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Rothbury is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the River Coquet. It is northwest of Morpeth and of Newcastle upon Tyne. At the 2001 Census, it had a population of 2,107. Rothbury emerged as an important town because of its location at a crossroads over a ford on the River Coquet.
Turnpike road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...
s leading to
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 als ...
,
Alnwick Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish bor ...
,
Hexham Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden, Northumberland, Warden nearby, and ...
and Morpeth allowed for an influx of families and the enlargement of the settlement during the Middle Ages. In 1291, Rothbury was chartered as a market town and became a centre for dealing in cattle and wool for the surrounding villages during the Early Modern Era. Later, Rothbury developed extensively in the Victorian era, due in large part to the railway and the industrialist
Sir William Armstrong William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, (26 November 1810 – 27 December 1900) was an English engineer and industrialist who founded the Armstrong Whitworth manufacturing concern on Tyneside. He was also an eminent scientist, inventor ...
. Between 1862 and 1865, Armstrong built
Cragside Cragside is a Victorian country house near the town of Rothbury in Northumberland, England. It was the home of William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, founder of the Armstrong Whitworth armaments firm. An industrial magnate, scientist, philanth ...
, a country house and "shooting box" ( hunting lodge) just outside Rothbury, and extended it as a "fairy palace" between 1869 and 1900. The house and its estate are now owned by the National Trust and are open to the public, attracting many visitors to the area. Today, Rothbury is widely used for retirement and tourism; it is a
staging point A staging area (otherwise staging point, staging base, or staging post) is a location in which organisms, people, vehicles, equipment, or material are assembled before use. It may refer to: * In construction, a designated area in which vehicles, ...
for recreational walking in the nearby Simonside Hills as well as the rest of the Northumberland National Park. Other attractions for tourists include the town's independent (non-chain) shops.


History


Prehistory and Ancient ''(Pre-500)''

The area around Rothbury was populated during the prehistoric period, as evidenced by finds dating from the Mesolithic period and later, although all the known finds are from beyond the outer edges of the modern town. Sites include a cairnfield, standing stone and cup-marked rock on Debdon Moor to the north of the town, a well-preserved circular cairn some 26 feet (8 m) in diameter, a late Neolithic or Bronze Age standing stone, and an extensive hillfort, covering an area 165 by 125 metres (541 by 410 ft) and associated cairnfield to the west of the town. No evidence of the Roman period has been found, probably because the town was a considerable distance north beyond
Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall ( la, Vallum Aelium), also known as the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Hadriani'' in Latin, is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. R ...
.


Saxons ''(500–1066)''

Fragments from an Anglo-Saxon cross, possibly dating from the 9th century, are the only surviving relics pre-dating the Norman conquest. They were discovered in 1849, when part of the church was demolished, and in 1856. They are now in the town church and the University of Newcastle Museum.


Medieval ''(1066–1465)''

The first documentary mention of Rothbury, according to a local history, was in around the year 1100, as ''Routhebiria'', or "Routha's town" ("Hrotha", according to Beckensall). The village was retained as a Crown possession after the conquest, but in 1201 King John signed the Rothbury Town Charter and visited Rothbury four years later, when the rights and privileges of the manor of Rothbury were given to Robert Fitz Roger, the baron of Warkworth.
Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...
visited the town in 1291, when Fitz Roger obtained a charter to authorise the holding of a market every Thursday, and a three-day annual fair near St Matthew's Day, celebrated on 21 September. Rothbury was not particularly significant at the time, with records from 1310 showing that it consisted of a house, a garden, a bakehouse and a watermill, all of which were leased to tenants. When the line of Fitz Roger died out, the town reverted to being a crown possession, but in 1334
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 ...
gave it to Henry de Percy, who had been given the castle and baronry of Warkworth six years earlier. Despite the Scottish border wars, Rothbury rose in prosperity during the 14th century, and had become the town with the highest parochial value in Northumberland by 1535. Feuds still dominated local affairs, resulting in some parishioners failing to attend church because of them in the 16th century, and at other times, gathering in armed groups in separate parts of the building. Rothbury became a relatively important town in Coquetdale, being a crossroads situated on a ford of the River Coquet, with turnpike roads leading to Newcastle upon Tyne,
Alnwick Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish bor ...
,
Hexham Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden, Northumberland, Warden nearby, and ...
and Morpeth. After it was chartered as a market town in 1291, it became a centre for dealing in cattle and wool for the surrounding villages. A
market cross A market cross, or in Scots, a mercat cross, is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns, where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or a baron. History Market crosse ...
was erected in 1722, but demolished in 1827. In the 1760s, according to Bishop Pococke, Rothbury also had a small craft industry, including hatters. At that time, the parish church's vicarage and living was in the gift of the
Bishop of Carlisle The Bishop of Carlisle is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle in the Province of York. The diocese covers the county of Cumbria except for Alston Moor and the former Sedbergh Rural District. The see is in the city of Car ...
, and worth £500 per year.


