Cartington Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Turris Kartyngton; Cartyngton

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

Complex building in ruins includes C14 tower, extended to included a great hall, and probably a tower-defended courtyard, by John Cartington in 1441/2 when he was granted a licence to crenellate his home. The site was partly excavated in 1888-9. The remains of the castle are situated upon the end of a north- south ridge of pasture and arable land. the walls of the north east tower are fallen above first floor level except at the south west corner, while those of the north wing are likewise demolished to first floor level except over the buttress and along the south side, where they still stand to third floor level at the east end. There are no associated earthworks.

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

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1442 May 5.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 236344)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NU03910452

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; 4691

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N2832

• Web site links
  • http://www.britannia.com/tours/coquetdale/cartington.html
    http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N2832
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=54
    http://www.rothbury.com/village/around/cartington.htm
• Books
  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p166-9
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p32-3
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p63-5
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p178-9
    Jackson, M.J.,1992, Castles of Northumbria (Carlise) p39-42 [plan]
    Pevsner, N., 1992 (revised by Grundy, John et al), The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p215
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p11, 37, 59, 60, 74
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p329
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p203
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p98
    Hedley, W. Percy, 1968-70, Northumberland Families Vol2 p109
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p79
    Dodds, Madeleine Hope (ed), 1940, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol15 p375-80
    Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles [1970 Reprint by Frank Graham] p64-6
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Dixon, D.D., 1903. Upper Coquetdale (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p350-61
    Tomlinson, W.W., 1897, Comprehensive Guide to Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p355
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p371-2
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p17, 44, 397-408
    Richardson, M.A., 1843. Local Historians Table Book 3 (History), 290
    Hodgson, J.C., 1820, History of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) pt3 Vol1 p29
• Journal Articles
  • Hadcock, R.N., 1939, 'Map of Mediaeval Northum and Durham' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol16 p181
    1918, Publications of the Surtees Society Vol13 p3
    1917-8, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol8 p21-34
    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 p12
    1891-2, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol5 p167-73 [mostly minor history]
    Bates, C.J., 1885-6, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol2 p270-3
    1889-90, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol4 p8
    1889, The Monthly Chronicle; North Country Lore and Legend p201-2
    1885-6, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol2 p270-3
• 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 Charter Rolls Vol6 p35
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Ryder, P.F., 1995. Towers and Bastles in Northumberland Part 1 Alnwick District p9-13