Sweethope Bastle, Bavington (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Swetehope

In the civil parish of Bavington.
In the historic county of Northumberland.
Modern Authority of Northumberland.
1974 county of Northumberland.
Medieval County of Northumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NY956819
Latitude 55.13136° Longitude -2.07030°

Sweethope Bastle, Bavington has been described as a probable Bastle.

There are no visible remains.

Description

A medieval manor is documented at Sweethope in the 13th century and in the 1296 Lay Subsidy it provided four taxpayers. A survey of 1541 refers to a castle {sic} and in the 1666 Hearth Tax six houses are listed. There are few clear traces on the ground of the former settlement, except for a small series of cultivation terraces, croft boundary banks and ridge and furrow cultivation. In about 1970 some pieces of masonry were found at Sweethope Farm, which it is thought may have belonged to former manor house or chapel associated with the medieval village. (Keys to the Past)

'NY 957819' D.M.V. at Sweethope. Nothing visible on available A.P's (R.A.F. 1946) (Medieval Village Research Group annual report 1963).
A survey of 1541 refers to a Castle in good repair at Sweethope (Hodgson 1897) {sic - Hodgson actual cites the 1541 survey of a 'bastell house'}.
There are vague traces of depopulation in the fields around Sweethope; a small series of cultivation terraces centred at NY957820; and wide spread rig and furrow; but the remains are neither coherent nor extensive (F1 BHP 10-JUL-68).
A bastell house was recorded at Sweethope in the 1541 Border survey, ie a strong house in modern terminology, but its site is unknown (Dodds 1999). (PastScape)

At Swetehope is an other bastell house of thinherytance of Sr John Fenwyke knighte in good rep'ac'ons (1541 Survey)

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 19401.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) N9549.

Books
- Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing) p. 246
  Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 115 (slight)
  Rowland, T.H., 1987 (reprint1994), Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p. 57
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 354
  Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p. 321
  Northern Archaeological Survey, 1975, Archaeology in the North: gazetteer (Durham) p. 118
  Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 160
  Hodgson, John Crawford (ed), 1897, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol. 4 p. 410 online copy
  Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p. 46 (Also published as the whole of volume 14 (series 2) of Archaeologia Aeliana view online)
  Hutchinson, Wm, 1776, A View of Northumberland (Newcastle) Vol. 1 p. 216 (mention) online transcription
Periodical Articles
- Christopherson, R., 2011, 'Northumberland bastles: origin and distribution' Medieval Settlement Research Vol. 26 p. 21-33 (listed in appendix)
  1963, Medieval Village Research Group annual report Vol. 11
  Bates, C.J., 1891, 'Border Holds of Northumberland' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser2) Vol. 14 p. 46 online copy
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
- 1541, View of the Castles, Towers, Barmekyns and Fortresses of the Frontier of the East and Middle Marches Survey of the East and Middle Marches
Other sources: Theses; 'grey' literature; in-house reports; unpublished works; etc.
- Prothero, D.H., 1994. A Survey of Kirkwhelpington and Ridsdale Areas, Northumberland, W5
  Wrathmell, S., 1975. Deserted and Shrunken Villages in Southern Northumberland from the Twelfth to the Twentieth Centuries (PhD Thesis University of Cardiff) p. 502

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

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Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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