Akeld Bastle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Ackfield

In the civil parish of Akeld.
In the historic county of Northumberland (Modern Authority of Northumberland, 1974 county of Northumberland).

This two-storeyed farm building is the remains of a former bastle. It was first mentioned in 1522, when it was hoped to garrison ten men there, and a 1541 document refers to a 'little fortlet or Bastle House'. The surviving structure is part of a substantial rectangular building used as an animal shelter. It is quite large, for a bastle, measuring 19m by 7.3 m. Like most bastles, the walls are very thick, over 1.2m. Of the original building only the ground floor remains. The rest was rebuilt in C18. The original way was through the main door in the southern end of the west side. There would have been double doors and a drawbar to block the door when necessary. The roof is a semi-circular barrel vault with a very small hole, which would have allowed access to the upper floors through by a ladder. This is good indication of the troubled period of border raiding in this region in C16.

This site has been described as a;
Bastle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Major remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NT95762940

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 2598

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N1529

• Web site links
  • http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N1529
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=2
• Books
  • Ryder, Peter, 2004, 'Towers and bastles in Northumberland National Park' in Frodsham, P., Archaeology in Northumberland National Park (CBA Research report 136) p262-271
    Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing)
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p12
    Pevsner, N., 1992 (revised by Grundy, John et al), The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p125
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p11, 32
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p356
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p11-2
    Ramm, H.G., McDowall, R.W. and Mercer, E., 1970, Shielings and Bastles (London) p80, no.20
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p52
    Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles [1970 Reprint by Frank Graham] p24-6
    Vickers, Kenneth H. (ed), 1922, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol11 p240
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p. xvi, 33
• Journal Articles
  • Culley, 1913, Archaeologia Aeliana [ser3] Vol9
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • 1541 Survey of the East and Middle Marches [Click here]