Netherwitton
Encyclopedia
Netherwitton is a village in Northumberland
, England
about 8 miles (13 km) west of Morpeth
.
A former cotton-mill now converted into residential housing, the old village school also converted into a house, an old bridge whence the pretty little church is visible, and a number of cottages and gardens comprise the village. The old cross, dated 1689, still stands in a garden beyond the green. Most of the common about it has been appropriated and planted with trees.
, Cromwell
quartered a large force in the grounds of the stately Netherwitton Hall
for one night, and later awarded a sum of £95-5s-6d. as compensation for the damage done by his troops. After Culloden
in 1746 Lord Lovat
, a Jacobite
leader, for a long while lay concealed in a "Priest's Hole" in an upper room of the Hall. Roger Thornton, a great merchant-prince of Newcastle at the beginning of the 15th century, was a native of Netherwitton and built a castle by the river, but no trace of it remains.
passes the village less than 1 miles (2 km) to the east. The causeway is a Roman
road which starts at Port Gate on Hadrian's Wall
, north of Corbridge
, and extends 55 miles (89 km) northwards across Northumberland to the mouth of the River Tweed
at Berwick-upon-Tweed
.
Devils Causeway Tower, Netherwitton, also known as, or recorded in historical documents as Highbush Wood. King writes ‘Marked on some OS maps as tower but now considered to be remains of cottage.’ SMR still records as ‘site of tower’. Long records as ‘remains of an irregular shaped tower.’ This site has been described as a Pele Tower
. The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Questionable.
Netherwitton Hall is a Grade I listed building. There has been a house on the site since the 14th century. The present house, which was built in about 1685, to a design by architect Robert Trollope
has an impressive three storey, seven bayed frontage with balustrade and unusual irregular window pediments. The rear presents some earlier features including a stairway tower which may contain remnants of ancient fortifications. The gardens contain a folly and masonry features.
Northumberland
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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
about 8 miles (13 km) west of Morpeth
Morpeth, Northumberland
Morpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a population...
.
A former cotton-mill now converted into residential housing, the old village school also converted into a house, an old bridge whence the pretty little church is visible, and a number of cottages and gardens comprise the village. The old cross, dated 1689, still stands in a garden beyond the green. Most of the common about it has been appropriated and planted with trees.
History
During the Civil WarEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
quartered a large force in the grounds of the stately Netherwitton Hall
Netherwitton Hall
Netherwitton Hall is a privately owned mansion house, and a Grade I listed building situated at Netherwitton, near Morpeth, Northumberland.The estate was owned by the Thornton family from the 14th century. Margaret Thornton, heiress of Netherwitton, married Walter Trevelyan, second son of Sir...
for one night, and later awarded a sum of £95-5s-6d. as compensation for the damage done by his troops. After Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
in 1746 Lord Lovat
Lord Lovat
Lord Lovat is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1458 for Hugh Fraser. The title descended in a direct line for nine sequential generations until the death of the ninth Lord in 1696. He was succeeded by his great-uncle, the tenth Lord...
, 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...
leader, for a long while lay concealed in a "Priest's Hole" in an upper room of the Hall. Roger Thornton, a great merchant-prince of Newcastle at the beginning of the 15th century, was a native of Netherwitton and built a castle by the river, but no trace of it remains.
Landmarks
The Devil's CausewayDevil's Causeway
The Devil's Causeway is a Roman road in Northumberland, in North East England. It branches off Dere Street north of Corbridge and can be traced through Northumberland for about north to Berwick-upon-Tweed.-Description:...
passes the village less than 1 miles (2 km) to the east. The causeway is a Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
road which starts at Port Gate on Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
, north of Corbridge
Corbridge
Corbridge is a village in Northumberland, England, situated west of Newcastle and east of Hexham. Villages in the vicinity include Halton, Acomb, Aydon and Sandhoe.-Roman fort and town:...
, and extends 55 miles (89 km) northwards across Northumberland to the mouth of the River Tweed
River Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Great Britain. It rises on Tweedsmuir at Tweed's Well near where the Clyde, draining northwest, and the Annan draining south also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" as the Border saying...
at Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
.
Devils Causeway Tower, Netherwitton, also known as, or recorded in historical documents as Highbush Wood. King writes ‘Marked on some OS maps as tower but now considered to be remains of cottage.’ SMR still records as ‘site of tower’. Long records as ‘remains of an irregular shaped tower.’ This site has been described as a Pele Tower
Peel tower
Peel towers are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, intended as watch towers where signal fires could be lit by the garrison to warn of approaching danger...
. The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Questionable.
Netherwitton Hall is a Grade I listed building. There has been a house on the site since the 14th century. The present house, which was built in about 1685, to a design by architect Robert Trollope
Robert Trollope
Robert Trollope was a 17th century English architect, born in Yorkshire, who worked mainly in Northumberland and Durham.His work includes:-* Eshott Hall about 1660* Capheaton Hall 1667-8* Cliffords Fort, North Shields 1672* Callaly Castle 1676...
has an impressive three storey, seven bayed frontage with balustrade and unusual irregular window pediments. The rear presents some earlier features including a stairway tower which may contain remnants of ancient fortifications. The gardens contain a folly and masonry features.
External links
- GENUKI (Accessed: 27 November 2008)