Simonburn Castle and Tower House

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Turris de Simondburn; Symondburne

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

Unfinished motte and bailey. Remains of C13 tower house partly reconstructed as an eyecatcher in 1766, surviving as a ruined building of which the upper storeys have now collapsed. The tower was built of small stone blocks. Only the barrel vaulted ground floor of the tower survives, with the remains of a turret on the north west side. Recorded in 1541 survey as 4 storey strong tower in good repair standing on very strong ground.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 240816)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NY86267373

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 16738
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is N7889 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N7889
    http://www.northofthetyne.co.uk/Simonburn.html
• Books
  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p359-60
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p96
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p200 [slight]
    Jackson, M.J.,1992, Castles of Northumbria (Carlise) p111-2
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p11, 43
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p341
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p318-9
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle) p158
    Pevsner, N., 1957, The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p292
    Dodds, Madeleine Hope (ed), 1940, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol15 p155,191-4
    Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles [1970 Reprint by Frank Graham] p200
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England (New York: Macmillan) Vol2 p421-2 http://www.archive.org/stream/castlesofengland02mack#page/421/mode/1up
    Tomlinson, W.W., 1897, Comprehensive Guide to Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p203
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) pxvii, 18, 47
    White, W., 1859, Northumberland and the Border p369-70
    Hodgson, J. and Laird, F., 1813, Beauties of England and Wales; Northumberland Vol12 p137
• Journal Articles
  • Hunter Blair, C.H., 1944, 'The Early Castles of Northumberland' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol22 p166-8
    1914, Publications of the Surtees Society Vol124 p232
• 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 [http://homepage.mac.com/philipdavis/numblis5.html]
    1415 list of Northumberland Castles [http://homepage.mac.com/philipdavis/numblis2.html]