Chipchase Castle (grid reference NY882757) is a 17th century Jacobean mansion incorporating a substantial 14th century pele tower which stands north of Hadrian's Wall, near Wark on Tyne, between Bellingham and Hexham in Northumberland. The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar The Jacobean style is the name given to the second phase of Renaissance Architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or Tower houses built along the English and Scottish Borders, intended as watch towers where Hadrian's Wall ( Latin: perhaps Vallum Aelium, "the Aelian wall" is a stone and turf Fortification built by the Roman See also Wark on Tweed in the same county Wark on Tyne is a small village and Civil parish usually called Wark in Northumberland Bellingham (ˡbɛlɪndʒəm) is a Village in Northumberland, to the north-west of Newcastle upon Tyne and situated on the River North Tyne. Hexham New South Wales|Hexham (constituency Hexham is a Market town in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne. Northumberland is a county in the North East of England. The non-metropolitan county of Northumberland borders Cumbria to the west It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building. In the United Kingdom, a Scheduled Monument is a 'nationally important' Archaeological site or historic building given protection against unauthorised change A listed building in the United Kingdom is a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural historical or cultural significance [1]
The Heron family acquired the Manor of Chipchase by the marriage of Walter Heron to the Chipchase heiress. He built a massive four storey battlemented tower house on the site of an earlier house in the mid 1300s. A tower house is a particular type of stone structure built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. [2][3]
A survey in 1541 described a 'fare tower' with a 'manor of stone joined thereto' owned by John Heron. [4]
In 1621 Cuthbert Heron ( High Sheriff of Northumberland in 1625) demolished the house and built a fine Jacobean mansion, leaving the tower standing and attached to the new house . This is a list of the High Sheriffs of the English county of Northumberland. The Jacobean style is the name given to the second phase of Renaissance Architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. [3]His first son George was killed at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644 in the service of Charles I. The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on July 2 1644 during the First English Civil War of 1642&ndash1646 Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. His second son Cuthbert was created a Baronet by Charles II, (See Heron Baronets), but he experienced financial problems which eventually led to the sale of the estate by the Herons early in the 18th century. Charles II (Charles Stuart 29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685 was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. There have been two Baronetcies created for descendants of the ancient 12th century family of Heron of Ford Castle, Northumberland
John Reed a Newcastle upon Tyne banker bought the estate in 1734 and carried out major alterations to the castle including a classical facade to the old tower. The failure of Reed's bank caused him to sell the estate to the Greys of Backworth in 1821 to defray debts.
The castle is privately owned. The grounds are open to the public but the Castle is open to the public only in June. [5]
References
- Images of Chipchase Castle
- Stirnet Pedigree of Heron
- Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, The David & Charles Book of Castles, David & Charles, 1980. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3
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