Holburn Tower (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Holborn

In the civil parish of Lowick.
In the historic county of Northumberland.
Modern Authority of Northumberland.
1974 county of Northumberland.
Medieval County of Northumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NU040361
Latitude 55.61919° Longitude -1.93651°

Holburn Tower has been described as a certain Pele Tower.

There are no visible remains.

Description

Possible site of a tower at Holburn. Built by the monks of Lindisfarne between 1350 and 1415. In 1514 it was said to be suitable for a garrison of 20 men. It suffered in a raid in 1516 and was reconditioned as a tower by 1541 with a barmkin. Abandoned shortly after 1553. (PastScape)

A tower at Holburn is first mentioned in a list of 1415. In 1509 it was stated to be capable of holding 20 horsemen. A survey of 1541 describes the tower and barmkin at Holburn as being in good repair (Bates).
There is no evidence or tradition of this at Holburn (F1 ASP 18-NOV-55)
Built by the monks of Lindisfarne between 1350 and 1415. In 1514 it was said to be suitable for a garrison of 20 men. It suffered in a raid in 1516 and was reconditioned as a tower by 1541 with a barmkin. Abandoned shortly after 1553 (Dodds 1999; King 1983). (PastScape)

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 6136.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) N3687.

Books
- Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing) p. 50-1
  Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 114 (slight)
  Graham, Frank, 1993, Northumberian Castles Aln, Tweed and Till (Butler Publishing) p. 31
  Rowland, T.H., 1987 (reprint1994), Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p. 32
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 349
  Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p. 205
  Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 122
  Dodds, Madeleine Hope (ed), 1935, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol. 14 p. 136-7
  Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p. 17, 23, 39 (Also published as the whole of volume 14 (series 2) of Archaeologia Aeliana view online)
Periodical Articles
- Bates, C.J., 1891, 'Border Holds of Northumberland' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser2) Vol. 14 p. 17, 23, 39 online copy
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
- 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
  1509, Holdis and Towneshyppes too lay in Garnysons of horsmen Survey of Tevedale
  1415, Nomina Castrorum et Fortaliciorum infra Comitatum Northumbrie online transcription

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

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Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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