Earlier Houses: There was at least one earlier house on, or near, the site of the current house.

House & Family History: Set in a beautiful parkland designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century, Burton Constable Hall has been the home of the Constable family for over 400 years. The house was largely built between 1558 and 1603, though it incorporates earlier elements, like the 12th century Stephen’s Tower, the oldest surviving part of the house. There were also additions and alterations made in the 18th and 19th centuries, including interiors by James Wyatt. The Chinese Room was inspired by visits of the Constable family to the Royal Pavilion in the 1830s. The house was requisitioned by the British Army during World War II and suffered significant damage as a result of its occupation by the military. The National Heritage Memorial Fund contributed £5,417,284 in 1992 toward the establishment of the charitable trust that today owns the house and grounds.

Collections: Burton Constable is noted for its fine collection of Chippendale furniture and its cabinet of curiosities, one of the largest in any English country house. In 1760 William Constable purchased from the York clockmaker Henry Hindley an 18th century telescope that is believed to be the world’s first equatorially mounted telescope (on display in the house). Jeremiah Hargrave's pair of sarcophagus wine cisterns, obtained for Burton Constable in 1769 by William Constable, was purchased by Leeds City Art Galleries for Temple Newsam for £120,000. Giacomo Raffaelli and Giuseppe Leonardi's pair of Italian marble and giltwood tables, purchased for Burton Constable by Sir Clifford Constable when in Rome, circa 1815, were purchased by the Leeds City Art Galleries for Temple Newsam for £565,000. A £553,500 grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund allowed the purchase of some of contents between 1988 and 1990; later the Constable family donated the remaining contents and helped form an endowment for a charitable trust.

Garden & Outbuildings: Between 1788 and 1789 Thomas Atkinson converted an existing greenhouse into the orangery for William Constable. On April 28, 1825, a large bull sperm whale, the world’s largest toothed predator, was stranded on the shores of Tunstall in East Yorkshire. Measuring approximately 58 feet long, this specimen, later known as “Constable Moby,” became a significant scientific and literary landmark. The whale was carefully dissected and studied onsite by Dr. James Alderson, a prominent Hull physician. His subsequent paper, published by the Cambridge Philosophical Society, was one of the first detailed scientific accounts of a sperm whale. The wale was claimed by Sir Thomas Aston Clifford-Constable as a “royal fish,” a monarchical prerogative he held as Lord Paramount of the Seigniory of Holderness, a hereditary, historic feudal title that was instituted by the William the Conqueror in the 11th century. Held by the Constable family since 1559, this title grants authority over the coastal lordship in East Yorkshire, including rights to shipwrecked goods and “royal fish” (whales and sturgeon) washed ashore. Herman Melville very likely viewed the skeleton himself and almost certainly used it as an inspiration for his famous 1851 novel, Moby-Dick (the only non-fictional whale mentioned in the book). Melville refers to the remains of the great whale in Chapter 102, entitled “A Bower in the Arsacides.” In this chapter, the narrator, Ishmael, discusses the dimensions of the sperm whale and cites the specimen held by Sir Thomas as a real-world authority for his measurements: “…at a place in Yorkshire, England, Burton Constable by name, a certain Sir Clifford Constable has in his possession the skeleton of a Sperm Whale...Sir Clifford’s whale has been articulated throughout; so that like a great chest of drawers, you can open and shut him, in all his long cavities—spread out his ribs like a gigantic fan—and swing all day upon his lower jaw. Locks are to be put upon some of his trap doors and shutters; and a footman will show round future visitors with a bunch of keys at his side. Sir Clifford thinks of charging twopence for a peep at the whispering gallery in the spinal column; threepence to hear the echo in the hollow of his cerebellum; and sixpence for the unrivalled view from his forehead.” The skeleton was displayed in the parkland of Burton Constable Hall during the 19th century, where it attracted writers, scientists, and tourists from around the world. Over time, it fell into neglect and disrepair. For years local children climbed over the remains and took bones as souvenirs. In 1995 the skeleton was rescued and restored as much as possible; in 2025, to mark the bicentenary of the whale’s stranding, an £80,000 appeal was launched to restore the skeleton to the condition in which Melville would have seen it during his visit. The remains are housed today in the Great Barn, which is attached to the stables at Burton Constable.

John Bernard (J.B.) Burke, published under the title of A Visitation of the Seats and Arms of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland, among other titles: 2.S. Vol. I, p. 89, 1854.

Country Life: XXI, 126, 1907. LXXII, 238, 266 plan, 1932. CLIX, 1476 [Furniture], 1622 [Furniture], 1976. Ivan Hall in May 13, 1982. CLXXI, 1114, 1198, 1278, 1358, 1982.

House Listed: Grade I

Park Listed: Grade II*

Current Seat / Home of: Constable family; here from 12th century.

Past Seat / Home of: SEATED AT CURRENT HOUSE: William Constable, 18th century; Sir Thomas Aston Clifford-Constable, 2nd Bt., 1823-70; Sir Frederick Augustus Talbot Clifford-Constable, 3rd Bt., 1870-98.

Current Ownership Type: Charity / Nonprofit

Primary Current Ownership Use: Visitor Attraction

Ownership Details: Since 1992 owned by the Burton Constable Foundation

House Open to Public: Yes

Phone: 01964-562-400

Fax: 01964-563-229

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.burtonconstable.com/

Historic Houses Member: Yes