Tudors and Stuarts ''(1465–1714)''


Bernard Gilpin and the Border Reivers

Rothbury has had a turbulent and bloody history. In the 15th and 16th centuries the Coquet valley was a pillaging ground for bands of Reivers who attacked and burned the town with terrifying frequency. Hill farming has been a mainstay of the local economy for many generations. Names such as Armstrong, Charleton and Robson remain well represented in the farming community. Their forebears, members of the reiver 'clans', were in constant conflict with their Scots counterpart. The many fortified farms, known as bastle houses, are reminders of troubled times which lasted until the unification of the kingdoms of England and Scotland in 1603. The theologian Bernard Gilpin, known as the 'Apostle of the North' for his work in northern England during this period, visited Rothbury. While he preached a sermon, two rival gangs were threatening each other; realising they might start fighting, Gilpin stood between them asking them to reconcile – they agreed as long as Gilpin stayed in their presence. On another occasion, Gilpin observed a glove hanging in the church and asked the sexton about it. He was told it was a challenge to anyone who removed it. Gilpin thus took the glove and put it in his pocket and carried on with his sermon, and no-one challenged him. A painting of this incident by artist William Bell Scott is housed at Wallington Hall.


Georgians ''(1714–1837)''

Near the town's All Saints' Parish Church stands the doorway and site of the 17th-century Three Half Moons Inn, where the
Jacobite Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to: Religion * Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include: ** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometimes ...
rebel James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater stayed with his followers in 1715 prior to marching into a heavy defeat at the Battle of Preston in 1715. On 16 June 1782, Methodist theologian John Wesley preached in Rothbury.


Victorians ''(1837–1901)''


Cragside

Although Rothbury is of ancient origin, it mainly developed during the Victorian era. A factor in this development was industrialist
Sir William Armstrong William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, (26 November 1810 – 27 December 1900) was an English engineer and industrialist who founded the Armstrong Whitworth manufacturing concern on Tyneside. He was also an eminent scientist, inventor ...
, later Lord Armstrong of Cragside, who built the country house, and "shooting box" ( hunting lodge), of
Cragside Cragside is a Victorian country house near the town of Rothbury in Northumberland, England. It was the home of William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, founder of the Armstrong Whitworth armaments firm. An industrial magnate, scientist, philanth ...
, between 1862 and 1865, then extended it as a "fairy palace" between 1869 and 1900. The house and its estate are now in the possession of the National Trust and are open to the public.


1884 royal visit

Another factor in Rothbury's Victorian development was the arrival of the railway. Rothbury Station opened in 1870, bringing tourists on walking holidays to the surrounding hill country. This railway was most notably used by the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) and Princess Alexandra and their children (Albert Victor, 10, George ''later George V'', 9, Louise, 7, Victoria, 6, Maud, 4), They arrived in Rothbury on 19 August 1884 and left on 22 August to visit Cragside and Lord Armstrong. Firework displays were held by Pain's of London.


David Dippie Dixon

David Dippie Dixon was a historian from Rothbury. He previously worked in his father's draper's shop, William Dixon and Sons, set up in Coquetdale House (now the Co-op). After William Dixon died, David Dippie Dixon and his brother John Turnbull Dixon renamed the shop Dixon Bros.


