Description:

Around 1335, John Thirlwall built a stronghold that provided protection for his family and descendants for the next 300 years. These strongholds became an essential element in the defence of the English Border against Scottish raids.

After the Union of the Scottish and English Crowns in 1603, more peaceful conditions developed and border strongholds became redundant. By the 1660s, the Thirlwalls had moved to Hexham where the land was more fertile and the climate a little gentler.