Haltwhistle Musgrove Tower

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Haltwhistle Old Tower; Hawtewysle; Hawtwisill; Hawtewysle

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

Early C15 3 storey tower house, destoyed 1963, built within Ringwork of Castle Hill. (There is, unsuprisingly considering the possible existance of 2 towers and 6 bastles in Haltwhistle some confusion between authors as to the details of these buildings.) The 1541 survey records “At Hawtewysle is a toure of thinherytaunce of Sir William Musgrave knight in measurable good rep'ac'ons.”

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 NY71236423

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; 15501, 1388947

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N6688

• Web site links
  • http://www.haltwhistle.org/towntrail/towntrail.htm
    http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N6688
• Books
  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p371-2
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p59
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p48
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p334
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p183
    Storey, T., 1973, Haltwhistle and South Tyneside p48
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p113
    RCHME, 1963, Monuments Threatened or Destroyed. A select list 1956-1962 (London) p52
    Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles [1970 Reprint by Frank Graham]
    Tomlinson, W.W., 1902, Comprehensive Guide to Northumberland (London) p168
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p18, 48
    Hodgson, J.C., 1840, History of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) pt2 Vol3 p119-20
• Journal Articles
  • Dixon, P.W., 1972, 'Shielings and bastles: a reconsideration of some problems' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol50 p257 [where appears to be in a list of 'bastles' with the comment "deliberately omitted from Shielings and Bastles"]
    Campbell, P. and Dixon, P., 1970, 'Two fortified houses in Haltwhistle' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol48 p169-78
    Adamson, 1894, Archaeologia Aeliana Vol16 p163-4
• 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]