Place:Rothbury, Northumberland, England

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source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Rothbury is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England. It is located on the River Coquet, 13.5 miles (21.7 km) northwest of Morpeth and 26 miles (42 km) north-northwest of Newcastle upon Tyne. At the time of the UK census of 2001, Rothbury had a population of 1,740, increasing to 2,107 at the 2011 UK census.

Rothbury was an ancient parish in the Coquetdale Ward which also became a civil parish in the 19th century. From 1894 until 1896 it was part of Rothbury Rural District. From 1896 until 1955 it was an urban district, and then returned to being a civil parish within the rural district again. In 1974 rural districts were abolished and Rothbury became part of the Alnwick District until 2009 when Northumberland became a unitary authority.

Townships in the parish

• Bickerton
• Caistron
• Cartington
• Debdon
• Fallowlees
• Flotterton
• Great Tosson and Rye Hill (redirected to Tosson)
• Hepple
• Hepple Demesne (redirected to Hepple)
• Hesley Hurst
• High and Low Trewhitt
• Hollinghill
• Lee Ward
• Mount Healey
• Newtown (near Rothbury)
• Pauperhaugh
• Raw
• Snitter
• Thropton
• Tosson Little (redirected to Tosson)
• Warton
• Whitton
• Wreighill

History

Rothbury emerged as a relatively important town in the historic district of Coquetdale because of its situation at a crossroads over a ford along the River Coquet. Turnpike roads leading to Newcastle upon Tyne, Alnwick, Hexham and Morpeth allowed for an influx of families and the enlargement of the settlement during the Middle Ages. Rothbury was chartered as a market town in 1291, and became a centre for dealing in cattle and wool for the surrounding villages well into the 15th to 18th centuries.

It was chartered as a market town in 1291, and became a centre for dealing in cattle and wool for the surrounding villages. A market cross was erected in 1722, but demolished in 1827. In the 1760s the village also had a small craft industry, including hatters. At that time, the village's vicarage and living was in the gift of the Bishop of Carlisle, and worth £500 per year.

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. Near the town's All Saints' Parish Church stands the doorway and site of the 17th century Three Half Moons Inn, where the Earl of Derwentwater stayed with his followers in 1715 prior to marching into a heavy defeat at the Battle of Preston.

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 industrialist Lord Armstrong (1810–1900) helped shape modern Rothbury. Many local buildings reflect his Victorian style and prosperity. At the same time the planting of more than six million trees and shrubs transformed the surrounding landscape. His magnificent home at Cragside, now in the care of the National Trust, is visited by more than 150,000 people annually.

A Vision of Britain through Time furthers the description of Rothbury from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72:

":"The township comprises 4,923 acres. Population in 1851: 895; in 1861: 798. Houses: 161.

"The parish contain also the townships of Whitton, Newtown, Great Tosson and Ryehill, Little Tosson, Bickerton, Caistron, Fallow-lees, Hollinghill, Hesley-Hurst, Raw, Paperhaugh, Mount-Healey, Lee-Ward, Debdon, Snitter, Thropton, Warton, Flotterton, Cartington, High and Low Trewhitt, Hepple, Hepple-Demesne, and Wreighill. Acres: 34,798. Real property: £19,309. Population in 1851: 2,545; in 1861: 2,387. Houses: 475. The property is divided among a few. The manor was given to the Percys in 1330, and belongs now to the Duke of Northumberland. Hepple is the seat of Sir W. Riddell, Bart. Cartington Cast e was the seat of the Cartington family. A Roman camp, withdouble vallum, is at Old Rothbury. Many of the farm-houses are old peels, with thick walls and low narrow doors. The land, to the extent of 7 miles, was formerly all forest, and is now, for the most part, wild uncultivated moor. The rocks include coal, limestone, iron ore, and lead ore; and the surface, in many places, is strewn with scoriæ, supposed to attest the workings of Roman miners. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Durham. Value: £1, 106. Patron: the Bishop of Carlisle. An English Presbyterian church and a Roman Catholic chapel are at Thropton."

Research Tips

• Northumberland Archives previously known as Northumberland Collections Service and Northumberland County Record Office. Now based within Woodhorn Museum in Ashington and providing free access to numerous records for local and family historians alike.

Full postal address: Museum and Northumberland Archives, Queen Elizabeth II Country Park, Ashington, Northumberland, NE63 9YF; Phone: 01670 624455

There is a branch office in Berwick upon Tweed.

• Northumberland and Durham FHS covers both Northumberland and County Durham. The Family History Society have a research centre in Percy House in central Newcastle upon Tyne (full address on website), open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm. Browse the website to see what else the society can provide.
• Further information from GENUKI
• Ordnance Survey map of Northumberland 1832 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time. This map includes the boundaries of the various Wards (or "hundreds") in existence at that time.
• Ordnance Survey map of Northumberland 1900 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time
• Ordnance Survey map of Northumberland 1944 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time
• English Jurisdictions 1851, a parish finding aid provided by FamilySearch, particularly helpful in large towns and cities.
• Unfortunately, there is no Victoria County History for Northumberland.