Abberwick Tower

Has been described as a Certain Pele Tower

There are masonry footings remains

NameAbberwick Tower
Alternative Names
Historic CountryNorthumberland
Modern AuthorityNorthumberland
1974 AuthorityNorthumberland
Civil ParishEdlingham

The monument includes the deserted remains of the medieval village of Abberwick, the foundations of a tower house and a section of the surviving open field system. The earliest documentary reference to the village at Abberwick is contained in a document of 13th-century date where it was recorded as a member of the barony of Wark on Tweed. In common with other Northumberland villages, the population of the village fell between the end of the 13th century and 1336, when there were only six individuals eligible to pay taxes. The fall in population is usually attributed to devastation of villages by the wars with Scotland, a series of failed harvests and the effects of the Black Death. By the 17th century, the population had recovered and 17 households are recorded, but by the early 18th century the village had been depopulated and all but one of the farms were dispersed to other parts of the township. The remains of the village, the tower and its field system are visible as a series of earthworks in the fields to the north, north east and west of the modern farm of Abberwick. The most prominent feature is a raised rectangular mound 12m by 7m standing to a height of 1.5m. Situated upon this mound there are the foundations of a rectangular enclosure divided into two compartments and visible as low earthen banks. This building is thought to be the remains of a tower which was recorded at Abberwick in a document of 1572. Surrounding the site of the tower are the foundations of other rectangular buildings visible as low platforms, mounds and small enclosures. (Scheduling Report)

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceNU125132
Latitude55.4120903015137
Longitude-1.80323004722595
Eastings412550
Northings613240
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing) p. 150-1
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 345
  • Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p. 11
  • Beresford, M. and Hurst, J.G., 1971, Deserted Medieval Villages (Gloucester), 198
  • Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 51
  • Hodgson, John Crawford (ed), 1904, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol. 7 p. 134, 198, 200 online copy

Other

  • Dixon, P.J., 1984, The Deserted Medieval Villages of North Northumberland Vol. 2 (PhD Thesis: University of Wales) p. 8-13