21st century


2006 royal visit

On 9 November 2006, Rothbury was visited by another Prince of Wales and future King, Edward VIII's 2nd Great Grandson,
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
, who is now the
King of the United Kingdom The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwi ...
. Charles visted his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, now Queen Consort. Charles visited to reopen the refurbished Rothbury village hall, Jubilee Hall, originally built in 1897 and named after the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, his 3rd Great Grandmother. The royal couple also visited Rothbury Family Butchers, whose owner, Morris Adamson, said:
"I talked to them for about 20 minutes about the business. It was almost surreal, staggering. They were both very well informed about the trade, and the Duchess really impressed me with her knowledge and enthusiasm. I put together for them a gift of Northumbrian lamb and specialist sausages and two days later they sent me a thank you letter from Clarence House saying how much they had enjoyed the visit and the meat. The Duchess told me in the shop that her son (Tom) was a food critic and she said she would recommend he should come up to see us in Rothbury to sample our speciality sausages. And Prince Charles congratulated us on keeping alive the traditions of the trade and providing meat that was sourced locally. He urged us to keep up the good work. It was amazing, really."


Governance


Politics


Parish council

The Parish Council meets on the second Wednesday of each month (apart from August) with meetings commencing at 7 pm in the Dovecote Room, Jubilee Institute.


County Council

Rothbury is served by the
Northumberland County Council Northumberland County Council is a unitary authority in North East England. The population of the non-metropolitan unitary authority at the 2011 census was 316,028. History It was formed in 1889 as the council for the administrative county of N ...
and represented by Councillor Steven Bridgett, first elected in 2008 as a Liberal Democrat and re-elected in 2013, 2017 and 2021 as an Independent.


Parliament

Rothbury is in the parliamentary constituency of Berwick-upon-Tweed. The current representative is Anne-Marie Trevelyan of the Conservatives, who has been the local MP since 2015.   From 1973 until 2015, Rothbury's MP was Alan Beith, a member of the Liberal Democrats since 1988 and the Liberal Party prior to its
merger Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...
with the Social Democratic Party; he is currently a member of the House of Lords.


European Union

Prior to
Britain's withdrawal from the European Union Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC o ...
, Rothbury was in the European Parliament constituency of
North East England North East England is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. The region has three current administrative levels below the region level in the region; combined authority, unitary authorit ...
, represented predominantly by the Labour party.


Public services


Police

Rothbury is served by Northumbria Police and has a single police station, housed, since May 2019, in a building owned by the Northumberland National Park.


Fire

Rothbury has a fire station. The fire station is staffed by on-call firefighters: they do not work at the fire station full-time but are paid to spend time on call to respond to emergencies. The station has a four by four fire engine. The building and its facilities are shared with Sure Start.


Healthcare

Rothbury is served by a doctor's surgery and a hospital,
Rothbury Community Hospital Rothbury Community Hospital in Rothbury, Northumberland, England, is managed by the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. History Prior to Joining NHS (1872 - 1948) The original facility was built as a private home known as Coquet House ...
. The original facility was built as a private home known as Coquet House in 1872. It was converted into the Coquetdale Cottage Hospital in 1905. A maternity ward was added, as a lasting memorial to soldiers who died in the Second World War in 1946. It joined the National Health Service in 1948 and the adjoining Hawthorn Cottage was acquired in 1956. After Hawthorn Cottage had been converted into a physiotherapy department, it was officially re-opened by
Jimmy Savile Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile (; 31 October 1926 – 29 October 2011) was an English DJ, television and radio personality who hosted BBC shows including ''Top of the Pops'' and ''Jim'll Fix It''. During his lifetime, he was well known ...
in 1990. After the old hospital became dilapidated, modern facilities were built in Whitton Bank Road and opened in 2007, by local GP, Dr. Angus Armstrong, and his son, TV presenter, Alexander Armstrong. The new hospital closed to inpatients in September 2016 and in June 2019 the trust advised that a group was working on proposals for the future of remaining services at the hospital. The closure caused controversy and a local protest was established called Save Rothbury Cottage Hospital. Rothbury's (Conservative) MP, Anne-Marie Trevelyan condemned the closure to inpatients in Parliament on 9 March 2017.


