In 1261 Pickering Castle was held against Henry III. by Hugh le Bigod, and some of the wardrobe accounts of the reign of Edward II. have reference to a visit to Pickering.  The place must have had painful memories for the king in connection with the capture of his favourite Piers Gaveston at Scarborough Castle in 1312.  This visit was, however, separated from that fateful event by eleven years.

“3 August 1323, at Pickering.  Paid to William Hunt, the King’s huntsman, by way of gift at the direction of Harsike—­L1; to Agnes, wife of Roger de Mar, porter of the chamber, gift—­10s.:  to Guillot de la Pittere, groom of the Queen’s chamber, gift—­L1; to Dighton Wawayn, valet of Robert Wawayn, carrying letters from his master to the king, gift—­2s.  To John, son of Ibote of Pickering, who followed the king a whole day when he hunted the stag in Pickering chase, gift by order—­10s.; to Walter de Seamer, Mariner, keeper of the ship called the Magdalen, of which Cook atte Wose was master, a gift, the money being given to John Harsike to give him—­ L1.

“23 August, at Egginton, on Blakey Moor.  Paid to Sir Roger de Felton, Knight of the King’s Chamber, for his ransom at the time when he was taken by the Scots at Rievaulx in company with the Earl of Richmond, in October, 1322, a gift by the hands of John Harsike, who delivered the money to Sir Roger in the King’s presence, L100.

“To Edmund Dorney, the King’s palfrey man, who always followed the King when he hunted—­L1.

“31 August, at Glascowollehouse.  Paid to Ernest, running footman of Sir Robert del Idle, who carried letters to the King, a gift 6s. 8d.; to Dan Thomas de Broghton, monk of Rievaulx, to buy him a coat, a gift—­10s.”

The entries show that the king journeyed to Whorlton Castle to stay with Nicholas de Meynell.  He seems to have gone by way of Lockton and Spaunton Moor, and appears to have stayed a night at Danby.  The accounts mention an amount paid on September 1st to certain foresters’ servants who set the king’s nets to take roe-deer in Whorlton Park, and we also discover that the day’s sport was varied by the singing of Alice the red-haired and Alice de Whorlton, who gave “Simon de Montfort” and other songs before the king, and received a gift of 4s.

The poor of Pickering profited by the royal visits.  Here are two items in the accounts.

“26 September [1323] at Skipton.  Paid, by order of the King, to Lorchon Sewer alms distributed by the King at Pickering—­3d.”

In 1334 Edward III. was more generous than his predecessor, for we find “26 May.  Alms—­to Sir Walter de London, King’s Almoner, for food for 100 poor on the feast of Corpus Christi at Pickering, at the hands of his clerk Henry—­12s. 6d.”  During the hunting in the forest a hound was lost and recovered as follows:—­

“June, (at Beverley), given to Robert de Bridgegate, leading to the King a hound lost at Pickering, a gift the same day 6s. 8d.”