Black Middens Bastle 1

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Thorneyburn; Black Middings

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

Well preserved C16 bastle at Black Middings. The bastle remains largely intact, with only its roof missing, and measures 7.3m x 10.4m x c8m high to the gable ridge. Its walls are 1.4m thick and it illustrates the usual arrangement of a two storey structure with steeply pitched gables. The stumps of the original raised cruck roof survive. It is of the rarer type of bastle in which the ground floor had a timber ceiling instead of a vaulted stone roof. There are two doorways in the south west wall, one leading into the basement and the other into the upper floor. Both are C18 replacements of original doorways and are wider than C16 doors would have been, since the defensive function of narrow doors was no longer necessary by that time. The upper floor was also heightened by incorporating two original windows whilst the original ladder access to the upper floor was replaced by an outer staircase.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 239743)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NY77338999

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; 15658

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N6990

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/80/blackmiddensbastle.htm
    http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N6990
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.121
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=33
• 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) p117 [slight]
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p43
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p360
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p72
    Ramm, H.G., McDowall, R.W. and Mercer, E., 1970, Shielings and Bastles (London) p91, no.60
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p69-70
    Pevsner, N., 1957, The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p96
    Dodds, Madeleine Hope (ed), 1940, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol15 p271