Geography

Rothbury is located in Northumberland, England, on the River Coquet, it is 13.5 miles (21.7 km) northwest of Morpeth and 26 miles (42 km) of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is located on the edge of the Northumberland National Park. Rothbury has two Zone 6 B roads going through it: West to East is the B6341, Rothbury's main street, Front Street, is part of this B road; The second B road is the B6342, its starting point is in Rothbury, and is connected to the B6341, it is part of Rothbury's Bridge Street before going over the River Coquet on the Rothbury Bridge and going South for 23.4 miles (37.7 km) connecting to the A68 (Dere Street) at the hamlet of Colwell. Rothbury also has the B6344 on the eastern edge, it is connected to the B6341 and goes southeast for 5.6 miles (9.0 km) passing through the hamlet of Pauperhaugh and connecting to the A697 at the hamlet of Weldon Bridge.


Demography


Ethnicity

''Note: An ethnic group that is not on the table means that no one from'' ''that ethnic group was recorded being present in Rothbury at the'' ''time of the census.''


Religion

''Note: A religion that is not on the table means'' ''that no practitioner of that religion was recorded'' ''being present in Rothbury at the time of the census.''


Landmarks

Rothbury's
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
parish church building – All Saints' Church – dates from circa 1850, largely replacing but in parts incorporating the fabric of a former
Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
edifice, including the chancel, the east wall of the south transept and the chancel arch. The church has a font with a stem or pedestal using a section of the Anglo-Saxon cross shaft, showing what is reputed to be the earliest carved representation in Great Britain of the Ascension of Christ. The Anglo-Saxon cross is not to be confused with the market cross near the church, the current version of which was erected in 1902 and is known as "St Armstrong's Cross" as it was paid for by Lady Armstrong, widow of Lord Armstrong of
Cragside Cragside is a Victorian country house near the town of Rothbury in Northumberland, England. It was the home of William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, founder of the Armstrong Whitworth armaments firm. An industrial magnate, scientist, philanth ...
. Until 1965, Rothbury was the location of a racecourse, which had operated intermittently since April 1759, but seldom staged more than one meeting per year. The course was affected by flooding in the 1960s, and the last meeting was on 10 April 1965. The site is now used by Rothbury Golf Club. Half a mile to the south, Whitton Tower is an exceptionally well-preserved 14th-century pele tower. Lordenshaw Hill has the largest concentration of rock carvings in Northumberland. Over 100 panels have been recorded on the hill, the adjacent Whitton Burn and Garleigh Moor, in an area which covers less than 620 acres. The carved panels range from single cup-marked boulders to complex panels. There are many other interesting archaeological sites in this area, including a ditched Iron Age enclosure and an Early Bronze Age
cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...
.


Transport


Former railway station

The town was the terminus of a branch line from
Scotsgap railway station Scotsgap was a stone-built railway station in Northumberland on the Wansbeck Railway, which served the villages of Scots' Gap and Cambo. It was located on the line between Morpeth and Reedsmouth, and was the junction for the branch line of the ...
on the
North British Railway The North British Railway was a British railway company, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1844, with the intention of linking with English railways at Berwick. The line opened in 1846, and from the outset the company followe ...
line from Morpeth to Reedsmouth. The line opened on 1 November 1870, the last passenger trains ran on 15 September 1952 and the line closed completely on 9 November 1963. station was located to the south of the River Coquet, and the site has been reused as an industrial estate, where the only obvious remains are one wall of the engine shed, which has become part of an engineering workshop. The old Station Hotel still stands near the site, but is now known as The Coquetvale Hotel. It was built in the 1870s by William Armstrong, as a suitable place for visitors to his house at
Cragside Cragside is a Victorian country house near the town of Rothbury in Northumberland, England. It was the home of William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, founder of the Armstrong Whitworth armaments firm. An industrial magnate, scientist, philanth ...
to be accommodated.


Bus services

The town is now served by an
Arriva North East Arriva North East operates both local and regional bus services in County Durham, Cumbria, Northumberland, North Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear, England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus, which operates bus and coach services across the United K ...
bus service which runs via Longframlington, Longhorsley, Morpeth and continues to Newcastle upon Tyne, the nearest city.


