Whitton Tower

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Whitton near Rothbury; Wytton; Wytton

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

This 60ft high, 46 by 33ft rectangular pele tower is one of the best preserved in the whole of Northumberland. It was built around 1386, by Sir Thomas De Umfraville, Lord of Harbottle, in order to control middle Coquetdale; but, by 1415, it had been exchanged with the Rector of nearby Rothbury. This altered tower, with later buildings attached, survives as a inhabited house.

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

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NU05650104

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; 4409

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N2897

• Web site links
  • http://www.britannia.com/tours/coquetdale/whitton.html
    http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N2897
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=259
• Books
  • Harrison, Peter, 2004, Castles of God (Woodbridge; Boydell Press) p67
    Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing)
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p110
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p152
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p199
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p11, 37, 60, 62
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p344
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p3352
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p173
    Pevsner, N., 1957, The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p322
    Dodds, Madeleine Hope (ed), 1940, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol15 p315-7
    Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles [1970 Reprint by Frank Graham] p229-31
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Dixon, D.D. 1903. Upper Coquetdale (Newcastle) p443-7
    Tomlinson, W.W., 1902. Comprehensive Guide to Northumberland (Newcastle) p335
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p431
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p18, 45, 393-6
• 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
    Dixon, D.D., 1885-6, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle [new ser] Vol2 p264-6
• 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]