# Heaton Castle

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Ruined castle in Cornhill-on-Tweed, Northumberland, England

**Heaton Castle** (anciently **Heton**) in the parish of [Cornhill-on-Tweed](/source/Cornhill-on-Tweed), [Northumberland](/source/Northumberland), England, is a ruined historic castle near the Scottish border.

It is situated in an elevated position above the south bank of the [River Till](/source/River_Till%2C_Northumberland), 4 miles north-east of [Coldstream](/source/Coldstream) and 9 miles south-west of [Berwick-upon-Tweed](/source/Berwick-upon-Tweed), and 2 miles south-east of the [River Tweed](/source/River_Tweed), the historic border with Scotland.. The castle was [slighted](/source/Slighting) in 1496 by King James IV of Scotland, but remnants survive as parts of the walls of outbuildings of a farm now known as **Castle Heaton**.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## History

The castle was the seat of the de Heton family,[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] which as was usual took its name from its seat. It passed in about 1250 to a branch of the prominent de Grey family, who in 1415 rebuilt it as a quadrangular castle.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

[James IV of Scotland](/source/James_IV_of_Scotland) set miners to work to slight or demolish Heaton Castle on 24 September 1496, and gave his stone masons, led by John Cochrane, a bonus to work through the night. James IV brought the pretender [Perkin Warbeck](/source/Perkin_Warbeck) with him into England. They stayed some nights at Ellemford on the [Whiteadder Water](/source/Whiteadder_Water), and the invasion is known as the "Raid of Ellem". James IV brought his cannon to Heaton, and a horse was killed pulling a gun into position.[1] One record of the invasion mentions the "siege of Heaton", in Latin, "obsidione de Hedtoun".[2]

### Description in the 16th century

In 1541, Heaton Castle was described in a survey as "ruinous" but a later report identified "a vault that a hundred horses may stand in".[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] By 1550, the ruins had been adapted "to form bases for large bastle type building with stone vault".[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] The only remains surviving are two buttresses against the north-east wall of a stable-block, together with "probable remains of a turret and rampart", and the long barrel vault.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] In the 1580s, attempts at rebuilding and repair were made, but the project failed when the Grey family became involved in a dispute with the Crown concerning funding.

The remaining building with the long vault has some characteristics of a [Bastle house](/source/Bastle_house), and has been compared to [Akeld](/source/Akeld) Bastle.[3]

## The Grey family

Arms of Grey of Heaton and Howick: *Gules, a lion rampant a bordure engrailed argent*. These arms were adopted in lieu of the ancient arms of Grey borne by all other branches of the family descended from [Henry de Grey](/source/Henry_de_Grey) (1155-1219) of [Grays Thurrock](/source/Grays_Thurrock), Essex: *Barry of six argent and azure*

The Grey family of Heaton was descended from Hugh de Grey, a younger son of [Henry de Grey](/source/Henry_de_Grey) (1155-1219) of [Grays Thurrock](/source/Grays_Thurrock) in Essex, a courtier of King [John](/source/John_of_England), whose ancestry is traceable back to [Anchetil de Greye](/source/Anchetil_de_Greye) (c.1052 - post-1086), a Norman soldier and follower of [William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford](/source/William_FitzOsbern%2C_1st_Earl_of_Hereford) one of the great [magnates](/source/Magnate) of early [Norman](/source/Normans) England and one of the very few proven [companions of William the Conqueror](/source/Companions_of_William_the_Conqueror) known to have fought at the [Battle of Hastings](/source/Battle_of_Hastings) in 1066. The descent of the de Grey family of Heaton is as follows:

- Sir [Thomas Grey](/source/Thomas_Grey_(of_Heaton)) (d.1344), 3rd in descent from Hugh de Grey, was an eminent soldier in the Anglo-Scottish wars in the reigns of [Edward I](/source/Edward_I_of_England) and [Edward II](/source/Edward_II). He married Agnes de Bayles.

- Sir [Thomas Grey](/source/Thomas_Grey_(chronicler)) (d.1369), son, "The Chronicler", who wrote the English [chronicle](/source/Chronicle), the *[Scalacronica](/source/Scalacronica)*. He married Margaret de Presson,[4] the daughter and heiress of William de Presson[5] of Presson, near [Carham](/source/Carham) in Northumberland.