Education

Rothbury has two schools: * Rothbury First School – a community school for 3- to 9-year-olds of both genders (this type of school is state-funded, with the
local education authority Local education authorities (LEAs) were local councils in England that are responsible for education within their jurisdiction. The term was used to identify which council (district or county) is locally responsible for education in a system wit ...
employing the staff, being responsible for the school's admissions and owning the school's estate). The school can accommodate 126 pupils and currently has 94. * Dr Thomlinson Church of England Middle School – founded in 1720, and for 9 to 13-year-olds of both genders, the school is run by the academy trust The Three Rivers Learning Trust. The school can accommodate 258 pupils and currently has 232. In February 2019 pupils took part in the School's Climate Strike which saw pupils not attending school and protesting over climate change. Rothbury is in the catchment area for
The King Edward VI School, Morpeth King Edward VI School, Morpeth is a voluntary controlled academy high school in Morpeth, Northumberland, England. It was established by a royal charter as Morpeth Grammar School and later as King Edward VI Grammar School. The school became a comp ...
, also run by The Three Rivers Learning Trust.


Culture and community


Music


Rothbury Traditional Music Festival

Rothbury holds the annual Rothbury Traditional
music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...
. It consists music concerts as well as competitions within the genre of folk music, mainly being that of traditional Northumberland folk music, . In 2013, the festival was featured on Northumberland born TV Presenter and actor Robson Green's documentary series ''
Tales from Northumberland with Robson Green ''Tales from Northumberland with Robson Green'' is a British documentary series which sees Robson Green travel around his home county of Northumberland in the North of England. Transmissions ;''Tales from Northumberland'' ;''Tales from th ...
'' (Season one, Episode five). In 2019, TV presenter and singer Alexander Armstrong, who was born in Rothbury, was made patron of the festival, in 2021 Armstrong announced the return of the Music Festival from an erupting Icelandic volcano in a video posted on the Facebook page of the Festival after it was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Notable music acts that have performed at the festival include: 2015: *
Dan Walsh Daniel Walsh may refer to: * Daniel Walsh (rower) (born 1979), American rower * Daniel Walsh (born 2002), Australian footballer with Perth Glory * Daniel B. Walsh (1935–2018), New York politician * Daniel F. Walsh (born 1937), American prelat ...
, banjoist * Chris Parkinson, co-founder of the British folk band
The House Band The House Band was a musical group formed in Edinburgh in 1984 by musicians Ged Foley (vocals, guitar), Jimmy Young ( smallpipes, flute, whistle), Iain Macleod (guitar, mandolin) and Chris Parkinson (melodeon, keyboards, piano accordion and harmo ...
2019: * Jez Lowe, County Durham folk singer-songwriter *
Folkestra Folkestra, formerly known as FolkESTRA North is The Sage Gateshead’s youth folk ensemble, formed in 2001. It is led by their Musical Director Ian Stephenson, a multi-instrumentalist playing folk and traditional music from Northumbria and Scand ...
, The Sage Gateshead’s youth folk ensemble 2021: *
Martin Carthy Martin Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, and later artists such as ...
, influential folk singer and guitarist.


Rothbury Hills

Rothbury has a tune about it called " Rothbury Hills," written by Jack Armstrong in 1944. It has been performed by Kathryn Tickell on her 2009 album "Northumberland Collection", and Alexander Armstrong wrote and sang some lyrics to it on his 2015 album "
A Year of Songs ''A Year of Songs'' is the debut studio album by English comedian and actor Alexander Armstrong. The album was released on 6 November 2015 by Rhino and East West. It debuted at six on the UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of ...
".


Rothbury Highland Pipe Band

Rothbury has its own pipe band, called the Rothbury Highland Pipe Band. The band was established on 1 June 1920, then being named the Rothbury Kilted Pipe Band. The tartan chosen for their kilts was taken from the army regiment the
Seaforth Highlanders The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw servic ...
, as during World War One some of their soldiers were stationed in Coquetdale and developed friendships with the local people. They reformed in the 1950s, being renamed the Rothbury Highland Pipe Band. The band has appeared on the TV show '' The White Heather Club.''


