Great Tosson Tower

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Great Tasson

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

Ruins of a tower house, probably built in the late C15. The stone building still stands up to first floor level, though the south east corner has collapsed. Most of the facing stone was robbed in C18, leaving only the rubble core. The tower house was not included in the 1415 survey but was documented in 1517. In 1541 it belonged to Lord Ogle and was in disrepair. It was probably built at the end of C15, but, from 1553, it was used as part of the Lord Deputy General of the Marches' system of watch towers designed to curb the lawless reivers of Redesdale and Tynedale. Two men were stationed to keep watch every night.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 236322)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NU02930051

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; 4618

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N2815

• Web site links
  • http://www.secretkingdom.com/castles.htm
    http://britannia.com/tours/coquetdale/tosson.html
    http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N2815
• 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) p192-3
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p58
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p195-6
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p11, 60-62
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p342
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p178
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p110-111
    Dodds, Madeleine Hope (ed), 1940, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol15 p395-6
    Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles [1970 Reprint by Frank Graham] p111-2
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Dixon, D.D. 1903. Upper Coquetdale (Newcastle) p329-330
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p423
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p45, 392
• Journal Articles
  • Hadcock, R.N., 1939, 'Map of Mediaeval Northum and Durham' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol16 p182
    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 p13
• 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]