Bitchfield Tower or West Bitchfield Tower is a 15th-century medieval pele tower near Belsay, Northumberland, England.[1] It is a Grade I listed building.[2]
| Bitchfield Tower | |
|---|---|
| Northumberland, England, UK | |
  Bitchfield Tower Location in Northumberland | |
| Coordinates | 55°05′20″N 1°51′25″W / 55.089°N 1.857°W |
| Grid reference | NZ091771 |
The three storied battlemented tower was built in the 15th century by the Middleton family who sold it to the Harbottles in 1502.[3] Marjorie Harbottle the heiress to the Harbottle estate, married Sir John Fenwick of Fenwick Tower and in 1529 they conveyed the property to their second son Roger Fenwick.[3] In 1622 Robert Fenwick built a new manor house adjoining the tower:[2] a datestone inscribed 'RF 1622 JF' is incorporated into the building[3][4]
The Fenwicks sold the estate in 1630 to Edward Grey, from whom it was sequestered in 1646.[3] In 1680 it was acquired by Sir James Clavering and in 1802 the Claverings sold to Sir Charles Monck.[3]
It was in a state of ruin by 1930 but has since been restored.
The east wing was added by Caroë and Lord Gort in 1935. The tower was listed since August 27th, 1952.[5]
References
edit- ^ Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, The David & Charles Book of Castles, David & Charles, 1980. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3
- ^ a b Keys to the Past Archived May 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d e A History of Northumberland, Volume XII Miss MH Dodds (1926) pp346 and 349
- ^ Structures of the North East Archived June 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "WEST BITCHFIELD, Belsay - 1303894 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
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