Football

Rothbury has its own football club: Rothbury FC; the club is in Division One of the
Northern Football Alliance The Northern Football Alliance is a football league based in the North East, England. It has four divisions headed by the Premier Division, which sits at step 7 (or level 11) of the National League System. The top club in the Premier Division ...
, which is on level 11 of the
National League System The National League System comprises the six levels of the English football league system immediately below the level of the English Football League. It comes under the jurisdiction of The Football Association. The National League System has a h ...
.


Folklore

In Rothbury folklore Simonside Hills overlooking Rothbury has a mythical creature called a ''deaugar'' or ''duergar'' ( Norse for ''' dwarf). It is said that the creature lures people at night by its lantern light towards bogs or cliffs to kill them. The deaugar has entered into Rothbury's popular culture: in 2021 local musician and poet James Tait wrote a
debut Debut or début (the first public appearance of a person or thing) may refer to: * Debut (society), the formal introduction of young upper-class women to society * Debut novel, an author's first published novel Film and television * ''The Debu ...
children's book called ''The World of Lightness: A Story of the Duergar of Simonside''; an annual 10-mile winter nighttime trail run in the Simonside Hills is called the ''Duergar Nightcrawler''; and a Rothbury art gallery is named Red Deaugar Art Gallery, run by local artist Margaret Bodley Edwards, a descendant of
Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
architect George Frederick Bodley (1827–1907), and of diplomat and founder of the
Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...
in Oxford,
Sir Thomas Bodley Sir Thomas Bodley (2 March 1545 – 28 January 1613) was an English diplomat and scholar who founded the Bodleian Library in Oxford. Origins Thomas Bodley was born on 2 March 1545, in the second-to-last year of the reign of King Henry VIII, ...
(1545–1613).


Bedlington Terrier

The '' Bedlington Terrier'' was originally named after Rothbury and known as the ''Rothbury'' or ''Rodbury Terrier'' however the name changed due to popularity of the breed with miners in the Northumberland pit village of Bedlington.


Crime

The following are notable crimes committed in or connected to Rothbury.


1919 armed robbery of Rothbury Brewery

Dubbed by a newspaper as a "Wild West Drama", the Rothbury Brewery was had armed robbery on the night of 28 February 1919, a attempted armed robbery took place at the Rothbury Brewery. Two Russian sailors, Peter Klighe and Karl Strautin, broke into the Rothbury Brewery to rob it, however, at around 9:00 pm, patrol officer PC Francis Sinton was walking past the Brewery, and he approached it after hearing noises of breaking glass. As he did so he told a passer-by named James Curry to fetch the manager, Mr Farndale. As PC Sinton approached the brewery one of the two men appeared from it and shot at Sinton, missing him only slightly, and the two began to tussle as the second man appeared from the brewery and smashed Sinton's head with an iron bar. Curry and Farndale arrived finding PC Sinton laying on the ground, Farnsdale struggled with one of the assailant, however he manged to fight Farnsdale off leaving Farnsdale with the assailant's muffler scarf, with the assailant escaping with his accomplice. After an extensive police search around Northumberland, the two perpetrators Klighe and Strautin were found in Walbottle Dene. Despite being armed with a pistol they gave themselves up. Klighe and Strautin were found wearing clothes stolen from the Ashington Co-Op, where they also broke into the safe. They were suspected of breaking into a number of safes across the region. They were charged with four counts of burglary and attempted murder, being sentenced to penal servitude for 13 years before being deported. PC Sinton was awarded the Kings Police Medal for Gallantry.


1993 armed robbery of the Rothbury Post Office

Overnight on 23 and 24 August 1993, Rothbury experience another armed robbery. A gang of organized criminals robbed the Rothbury post office of £15,000 (≈ £30,000 in 2020) in cash, stamps and pension books. Armed with iron crowbars and dressed in camouflage and ski masks, they cut the telephone wires, blocked the main road with a stolen council van, and threatened local residents. The then MP for Rothbury, Liberal Democrat Alan Beith said the event showed rural communities like Rothbury needed extra police cover to fight organised crime. Detective Inspector John Hope, who lead the investigation, stated that too much of focus on cities leads to organized crime moving to rural villages. He also said that improving roads to give better police access to rural villages would help decrease crime, and that the criminal justice system was failing to convict people, with criminals knowing they could escape punishment.


