 Formerly the capital of Redesdale, Elsdon contains a very fine example of a Motte and Bailey Castle, and a near perfect Pele Tower (fortified house of a type found in the border country) which is a private residence.Geographically, Elsdon lies in Redesdale and, as a market town, was once the primary settlement in the area.Elsdon has a grim reminder of the past in the gibbet that rears its gaunt outline on the hill known as Steng Cross.