Rothley Tower

Has been described as a Certain Pele Tower

There are no visible remains

NameRothley Tower
Alternative NamesRoadley; Rotheley; turrim de Rothlee
Historic CountryNorthumberland
Modern AuthorityNorthumberland
1974 AuthorityNorthumberland
Civil ParishRothley

Rothley Tower, mentioned in a survey of 1541 as being in good repair, was demolished prior to 1818. It stood behind an old three-storeyed hall there (Hodgson).

Probably built about 1467 (Bates).

No trace of the tower or hall survives. They probably stood in the area of depopulation centred NZ 043880 (NZ 08 NW 13), but the site of neither is distinguishable, and there is no local knowledge of them (Field Investigators Comments–F1 DS 09-SEP-68). (PastScape)

John Birtley, Abbot of Newminster, built (probably in about 1467), a tower at Rothley 'Perembulacio bundarum communae pasturae de Rothlee, capta per dominum Johannem Birtlee, abbatem Novi Monasterii, qui aedificavit turrim de Rothlee in diebus suis.'– Newminster Chartulary p. 262. (Bates 1891)

Gatehouse Comments

Rothley Castle, north of the village, is a folly of about 1755, which, according to Hodgson originally had 'a gigantic statue at each corner' these were destroyed by local 'faws' (gypsies) before 1827.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceNZ043880
Latitude55.1862716674805
Longitude-1.93399000167847
Eastings404300
Northings588000
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing) p. 255-6
  • Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 115 (slight)
  • Rowland, T.H., 1987 (reprint1994), Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p. 11, 40, 50, 51
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 352
  • Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p. 311
  • Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 152
  • Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p. 21, 46 (Also published as the whole of volume 14 (series 2) of Archaeologia Aeliana view online)
  • Hodgson, J., 1827, History of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Part 2 Vol. 1 p. 304-5n 306-7, 306n online copy

Journals

  • Hodgson, J.C., 1916, 'List of Ruined Towers, Chapels, etc., in Northumberland; compiled about 1715 by John Warburton, Somerset Herald, aided by John Horsley' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser3) Vol. 13 p. 8 abridged transcription
  • Bates, C.J., 1891, 'Border Holds of Northumberland' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser2) Vol. 14 p. 21, 46 online copy

Primary Sources

  • 1541, View of the Castles, Towers, Barmekyns and Fortresses of the Frontier of the East and Middle Marches Survey of the East and Middle Marches
  • Fowler, J.T. (ed), 1878, Chartularium Abbathiae de Novo Monasterio, Ordinis Cisterciensis, fundatae anno mcxxxvii (Surtees Society 66) p. 262