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History

Information about the history of the area

Howick Hall

The History Of Howick Hall

Howick Hall, a Grade II* listed building in the village of Howick, Northumberland is the ancestral seat of the Earls Grey. It was the home of the Prime Minister Charles, 2nd Earl Grey, after whom the famous tea is named. The original Earl Grey tea was specially blended by a Chinese mandarin to suit the water at Howick, and was later marketed by Twinings.

Howick has been owned by the Grey family since 1319. A tower house which once stood on the site and which was demolished in 1780, was described in a survey of 1715 as ‘a most magnificent freestone edifice in a square figure, flat roofed and embattled’ and with ‘a handsome court and gateway on the front’.

http://www.howickhallgardens.org/index.php

Longhoughton Village – a potted history

The village of Longhoughton is a very ancient village – the fine Grade 1 listed church of St Peter and St Paul dates back to Saxon times. In the 16th Century the settlement was recorded as ‘a very long towne’ with 13 or 14 small holdings at the north end of the village (now called North End) and the same number to the south (now called South End) – some of the dellings were occupied by fishermen. Throughout the seasons the fishermen would help out the farmers at harvest time and the farmers reciprocated down at Boulmer. The smuggling of liquor through the outlet of Boulmer village from the secret inland Northumbrian stills was a profitable business in the 18th Century – legend has it that contraband was stored in Longhoughton church tower with the full knowledge of the vicar! There were once two pubs in Longhoughton – the Blue Bell opposite the church having been famously closed down by the landowner the Duke of Northumberland when his worship was disrupted by a brawl one Sunday morning – sadly Longhoughton is a dry village once again with the closure of the village pub  four years ago.

Northumberland County History

Northumberland County History

History of Northumberland
Northumberland is the most northerly county in England and stretches from urban Tyneside in the south to the rolling wilderness and beauty of the Cheviot Hills in the north. It is flanked on the east by the North Sea and to the west by the stunning Tyne Valley. It has the fewest number of people yet the largest number of castles of any county in England, including Alnwick Castle of Harry Potter and Blackadder fame.

It can also boast one of the most dramatic monuments in Hadrian’s Wall. Originally built as the border between England and Scotland it now lies firmly in Northumberland with the border 50 miles north cutting across the Cheviots to just north of Berwick-upon-Tweed boasting the only football team in England that plays in the Scottish league, just adding to Northumberland’s title as the Border County.

It was the Normans who divided the old region of ‘Northumbria’ into what we know today as the counties of Northumberland and County Durham. Once done, Northumberland was divided up and given to Norman Barons. In 1215 when King John sealed the Magna Carta, from all the barons  across the country, two out of the 25 barons chosen to witness the event at Runnymede came from Northumberland:

Eustace de Vesci John FitzRobert of Warkworth
Lord of Alnwick in Northumberland 

Most important and well known of the later Northumbrian barons, were of course the Percy Family. They acquired land, including Alnwick and Warkworth Castles, in the early fourteenth century and have been at Alnwick Castle ever since. The current Duchess of Northumberland is also Lord Lieutenant of the County.

Longhoughton Parish lies approx 4 miles East of Alnwick on the Northumberland coast, an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB).