THE remains of a vanished England still shape the landscape of North Yorkshire. History endures on our very doorstep. What happened in the immediate aftermath of the Norman Conquest had much to do with this. Towering castles began to spring up on wind-swept summits as the invaders sought to subdue the population of the land they now precariously controlled.

Centuries since becoming derelict, ruins of many of these great castles, like giant ghosts, still stand out starkly against the sky. The clamour of battle and the uproar of medieval banquets are now replaced by the cawing of rooks which gather on the lonely ramparts. However, little or nothing remains of other castles which once dominated the landscape. Only grassy hummocks bear witness to the former glories which occupied these sites.

Author M J Jackson, a retired railway signalman, has produced a definitive guide to this legacy of times past. His book Castles of North Yorkshire is the fifth in his series entitled Medieval Castles of England. From extensive research in national and local archives, he has come up with a volume which tells the stories behind each of the county's 63 sites. And through the histories of the buildings come the lives of the people who held sway in medieval times. Their names alone seem to capture the spirit of the time - James Mauleverir, of Ayton Castle, John de Eyvill and the de Thwengs to name just a few.

Ryedale features heavily in Mr Jackson's book. This is no surprise as the ruins at Pickering, Helmsley and Sheriff Hutton, for example, are among the most impressive in the whole of England. But Mr Jackson also examines the secrets behind the lesser-known sites, which still, more or less, retain their mystery, such as the castles which stood at Buttercrambe, Slingsby, Cropton and Malton.

There are now almost no traces remaining of the ancient motte and bailey castle at Malton, the site of which is these days densely covered with trees and undergrowth. The castle occupied the same site as the Roman fort, between Castlegate and Old Maltongate. According to Mr Jackson, it was reputedly founded in the 12th century by Eustace fitz John, who gave the castle to the Scots after siding with Queen Maud against the English King Stephen. For this he was dubbed the "one-eyed wicked traitor". In response, Archbishop Thurstan of York took the castle in the king's name and sent it up in flames.

The castle was rebuilt in the latter half of the 12th century by Eustace's son William, who assumed his mother's name of de Vesci. Tradition has it that in 1194, King Richard I met with the King of the Scots in Malton Castle and, in the early 14th century, it came under the control of, and was possibly visited by, King Edward II. In 1322, following the defeat of the English by the Scots at the Battle of Byland, Robert the Bruce destroyed the castle and it was apparently abandoned. In the 1500s, the ruin of the castle was documented as being a "mean house for a farmer", though in the early 1600s the "mean house" was demolished and a mansion built. The ancient castle walls remained until the mid-1800s when they were finally removed and the current character of the site began to take shape.

On the East Yorkshire border at Buttercrambe, remains can be found of a castle which was possibly founded in the late 11th century. The ruins of the motte and bailey have been greatly landscaped and stand in the grounds of Aldby Park. Mr Jackson's volume tells us that during excavations at the site in 1848, a number of skeletons were found, which were believed to date back to 1066. These were reburied in the village churchyard.

The castle changed hands repeatedly during its history, first in 1106 when it was confiscated from the founder, Robert de Stuteville, for fighting against King Henry I in France. In the early 13th century, it is believed that the motte and bailey was abandoned and a new castle built where Aldby Park now stands. Mr Jackson asserts that the castle may have been finally abandoned in 1407.

A castle with reputedly similar origins to that at Buttercrambe is the motte and bailey at Cropton, the remains of which stand on Hall Garth Hill opposite St Gregory's Church. It was also believed to have been founded by Robert de Stuteville and also confiscated for his actions in France. According to Mr Jackson, in the 13th century, a manor house was built, of which the grass-covered foundations can still be seen. The site was in ruins by the mid-14th century.

Over at Slingsby are masonry remains of a 17th century mansion which stands on the site of a 14th century castle. Mr Jackson tells us that, by the early 13th century, a residence was held there by the Wyville family and this was sold in 1343 to Ralph de Hastings. He obtained a licence in 1344 to "crenellate" the manor house, ie to add battlements to the structure. Another such licence was granted over a century later to William, Lord Hastings, which suggests the castle may have been in the process of being rebuilt. But the fate of the castle was sealed when William, Lord Hastings, was executed in 1483 and his heir died about 25 years later. Therefore, it is possible that the rebuilding process may not have been completed. The remains of the castle were removed in 1603 by the then owner Sir Charles Cavendish to make way for a mansion.

- Castles of North Yorkshire, by MJ Jackson, is published by Barmkin Books.

Updated: 11:11 Thursday, January 10, 2002