There is a reference to the village as early as 1279 in the Court Rolls of Alexander, King of Scots. The name derivation is not clear, though ‘Haugh’ means low-lying fertile ground by a river; and ‘Hum’ may be a corruption of a proper name (eg Hugh).
An attractive village, Humshaugh’s main claim to fame is its proximity to Hadrian’s Wall and Chesters Fort with its Roman bath house. While the Roman wall was occupied the supporting roads were maintained but after the Romans left the roads fell into decay and were so poor that when General Wade went to intercept the Jacobites in 1745 he could not proceed and the Jacobites captured Carlisle. Later a better road was built, part of the wall being demolished for stones. This provoked angry letters to The Times of those days. This road is the one known today as the ‘Military Road’.
On the other side of the village stands Haughton Castle, given its name in 1373. During the Napoleonic Wars the castle was used as a store for volunteers’ equipment. A nearby paper mill was used to make paper for forged notes intended to depreciate the enemy’s currency. The castle was later converted into a residence.
The original village was centred at Haughton and had a population of 267 in 1801. In 1816 when Haughton became ‘a gentleman’s residence’ the village was dismantled to enlarge the parkland, and villagers were moved to Humshaugh. By 1911 the population was 519. Now after many changes the population is almost the same at around 600.
The mansion of Chesters, built in 1771, was bought by John Clayton (1792-1890). He did much to preserve the wall and its forts, by buying whatever portions came on the market. About 1100 a chapel was built at Haughton but the present church of St Peter, in the centre of the village, was built in 1818 by the Greenwich Hospital, one of several churches in the area in which ex-Naval Chaplains were settled after the Napoleonic Wars. It has a Grade 2 listing and is the largest of four regency gothic churches designed by H.H.Seward, house architect to Greenwich Hospital Commissioners.
In 1947 the village boasted a variety of shops, such as a tailor draper, butcher, grocer/baker, joinery and a Post Office. All those have gone now except for Humshaugh Village Shop, which is a general store and newsagent run by volunteers. The welfare of the villagers is well catered for by a new health centre and dispensary (Humshaugh & Wark Medical Group). There has been a school here since 1833. During the Second World War children evacuated from Newcastle attended the school whilst Brunton House became a branch of the Newcastle Eye Hospital. Humshaugh is also attributed as the site of the first official Scout camp, held in August, 1908 (see the Scout Historical Society for details). In addition to the war memorial, Humshaugh Village Hall was also built in memory of those who died in the First World War. It was officially opened in 1928 and is constantly used by the various village groups.
The village information above is taken from “The Northumberland Village Book” written by members of the Northumberland Federation of Women’s Institutes and published by Countryside Books.