Alnham Vicars Pele

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Alnham Vicarage; Aylnane; Alname

In the civil parish of Alnham.
In the historic county of Northumberland (Modern Authority of Northumberland, 1974 county of Northumberland).

This stone tower lies just to he west of the church. It is 11.7m by 8.8m and is built of good quality stone. It has thick walls (1.7 to 2.1m) clearly designed for defence. Like most similar houses the ground floor has a barrel shaped stone vault, and may have been used as a storage area. There is no obvious access between the ground floor and the first floor. Access to the upper storey may have been through an external ladder or staircase. The structure was probably built in the late C14, as it is first mentioned in documents of 1415. It was called a little tower in 1541, but was noted as being ruined by C17. It was believed to belong to the church and was called the Vicar's Pele. Sometime between 1821 and 1844 the building was restored, and a house attached to its east side. At this point, the battlements on the top of the structure were built and replacement windows added. It is now a private house.

This site has been described as a;
Pele Tower.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry ruins/remnants remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NT99031098

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 2253

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N1337

• Web site links
  • http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N1337
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=7
• Books
  • Ryder, Peter, 2004, 'Towers and bastles in Northumberland National Park' in Frodsham, P., Archaeology in Northumberland National Park (CBA Research report 136) p262-271
    Harrison, Peter, 2004, Castles of God (Woodbridge; Boydell Press) p67
    Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p162
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p12
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p170
    Pevsner, N., 1992 (revised by Grundy, John et al), The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p129
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p11, 34
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p325
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p13
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p53
    Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles [1970 Reprint by Frank Graham] p26-7
    Dodds, Madeleine Hope (ed), 1935, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol14 p561, 572-3
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p43
• Journal Articles
  • Hodgson, J.C., 1916, 'List of Ruined Towers, Chapels, etc., in Northumberland; compiled about 1715 by John Warburton, Somerset Herald, aided by John Horsley' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser3] Vol13 p3
    1899, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle [new ser] Vol9 p81
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • 1541 Survey of the East and Middle Marches [Click here]