Harbottle : The Medieval Settlement And Castle

Documentary evidence for the castle commences in the mid 12th century, from which time it appears to have been continuously occupied until the end of the 16th or early 17th centuries. During this time it functioned as a baronial seat and major Border fortress, playing a significant role in the defence of the northern frontier. Subsequently it was used as a stone quarry for the associated village, and as agricultural land, latterly mainly turned over to pasture.

The documents referring to Harbottle and the liberty of Redesdale during the medieval period include only a few appearances in the contemporary historical accounts of the period, usually in the context of warfare between the two kingdoms of England and Scotland. Much more common are references in several classes of official document:

Inquisitions post mortem, the inquests conducted by the state from the mid-13th century onwards, following the death of a lord, to determine the annual value of his possessions, the person and age of the legal heir and to make provision for the widow (who would receive land and a dwelling for her support till her death). If the heir was underage the estates were repossessed by the Crown and managed for royal profit until he attained majority. This results in a series of inventories for the Umfraville domains during the mid 13th-14th centuries and for the subsequent period of Tailbois lordship in the 15th century.

Ecclesiatical sources, notably charters recording gifts, leases etc to particular ecclesiastical institutions. Especially important for our understanding of the development of Umfraville holdings in Coquetdale are grants to Newminster Abbey.

Writs and correspondence associated with legal disputes over property and inheritance, or relating to alleged abuses of baronial authority on the part of the Umfravilles, and their rights within the liberty vis a vis the Crown.

Royal surveys - e.g. the 13th-century returns of the services owed by the tenants in chief to the Crown (Liber Feudorum) or the surveys of the Border defences, beginning in 1415 but especially common in the 16th century.

It is possible to construct a narrative covering the history of Harbottle and its position as the capital of the liberty from these diverse sources (e.g. NCH XV (1940); Hunter Blair 1932-34). Some understanding of the original context of the different pieces of information is necessary, however, for this largely determines the kind of questions that can be asked of the evidence.

Moreover, since the earlier historical accounts were compiled there have inevitably been improvements and some significant alterations in our understanding of the periods to which the documentary references to the castle belong. For example, it is now recognised that the Norman settlement in Northumberland occurred later than was once believed with the main feudal implantation taking place during the reign of Henry I. This has implications for our understanding of the establishment of the Umfraville fiefdom and the rapidity with which the caput was moved from Elsdon to Harbottle.

Picture : Remains of Harbottle Castle