Hotbank Peel Tower (The Gatehouse Record)

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

OS Map Grid Reference: NY77236880
Latitude 55.01322° Longitude -2.35758°

Hotbank Peel Tower has been described as a Pele Tower although is doubtful that it was such, and also as a Bastle although is doubtful that it was such.

There are masonry footings remains.

Description

Rectangular foundations of a building, possibly a medieval Peel Tower, with surviving corner stones on all corners but the SE, measuring 10.6m (N-S) by 9.4m with earth and stone walls standing up to 0.5m high, divided into 2 halves internally N-S. The feature lies at the end of a double bank and ditch system running N from Hotbank Crags (12350.37) 'Peel', or 'pele', is a term originally defining a fortified enclosure but by the late Middle Ages had acquired a range of meaning and was often uses as a synonym for a tower or to describe almost any defensible construction (Ramm et al 1970, xiv, 61). A peel tower was excavated by Simpson on Steel Rig in 1909 (12201*0) (Simpson G, 1976, 109). (National Trust HBSMR: Full Monument Report)

Comments

National Trust SMR record of Pele Tower. Not recorded in PastScape. Nothing at this location visible on modern OS map but a small square feature is visible on the air photo. This appears to be marked as 'Sheepfold' on the 1861 OS map and the 'bank and ditch' seems to be marked as a track. On the 1895 map the site is no longer marked.
This is marginal land and seems quite unlikely as a site of a high status residence and questionable as even the site of a modest bastle.

Sources of information, references and further reading

County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 12200*0.

Books
- Simpson, F.G. (ed), 1976, Watermills and military works on Hadrian's Wall: Excavations in Northumberland, 1907-1913 (T.Wilson) p. 109

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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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