Low Grains Bastles (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Lowe Graines

In the civil parish of Bewcastle.
In the historic county of Cumberland.
Modern Authority of Cumbria.
1974 county of Cumbria.
Medieval County of Cumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NY57647510
Latitude 55.06855° Longitude -2.66484°

Low Grains Bastles has been described as a certain Bastle.

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*.

Description

Low Grains medieval bastle is constructed of calciferous sandstone rubble and is located 30m south east of the now deserted farm of Low Grains. Upstanding remains include part of the bastle's south wall only, the remainder of the building survives as turf covered foundations. The bastle measures 9m by 5m and its south wall stands to a maximum height of circa 1.5m and is up to 1.3m thick. It was entered from the south and some in situ rounded jambs mark the site of the original doorway. In C17 a farmhouse was built on the site and this later structure incorporated the remains of the bastle. A length of field wall partly following the line of the bastle's west wall contains recesses showing that it was part of this farmhouse. (PastScape)
A second bastle has been identified to the north of the field wall running east from the bastle. (PastScape–ref. Perriam and Robinson)

Low Grains medieval bastle is one of a number of bastles located in the parishes of Bewcastle and Askerton close to the Scottish border. It remains identifiable and will contribute greatly to our knowledge and understanding of the wider border settlement and economy during the medieval period.
The monument includes Low Grains medieval bastle, which is Listed Grade II. It is constructed of calciferous sandstone rubble and is located 30m south east of the now deserted farm of Low Grains. Upstanding remains include part of the bastle's south wall only, the remainder of the building survives as turf covered foundations. The bastle measures 9m by 5m and its south wall stands to a maximum height of c.1.5m and is up to 1.3m thick. It was entered from the south and some in situ rounded jambs mark the site of the original doorway, other jambs and a lintel have recently fallen and lie on the ground adjacent. In the 17th century a farmhouse was built on the site and this later structure incorporated the remains of the bastle. A length of field wall partly following the line of the bastle's west wall contains recesses showing that it was part of this farmhouse. In 1618 a Survey of Disordered Persons cites 'Hector Armstrong of Low Grains and Tho. Armstrong sonne of Robert of the same. They did steal Hugh Ridle's catell, and are besides generally reputed great theeves'. (Scheduling Report)

Wall to south-east of Low Grains II Wall incorporating the remains of bastle house and later house. Probably late C16 and C17. Calciferous sandstone rubble. Ground floor end wall of bastle house and remains of the foundations measuring approximately 5 metres by 9 metres, extremely thick walls. Entrance in end wall has rounded jambs and lintel with the remains of 2 drawbar tunnels. Wall adjoining to left has 2 small square blocked windows of a C17 farmhouse. (Listed Building Report)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Scheduled Monument Number 1015866, Legacy Scheduled Monument Number 27770
National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1087535
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 12924.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 62.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- Old Cumbria Gazetteer
Books
- Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 102 (slight)
  Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 53-4 (plan)
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 95
  Ramm, H.G., McDowall, R.W. and Mercer, E., 1970, Shielings and Bastles (London: HMSO) p. 52, 76, no. 8
  Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 13) p. 408
Periodical Articles
- Hodgson, T.H., 1894-5, 'Cumberland and Westmorland under the Tudors' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 13 p. 83 online copy (mention of Graynes 1552)
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
- Ornsby, G. (ed), 1877, Household Accounts of Naworth 1612-40 (London: Surtees Society 68) p. 439 online copy

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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.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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