Blenkinsopp Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Blenkinsop; Blenkensopp; Blenkinsoppe; Blemansopp; Blencansopp; Blekensope

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

C19 house incorporating the ruined remains of a medieval L plan tower house, for which Thomas de Blencansopp was give a licence to crenellate in February 1340 and repeated in May. The house was enlarged and partly rebuilt in Tudor style between 1877-80. Mentined in 1541 as “At Blenkinsoppe ys a toure of thinherytaunce of John Blenkinsoppe & is decayee in the roofe & not in good rep'ac'ons.”

This site has been described as a;
Tower House.
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 1340 Feb 4.

A Confirmation licence to crenellate was granted in 1340 May 11.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 240717)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NY66496450

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; 14078

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N6118

• Web site links
  • http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N6118
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/86/blenkinsoppcastle.htm
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=37
    http://www.paladin-online.com/thekeep/Colson/blenkinsopp.html
• Books
  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p391-2
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p27
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge)
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p200 [slight]
    Jackson, M.J.,1992, Castles of Northumbria (Carlise) p30-3
    Pevsner, N., 1992 (revised by Grundy, John et al), The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p192-3
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p10, 11, 46-8
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p328
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p189
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p74-5
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p70-1
    Pevsner, N., 1957. The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London) p99
    Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles [1970 Reprint by Frank Graham] p47-8
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p368-9
    Tomlinson, W.W., 1897, Comprehensive Guide to Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p171
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p48
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p412
    Hodgson, J., 1820-58, History of Northumberland Vol3 pt2 p128-32
    Wallis, 1769, Antiquities of Northumberland (London) Vol2 p8
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol4 p69-72
• Journal Articles
  • Anon, 2005, 'Blenkinsopp Castle' CSG Newsletter Vol7 Issue1 p7
    1930, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol30 p206-8
    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 p8
    1888, The Monthly Chronicle; North Country Lore and Legend p104-6
• 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 Patent Rolls (1338-40) p417, 524
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/nhumbeng.html#nhumb3]
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Ryder, P.F., 1995. Towers and Bastles in Northumberland, Part 4, Tynedale District Part 1, 71-3
    Coulson, C., Handlist of English Royal Licences to Crenellate 1200-1578