A History of Otterburn Tower

The Otterburn Tower is truly distinctive. A fortified Northumbrian country house founded by a cousin of William the Conqueror in 1086

The Umfraville family built the original Pele Tower at Otterburn in 1308. It was then described as a ‘capital messuage’.

14th Century

1388 Battle of Otterburn

The Pele Tower featured in the old accounts of the 1388 Battle of Otterburn.

Froissart describes how the Scottish tried to take the Otterburn Tower while waiting for the English Lord Percy and his men. Their attack against Otterburn Tower began at dawn, but the Tower was ‘tolerably strong among the marshes, they attacked so long and unsuccessfully that they were fatigued and therefore sounded a retreat’. That evening most of the Scottish leaders wanted to return across the border but were over ruled by Lord Douglas who still wished to take the Tower. However before the next morning Harry Hotspur and his English men arrived at Otterburn and taking the Tower became a minor issue. The battle of Otterburn took place that moonlit night, Wednesday 19th August 1388, with the English suffering heavy casualties.

The supposed site where the Battle of Otterburn was fought is just north on the A696 about a mile north west of Otterburn Tower. the position is marked by an old beam from our kitchen and a full account of the battle is given on a notice board at the site.

The Otterburn Tower is described in 1415 as being owned by Sir Robert de Umfraville, who died in 1436.

Late 16th Century
In the late 16th or early 17th century the Hall family, a powerful clan in Redesdale, acquired Otterburn Tower.

18th Century
In this period the original Pele Tower was in due course incorporated into a more spacious dwelling.

In the early eighteenth century Reginald Hall of Catcleugh purchased the Otterburn Tower and added ‘ a square building of the Scots farmhouse style, not unlike the Troughend Hall which was built about the same time’.

19th Century
In 1812 Sir Walter Scott, the border poet and songwriter was a guest at the Tower, while gathering information for his poem ‘Rokeby’.

Early 20th Century
In the early 1900s a wealthy antiquary Howard Pease owned the Tower. He carried out further extensions, mainly at the rear of the property. He also built the lodge at the gates.

Late 20th Century to present day
Mr Halliday from Bellingham converted Otterburn Tower into a hotel in 1947. It remained a hotel until it closed in 1996.The present owner bought it in August 1998. It was renovated and refurnished during the winter months before it reopened in June 1999.

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