Shortflatt Tower (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Shortflat; Shortflate

In the civil parish of Belsay.
In the historic county of Northumberland.
Modern Authority of Northumberland.
1974 county of Northumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NZ07938109
Latitude 55.1233° Longitude -1.8761°

Shortflatt Tower has been described as a certain Pele Tower.

There are major building remains.

This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*.

Description

Large pele tower. licence to crenellate granted, in 1305, to Robert Reymes. The only part of the building to date this early is a small turret in the north-east corner of the main house. It was probably once part of a two-storey stone house. The main living rooms would have been on the first floor with the ground floor used as store rooms and for housing animals. The tower was probably built in the later C15. It measures 13.7m by 9.7m and is three storeys high. The main house, with the exception of the turret and short section of wall wall, was rebuilt early in C17. Finally, at some time possibly C18 two wings containing a kitchen and store rooms was added to the rear of the house.

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1305 April 5 (Click on the date for details of this licence.).

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1042821
English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 21041.
County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) N10574.

Books
- Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing) p. 265-6
  Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 95
  Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 1 Northern England (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 137-8
  Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 195
  Jackson, M.J.,1992, Castles of Northumbria (Carlisle) p. 108, 111
  Rowland, T.H., 1987 (reprint1994), Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p. 10, 71, 72
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 341
  Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p. 317
  Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 158
  Pevsner, N., 1957, Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p. 290
  Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles (1970 Reprint by Frank Graham) p. 198-9
  Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  Tomlinson, W.W., 1897, Comprehensive Guide to Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 269
  Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England; their story and structure (New York: Macmillan) Vol. 2 p. 421 online copy
  Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p. 8, 16 (Also published as the whole of volume 14 (series 2) of Archaeologia Aeliana view online)
  Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol. 3 Part 2 p. 404 online copy
  Hodgson, J.C., 1827, History of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Part 2 Vol. 1 p. 366-7
Periodical Articles
- Milner, L., 1976, 'Northumberland Pele Towers: Shortflatt Tower' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 133 p. 169
  Raimes, A.L., 1955, 'Shortflatt Tower and its owners, Part Two' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser4) Vol. 33 p. 134-141
  Raimes, A.L., 1954, 'Shortflatt Tower and its owners, 1200-1600, With a description of the building and its history by H.L.Honeyman' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser4) Vol. 32 p. 126-159
  Bates, C.J., 1891, 'Border Holds of Northumberland' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser2) Vol. 14 p. 8, 16 online copy
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
- 1415 Nomina Castrorum et Fortaliciorum infra Comitatum Northumbrie list of Northumberland Castles
  Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1898, Calendar of Patent Rolls Edward I (1301-1307) Vol. 4 p. 328 online copy

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