Clifford’s Tower is a keep within the larger complex of York Castle. It is situated on top of an earthen mound, in typical Norman motte and bailey fashion. The original structure was probably wooden and was destroyed during an Anglo-Viking uprising against the Norman incomers.
The existing structure dates from 1250 and its four-lobed shape is unique in England.
On Friday March 16th 1190, the eve of Shabbath Hagodol – the Great Sabbath before Passover, and two days before Palm Sunday, York residents attacked the city’s Jewish population, probably because many were heavily in debt to them. 150 of the community, along with their Rabbi, sought refuge in Clifford’s Tower but, fearing they would be slaughtered, took their own lives.
Clifford’s Tower Folklore:
No doubt related to the pogrom of 1190, blood has been seen running down its walls, and the ground has taken on a strange red hue, even when dug over.
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