- Sir Thomas Grey (1359-1400) of Heaton and of [Chillingham Castle](/source/Chillingham_Castle), who married Joan de Mowbray (d.1410), sister of [Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk](/source/Thomas_de_Mowbray%2C_1st_Duke_of_Norfolk),[6] and daughter of [John de Mowbray, 4th Baron Mowbray](/source/John_de_Mowbray%2C_4th_Baron_Mowbray) (d.1368) by his wife and Elizabeth de Segrave, daughter and heiress of John de Segrave, [4th Baron Segrave](/source/Baron_Segrave) by his wife [Margaret of Brotherton](/source/Margaret%2C_Duchess_of_Norfolk) (c.1320-1399), [suo jure](/source/Suo_jure) 'Countess of Norfolk, in 1397 created [Duchess of Norfolk](/source/Duchess_of_Norfolk) for life, the daughter and eventual sole heiress of [Thomas of Brotherton](/source/Thomas_of_Brotherton), eldest son of King [Edward I of England](/source/Edward_I_of_England), by his second marriage. In 1338 she succeeded to the Earldom of Norfolk and the office of [Earl Marshal](/source/Earl_Marshal). His second son was [John Grey, 1st Earl of Tankerville](/source/John_Grey%2C_1st_Earl_of_Tankerville)[7][8] (1384-1421), KG.

- [Sir Thomas Grey](/source/Thomas_Grey_(1384-1415)) (1384-1415), son, one of the three conspirators in the [Southampton Plot](/source/Southampton_Plot) against King [Henry V](/source/Henry_V_of_England) in 1415. In about 1408 he married Alice Neville, a daughter of [Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland](/source/Ralph_de_Neville%2C_1st_Earl_of_Westmorland), by his first wife [Margaret de Stafford](/source/Margaret_de_Stafford) (d.1396), a daughter of [Hugh de Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford](/source/Hugh_de_Stafford%2C_2nd_Earl_of_Stafford).

- [Sir Thomas Grey](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sir_Thomas_Grey_(1404%E2%80%931426)&action=edit&redlink=1) (1404-1426), who in 1412, at eight years of age, was betrothed to [Isabel](/source/Isabel_of_Cambridge%2C_Countess_of_Essex), then three years of age, only daughter of [Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge](/source/Richard_of_Conisburgh%2C_3rd_Earl_of_Cambridge),[9] and [Anne Mortimer](/source/Anne_de_Mortimer); they had one son.[10] At about this time the family abandoned Heaton and moved to its other estate at [Howick](/source/Howick%2C_Northumberland) in Northumberland. His descendants gained peerage titles including: Baronet Grey of Chillingham, Northumberland (1619); Baron Grey of Werke (1623/4); Baronet Grey of Howick (1746); Baron Grey of Howick (1801); Viscount Howick (1806); Earl Gret (1806). His most notable descendant was [Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, 2nd Viscount Howick](/source/Charles_Grey%2C_2nd_Earl_Grey) (1764-1845), KG, of [Howick Hall](/source/Howick_Hall), Prime Minister and supposed inventor of the famous tea.

### History of the broader de Grey family

The de Grey family was descended from [Anchetil de Greye](/source/Anchetil_de_Greye) (c.1052 - post-1086), a Norman soldier and follower of [William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford](/source/William_FitzOsbern%2C_1st_Earl_of_Hereford), one of the great [magnates](/source/Magnate) of early [Norman](/source/Normans) England and one of the very few proven [companions of William the Conqueror](/source/Companions_of_William_the_Conqueror) known to have fought at the [Battle of Hastings](/source/Battle_of_Hastings) in 1066. Anchetil de Greye is regarded as the ancestor of the noble [House of Grey](/source/House_of_Grey), branches of which held many peerage titles in England, including [Baron Grey de Wilton](/source/Baron_Grey_de_Wilton), [Baron Grey of Codnor](/source/Baron_Grey_of_Codnor), [Baron Grey de Ruthyn](/source/Baron_Grey_de_Ruthyn), [Marquess of Dorset](/source/Marquess_of_Dorset), [Duke of Suffolk](/source/Duke_of_Suffolk), and [Earl of Stamford](/source/Earl_of_Stamford). They[*[clarification needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify)*] married into the royal family.

