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Rothbury
lies near the centre of rural Northumberland, 12 miles from Alnwick, 15 miles from Morpeth
and 29 miles from Newcastle upon Tyne. As such it has been a local centre since
the 13th century and at various times had a castle, a market and
magistrate's court. It was
the administrative centre of the rural district till 1974.
It has been noted in history since the 11th century and Rothbury church was of importance
around the time of the Norman Conquest. Rectors can be traced back to 1107 and in
1291
King Edward I granted a charter to hold a market every Thursday and a fair annually.
Existing buildings date from the 18th century and the outline of the earlier village can
easily be identified.
The name 'Rothbury' is variously derived from the Celtic word 'Rhath' meaning a cleared
spot, or from the Saxon warrior 'Hrotha' whose kingdom was hereabouts. Or it may owe its
origin to 'Rood' or cross from the Latinised word, 'Rodeberia', which was its first recorded
name.
Be that as it may, the spelling was known to change across the years. In 1165 it was
'Roebiri'. In 1196 it was recorded as 'Robiri'. In 1209 'Robire' was mentioned. In 1233 it
picked up a 'Y' to become 'Robiry' whilst in 1256 it neared its modern form with
'Roubiry'.
This Heritage trail is intended to provide an appreciation of Rothbury
and a short introduction to its history.
Use the menu
to go to specific areas or click here to
Start
the Heritage Trail
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