Hesley Hirst Bastles

Description

The ruins of the long abandoned farm of Hesley Hirst stand on a spur of land on the south side of the valley of the Housty Burn. The farm site now comprises a trapezoidal enclosure, fenced on the south and east, but with two ranges of buildings on the north and west; on the north are two ruined structures and a recent metal hay barn (raised on the ruined walls of an older building) and on the west are ruins of late 18th or early 19th century buildings. On the open moor north of the north range are the grassed footings of a parallel stone building, and to the west of this a rubble bank linking back to the west range, delineating an earlier enclosure.
The wall at the west end of the hay barn incorporates the lower part of the west end of a building 6.2m wide and c.0.8m thick, with massive elongate quoins and an internal wall locker; if the hay barn is built on its foundations it would have been around 9.9m long. In line with the hay barn to the east are the ruins of a second rectangular building of almost identical dimensions (9.9m by 6.5m), of very similar fabric and thickness. Only the east end stands to any height; amongst the footings of the north wall is a large block from the jamb of a doorway, with part of a drawbar tunnel; another rebated block has been reused in the rebuilt wall at the north east corner of the hay barn.
It seems likely, although not proven, that these two buildings were bastles. The ruined late 18th or early 19th century range is of some interest, having a small square structure projecting at the rear, reached through a narrow passage (Ryder 1994-5). (Northumberland HER)