Descendants of the branch seated at Heaton gained the peerage titles of: Earl of Tankerville (1419, 1695), Baronet Grey of Chillingham, Northumberland (1619); Baron Grey of Werke (1623/4); Viscount Glendale (1695), Baronet Grey of Howick (1746); Baron Grey of Howick (1801); Viscount Howick (1806), Earl Grey (1806) and Baronet Grey of Fallodon (1814). [Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, 2nd Viscount Howick](/source/Charles_Grey%2C_2nd_Earl_Grey) (1764-1845), KG, of [Howick Hall](/source/Howick_Hall), Prime Minister, and supposed inventor of the famous tea, was a descendant of the Heaton branch.

## Present

In 2011 the estate of Castle Heaton (with Shellacres) was offered for sale at an asking price of £11.5 million,[11] a record for recent years in the North East.[12]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Thomas Dickson, *Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland*, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1877), pp. cxli-ii, 299–301, 321.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** George Burnett, [*Exchequer Rolls of Scotland: 1497-1501*, vol. 11 (Edinburgh, 1888), pp. lx, 141](https://archive.org/details/exchequerrollsof11scot/page/140/mode/2up)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Clare Howard & Rebecca Pullen, *Castle Heaton, Cornhill-on-Tweed: An Investigation of the Vaulted Building and Adjacent Earthworks* (English Heritage, 2014), pp. 17, 23.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** King, Andy (2005). "Scaling the Ladder: The Rise and Rise of the Grays of Heaton, c.1296-c.1415". In Liddy, Christian D. North-east England in the Later Middle Ages. Woodbridge: Boydell Press. pp. 57–74

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [King 2005](#CITEREFKing2005), p. 68.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [King 2005](#CITEREFKing2005), p. 69.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Richardson II 2011](#CITEREFRichardson_II2011), p. 254; [Richardson III 2011](#CITEREFRichardson_III2011), pp. 206–7; [Pugh 1988](#CITEREFPugh1988), pp. 103, 187, 196; [King 2005](#CITEREFKing2005), p. 68

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Pugh 1988](#CITEREFPugh1988), pp. 103, 187, 196

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [Pugh 1988](#CITEREFPugh1988), pp. 104, 187.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, 106th Edition, Charles Mosley Editor-in-Chief, 1999, page: 15, 1222

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["The (Newcastle) Journal, 1 July 2011"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200613174256/http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/castle-heaton-shellacres-up-sale-4426752). Archived from [the original](http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/castle-heaton-shellacres-up-sale-4426752) on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** [The Journal, 1 July 2011](https://web.archive.org/web/20181120055221/http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/castle-heaton-shellacres-up-sale-4426752)

## Sources

- King, Andy (2005). "Scaling the Ladder: The Rise and Rise of the Grays of Heaton, c.1296-c.1415". In Liddy, Christian D. (ed.). *North-east England in the Later Middle Ages*. Woodbridge: Boydell Press. pp. 57–74.

- Pugh, T.B. (1988). *Henry V and the Southampton Plot of 1415*. Alan Sutton. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-86299-541-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-86299-541-8)

- Richardson, Douglas (2011). *Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, ed. Kimball G. Everingham*. Vol. II (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City.{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_location_missing_publisher))[ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1449966381](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1449966381)

- Richardson, Douglas (2011). *Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, ed. Kimball G. Everingham*. Vol. III (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City.{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_location_missing_publisher))

## Further reading

- [Historic England](/source/Historic_England). ["Remains of Heaton Castle circa 30 yards north-west of farmhouse (1304159)"](https://HistoricEngland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1304159?section=official-list-entry). *[National Heritage List for England](/source/National_Heritage_List_for_England)*.

- [http://www.keystothepast.info/article/10339/Site-Details?PRN=N2338](http://www.keystothepast.info/article/10339/Site-Details?PRN=N2338) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181120015116/http://www.keystothepast.info/article/10339/Site-Details?PRN=N2338) 20 November 2018 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

- [Clare Howard & Rebecca Pullen, *Castle Heaton, Cornhill-on-Tweed: An Investigation of the Vaulted Building and Adjacent Earthworks* (English Heritage, 2014)](https://research.historicengland.org.uk/Report.aspx?i=15266)

## External links

- Media related to [Heaton Castle](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Heaton_Castle) at Wikimedia Commons

[55°40′14″N 2°09′30″W / 55.67067°N 2.15838°W / 55.67067; -2.15838](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Heaton_Castle&params=55.67067_N_2.15838_W_type:landmark_region:GB)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Heaton Castle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaton_Castle) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaton_Castle?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.