The Castle That Time, Fire, and a Small River Are Finishing Off

That eroded mound is Tarset Castle, in the North Tyne valley. The steep, undercut flanks show the ongoing damage caused by the Tarset Burn.

The gentle green mound does not look like much. It is, in fact, all that’s left of a castle that was once a record-holder, a border fortress, a bonfire, a quarry, and is now a Grade II* listed ruin being quietly eaten by the burn. History, clearly, has a rather dark sense of humour.

When King Henry III handed John Comyn a licence to crenellate in 1267, nobody planned it as a milestone. Yet it became the oldest surviving licence to crenellate in all of Northumberland.¹“Tarset Castle.” The Gatehouse Gazetteer, https://gatehouse-gazetteer.info/English%20sites/2832.html. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026. Most people assume Northumberland has always been solidly English. It was not. Tarset was built when this part of North Tynedale sat under the Scottish crown.²“Tarset and Dally Castles.” Northumberland National Park, 1 June 2023, https://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/whats-on/tarset-and-dally-castles/. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026. A castle planted on the wrong side of history, which is a fine place to be.

In 1525, Sir Ralph Fenwick destroyed the castle.³“Tarset Castle.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Mar. 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarset_Castle. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026. Not a great siege. Not a famous battle. One man, presumably having a thoroughly bad afternoon.

After excavations in 1888, the remaining masonry was plundered to build a cottage.⁴Scott, Jim. “The Northumberlander Project.” Jim Scott Photography, https://www.jimscottphotography.com/northumberlander-project. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026. The fate of so many historical buildings — to be turned into a garden shed. Marvellous.

The Tarset Burn has been eating the bank beneath the castle for decades. Volunteers, farmers, and conservationists are fighting back with stone pitching and tree planting⁵“Tarset Castle Brought Back to Life.” Hexham Courant, 7 Sept. 2018, https://www.hexham-courant.co.uk/features/local-history/16627041.tarset-castle-brought-back-to-life/. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026. — but the river is in no particular hurry to stop.

A castle that survived border warfare for three centuries was felled by one arsonist, then picked apart for bricks, then left to a stream. Britain will list the ruins as Grade II*, naturally. The real question is whether we can save what little remains before the water makes the decision for us.

• 1
  “Tarset Castle.” The Gatehouse Gazetteer, https://gatehouse-gazetteer.info/English%20sites/2832.html. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
• 2
  “Tarset and Dally Castles.” Northumberland National Park, 1 June 2023, https://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/whats-on/tarset-and-dally-castles/. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
• 3
  “Tarset Castle.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Mar. 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarset_Castle. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
• 4
  Scott, Jim. “The Northumberlander Project.” Jim Scott Photography, https://www.jimscottphotography.com/northumberlander-project. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
• 5
  “Tarset Castle Brought Back to Life.” Hexham Courant, 7 Sept. 2018, https://www.hexham-courant.co.uk/features/local-history/16627041.tarset-castle-brought-back-to-life/. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.