Gillalees Beacon (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Spade Adam Top; Spadeadam Top

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

OS Map Grid Reference: NY57317183
Latitude 55.03916° Longitude -2.66957°

Gillalees Beacon has been described as a Pele Tower although is doubtful that it was such, and also as a Bastle although is doubtful that it was such.

There are masonry footings remains.

Description

Supposed site of a tower or bastle.
Curwen refers to the foundations of a house.
Curwen gives no source (probably Maughan).
Cathcart King rejects this site and states 'identified as a cairn by Ordnance Survey field staff'.'
SMR record 76 reads 'Two large mounds...which may be natural. The top may have been an addition'. Also SMR record 74 'remains of 17th18th century sheep farm by the side of the Maiden Way. Probably not a fortified site. (Perriam and Robinson 1998)

A list of beacons in Cumberland in the fifteenth century includes "Spadeadam Top .... Now known as Gillalees Beacon". (The trig point (and name "The Beacon") on Gillalees Beacon hill is at NY 5731 7183) (Ferguson).
Irregular traces of foundations of Beacon can be seen on the highest point of the ridge know as "The Beacon", formerly "Spade Adam Top" (Maughan).
No foundations are now visible (Field Investigators Comments F1 BHP 14-JUL-72).
The OS Triangulation Pillar is set on top of a turf-covered earth and stone mound about 7.0m diameter and 0.6m maximum height. There is not enough evidence to confirm this as the site of a beacon but it is an excellent position and the name is still known as it is most probably correct (Field Investigators Comments F2 ISS 24-APR-79). (PastScape)

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 12969.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 76.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- Old Cumbria Gazetteer
Books
- Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 153
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 96
  Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 13) p. 408
Periodical Articles
- Cowper, H.S., 1897, 'Sites of Local Beacons. Lancashire north of the Sands' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 14 p. 140 online copy
  Maughan, J., 1854, 'Survey of the Maiden Way, from the Roman Wall into Scotland' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 11 p. 14-15 online copy

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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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