Birtley Castle

Birtley Castle is the name given to the remains of the chief messuage (as it was called in 1307) of the manor of Birtley, Consisting of a few masonry remnants built into the walls of a private garden, they cannot be seen from any public location. The settlement of Birtley occupies an area of uneven ground sloping down to the valley of the North Tyne, and does not seem to fulfil any wider strategic function.

Birtley was a manor and deer park held by the Umfraville family, who held Prudhoe Castle into the late 14th century, when it was acquired by the Percys. The manor was never a residence of wither family, who preferred to lease it out – and there is no named tenant recorded until the mid 16th century. No tower is recorded here in surveys of border defences in 1415 or 1541, indicating that Birtley was not perceived to be a castle or place of strength at either time – and although it is the case that it could have been burned out at both these dates, the absence is probably telling. A record of 1902 records that at that date the vicarage displayed masonry that was of “Norman” date but has since disappeared.

The masonry remains consist of three pieces of walling, which have survived only as rubble cores, and have been recased during their reuse, post-1960. The largest runs NE-SW, the remaining two extend to the north-west, one piece at either end, forming an elongated “U” shape. They measure approximately 1.5 metres high and up to 2.5 metres tall; the only architectural feature being an undateable slit window, the location undescribed. In Volume 4 of the 1897 History of Northumberland by John Hodgson is a description of a ruin in Birtley identified as being in the grounds of the vicarage, which includes a plan and illustration. This was a rectangular building about 15 metres by 10, with a winding stair in the north-west corner; the longer side annotated as “east” and the shorter “north”. The plan shows most of the “west” side missing, together with much of the “south” side. A datestone of 1611 and the initials JH are mentioned, which seem to be absent today.

The sizes of Hodgson are consistent with dimensions shown on the Ordnance Survey map, which show a long wall facing SSE, a short return facing WSW, and a longer section facing NNE adjoining the vicarage. In addition, Hodgson shows three blocked up windows – and a slit window adjacent to the staircase in the NW corner, which would correspond to the north-east facing gable. What is curious about the sketch is the presence of a visibly pointed window at first floor level, which has now presumably vanished, but might point towards an earlier date than 1611. JH would refer to John Heron of Birtley Hall, but the notes in the History suggest that the H was not necessarily that clear, offering L as an alternative. As the owner of Birtley in 1611 was George Heron, the details are not that clear. However, the occupant of Birtley was almost certainly a Heron related to the nearby Herons of Chipchase. However what is also worth noting is that in 1479 the chapel at Birtley was granted a toft and 7 acres by the Umfravilles, and was later leased by the Herons – so this may be the same property.