2010 Northumbria police manhunt

In July 2010, Rothbury was the site of a major police manhunt. Raoul Moat was released from HM Prison Durham on 1 July, after an 18-week sentence for assaulting a nine-year old relative. During his prison sentence, his girlfriend had a relationship with a police officer that she kept secret from Moat; his business also collapsed while he was in prison, which he blamed the police for. After his release, he discovered his girlfriend's relationship; he shot and killed her new boyfriend, 29-year-old karate instructor Chris Brown, and attempted to kill her. Then, while driving on the A1, he attacked police officer
David Rathband The 2010 Northumbria Police manhunt was a major police operation conducted across Tyne and Wear and Northumberland with the objective of apprehending fugitive Raoul Moat. After killing one person and wounding two others in a two-day shooting s ...
, stationed in a patrol car on the roundabout of the A1 and A69 roads near
East Denton East Denton is an area in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne in the English county of Tyne and Wear. East Denton Hall, dating from 1622, was in the 18th century the seat of the prominent Montagu family. Elizabeth Montagu, the cultural critic and ...
, permanently blinding him (Rathband would hang himself at home in Blyth 18 months later). Moat then went on the run for five days (3–8 July), hiding in and around Rothbury. Police then cornered him by the river on the night of 8 July. After a six-hour stand-off, with Moat holding a gun to his head the entire time, Moat committed
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
by shooting himself early on the morning of 9 July.


2021 pub robberies

In May 2021 burglars broke into two pubs in the same night, the Newcastle House in Rothbury, stealing £4,000 and The Three Wheats in
Thropton Thropton is a hamlet in Northumberland, England, located on the River Coquet, and its tributary Wreigh Burn. With a population of 458 ( 2011 census) it is situated west of the village of Rothbury connected by the B6431 near the junction of the ...
stealing £150. The landlord of The Three Wheats, Gail Hooper, called the burglars "scumbags".


2021 cannabis farm discovery

In June 2021 police discovered a cannabis farm at the closed-down pub The Railway Hotel in Rothbury, the police said that "At about 2.20pm on Monday we received a report from an electric company that a cannabis farm had been found inside the Railway Hotel pub in Rothbury. Officers attended the scene and about 100 plants were removed and destroyed. A 25-year-old man was arrested and has since been charged with producing a
Class B drug These drugs are known in the UK as ''controlled drugs'', because this is the term by which the act itself refers to them. In more general terms, however, many of these drugs are also controlled by the Medicines Act 1968, there are many other drug ...
".


Notable people


Deceased

* Rowland Taylor (1510–1555) an English Protestant martyr during the Marian Persecutions. * James Robson (died ca.1757) a landowner, poet, songwriter and one time Jacobite rebel. *
John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
(1715–1766) an English Anglican priest, playwright and essayist. * Thomas Alcock (1784–1833) an English surgeon. * William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong (1810–1900) an English engineer and industrialist


Living

* Imogen Stubbs (born 20 February 1961, age ), actress, was born in Rothbury * Alexander Armstrong (born 2 March 1970, age ), actor, comedian, and co-presenter of '' Pointless'', was born in Rothbury, his father was a GP in the village.


Places named after Rothbury

*
Rothbury, New South Wales Rothbury is a small town located in the Hunter Region of New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country ...
* North Rothbury, New South Wales ''(named after the larger town of Rothbury to the south that ultimately is named after Rothbury, Northumberland)'' * Rothbury, Michigan


