Otterburn Tower
Encyclopedia
Otterburn Tower is a Grade II listed castellated, three star country house
hotel in Otterburn, Northumberland
. It is set in 32 acres (12.9 ha) of deer park and woodland in the Northumberland National Park
in northeastern England. Originally founded by a cousin of William the Conqueror in 1086, it was later owned by the Clan Hall
, before being rebuilt in 1830 by Thomas James, a magistrate, on the site and using some of the stones from the Otterburn Castle. Nearby Otterburn Hall
was built in 1870 on land gifted to a Lord Douglas as recompense for the death of his ancestor Lord William Douglas
in the Battle of Otterburn
.
. It is on the right bank of the River Rede
within the Northumberland National Park, and is accessible by the A 696 road along the Redesdale
valley. Elsdon
town is 3 miles (4.8 km) to its east, while Cramlington
is 25 miles (40.2 km) to the southeast.
The tower is said to be "bosomed high in tufted trees". From the tower, a short walk by a burn leads to the moor; fishing is available on 3 miles (4.8 km) of riverbank along the Rede. Several spots are marked with stones set in circles, indicating ancient places of burial. Otterburn Hall
, a fortified country house hotel, Otterburn Mill
, and a quarry are nearby.
.
14th-16th centuries
In August 1388, during the Battle of Otterburn
, initially, the Scottish forces
had camped near the Redesdale
valley close to the tower, in the evening. The next day, early in the morning, they attacked the Otterburn Tower but were unsuccessful in their attempt to capture it. Following this failure, the Scottish forces wanted to return to their homes but Douglas
wanted to pursue the battle as Percy
had vowed that he would not allow the Scots to leave the village Otterburn. The village then witnessed fierce battle between "the English and Scots, under the command of Henry Percy and Earl Douglas in which the former was taken prisoner and the latter was killed", on 19 August 1388. The scene of the battle, as reconstructed by historians, mentions that it took place about 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) northwest of Otterburn village. By the beginning of the 15th century, the tower was held by Sir Robert Umfraville. It was owned by Clan Hall
from at least the 1500s.
18th-19th centuries
One of its notable owners was Mad Jack Hall
, a Jacobite
rebel who was tried five times and finally executed at Tyburn
for high treason on 13 July 1716, and his initials are still carved over one of the original doors. He had pleaded during the trial that as he was returning from a Justice’s meeting, he was surrounded by rebels and forced to go with them. In 1777, the "Percy Cross" was placed near the tower to commemorate the Otterburn Battle site.
In the 1860s, Otterburn Castle was owned by Thomas James (1807-unknown), a magistrate, landholder, and farmer of 1276 acres (516.4 ha); he was the son of William James (d. before 1822), of Otterburn Castle, and Elizabeth Woodhouse. Thomas James built Otterburn Tower over what was Otterburn Castle incorporating the masonry of an 18th century house which contained an early building. No traces of the castle remain.
William James of Otterburn Towers, a Lt. of 42nd Highlanders, served in the Crimea
and Indian Mutiny on 28 Feb 1838 and 9 April 1864, respectively. He was the son
Modern times
It became a Grade II listed building on 7 January 1988. The building is reputed to be haunted and many orbs have been reported.
English country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
hotel in Otterburn, Northumberland
Otterburn, Northumberland
Otterburn is a small village in Northumberland, England, northwest of Newcastle Upon Tyne on the banks of the River Rede, near the confluence of the Otter Burn, from which the village derives its name. It lies within the Cheviot Hills about from the Scottish border...
. It is set in 32 acres (12.9 ha) of deer park and woodland in the Northumberland National Park
Northumberland National Park
Northumberland National Park is the northernmost national park in England. It covers an area of more than 1030 km² between the Scottish Border in the north to just south of Hadrian's Wall. It is one of the least populated and least visited of the National Parks...
in northeastern England. Originally founded by a cousin of William the Conqueror in 1086, it was later owned by the Clan Hall
Clan Hall
Clan Hall is a Scottish clan of Norman descent. The clan has no position under Scots law, and has no chief recognised by the Court of the Lord Lyon.-History:Scottish history indicates that the name "Hall", is a Norman surname...
, before being rebuilt in 1830 by Thomas James, a magistrate, on the site and using some of the stones from the Otterburn Castle. Nearby Otterburn Hall
Otterburn Hall
Otterburn Hall is a AA four-star fortified English country house and estate, now used as a hotel, in Otterburn, Northumberland. It is situated in of deer park and woodland in the Northumberland National Park, northeastern England...
was built in 1870 on land gifted to a Lord Douglas as recompense for the death of his ancestor Lord William Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas was a Scottish magnate.-Early Life:William Douglas was the son of Sir Archibald Douglas and Beatrice Lindsay, and nephew of "Sir James the Good", Robert the Bruce's trusted deputy...
in the Battle of Otterburn
Battle of Otterburn
The Battle of Otterburn took place on the 5 August 1388, as part of the continuing border skirmishes between the Scottish and English.The best remaining record of the battle is from Jean Froissart's Chronicles in which he claims to have interviewed veterans from both sides of the battle...
.
