Fenwick Tower, Northumberland

Fenwick Tower was a 12th-century tower house at Fenwick, Matfen, Northumberland, England.

Fenwick Tower
Fenwick Tower, Northumberland is located in Northumberland
Fenwick Tower, Northumberland
Location in Northumberland
General information
LocationNorthumberland, England, UK
Coordinates55°03′02″N 1°54′42″W / 55.050429°N 1.9116466°W / 55.050429; -1.9116466
OS gridNZ0574372885

The house was the home of the Fenwick family from the 12th century until they moved to Wallington in the 16th century.[1]

In 1378 John Fenwick was granted a licence to crenelate the house. The tower was largely demolished in about 1775 at which time a hoard of medieval gold coins was discovered.[2]

The sparse remains of the tower are now incorporated into a 17th-century farmhouse and are protected by Grade II listed building status[2]

On 15 February 2010 human remains were found buried next to a cottage in the hamlet of Fenwick Towers.[3] Radio-carbon dating of the remains indicated they likely dated to the 13th or 14th centuries.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England, Ireland and Scotland (1844) pp. 194-6 Google Books
  2. ^ a b Keys to the Past[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "Human bones discovered in garden". BBC News. 15 February 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Garden bones 'probably medieval'". BBC News. 14 March 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2020.