Highfield ruined bastle 1, Tarset (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
High feelde

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

OS Map Grid Reference: NY75379074
Latitude 55.21031° Longitude -2.38845°

Highfield ruined bastle 1, Tarset has been described as a probable Bastle.

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains.

Description

(NY 75269061). At the corner of a field to the north of the farmhouse (Highfield), are the remains of a small Pele tower (Clarke).
NY 75389074. Incorporated in a stone dyke are the remains of the east wall of a strong building, the extant portion measures 4m in length, 0.8m in width, and stands to a maximum height of 2m, its construction is of shaped and dressed stone. A splayed window is situated midway along this wall. The dyke stands upon the foundations of the north wall, which extend north from the base of the dyke for 0.6m. The western and southern extents of the building may be traced in a pasture field by low banks 4m wide with a maximum height of 0.3m. Overall measurements of the building are 8.5m east-west and 5.5m north-south. The stone dyke east of the remains contains many dressed stones, some bearing lead-filled holes, and one with a bar-hole. The remains are too fragmentary to classify as to period, but appear to be those of a pele-house or bastle rather than a tower (F1 FDC 31-AUG-1956).
The remains of a pele lie in a field adjacent to Highfield with a later structure built over the foundations. Traces of old fields, folds and ploughing remain (Long 1988).
In the field to the north of the farm is a ruined building (NY 75389074) immediately to the west of the track. The lower part of the east end, of roughly coursed large rubble, stands to c.2m high; it is 0.8m thick and has a central splayed slit vent. The north wall has been rebuilt, inside the old line (the original footing shows through the grass 0.7m further north) as a field wall; some projecting blocks on the internal face appear to show the position of the west end which is also visible, together with the line of the south wall, as a slight mound. The overall dimensions of the building appear to be c.8.5m by 6m. Although the surviving end wall is not especially thick, the dimensions of the building and the character of its masonry, together with the slit vent, make it appear likely that the building was a bastle (Ryder 1994-5). (Northumberland HER)

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 15876.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) N7069.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- Tarset Archive Group
Books
- Grint, Julia, 2008, Bastles an introduction to the bastle houses of Northumberland (Hexham: Ergo Press) p. 64
  Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing) p. 300
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. lxviii, Vol. 2 p. 361
  Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 161
Periodical Articles
- Lax, Amy, 1999, 'Border Troubles and Border Farmers: A study of Bastle Houses in the Upper Tarset Valley, Northumberland' Northern Archaeology Vol. 17/18 p. 165-72
  Dixon, P.W., 1972, 'Shielings and bastles: a reconsideration of some problems' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser4) Vol. 50 p. 249-58
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
- Bain, J.G. (ed), 1894, Calendar of Letters and Papers Relating to the Affairs of the Borders of England and Scotland (Edinburgh) Vol. 1 p. 109 online copy
Other sources: Theses; 'grey' literature; in-house reports; unpublished works; etc.
- The Archaeological Practice Ltd., 2004, 'Tarset and Greenhaugh Northumberland an archaeological and historical study of a border township' Northumberland National Park Historic Village Atlas p. 42-3 (slight) (The Northumberland National Park Authority) online copy
  Ryder, P.F., 1994-5, Towers and Bastles in Northumberland Part 4 Tynedale District Vol. 2 p. 139-40
  Long, B., 1988, List of Ancient Monuments - The Kielder Forests. Unpublished (Forestry Commission)
  H F Clarke Essex Arch Soc (Author of The Towers & Fortified Houses of Northum 1905 - 1956 Private work 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.
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