Geography
Otterburn Tower is situated on 32 acres (12.9 ha) north of Otterburn village, NorthumberlandNorthumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
. It is on the right bank of the River Rede
River Rede
The Rede is a river in Northumberland, England. The river rises on Carter Fell on the Anglo-Scottish border feeding Catcleugh Reservoir and joins the River North Tyne below the village of Redesmouth-See also:*Carter Bar*List of places in Northumberland...
within the Northumberland National Park, and is accessible by the A 696 road along the Redesdale
Redesdale
Redesdale is a valley iin the western part of the county of Northumberland, in northeast England. This area contains the valley of the River Rede, a tributary of the North Tyne River. Redesdale includes the settlements of Elsdon, Otterburn, Rochester, Byrness and Carter Bar.Historically this...
valley. Elsdon
Elsdon
Elsdon may be a given name, surname, or place name.Derived initially as a surname from a place name with the meaning in Old English Elli's valley.Given name:*Thomas Elsdon Ashford, British recipient of the Victoria Cross...
town is 3 miles (4.8 km) to its east, while Cramlington
Cramlington
Cramlington is a town and civil parish in the county of Northumberland, North East England, situated north of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The town's name suggests a probable founding by the Danes or an Anglo-Saxon origin, the word "ton" meaning town. The population was estimated as 39,000 in...
is 25 miles (40.2 km) to the southeast.
The tower is said to be "bosomed high in tufted trees". From the tower, a short walk by a burn leads to the moor; fishing is available on 3 miles (4.8 km) of riverbank along the Rede. Several spots are marked with stones set in circles, indicating ancient places of burial. Otterburn Hall
Otterburn Hall
Otterburn Hall is a AA four-star fortified English country house and estate, now used as a hotel, in Otterburn, Northumberland. It is situated in of deer park and woodland in the Northumberland National Park, northeastern England...
, a fortified country house hotel, Otterburn Mill
Otterburn Mill
Otterburn Mill is a mill in Otterburn, Northumberland, northeast England. It lies just south of the Otterburn Tower along the A696 road next to a bridge over the River Rede.It was owned by the Waddell family for many years and is over 250 years old....
, and a quarry are nearby.
History
Otterburn Tower was built on the site and using some of the stones from the Otterburn Castle. Otterburn Castle, as it was originally known, was founded by a cousin of William the Conqueror in 1086 as a bastion to repel the ScotsScottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
.
14th-16th centuries
In August 1388, during the Battle of Otterburn
Battle of Otterburn
The Battle of Otterburn took place on the 5 August 1388, as part of the continuing border skirmishes between the Scottish and English.The best remaining record of the battle is from Jean Froissart's Chronicles in which he claims to have interviewed veterans from both sides of the battle...
, initially, the Scottish forces
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
had camped near the Redesdale
Redesdale
Redesdale is a valley iin the western part of the county of Northumberland, in northeast England. This area contains the valley of the River Rede, a tributary of the North Tyne River. Redesdale includes the settlements of Elsdon, Otterburn, Rochester, Byrness and Carter Bar.Historically this...
valley close to the tower, in the evening. The next day, early in the morning, they attacked the Otterburn Tower but were unsuccessful in their attempt to capture it. Following this failure, the Scottish forces wanted to return to their homes but Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas was a Scottish magnate.-Early Life:William Douglas was the son of Sir Archibald Douglas and Beatrice Lindsay, and nephew of "Sir James the Good", Robert the Bruce's trusted deputy...
wanted to pursue the battle as Percy
Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy
Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Alnwick was the son of Henry de Percy and Eleanor de Warenne, daughter of John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey and Alice de Lusignan, Countess of Surrey, half sister of Henry III....
had vowed that he would not allow the Scots to leave the village Otterburn. The village then witnessed fierce battle between "the English and Scots, under the command of Henry Percy and Earl Douglas in which the former was taken prisoner and the latter was killed", on 19 August 1388. The scene of the battle, as reconstructed by historians, mentions that it took place about 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) northwest of Otterburn village. By the beginning of the 15th century, the tower was held by Sir Robert Umfraville. It was owned by Clan Hall
Clan Hall
Clan Hall is a Scottish clan of Norman descent. The clan has no position under Scots law, and has no chief recognised by the Court of the Lord Lyon.-History:Scottish history indicates that the name "Hall", is a Norman surname...
from at least the 1500s.
18th-19th centuries
One of its notable owners was Mad Jack Hall
Mad Jack Hall
'Mad' Jack Hall was a Scottish Jacobite leader and property owner and a Justice of Peace in Northumberland...
, a Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
rebel who was tried five times and finally executed at Tyburn
Tyburn
Tyburn is a former village just outside the then boundaries of London that was best known as a place of public execution.Tyburn may also refer to:* Tyburn , river and historical water source in London...
for high treason on 13 July 1716, and his initials are still carved over one of the original doors. He had pleaded during the trial that as he was returning from a Justice’s meeting, he was surrounded by rebels and forced to go with them. In 1777, the "Percy Cross" was placed near the tower to commemorate the Otterburn Battle site.
In the 1860s, Otterburn Castle was owned by Thomas James (1807-unknown), a magistrate, landholder, and farmer of 1276 acres (516.4 ha); he was the son of William James (d. before 1822), of Otterburn Castle, and Elizabeth Woodhouse. Thomas James built Otterburn Tower over what was Otterburn Castle incorporating the masonry of an 18th century house which contained an early building. No traces of the castle remain.
William James of Otterburn Towers, a Lt. of 42nd Highlanders, served in the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
and Indian Mutiny on 28 Feb 1838 and 9 April 1864, respectively. He was the son
Modern times
It became a Grade II listed building on 7 January 1988. The building is reputed to be haunted and many orbs have been reported.