Great Tosson : Selected Sources And Surveys

1. Liber Feodorum - The Book of Fees II, 1120, 1127-8; Northumberland, 1242

Baronia de Hephal

Nicholaus de Farendon et Elizabet uxor eius tenent in capite de domine rege Hephal, Bikerton, Parvam Tossen, Magnam Tossen, Flotwayton, Warton, et medietatem de Tyrewyt per feodum unius militis de veteri feoffamento.

Socagium Baronie de Hephal

Rogerus de Buttemund tenet de Nicholao et Elizabet uxore eius terciam partem de Hephal, Bickerton, Parvam Tossen, Magnam Tossen, Flotwayton et de medietate de Tyrewyt et de Warton pro xvi.s.

Matildis de Charteray tenet alteram terciam partem predictarum villarum pro xvi.s.

. . . . . .

Johannes de Eslington tenet xx acras in Magna Tossen pro ii.d

Translation

Barony of Hepple

Nicholas de Farendon and Elizabeth his wife hold in chief from the lord king Hepple, Bickerton, Little Tosson, Great Tosson, Flotterton, Warton and half of Trewhitt for one knight's fee by ancient feoffment.

Socage tenants of the Barony of Hepple

Roger de Buttemund holds from Nicholas and Elizabeth his wife a third part of Hepple Bickerton. Little Tosson, Great Tosson, Flotterton, and of the half of Trewhitt (i.e. a sixth of the township) and of Warton for 16 shillings.

Matilda de Chartenay holds another third part of the aforesaid townships (vills) for 16.s.

. . . . . .

John de Eslington holds 20 acres in Great Tosson for 2d.

2. The Lay Subsidy 1296 (Fraser (ed.) 1968, 171, no.397)

Great Tosson (Magna Tossyn) in West Coquetdale Ward

3. A View and Survey . . . of the borders or frontier of the East and Middle Marches of England, Sir Robert Bowes and Sir Ralph Ellerker'1541 (cf. Hodgson 1828, 214; Bates 1891, 45)

Margin Description

Great Tosson a towre  At Great Tosson is a tower of the Lord Ogles inherytance & not in good reparacions.   

4. Tosson and Simonside in 1725 (reproduced in Dixon 1903, 327-8)

The following description was provided Lord Oxford's chaplain, who accompanied the lord during his visit to the 'Ogle lands' estates in 1725:

'From hence (Hepple) rode up to Plainfield, Lord Oxford's, where the first rendezvous was at the late rising (1715); it is upon the top of a rising groun, in the midst of a pretty large open plain, and has good pleasant land about, especially towards the side of the Cocute.  Hence we went on to Flotterton, Lord Oxford's, Warton, cross the river to the Rye Hill, up to Mochill Toston (sic) where, at the house of one Carnaby, we refreshed ourselves with what provisions we had brought along with us having been about six hours and three quarters on horse back, and rode about twenty miles.

On this side of the Cocute is that high, rocky mountain, belonging to my Lord Oxford, and containing many thousands of acres, called Symonside, it is reckoned to be one of the highest in the country, and being to be seen a great way from the German Ocean, is a kind of mark ir sight for the seamen, and may therefore perhaps have been originally called the Seamen's Sight, though now turned into Symonside.'

5. John Hodgson's description of Tosson Tower c. 1830 (NRO ZAN M15, J Hodgson Notebook M; reproduced in NCH XV (1940), 395-6)

Tosson Tower.  Its vault remains but the arch of it much broken, the outside ashlar and indeed almost the whole of the inside ones except the pining stone have been taken away.  The masonry is good, the walls 8 feet thick, the inside as usual rudely enough filled with lime, sand and rough stone all of which are strongly cemented together, the sand porphyry from the bed of the Coquet; has a doorway to the south east. . . .  Thus Tosson stands proudly and darkly over the valley, has some trees about it; the stone of which the vill and tower are built excellent white sandstone.