Bitchfield Tower

Bitchfield Tower or West Bitchfield Tower is a 15th century medieval pele tower near to Belsay, Northumberland [Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, "The David & Charles Book of Castles", David & Charles, 1980. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3] (gbmapping|NZ091771). It is a Grade I listed building. [http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N10235 Keys to the Past] ]

The three storeyed battlemented tower was built in the 15th century by the Middleton family who sold it to the Harbottles in 1502."A History of Northumberland, Volume XII" Miss MH Dodds (1926) pp346 and 349] . Marjorie Harbottle the heiress to the Harbottle estate, married Sir John Fenwick of Fenwick Tower and in 1529 they conveyed the property to their second son Roger Fenwick. In 1622 Robert Fenwick built a new manor house adjoining the tower: a datestone inscribed 'RF 1622 JF' is incorporated into the building [ [http://sine.ncl.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=252 Structures of the North East] ]

The Fenwicks sold the estate in 1630 to Edward Grey, from whom it was squestered in 1646. In 1680 it was acquired by Sir James Clavering and in 1802 the Claverings sold to Sir Charles Monck

It was in a state of ruin by 1930 but has since been restored [ [http://homepage.mac.com/philipdavis/English%20sites/2415.html Gatehouse Gazetteer] ]

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