Troughend Tower, Rochester

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Trowhen

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

Medieval document refers to a turris, or tower, at 'Trowhen' in 1415. It used to belong to the De Butycombe family and at the beginning of C19 its foundations could still be seen next to the farmhouse. The farm had been partly demolished by the 1950s but a former occupant could remember when enormous stones were removed for new drain to be laid. The stones were shaped into blocks and seemed to be foundations, probably of the old tower.

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 NY86649243

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; 17428

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N8279

• Web site links
  • http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N8279
• Books
  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p334-5
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p115 [slight]
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p52
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p354
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p326-8
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p163
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p18
    Hodgson, J.C., 1827, History of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) pt2 Vol1 p133-7
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • 1415 list of Northumberland Castles [Click here]