Boroughs were founded across the country during the Middle Ages. Northumberland has quite a high number of medieval boroughs (23), only five counties had more, Middlesex only had one. 

Although boroughs are usually associated with towns, many of these medieval boroughs were not large. 

Burgages are often found around the marketplace of the borough, near the church and along the main roads into a settlement. 

They were deliberately placed to be where the most people would be passing by. This made them ideal for tradespeople who sold their wares in the shop fronting onto the street. They often made their products above the shop or in the back house. 

According to the work of Marian Wilson, this is a list of the medieval boroughs of Northumberland: 

Wark* 

Norham 

Holy Island* 

Warenmouth 

Bamburgh* 

Wooler* 

Alnwick* 

Alnmouth* 

Newton 

Warkworth* 

Rothbury* 

Harbottle 

Felton* 

Mitford 

Morpeth* 

Newbiggin* 

Newcastle 

Newburn 

Corbridge* 

Hexham* 

Newbrough 

Haydon Bridge* 

Haltwhistle* 

*Maps, plans and other documents relating to these places can be found at https://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/