Whitton Grange (The Gatehouse Record)

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

OS Map Grid Reference: NU05780114
Latitude 55.30434° Longitude -1.91044°

Whitton Grange has been described as a Pele Tower although is doubtful that it was such, and also as a probable Bastle.

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains.

This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*.

Description

Wall, arbour and base of tower attached to south of Whitton Grange
Wall, gateway, arbour and remains of towerhouse. Medieval and 1921 by Robert Mauchlen. Re-used old stone.
To left wall c.9 ft. high with round-headed doorway and boarded door. Flat coping.
Similar walling projects on right and contains arbour in form of segmental recess with re-used chamfered lintel inscribed S E 1706, supported on shaped brackets. R
Attached to rear, the lower part of one wall of a tower house with very thick wall. The lower courses of the basement vault are visible. Also to rear, built into 1921 wall, a C14 piscina with trefoiled head and petalled drain. (Listed Building Report)

These are the remains of a medieval tower house or bastle. It now only survives as a rectangular raised platform. The west end is formed by a wall built in 1921. This is now part of a small garden house. Built into a nearby garden wall is a small carved stone basin. It is probably of 14th century date and was taken from the possible chapel at Whitton Tower. (Keys to the Past)

There were formerly several bastle houses in the village of Whitton; one of these is yet used as a dwelling house, belonging to Mr Graham's farm; another of larger dimensions, stood in the field E of Whitton Cottage (Dixon 1903).
In the grounds of Whitton Grange and 10.0m from the S front of the house, are the foundation remains of a pele, measuring 11.5m E-W and 8.0m N-S. The original thickness of the walls cannot now be ascertained. The walls are a fallen mass of rough-shaped stones, which have been converted into an ornamental rockery. The interior hasbeen levelled up to 2.0m above ground level and turfed over. No architectural features are now visible. The site is upon the highest part of the hill called Whitton Bank, at approx 450 feet above sea level. It overlooks a wide stretch of the Coquet valley to the W and N. Visibility is limited to the E and S by the top of the hill. The owner of Whitton Grange, has no information to offer about the pele.
'A' NU 0568 0108, 110.0m to the SE is the dwelling house referred to by Dixon. It is a rectangular 2 storeyed structure built of rough-shaped stones, raised upon foundations of large boulders. The walls are approx 1.3m thick. The ground plan measures 11.9m E-W, and 6.4m N-S. There are no original doors or windows extant. The gable-ends and roof are modern. Outbuildings have been added to the N, E and S sides. The dwelling is at present uninhabited. It is of the Defended House Type. Similar Defended Houses have been encountered at Gatehouses, NY 788 889. They had been assigned to the Tudor period (F1 ASP 30-JAN-57). (PastScape)

Comments

This is almost certainly another pele-house type bastle in a village which have several of these. The second of the buildings mentioned in the PastScape report is Whitton Farm North Cottage.

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1042066
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 4542.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) N2929.

Books
- Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing) p. 191
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 344
  Dixon, D.D., 1903, Upper Coquetdale Northumberland: Its History, Traditions, Folk-lore and Scenery (Newcastle-upon Tyne: Robert Redpath) p. 160, 450 online copy

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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.
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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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