In popular culture


Film

*'' Moonlight Sonata'' (1937) is a film shot at
Cragside Cragside is a Victorian country house near the town of Rothbury in Northumberland, England. It was the home of William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, founder of the Armstrong Whitworth armaments firm. An industrial magnate, scientist, philanth ...
. It was directed by Lothar Mendes, written by Edward Knoblock and
E. M. Delafield Edmée Elizabeth Monica Dashwood, née de la Pasture (9 June 1890 – 2 December 1943), commonly known as E. M. Delafield, was a prolific English literature, English author. She is best known for her largely autobiographical ''Diary of a Pr ...
, and starred the former Prime Minister of Poland, Ignacy Jan Paderewski. *''The Boy and the Bus'' (2014), a short film (23 minutes long) directed by Simon Pitts, written by Rod Arthur, and featuring actors Ali Cook and Tracey Wilkinson, and with music by John Elliott and
Tiny Ruins Tiny Ruins are a musical ensemble from Auckland, New Zealand. History Tiny Ruins began as an alias for singer-songwriter Hollie Fullbrook, who recorded as a solo artist prior to 2009.Simon Grig/ref> drummer Gary Hunt Gary Hunt (born 11 J ...
, was filmed in Rothbury, the film involved a number of locals as extras including pupils from Dr Thomlinson's.


TV


Documentary


* '' The Restoration Man'' (2010–present), is a home improvement show presented by architect George Clarke, the renovation of Thrum Mill by locals Dave and Margaret Heldey into a home was featured on the show in Series 3: Episode 4 (2014) and Clarke's revisiting of the mill a year later in Series 4: Episode Eight (2015). * '' Car SOS'' (2013–present), is show which restores classic cars in disrepair without the owner knowing, the owner being nominated for the show by a relative or friend, the owner is then surprised with their finished car in a staged event. The renovation of localman Tom Mason's 1934 Morgan F4 three-wheeler was featured in Series 3: Episode 4 (2015).


Drama

''Vera'' (2011–present), a
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
crime drama set in
North East The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
England; Northumberland and Tyne and Wear, has scenes from two episodes filmed in Rothbury: *''Silent Voices'' (Season 2 Episode 2) at Thrum Mill, and *''Darkwater'' ( Season 8 Episode 4) at Simonside Hills Line producer Margaret Mitchell commented on filming at Rothbury for ''Darkwater'': Rothbury was also mentioned by DS Joe Ashworth (
David Leon David Jeremy Leon (born 24 July 1980) is an English actor, director, writer and producer. As an actor, he is known for appearing in Rankin and Chris Cottam's 2002 feature film, ''Lives of the Saints'' (as the character Othello), and director ...
) in the episode 'Poster Girl', Series 3: Episode 2.


Gallery

File:Rothbury (1898) by Edmund Bogg.jpg, Rothbury looking over the River Coquet on the north bank to the Bridge and All Saints' Church (1898) File:A prospect of Rothbury - geograph.org.uk - 1425893.jpg, View of Rothbury from Whitton Bank, on the northside of the River Coquet, to the southside, where the majority of the town stands. File:Bridge over the Coquet - geograph.org.uk - 1513543.jpg, Bridge over the Coquet at Rothbury. This pedestrian bridge links the car park (right) with the town (left). File:Looking west along High Street, Rothbury - geograph.org.uk - 1382798.jpg, Looking west along Front Street (B6341), in the foreground, and High Street, in the background, running parallel to Front Street. File:Church Street - geograph.org.uk - 1513529.jpg, Looking to the junction of Front Street (B6341), in the foreground running left ro right, and Church Street, this street leads from Town Foot to All Saints church. File:Newcastle Hotel, High Street, Rothbury - geograph.org.uk - 1382800.jpg, Newcastle Hotel, on the junction of Front Street (B6341), foreground, and Church Street, right. File:Church Street, Rothbury - geograph.org.uk - 928962.jpg, Church Street with the Newcastle Hotel to its left, connecting to Front Street (B6341), in the foreground running left to right. File:Barclays Bank, Rothbury - geograph.org.uk - 1382781.jpg, Barclays Bank, the building stands at the junction of Bridge Street and Town Foot (B6341). File:Looking northeast along Bridge Street, Rothbury - geograph.org.uk - 1382786.jpg, Looking northeast along Bridge Street, in the background Town Foot (B6341) can be seen connecting to it.


References and further reading


Further reading

* * *


References


External links


Rothbury: local site
(Accessed: 7 November 2008)

(Accessed: 7 November 2008) {{authority control Towns in Northumberland Civil parishes in Northumberland History of Northumberland