Haughton Castle[1] is a privately owned country mansion situated to the north of the village of Humshaugh on the west bank of the North Tyne. The River Tyne is a River in England. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers the North Tyne and the South Tyne. It is some 10 km north of Hexham, Northumberland (grid reference NY918729). 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 The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude
It was built originally in the 13th century as a tower house and enlarged and fortified in the 14th century. A tower house is a particular type of stone structure built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. [2][3] At this time the castle was owned by Gerald Widdrington and, although it was still owned by the Widdringtons in the early 14th century, the Swinburns were living in it[4]
By the 16th century the castle fell into disrepair and ruin and it was attacked by Border reivers. Border Reivers were raiders along the Anglo - Scottish border ( Border country) for nearly three hundred years from the late 13th century [4] A survey of 1541 reported the roof and floors to be "decayed and gone". [2]
The property was acquired by the Smith family in about 1640[3], but in 1715 a further survey stated the building to be ruinous. Year 1715 ( MDCCXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a
Significant alterations were carried out for the Smiths between 1816 and 1845, latterly by architect John Dobson to convert the ruin into a substantial mansion. John Dobson may refer to John Dobson (astronomer, astronomer John Dobson (architect, British architect John Dobson [2] The Crawshaw family came into possession in 1862[4] and a west wing was added for them by Anthony Salvin in 1876. Anthony Salvin ( 17 October 1799 &ndash 17 December 1881) was an English Architect. Year 1876 ( MDCCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year [2]
It is now an oblong tower house and one of the best preserved hall houses in the north of England. A tower house is a particular type of stone structure built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. It is a Grade I listed building. A listed building in the United Kingdom is a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural historical or cultural significance A listed building in the United Kingdom is a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural historical or cultural significance In 1888 it was acquired by the Cruddas family and it is currently owned by the Braithwaite family.
Early area history
The earliest recorded history of the local area around Haughton Castle is defined by the construction of Hadrian's Wall, one of the most noted Roman monuments in Britain, constructed in 122 AD. Hadrian's Wall ( Latin: perhaps Vallum Aelium, "the Aelian wall" is a stone and turf Fortification built by the Roman See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands The extent of Hadrian's Wall is 117 kilometres, spanning the width of Britain; the wall incorporated Agricola's Ditch and was created chiefly of stone in the eastern reaches[5] such as near Haughton Castle. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand Agricola's Ditch is a Roman era defensive structure spanning the width of Britain The wall was designed primarily to prevent raids by small Pictish bands or unwanted immigration from the north, not as a fighting line for a major invasion. The Picts were a Confederation of tribes in what was later to become eastern and northern Scotland from Roman times until the 10th century Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term An invasion is a military offensive consisting of all or large parts of the Armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory [6]
References
- ^ Plantagenet Somerset Fry, The David & Charles Book of Castles, David & Charles, 1980. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3
- ^ a b c d Haughton Castle, Humshaugh
- ^ a b Structures of the North East
- ^ a b c Keys to the Past: Haughton Castle
- ^ C. Michael Hogan (2007) Hadrian's Wall, The Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham
- ^ S. Johnson (2004) Hadrian's Wall, Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. , 128 pps, ISBN 0713488409
External links