Bleatarn Park (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Bleterne; Blaytarne; Highstonehouse

In the civil parish of Irthington.
In the historic county of Cumberland.
Modern Authority of Cumbria.
1974 county of Cumbria.
Medieval County of Cumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NY46646110
Latitude 54.94203° Longitude -2.83460°

Bleatarn Park has been described as a Pele Tower although is doubtful that it was such, and also as a probable Bastle.

There are no visible remains.

This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*.

Description

Farmhouse. Probably early C17 to rear, with late C17 facade for the Hetherington family. Built with stone from Hadrian's Wall. This is perhaps the Highstonehouse at Bleterne recorded in Lord William Howard's survey of 1603. The present building was possible built on foundation of C16 bastle or a pele tower. (PastScape)

Farmhouse. Probably early C17 to rear, with late C17 facade, for the Hetherington family. Rendered walls, stone dressings and quoins; graduated green slate roof with coped gables and kneelers to rear, brick chimney stacks. 2 storeys, 5 bays. Entrance has moulded architrave and entablature, with segmental pediment and C19 plank door. Small Yorkshire sash windows with glazing bars have chamfered stone surrounds. Cornice incorporates lintels of now filled attic windows: side window shows remains of mullion. Earlier 2 storey house is incorporated to rear under common roof of steep pitch. Whitewashed sandstone rubble walls with battered plinth, probably of stone from the nearby Roman Wall. 3 small original window openings, one with Yorkshire sash and glazing bars, the others are ordinary sashes with glazing bars, all with chamfered surrounds: other windows are C20 in C19 openings. Washhouse extension under common roof to left, has casement window with glazing bars, with the sill a re-used lintel initialled H.W. (Hetherington) and illegible early C17 date, with other illegible initials. This is perhaps the Highstonehouse at Bleterne, referred to in Lord William Howard's Survey taken in 1603. (Listed Building Report)

16c bastle foundations under later house.
'Strong pele, known to have been the residence of the Hetherington family' (Curwen 1913).
A survey of the house and barns in 1994. The barns containing the 17th century lintel are not early, but the house itself probably lies on the site of the stones, judging from the lowest courses. (Perriam and Robinson 1998)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1087625
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 11641.
Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- Old Cumbria Gazetteer
Books
- Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 96 (slight)
  Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 137
  Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 13) p. 410
  Collingwood, W.G., 1901, 'Remains of the pre-Norman Period' in H.Arthur Doubleday (ed), VCH Cumberland Vol. 1 p. 292 (mound rejected as modern) online copy
Periodical Articles
- Haverfield, F., 1911, 'Cotton Iulius F.VI. Notes on Reginald Bainbrigg of Appleby, on William Camden and on some Roman inscriptions' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 11 p. 364 online copy
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
- Graham, T. H. B. (ed.), 1934, The barony of Gilsland. Lord William Howard's survey, taken in 1603 (Feild-Booke yt explaines all the Map Booke for Gilsland taken in 1603) (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 16) p. 27

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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.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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