Low Moralee bastle

Description

Moralee is mentioned in the survey of 1604 (Dodds 1940).
NY 84807616. The present farm is comparatively late, but incorporates two walls of an earlier structure; the north wall, 0.95m thick, and an east wall, now an interior wall, 1.3m thick and two storeys high. The owner, Mr Hall, has no information to offer about the history of the farmhouse. The strength of the walls and the excellent situation suggests a former defended house (F1 ASP 10-OCT-1956).
Solitary form bastle, measures 9.4 x 6.9m, with side walls 1.3m thick and end wall 1m thick. Present state - house (Ryder 1990).
At first sight the farmhouse looks to be of conventional early 19th century type, but closer inspection shows that earlier fabric is included; the western part of the house, c.9.5m by 7m externally, is a heavily remodelled bastle, whilst the eastern part, 6.7m by 5.8m, is of early 19th century date.
Only the north and east walls of the bastle survive, and are largely concealed externally by an outshut and the early 19th century extension. The north wall is 1.4m thick and the east wall a little over 1m; the large quoins of the north east corner are exposed externally; both here and in the south wall it can be seen that the east wall had a prominent set-back, approximately at first floor level, reducing its thickness to c.0.75m. The south and west walls of the bastle have been completely rebuilt; no old quoining is visible at the north west corner, suggesting that the present west end may not be on the original line.
No bastle period features are exposed, although the first floor doorway in the former east end wall is very low, hinting that it may be a pre 19th century opening; any details are hidden by plaster (Ryder 1994-5). (Northumberland HER)