Harnham Hall, Belsay

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; ffortalicium de Harnhamhall

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

Harnham Hall is C17 building backing onto the steep northern edge of the hill on which it is built. It has a main block two-storeys high with four bays. Behind this is a slightly higher tower. There was certainly a structure here in medieval times and a small fortification was recorded here in 1415. However, most of the surviving buildings seem to date to a later period. The earliest surviving part of the house may be as early as C16, but the western wing and the tower probably date to about 1670. The house has a walled garden of later C17 date this might include parts of an earlier medieval surrounding wall.

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.

listed building

Images of England

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NZ07378047

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 21038

Web site links

http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N10573

Books

Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p266-7
Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p62
Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p69, 71
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p335
Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p187-9
Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) 115
Pevsner, N., 1957. The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London) p163
Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles [1970 Reprint by Frank Graham] p117-9
Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p392
Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p16
Hodgson, J.C., 1827, History of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) pt2 Vol1 p345-6

Journal Articles

Davies, J. and Davidson, J., 1988. Northern Archaeology 9, 83
Milner, L., 1976. 'Northumberland Pele Towers: BHarham Hall' Archaeological Journal Vol133 p169

Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)

1415 list of Northumberland Castles [Click here]

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The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of English Heritage and other individuals and organisations.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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