Bradley Greenbyre, Bardon Mill

Description

The medieval settlement at Bradley Hall survives well and retains significant archaeological deposits. The importance of the monument is enhanced by its post-medieval occupation and in particular by the construction of a bastle settlement. This monument will add greatly to our knowledge and understanding of the settlement history of this region.
The monument includes the remains of a medieval and post-medieval settlement, situated on a south facing triangle of land on the left bank of the Bradley Burn. The core of the medieval settlement is situated at the centre of the monument and is visible as the earthwork remains of a series of rectangular and square enclosures, and what are considered to be several rectangular house platforms. The largest enclosure lies at the centre of the medieval settlement; it is sub-rectangular in shape and measures 30m across within walls 1.3m wide and 0.6m high. The remains of what are thought to be the foundations of two houses lie immediately east of the enclosure and the foundations of a third rectangular building lie immediately to the west. South east of these remains are further enclosures, including a sub-rectangular feature 40m by 16m containing a smaller rectangular building, which are also considered to be part of the medieval settlement. A hollow way at the western edge of the monument, some 0.4m deep, is also thought to be medieval in origin. Surrounding the core of the medieval settlement on the south, there are the remains of an associated field system. The field system is visible as a series of long, narrow fields running down the gentle slopes to the Bradley Burn. The fields are separated by earthen banks and scarps or lynchets. The remains of ridge and furrow cultivation are clearly visible within some of the fields; the furrows are up to 7m apart and end in a prominent headland immediately above the steep slopes of the Burn. The medieval settlement and its field system are enclosed on the north and eastern sides by a prominent stone and earth bank standing to 0.6m high. The medieval settlement is thought to be associated with Bradley Hall, incorporated within the present farm of the same name, situated immediately adjacent to the settlement on the right bank of the Bradley Burn. In 1306, Edward I stayed at Bradley Hall on his way to Carlisle during his final Scottish campaign. The monument was clearly occupied in the 16th and early 17th centuries; at the north eastern corner of the monument there are the stone foundations of a bastle. The bastle has maximum dimensions of 14.3m east to west by 6.3m north to south. The walls of the bastle stand to a maximum height of 0.8m. There is an entrance through the western end of the south wall with part of the door frame intact. Immediately to the north, there are the slight earthwork remains of an associated rectangular structure. The bastle is attached to a large roughly rectangular enclosure containing the remains of post-medieval ploughing. The site of a ruined bastle in this location is named on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1866 as 'Greenbyer'. The stone foundations of what are thought to be a second bastle lie some 30m to the east of the first. They measure 7.6m east to west by 5.5m with walls standing up to 0.3m high. A circular corn drying kiln, built into the steep slope above the Bradley Burn, stands up to 1m internally and is 1m wide. This feature is thought to be late 17th century in date and indicates that occupation of the settlement continued into post-medieval times. (Scheduling Report 1999)

Bradley Green. A subrectangular enclosure with dimensions about 35m by 30m with an entrance through the east side. There appears to have been a field system in the vicinity which pre-dates the medieval broad ridge and furrow. As well as post-medieval linear boundaries there are remains of three or four rectangular buildings and a bastle (Gates 1999).
The sub-rectangular embanked enclosure could perhaps have been a settlement of Romano-British type, but no round houses or other features survive in the interior to confirm this hypothesis. In the immediate vicinity various linear banks and rickles of stone indicate the presence of a field system which appears to pre-date medieval broad ridge and furrow (Gates 2004). (Northumberland HER)

Comments

See also National Trust SMR 12250
King and Dodds mention one bastle and presume it was either at Bradley Hall or Bradley Hall Farm but it is possible there were bastles at all three sites (it would seem likely the 'Stonehouse' mention in 1541 was the higher status Bradley Hall rather Greenbyre).