Otterburn, Northumberland
Encyclopedia
Otterburn is a small village in Northumberland
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...

, 31 miles (49.9 km) northwest of Newcastle Upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

 on the banks 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...

, near the confluence of the Otter Burn, from which the village derives its name. It lies within the Cheviot Hills
Cheviot Hills
The Cheviot Hills is a range of rolling hills straddling the England–Scotland border between Northumberland and the Scottish Borders.There is a broad split between the northern and the southern Cheviots...

 about 16 miles (25.7 km) from the Scottish
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...

 border. The parish of Otterburn is at the heart of 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...

, a remote Northumbrian upland valley steeped in history and blessed with natural beauty.

History

Otterburn was the site of a major battle
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...

 in 1388 between English and Scottish armies. The engagement, in which the Scots took Sir Henry Percy captive, is the subject of the English ballad Chevy Chase
The Ballad of Chevy Chase
There are two extant English ballads known as The Ballad of Chevy Chase, both of which narrate the same story. As ballads existed within oral tradition before being written down, other versions of this once popular song may also have existed....

and the Scots ballad Otterburn.

The battle of Otterburn ended in an English rout. James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas
James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas
Sir James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas and Mar was an influential and powerful magnate in the Kingdom of Scotland.-Early life:He was the eldest son and heir of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas and Margaret, Countess of Mar...

 was killed, Percy captured and over a thousand of the English were taken, left dead on the field or slain as they fled. The dead were carried to Elsdon church, three miles (5 km) from Otterburn, where they were buried.

Governance

Otterburn is in the parliamentary constituency of Hexham
Hexham (UK Parliament constituency)
- Elections in the 2000s :- Elections in the 1990s :- Elections in the 1980s :- Elections in the 1970s :-Notes and references:...

.

Economy

Today, the village is noted for its proximity to the Otterburn Training Area
Otterburn Training Area
The Otterburn Army Training Estate was established in 1911 and covers about 230 square kilometres of the Southern Cheviots. It is owned by the Ministry of Defence , and used for training some 30,000 soldiers a year...

, one of the UK’s largest army training ranges at some 60000 acres (242.8 km²).

Landmarks

  • 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...

    , now a hotel, is a Neo-Elizabethan structure, built in 1870 for Lord James Douglas.
  • St John the Evangelist's Church, Otterburn
    St John the Evangelist's Church, Otterburn
    St John the Evangelist's Church is a church in Otterburn, Northumberland, northeast England, located off the A696 road. It was built in 1857.Three sisters, the Misses Davidson, of Lemmington Hall, and Mrs. Askew, of Pallinsburn, built Otterburn Church, in the year 1857, for the use of their...

  • 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....

  • Otterburn Tower
    Otterburn Tower
    Otterburn Tower is a Grade II listed castellated, three star country house hotel in Otterburn, Northumberland. It is set in of deer park and woodland in the Northumberland National Park in northeastern England...

    , now a hotel, was built in 1830 incorporating part of an eighteenth-century house, which itself may have incorporated the thirteenth century tower house which originally stood on the site.
  • The "Percy Cross" stands in the midst of a small plantation, a mile north of the village. Near this peaceful spot, on an August evening in 1388, an English army of 8,000 men followed Sir Henry Percy into battle against the Scots, led by James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas
    James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas
    Sir James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas and Mar was an influential and powerful magnate in the Kingdom of Scotland.-Early life:He was the eldest son and heir of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas and Margaret, Countess of Mar...

    .


External links

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