Scheduled MonumentsEnglandThirlwall Castle

Thirlwall Castle

England
List entry 1006605
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1006605
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.11 hectares
Grid reference
NY 65942 66150
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Thirlwall Castle is a fourteenth-century fortified stronghold situated in the Tipalt Valley near Greenhead in Northumberland. The castle was built by the Thirlwall family, likely in the mid-1300s, as a defence against Scottish raids during the Anglo-Scottish border conflicts. The surviving structure comprises a substantial stone keep of roughly square plan, constructed from local stone and incorporating distinctive crenellated parapets typical of the period. The castle's strategic location on the border landscape reflects its primary function as a fortified residence and point of control along the volatile northern frontier of medieval England.

Thirlwall Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1006605. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Thirlwall Castle?

Thirlwall Castle is a fourteenth-century fortified stronghold situated in the Tipalt Valley near Greenhead in Northumberland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1006605.

Who is responsible for protecting Thirlwall Castle?

Thirlwall Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1006605.

What other scheduled monuments are near Thirlwall Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including The section of Stanegate Roman road from Fell End Roman temporary camp to the track to Old Shield, and the Roman cemetery adjacent to Carvoran Roman fort (1.5 km), Chapel Rigg Roman temporary camp (1.5 km), Blenkinsopp Castle (uninhabited parts) (1.7 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Thirlwall Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Thirlwall Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Thirlwall Castle

Thirlwall Castle stands on Yoredale Group, bedrock that formed in the Bashkirian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.