Gilling Castle, distant view

Slide 2 – The situation of Gilling, perched on a woody promontory in a large park, is more romantic than that of most English castles. In a military sense it was never used for a depot or a garrison, but rather a fortified outpost. The Lordship of Gilling was held of old by the great house of Mowbray, and the castle was one of their feudal strong holds. Under the Mowbrays it was held as early as the 13th century, by the Ettons, who took their name from a village named Etton near Beverley.