Cornhill Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Castleton Nich; Castle Stone Nick; Cornhill Tower; Cornval; Cornouaille; Cornehylle; Cornell

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

Earthwork remains of a probable motte and bailey slighted in 1385. An extensive RCHME survey states that nothing survives of the structure of the castle which formerly occupied a spur overlooking the River Tweed though there are a few earthworks remaining on the edge of a river cliff above the River Tweed. PastScape record writes "not reoccupied" after 1385 but elsewhere is written to have been rebuilt after this and to be recorded in 1549 the 'castle of Cornhill' 'an old house of considerable strength' when taken by combined force of Scots and French. King records this as the site of "Tower, small, with a barmkin, in a very fine position."

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NT85434049

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; 1346

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N962

• Web site links
  • http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N962
• Books
  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p33-4
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p39
    Jackson, M.J.,1992, Castles of Northumbria (Carlise) p45
    Pevsner, N. et al, 1992. The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London) p133
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p16
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p347 [tower only]
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p121
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p87
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Tomlinson, W.W., 1897, Comprehensive Guide to Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p544
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p11-12, 17, 29-30, 53, 72, 80
    Hodgson, J. and Laird, F., 1813, Beauties of England and Wales; Northumberland Vol12 p227
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • 1584 Commissioners Report [Click here]
    1561 Survey book of Norham and Islandshire [Click here]
    1541 Survey of the East and Middle Marches [Click here]
    1415 list of Northumberland Castles [Click here]
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p345