Beetham Hall (The Gatehouse Record)

Description

Fortified manor house, part ruined, built in the early or mid-C14 with a curtain wall. Probably partly destroyed in 1644 and rebuilt in C17 and C19. Now used as a barn. Adjoins a C17 house and various C19 outbuildings. (PastScape)

Curtain wall. Medieval. Rubble. Slight batter to outer face which has slightly-projecting parapet on corbels; inner face has 5 long vertical chases with 4 square smalller chases between them, which the RCHME suggests were probably for feet of struts to support a timber gallery behind the parapet. (Listed Building Report)

House; former Hall with crosswings, now barn, at right-angles to South, linked to house by waggon shed and shelter shed with granary over, in line with house; Chapel in extension to rear of Hall; waggon shed and barn attached to North of house. Former Hall medieval with later alterations; house has initials and date 1693 (or possibly 1653) for Thomas Brabin, on lintel of blocked door to right of TB entrance; later alterations; outbuildings mostly C19. Limestone rubble with limestone dressings; porch coursed squared limestone; graduated greenslate roof with stone ridges. Corrugated roof to waggon shed, shelter shed and granary. House: 2 storeys, 4 windows. Gabled off-centre porch with copings and kneelers and 3 ball finials, initials TMB on plaque on gable, oak board door. Blocked window with stone surround to right; to right of that casement inserted into blocked doorway with embattled moulding to inscribed lintel. Later paired windows to left of porch in dressed stone surround with chamfered cill and flat faced mullion. 2-light windows above,in stepped stone surrounds with chamfered mullions,have iron-framed casements to opening lights. 3 ridge chimneys, central one with 3 joined round shafts on square stack, right with single round shaft. Shelter shed: 4 round arches, right-hand one to passage narrower, all with voussoirs. Waggon shed: board doors under canopy with replaced covering and steps up to granary at right. Former Hall: extended to left (East) end with later openings but retains window with stone mullions and hoodmould and labels to pitching eye in remains of East wing. Traceried window with hoodmould and labels; 3 further traceried windows and door with 2-centred head to rear. Interior of house has oak staircase with closed string, turned balusters, moulded handrail and square newels with ball terminals; early C18 fireplace in front room; corbelled chimney base on former external wall in rear bedroom. Hall has projecting turret staircase and original piscina in chapel. (Listed Building Report)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Scheduled Monument Number 1007143, Legacy Scheduled Monument Number cu327
National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1312254 , 1137542
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 41504; 510345.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 2518.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- Charles Taylor's ecastles
  Matthew Emmott's Castle Blog and Matthew Emmott's Castle Blog
  Old Cumbria Gazetteer
  Abaroth's World
Books
- Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 326-7 (plan)
  Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 18
  Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 1 Northern England (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 189
  Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 265-6
  Jackson, M.J.,1990, Castles of Cumbria (Carlisle: Carel Press) p. 95
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 495
  Hugill, Robert, 1977, Castles and Peles of Cumberland and Westmorland (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p. 37-8
  Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1967, Buildings of England: Cumberland and Westmorland (Harmondsworth) p. 226
  Palmer, J.H., 1944, Historic Farmhouses in and around Westmorland (Kendal) p. 16
  RCHME, 1936, An inventory of the historical monuments in Westmorland (HMSO) p. 40-1 no. 2 plan online transcription
  Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 13) p. 251-2
  Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  Ford, J.Rawlinson (ed), 1906, The Beetham Repository, 1770, by the Rev. William Hutton, vicar of Beetham, 1762-1811 (Kendal: CWAAS Tract Series 7) p. 105
  Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England; their story and structure (New York: Macmillan) Vol. 2 p. 285-6 online copy
  Taylor, M.W., 1892, Old Manorial Halls of Westmorland and Cumberland (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 8) p. 211-15 online copy
  Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol. 3 Part 2 p. 208 online copy
  Hodgson, J., 1810, Topographical and Historical Description of Westmoreland p. 227 online copy
  Nicholson, J. and Burn, B., 1777, The History and Antiquities of the Counties of Westmorland and Cumberland (London) Vol. 1 p. 224-5 online copy
Periodical Articles
- 1995, Archaeology North (CBA North Newsletter)
  Dickinson, J.C., 1946, 'Proceedings' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 46 p. 289 online copy
  McIntire, 1934, 'Proceedings' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 34 p. 212-13 online copy
  Collingwood, W.G., 1926, 'An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Westmorland and Lancashire North-of-the-Sands' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 26 p. 20 online copy
  Curwen, J.F., 1904, 'Beetham Hall' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 4 p. 225-31 online copy
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
- Hughes, E. (ed), 1962, Fleming-Senhouse Papers (Carlisle: Cumberland Record Series 2) p. 11
  Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 4 p. 12 online copy
Other sources: Theses; 'grey' literature; in-house reports; unpublished works; etc.
- Historic England, 2016, Heritage at Risk North West Register 2016 (London: Historic England) p. 30, 31 online copy
  Historic England, 2015, Heritage at Risk North West Register 2015 (London: Historic England) p. 33, 34 online copy
  English Heritage, 2014, Heritage at Risk Register 2014 North West (London: English Heritage) p. 36, 37 online copy
  English Heritage, 2013, Heritage at Risk Register 2013 North West (London: English Heritage) p. 39, 40 online copy
  English Heritage, 2012, Heritage at Risk Register 2012 North West (London: English Heritage) p. 50 online copy
  English Heritage, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011 North West (London: English Heritage) p. 47 online copy
  English Heritage, 2010, Heritage at Risk Register 2010 North West (London: English Heritage) p. 44 online copy
  English Heritage, 2009, Heritage at Risk Register 2009 North West (London: English Heritage) p. 51 online copy
  Clare, T., 1982, A Report on Medieval Fortified Sites in Cumbria (Cumbria CC)

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