Thornton Tower, Shoreswood

Has been described as a Certain Pele Tower

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

NameThornton Tower, Shoreswood
Alternative NamesWest Thornton Tower; Thorntonpark
Historic CountryNorthumberland
Modern AuthorityNorthumberland
1974 AuthorityNorthumberland
Civil ParishShoreswood

A survey of 1560, describes a partly destroyed tower with a barmkin, at Thornton. It was destroyed in 1513 (Raine).

The site is on the level top of a slight natural ridge, now under the plough. There is no trace of a building or courtyard (F1 DS 09-MAY-67).

Tower house and barmkin built shortly after 1348, badly damaged in 1513, but one corner had been repaired by 1561, in which year it was sold and nothing of its subsequent history is known. There are grass-covered bumps in a field by Thornton Cottage, 500 yards North-West of Thornton hamlet which appear to be of the right dimensions for a tower house (Dodds). (PastScape)

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceNT947481
Latitude55.7269897460938
Longitude-2.08499002456665
Eastings394760
Northings648180
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing) p. 44
  • Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 99
  • Graham, Frank, 1993, Northumberian Castles Aln, Tweed and Till (Butler Publishing) p. 42
  • Rowland, T.H., 1987 (reprint1994), Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p. 23
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 354
  • Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p. 325
  • Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 171 (possible confused with Newborough)
  • Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p. 38, 53 (Also published as the whole of volume 14 (series 2) of Archaeologia Aeliana view online)
  • Raine, J., 1852, History and Antiquities of North Durham (London) p. 304

Journals

  • Bates, C.J., 1891, 'Border Holds of Northumberland' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser2) Vol. 14 p. 38, 53 online copy

Primary Sources