Christiana Widdrington
1334-1363
Born: Widdrington, Northumberland, England
Died: Y, Somme, Picardie, France
1334-1363
Born: Widdrington, Northumberland, England
Died: Y, Somme, Picardie, France
<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><strong><span>Haughton Castle</span></strong></span><br><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Haughton Castle sits on the banks of the North Tyne and is a popular film set location. The castle bears over Barrasford and is an impressive building that is still occupied. Parts of the castle have been modernised. The castle is not open to the public but can be found by taking the A6079 north from Hexham. At the crossroads (4 miles) turn left and at the roundabout take the last exit for Humshaugh.</span></p> <p align="center"> </p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Haughton Castle dates back to at least the 14th century, when it was fortified. It was first called a castle in 1373 when the original tower house was heightened and turrets were added together with parapet walks. At this time the castle was owned by Gerald Widdrington and, although it was still owned by the Widdringtons in the early 14th century, the Swinburns were living in it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">By the 16th century the castle seems to have been falling into disrepair and ruin and an attack by Border reivers in 1541 saw nine horses and goods worth £40 stolen from it. No major improvements were carried out until the early 19th century when it was turned into a fashionable country house and parkland was laid out. The early development of the castle shows it was an upper floor hall house with turrets and a parapet added in the 14th century. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Haughton Castle is probably one of the earliest 13th century upper floor hall houses in Northumberland and must be one of the best preserved hall houses in the north of England. This is a Grade I Listed Building protected by law.</span></p> <p align="center"> </p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><strong><span>The Ghost Of Archie Armstrong </span></strong></span><br><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The ghost of Haughton Castle, Archie Armstrong, dates from a time when the Border Reivers would attack English land, quite legally and then return to their tribes in Scotland.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sir John de Widderington, at that time was the Lord of Haughton Castle and known for being a good and gallant person.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">During Sir John's rule at Haughton Castle, the King appointed the weak-willed Lord Dacre of Gilsland as Lord Warden of the Marches. The warden was to ensure peace across the Border region. Dacre began to accept bribes, ignoring the troubles and causing the law to collapse. He also courted a female of the notorious Armstrong clan, the very sister of the leader of this murdering family troop of reivers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As a result, local landowners formed an alliance to protect their rights and report Dacre's deeds to the King. While Cardinal Wolsley visited York, Sir John de Widderington of Haughton Castle decided to meet with Wolsley.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">On the night before the meeting, Sir John's men fought and captured a reiver rustling cattle in the local meadows close to Barrasford. The man was incarcerated within the dungeon at Haughton Castle, so he could deal with him when he returned.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To reach York by horse in Sir John's days took two days of hard riding on horseback. After arriving at York, Sir John remembered he had the key of the Haughton Castle dungeon in his pockets and that worse still he had left no instructions about care for his prisoner.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sir John turned his horse around and headed back to Haughton Castle, by the time he reached Durham, his horse dropped dead with exhaustion. When he reached Tynedale 2 days later he feared the worse. "How fared the prisoner?" Sir John asked his servants.</span><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> The servants replied that the man cried and moaned, then he began to scream but the noise died down, and nothing had been heard since.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sir John unlocked the cell in the Haughton Castle dungeon and found the prisoner dead.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The spirit of Archie Armstong returned to haunt Haughton Castle months later, night after night the sounds of the prisoner cries and moans would echo around the surrounding countryside as far as the village of Barrasford. </span><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The screams would keep awake Sir John and his staff and the local residents through the night.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The village of Barrasford demanded that he take action. The Rector of Simonburn was called in to exorcise the ghost; this he did immediately and nothing was heard no more. To</span><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> comfort Sir John, the Rector left with him the Black-lettered Bible from which he read during the exorcism.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Curiously, when the Bible was sent to London for rebinding the reiver's moaning and screams returned to haunt Haughton Castle. Orders were given to return the Bible quickly from London and lay the spirit of the ghost once again.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Local legend states that the screams from Haughton Castle can still be heard every evening that a descendant of Sir John de Widderington sets foot inside Haughton Castle in the county of Northumberland</span></p>
