Haggerston Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Hagerston; Braggarstone; Turris de Haggarston

In the civil parish of Ancroft.
In the historic county of Durham; North (Modern Authority of Northumberland, 1974 county of Northumberland).

Castle mentioned in documentary sources in 1311, and described as a strong tower circa 1345. Partly destroyed by fire in 1618. A print of circa 1772 shows the tower in ruinous condition. The remains were demolished in 1805 and a house built on the foundations. This house was in turn replaced circa 1883-89 but the replacement has since been demolished itself, leaving only a tall, narrow, L-plan tower, which served as both a water tower and a belvedere. Licence to crenellate granted, to Robert Hagerston, in 1345. The spelling Braggarstone is an antiquarian slip of the pen.

This site has been described as a;
Masonry Castle
Tower House.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Possible.
Masonry footings remains.

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1345 June 4.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NU04204366

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; 6524, 517003

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N4030

• Web site links
  • http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N4030
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/75/haggerston.htm
• Books
  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p54-5
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p58
    Jackson, M.J.,1992, Castles of Northumbria (Carlise) p69,71
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p10, 24
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p349
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p180
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p112
    Pevsner, N., 1957, The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p161
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p10, 17, 37
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p414
    Raine, J., 1852, History and Antiquities of North Durham (London) p224, 226
    Hodgson, J. and Laird, F., 1813, Beauties of England and Wales; Northumberland Vol12 p231
• 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 p9
    1910, Publications of the Surtees Society Vol118 p16-17
    1905, Publications of the Surtees Society Vol111 p221-3
• Guidebooks
  • Slinn, J., 1995, A Souvenir History of Haggerston Castle 1070-1931
• 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]
    1415 list of Northumberland Castles [Click here]
    Calendar of Patent Rolls (1343-45) p479
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p343