Thurland Castle was originally a medieval manor house, founded by the Harrington family. Fortified by a circular moat, in 1402 Sir Thomas Tunstall founded the stone castle, when King Henry IV granted him a licence to crenellate. In the Civil War, the castle was almost demolished in the siege of 1643, when being held for the King, by Sir John Girlington. In the early and late 19th century, the North family absorbed the remains of the castle, in the construction of a Gothic mansion house. A mile south-west is Castle Mound, Melling and 3 miles east is Castle Hill, Burton in Lonsdale.