Cote Walls Tower, Biddlestone

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Coat Walls; Coteswall; Cotte walles

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

This tower was described in a survey made in 1541 as belonged to Percival Selby. Unfortunately its location is no longer known, but in the 1950s a grassed mound and a scatter of large dressed stones were seen near the farm buildings and were later planted over with trees. The report of 1715 reads "Coteswall ... A vill of five houses and in it ye ruins of an old tower." so location given probably accurate.

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

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NT97380747

Sources of information, references and further reading

Web site links

http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N1125

Books

Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p173
Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p36
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p345
Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p111
Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p88
Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p47

Journal Articles

Hadcock, R.N., 1939, 'Map of Mediaeval Northum and Durham' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol16 p192
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 p4

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]

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