Newton Arlosh Church of St John the Baptist

In the civil parish of Holme East Waver.
In the historic county of Cumberland (Modern Authority of Cumbria, 1974 county of Cumbria).

The church was licenced to be built 11 April 1304; This has, by some sources been read as a licence to crenellate, but the fortified tower is probably of later date. The church was found to have been crenellated without licence in 1374 (Cal. Close Rolls, 48 Edw III) Extended and repaired 1844 by Sarah Losh, vestry and restoration 1894. Large blocks of squared red sandstone mixed with cobbles. Extensions of red sandstone all under sandstone slate roofs, except for lead on tower. Square fortified west tower with extremely thick walls. Contemporary two-bay fortified nave; 1844 north chancel at right-angles with apside vestry on east wall. Tower has original and restored arrow-slit windows. Although in ruins from the Dissolution in 1544, this is still one of the most complete fortified churches in the area.

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

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NY19875524

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; 9604

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 3730

• Web site links
  • http://www.visitcumbria.com/car/chc3.htm
• Books
  • Harrison, Peter, 2004, Castles of God (Woodbridge; Boydell Press) p67, 68-70 [plan]
    Brooke, C.J., 2000, Safe Sanctuaries (Edinburgh; John Donald) p9-11, 59, 166, 285, 288-292, 295, 315-6, 360-1, 363-4, 367 [plan]
    Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (CWAAS) p21
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p45
    Cope, Jean, 1991, Castles in Cumbria (Cicerone Press) p94-5
    Goodman, A., 1989, 'Religion and Warfare in the Anglo-Scottish Marches' in Bartlett, R. and Mackay, A. (eds), Medieval Frontier Societies (Oxford: Oxford University Press) p245-66
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p97
    Hugill, Robert, 1977, Castles and Peles of Cumberland and Westmorland (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p151-2
    Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1967, Buildings of England: Cumberland and Westmorland (Harmondsworth) p170
    Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal) p328-31
    Lysons, D. and S., 1816, Magna Britannia Vol4 Cumberland p. cxci-ii and plates [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=404]
• Journal Articles
  • Curwen, J.F., 1913, 'The fortified Church of St John the Baptist, Newton Arlosh' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol13 p113-21
    1908, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol8 p113-121
    Cory, 1875, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol2 p46-56
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Kelland, C.H., 1982, Ecclesiae Incastellatae: A Documentary and Architectural Study of the Concept of 'Fortified Churches' in England and Wales (M.Phil. Thesis, 2 vols, University College, University of London)
    Keeling, S.M., 1975, Church and Religion in the Anglo-Scottish Border Counties 1534-72 (PhD. Thesis, University of Durham)