Belsay is a village and civil parish in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

, England. The village is about 5 miles from

Ponteland Ponteland ( ) is a large village and civil parish in Northumberland, England, north of Newcastle upon Tyne. The name means "island in the Pont", after the River Pont which flows from west to east and joins the River Blyth further downstream, be ...

on the A696, which links the village with

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

and

Jedburgh Jedburgh (; gd, Deadard; sco, Jeddart or ) is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and the traditional county town of the historic county of Roxburghshire, the name of which was randomly chosen for Operation Jedburgh in su ...

. The population of the civil parish was 436 at the 2001 census, increasing to 518 at the 2011 Census. Scottish nobleman and doctor

John de Strivelyn John de Strivelyn ( fl. 1327 – 15 August 1378), also called John Stirling or Johannes de Strivelyn, was a medieval Scottish knight in English service. Military career Stirling was first mentioned in the aftermath of the Battle of Halidon Hil ...

was granted the manor around 1340 by

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

. On his death, the estate passed to his daughter Christiana, who was married to Sir John Middleton, and it has remained with the Middleton family ever since. Belsay parish includes the former parishes of

Bitchfield Bitchfield is a small village in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It consists of two groups of buildings connected by Dark Lane, known as Bitchfield and Lower Bitchfield, collectively called Bitchfield. The village is situa ...

Black Heddon Black Heddon is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Belsay, in the county of Northumberland, England. It is situated to the north-west of Newcastle upon Tyne, between Stamfordham and Belsay. In 1951 the parish had a populatio ...

, Bolam, Bolam Vicarage,

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

Gallowhill Gallowhill is a housing estate in the north east of Paisley, a town in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Its approximate boundaries are formed by the M8 motorway to the north, the A741 Renfrew Rd to the west, to the south the Inverclyde railway line wit ...

, Harnham,

Newham The London Borough of Newham is a London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of West Ham and East Ham, authorities that were both abolished by the s ...

, Shortflatt, Trewick, and Wallridge. Belsay is home to

Belsay Castle Belsay Castle is a 14th-century medieval castle situated at Belsay, Northumberland, England. It is a Scheduled Monument and a Grade I listed building. The main structure, a substantial three-storey rectangular pele tower with rounded turrets a ...

, a fine medieval castle, and to

Belsay Hall Belsay Hall is a Regency style country house located at Belsay, Northumberland. It is regarded as the first British country house to be built entirely in the new Greek revival style. It is a Grade I listed building. It was built to supersede Be ...

Landmarks

Belsay Castle is a 14th-century medieval castle situated at Belsay. It is a

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

and a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The main structure, a three-storey rectangular

pele tower Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and about 1600. They were free-standing ...

with rounded turrets and battlements, was constructed about 1370, and was the home of the

Middleton family Members of the Middleton family have been related to the British royal family by marriage since the wedding of Catherine Middleton and Prince William in April 2011, when she became the Duchess of Cambridge. The couple has three children, Geo ...

. In 1614 Thomas Middleton built a new manor house attached to the tower. A west wing was added in 1711 but was later largely demolished in 1872 by Sir Arthur Middleton when the remainder of the house was considerably altered. The castle was abandoned as a residence by the family in the early 19th century when

Sir Charles Monck Sir Charles Miles Lambert Monck, 6th Baronet (7 April 1779 – 20 July 1867) succeeded to the Baronetcy of Belsay Castle on the death of his father in 1795. Born with the surname Middleton, he adopted the surname of his maternal grandfather Laure ...

built

close by. It is administered by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

and is open the public.

Belsay Hall is a 19th-century country mansion and a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The house was built between 1810 and 1817 for

(then of

close by). Sir Charles himself was the designer of the building. It is a notable and early classical building. The house measures square with a lower kitchen wing attached to the north side. It is in two storeys. The hall was the residence of the

until 1962. 15th-century

Bitchfield Tower Bitchfield Tower or West Bitchfield Tower is a 15th-century medieval pele tower near Belsay, Northumberland, England. It is a Grade I listed building.Aruna Ratanagiri Aruna Ratanagiri Buddhist Monastery (Harnham Buddhist Monastery) is a Theravada Buddhist monastery of the Thai Forest Tradition in Northumberland, England. The community consists of monks, novices and postulants from a wide range of nationalitie ...

Buddhist Monastery of

Thai Forest Tradition The Kammaṭṭhāna Forest Tradition of Thailand (from pi, kammaṭṭhāna meaning Kammaṭṭhāna, "place of work"), commonly known in the West as the Thai Forest Tradition, is a Parampara, lineage of Theravada Buddhist monasticism. The ...

lies on a hilltop 3 miles to the north-west of Belsay, in the hamlet of Harnham.

References

External links

*
Find public transport to Belsay Hall
- buses stop at Belsay Shops a short walk from the Hall Villages in Northumberland Civil parishes in Northumberland {{Northumberland-geo-stub