Howtell Tower

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Howtel

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

The ruins of a C15 tower house which now forms part of a farm complex and is surrounded on three sides by farm buildings. The tower is rectangular in shape and measures 10.4m by 9.6m externally with walls which at basement level vary between 2.05m and 2.2m thick. The tower had at least three floors. All four walls are relatively intact up to a level slightly above the former first floor. Above this, only the south east wall survives to a total height of 11m. The north west, north east and south west walls are constructed of a dark igneous rock. The south or front wall is faced with roughly coursed and squared blocks of sandstone. The tower is recorded in 1541 as partially standing after destruction by James IV of Scotland in 1496. It was repaired in C16, but probably finally fell out of use in C17.

This site has been described as a;
Pele Tower.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Major remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NT89783413

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; 1194

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N854

• Web site links
  • http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N854
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=156
• Books
  • Ryder, Peter, 2004, 'Towers and bastles in Northumberland National Park' in Frodsham, P., Archaeology in Northumberland National Park (CBA Research report 136) p262-271
    Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p74-5
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p70
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p200 [slight]
    Pevsner, N., 1992 (revised by Grundy, John et al), The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p353
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p10, 21-2
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p336
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p217-8
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p125
    Pevsner, N., 1957. The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London) p195
    Vickers, Kenneth H. (ed), 1922, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol11 p207-9
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p396
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p382
• Journal Articles
  • 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 p11
• 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]
    1541 Survey of the East and Middle Marches [Click here]