Scarborough History : King Richard III's Naval Base 1466 - 1566

King Richard III was given the castle, the lordship, the Crown rents, the port and the haven in 1473, when he was still Duke of Gloucester. He made the port his supply base for all his war ships. He built a bulwark to secure the harbour and improved the town defences, replacing part of the Newborough moat with a new stone wall, complete with turrets. He occasionally stayed in the castle.

His wife gave name to the Queen's Lodgings at the castle. Richard used the Richard III house on Sandside, a favorite place where people visit today. Richard borrowed money from a merchant called Thomas Sage, while his agents made contracts for supplying his fleet in the harbour and the forces in Scotland. Before King Richard died, he granted Scarborough a new constitution, making Scarborough a county rather than a borough.

Times were changing, the fisherman stopped trading with Iceland for stockfish, and there were people who said that they had just given up. Men from Holland and New Zealand carried out a profitable trade in their place. The medieval world was slipping away. In the reigns of King Henry VIII and King Edward, the friaries were dissolved, and their buildings fell to ruin. Both St. Nicholas and St. Thomas hospitals lost their churches and were converted to mere lodgings for a few poor widows.

The lead from the roof of St. Thomas's roof was sold for money to repair the quay. The typical figure in mediaeval Scarborough was poor, but the records tell only of the rich, Christopher Conyers, Burgess and merchant. He was wealthy enough to be buried in the church, leaving 20/- to its wardens to pay for hanging the great bell. His civic responsibility was met by a bequest of 10/- towards the repair of the Quay and 6/8 for the pavage of the town. He left an 'old noble' to his brother and for each of his children he left 10/-. One quarter share of a ship was given to his wife, but the main source of his income, the vessel Thomas, was given to his eldest son.