Barmoor Castle ( ) is a privately owned 19th-century country house built on an ancient site 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 ...

. It is a

Grade II* 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 Ir ...

. As at 2008 the decaying building is officially listed on the

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 ...

Buildings at Risk Register.

Muschamp family

After the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Con ...

the Manor of Barmoor was granted to the Muschamp family who built a

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...

on the site. A licence to

crenellate A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interv ...

the house was granted by Edward III on 17 May 1341. A 1541 survey described the house as ' in extreme decay and almost ruinous for lack of reparations'. Some repairs and improvements were carried out in 1584 but the Muschamps experienced financial difficulties, and following the death of George Muschamp in 1649 the estate was sold to William Carr of

Etal Etal ( )not is a small village in the far north of the county of Northumberland, England, in the civil parish of Ford. It lies on a bridging point of the River Till ten miles south west of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and includes the substantial ru ...

to satisfy the demands of creditors.

Sitwell family

After 1702 the estate changed hands several times until in 1791 it was acquired by inheritance by Francis Hurt Sitwell. The Sitwells engaged architect John Paterson of Edinburgh and in 1801 built the present substantial

castellated A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

Gothic revival mansion on the site of and incorporating some existing stonework of the old house. Later improvements and extensions were carried out c.1892 by Brigadier-General W.H. Sitwell. From 1899 to 1913 the castle was rented by the banker and local historian Thomas Hodgkin.Life and Letters of Thomas Hodgkin, Louise Creighton, 1918

Present day

The present owner occupiers, the Lamb family, acquired the house and in the 1980s from where they operate a caravan and holiday park.

References

* * ''The History and Antiquities of North Durham'' Rev James Raine MA (1825) pp266/7
History of Barmoor Castle

{{Authority control Country houses in Northumberland Grade II* listed buildings in Northumberland Structures on the Heritage at Risk register