Low Hayrake Farmhouse (The Gatehouse Record)

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

OS Map Grid Reference: NY83634798
Latitude 54.82630° Longitude -2.25620°

Low Hayrake Farmhouse has been described as a probable Bastle.

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains.

Description

Extensively altered recently, measures 9.3m x 6.3m overall. Side wall 0.95m thick, end wall 1.12m thick (Ryder 1984).
Low Hayrake lies on the north west side of the Swinhope Valley. The farmhouse, renovated in the early 1980s, is a bastle. It measures c.9.3m by 6.3m externally with walls 1m-1.2m thick of the usual heavy rubble with characteristic long quoins, above a boulder plinth. Traces of blocked openings in the front (south east) elevation relate to the sash windows which preceded the present late 20th century fenestration. Part of the sill of a two-light mullioned window has been reused close to the north east end of the wall. There are various blocked openings visible in the rear (north west) elevation, although none that are necessarily original to the building. A blocked doorway in the north east gable end, set right of centre, and only visible from within the adjacent farmbuilding has the lower part of one jamb chamfered, but a later timber lintel (Ryder 1994-5). (Northumberland HER)

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 1388008.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) N7086.

Books
- Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing) p. 428
Periodical Articles
- Christopherson, R., 2011, 'Northumberland bastles: origin and distribution' Medieval Settlement Research Vol. 26 p. 21-33 (listed in appendix)
  Ryder, P.F., 1992, 'Bastles and bastle-like buildings in Allendale' Archaeological Journal Vol. 149 p. 351-79 (listed in appendix)
Other sources: Theses; 'grey' literature; in-house reports; unpublished works; etc.
- Ryder, P.F., 1994-5, Towers and Bastles in Northumberland Part 4 Tynedale District Vol. 1 p. 12
  Ryder, P.F., 1984, The Bastles of Allendale. Unpublished

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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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