Nesbit is a hamlet and former
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
, now in the parish of
Doddington,
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. It was once the site of a medieval village. In maps published during the 17th to 19th centuries, the name of the settlement was variously spelled Nesbet, Nesbitt or Nesbit. In 1951 the parish had a population of 143.
Nesbit is near the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
of the
Glen
A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...
and
Till
image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...
rivers and the hypothesized location of one of
King Arthur
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
's battles against invading
Anglo-Saxons
The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
. Latin documentation dating to 1242 lists "Dodington cum Nesebit membro suo" (Doddington with its member Nesbit) as among the holdings of Baron William de Vesci.
In 1346, Edward III granted land at Nesbit to
Thomas Grey (or Gray) of Heaton after the rebellion of the previous holder, John de Trollope. Documents note the existence in 1415 of a defensive tower at Nesbit belonging to his grandson,
Thomas Grey. However, in a 1541 survey it was observed that:
:At Nesebytte (Nesebitt) there was a towre of thinheritaunce of Sir Roger Gray but yt is longe synce for laske of reparacons decayed & fallen and no fortresse there now remayneth.
During the 19th century, the township was productive farmland supporting a small community of workers. An 1855 survey of Northumberland reports as follows.
:Nesbit township is situated four miles north by west of Wooler. It contains 776 acres, and the landowners are the Messrs. Clarke of Newcastle. The number of inhabitants in 1801, was 63; in 1811, 65; in 1821, 52; in 1831, 47; in 1841, 59 and in 1851, 63 souls.
Nesbit was formerly a
township
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...
in Doddington parish, from 1866 Nesbit was a civil parish in its own right until it was abolished on 1 April 1955 and merged with Doddington.
Today, Nesbit is the site of a sheep farm with no visible trace of the medieval tower or village.
See also
*
Battle of Humbleton Hill
The Battle of Holmedon Hill or Battle of Homildon Hill was a conflict between English and Scottish armies on 14 September 1402 in Northumberland, England. The battle was recounted in Shakespeare's ''Henry IV, part 1''. Although Humbleton Hil ...
*
Ford, Northumberland
Ford is a small village and civil parish in Northumberland, England, about from Berwick-upon-Tweed. The parish also includes Etal.
History before 1513
Very little is known of the history of the area before the Norman Conquest in the 11th cen ...
*
Yeavering
Yeavering () is a hamlet in the north-east corner of the civil parish of Kirknewton in the English county of Northumberland. It is located on the River Glen at the northern edge of the Cheviot Hills. It is noteworthy as the site of a large Ang ...
*
Nisbet, Scottish Borders
Nisbet is a small hamlet on the B6400, in Roxburghshire, along the River Teviot, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is located north of Jedburgh and south of Roxburgh.
The village has several Nisbet location names: Nisbet, East Nisb ...
References
Dodds, M. H. (1935). ''A history of Northumberland ''vol 14, Newcastle upon Tyne, 178.
Hodgson, J. C. (1916). ''Archaeologia Aeliana'' 3rd Series, 3, 6.
External links
*
{{coord, 55.59512, N, 2.02854, W, region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(NT983335), display=title
Hamlets in Northumberland
Former civil parishes in Northumberland