Haughton Castle<!-- /firstHeading --><!-- bodyContent --><div><!-- tagline --><div>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div><!-- /tagline --><!-- subtitle --><!-- /subtitle --><!-- jumpto --><div>Jump to: <font color="#0645ad">navigation</font>, <font color="#0645ad">search</font> </div><!-- /jumpto --><!-- bodytext --><p><strong>Haughton Castle</strong><sup><font color="#0645ad"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></font></sup> is a privately owned country mansion situated to the north of the village of Humshaugh on the west bank of the <font color="#0645ad">North Tyne</font>. It is some 10 km north of <font color="#0645ad">Hexham</font>, <font color="#0645ad">Northumberland</font> (<font color="#0645ad">grid reference</font> <span style="white-space: nowrap"><font color="#3366bb">NY918729</font></span>).</p><p>It was built originally in the 13th century as a <font color="#0645ad">tower house</font> and enlarged and fortified in the 14th century.<sup><font color="#0645ad"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></font></sup><sup><font color="#0645ad"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></font></sup> At this time the castle was owned by Gerald Widdrington and, although it was still owned by the Widdringtons in the early 14th century, the Swinburns were living in it<sup><font color="#0645ad"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></font></sup></p><p>By the 16th century the castle fell into disrepair and ruin and it was attacked by <font color="#0645ad">Border reivers</font>.<sup><font color="#0645ad"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></font></sup> A survey of <font color="#0645ad">1541</font> reported the roof and floors to be "decayed and gone".<sup><font color="#0645ad"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></font></sup></p><p>The property was acquired by the Smith family in about 1640,<sup><font color="#0645ad"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></font></sup> but in <font color="#0645ad">1715</font> a further survey stated the building to be ruinous.</p><p>Significant alterations were carried out for the Smiths between 1816 and 1845, latterly by architect <font color="#0645ad">John Dobson</font> to convert the ruin into a substantial mansion.<sup><font color="#0645ad"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></font></sup> The Crawshaw family came into possession in 1862<sup><font color="#0645ad"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></font></sup> and a west wing was added for them by <font color="#0645ad">Anthony Salvin</font> in <font color="#0645ad">1876</font>.<sup><font color="#0645ad"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></font></sup></p><p>It is now an oblong <font color="#0645ad">tower house</font> and one of the best preserved hall houses in the north of England. It is a <font color="#0645ad">Grade I</font> <font color="#0645ad">listed building</font>. In 1888 it was acquired by the Cruddas family and it is currently owned by the Braithwaite family.</p><span class="editsection">[<a href="w/index.php?title=Haughton_Castle&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: References"><font color="#0645ad">edit</font></a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline">References</span><div style="list-style-type: decimal"><ol><li><strong><font color="#0645ad">^</font></strong> Plantagenet Somerset Fry, <em>The David & Charles Book of Castles</em>, David & Charles, 1980. <font color="#0645ad">ISBN 0-7153-7976-3</font> </li><li>^ <sup><em><strong><font color="#0645ad">a</font></strong></em></sup> <sup><em><strong><font color="#0645ad">b</font></strong></em></sup> <sup><em><strong><font color="#0645ad">c</font></strong></em></sup> <sup><em><strong><font color="#0645ad">d</font></strong></em></sup> <font color="#3366bb">Haughton Castle, Humshaugh</font> </li><li>^ <sup><em><strong><font color="#0645ad">a</font></strong></em></sup> <sup><em><strong><font color="#0645ad">b</font></strong></em></sup> <font color="#3366bb">Structures of the North East</font> </li><li>^ <sup><em><strong><font color="#0645ad">a</font></strong></em></sup> <sup><em><strong><font color="#0645ad">b</font></strong></em></sup> <sup><em><strong><font color="#0645ad">c</font></strong></em></sup> <font color="#3366bb">Keys to the Past: Haughton Castle</font> </li></ol></div></div>