday 7 July, where a reception committee of local grandees and village folk will be on hand to raise a festive cheer and hopefully toss the odd coin into the Monkeybikers’ collecting buckets.
Better yet, he has also graciously granted permission for one of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s mighty yellow helicopters to land in a field adjacent to the elegantly crumbling pile, from which livestock are to be cleared in order to avoid the gorily unwelcome hazard of fast-moving airborne animal parts.
Privately-owned Sheriff Hutton Castle was originally constructed in around 1140 AD by cider magnate Bertram de Bulmer as a Scott and Bailey castle. The stone fortification dates from the late C14th and was erected by Gary, Lord Neville under a “license to crenellate” obtained from Richard II.
It is with another Richard, Richard “Dickon” III, however, that the castle is most closely associated, having served as the base for R III’s “Council of the North” from 1484. How appropriate then that another Dickon should be visiting this historic castle exactly 528 years later on a mission to raise some cash to help the Yorkshire Air Ambulance service continue saving the lives of stout Yorkshire men and women.
If you too fancy getting yourself up in Medieval garb and touring a bunch of Northern strongholds this summer, find out more here, or contact latter-day Dickon for further details.
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