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Historic England Research Records

Monument Number 4900

Hob Uid: 4900
Location :
Northumberland
Hedgeley
Grid Ref : NU0987015090
Summary : A small mound to the south of Titlington Hall probably represents the site of a pre-1541 pele tower. There is documentary evidence that the tower replaced a motte and bailey sometime before 1415.
More information : In a survey made in 1541 it is stated that at Titlington there was a `little tower of the princes inheritance decayed'... belonging to the suppressed monastery of Kyrkehm. (1)

The site of Titlington Hall is a nearly level piece of ground on a
saddle between Titlington and Jennys Lantern Hill. Here there seems to have stood a small motte and bailey a short distance S of the present mansion with the front lawn on the site of the bailey. At some date in the middle ages the motte was lowered and a pele tower erected; its enclosure extended North eastwards c 75 yards where the traditional site of the gateway is marked by a small mound and hawthorn tree. In 1745 Roger Pearson either cleared away or altered the pele and built a house whose surviving trace is the date 1745 cut at the W corner of the (present) building. (2)

NU 09871509. A little to the south of Titlington Hall is a
tree-planted mound 15.0m in diameter and 1.2m high. This appears to be the remains of the 'motte' and site of the tower. There are no visible traces of the bailey or of the mound and hawthorn tree making the traditional site of the gateway. The ground in the vicinity of the mound is uneven but there are no definite traces of building steadings.

There are no traces of antiquity in any of the existing buildings.
The date stone is as in Authority 2 and just above it is another
stating that the building was rebuilt in 1824. (3)

The mound does not look as if it were ever a motte. It would,
however, support a tower, and it seems likely that the whole was
never more that a pele and barmkin.
Surveyed at 1:2500. (4)

Site of motte and bailey built by Walter Espec in the late 12th or early 13th century. At some time before 1415 a small tower was built on the site of the motte. The tower was described as fortified and decayed in 1553. The site of the tower was cleared in 1745, that in turn being replaced by the present country house in 1821. (5,6)

Sources :
Source Number : 1
Source :
Source details : J G Hodgson
Page(s) : 9
Figs. :
Plates :
Vol(s) : 21, 1924
Source Number : 2
Source :
Source details :
Page(s) : 447
Figs. :
Plates :
Vol(s) : vol.14
Source Number : 3
Source :
Source details : F1 EG 14-FEB-58
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Source Number : 4
Source :
Source details : F2 RE 14-APR-70
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Source Number : 5
Source :
Source details :
Page(s) : 148
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Source Number : 6
Source :
Source details :
Page(s) : 342
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Monument Types:
Monument Period Name : Medieval
Display Date : Late c12 or early C13
Monument End Date : 1232
Monument Start Date : 1167
Monument Type : Motte And Bailey
Evidence : Documentary Evidence
Monument Period Name : Medieval
Display Date : pre-1415
Monument End Date : 1415
Monument Start Date : 1415
Monument Type : Pele Tower, Mound
Evidence : Earthwork

Components and Objects:
Related Records from other datasets:
External Cross Reference Source : National Monuments Record Number
External Cross Reference Number : NU 01 NE 22
External Cross Reference Notes :

Related Warden Records :
Related Activities :
Associated Activities :
Activity type : FIELD OBSERVATION (VISUAL ASSESSMENT)
Start Date : 1958-02-14
End Date : 1958-02-14
Associated Activities :
Activity type : FIELD OBSERVATION (VISUAL ASSESSMENT)
Start Date : 1970-04-14
End Date : 1970-04-14