Hirst Castle, Ashington

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Hirst in Woodhorn; Low Hirst; North Hurst

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

Tower stood at Hirst in medieval times. Old documents suggest that it was built by Ralph, the third Lord Ogle in the late C15 or early C16. A manor house next to it is thought to have been built by Thomas Errington in C17. However, the tower was demolished in 1916 and the site has been built over. The 1715 Survey records " North Hurst ... 'in which is 2 ancient piles, ye one belonging to ye Dutches of Newcastle and ye other to one Johnson, both formerly possest by ye Withringtons' "

This site has been described as a;
Tower House.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Nothing visible remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NZ28148788

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; 25324

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N11665

• Web site links
  • http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N11665
• Books
  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p223
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p70
    Jackson, M.J.,1992, Castles of Northumbria (Carlise) p78
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p77
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p349
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p205
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p122
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Tomlinson, W.W., 1897, Comprehensive Guide to Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p290
    Hodgson, J.C., 1832. History of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) pt2 Vol2 p192
• Journal Articles
  • Wilson, D.M. and Hurst, D.G., 1969, 'Medieval Britain in 1968' Medieval Archaeology Vol13 p273
    Hadcock, R.N., 1939, 'Map of Mediaeval Northum and Durham' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol16 p148-50
    1930, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol4 p307-10
    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 p16
    Tomlinson, W.W., 1899, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol9 p105-9