BRAES PELE TOWER

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The earthwork and buried remains of Braes Pele medieval tower and barmkin, an adjacent shieling and associated enclosure, a second shieling, and a corn drying kiln. The remains of the pele tower include turf covered foundations measuring circa 9 metres square and up to 0.6 metres high with walls 1.5 metres thick. Turf covered remains of the barmkin wall can be seen to the south east of the tower and enclose an area 30 metres square. A short distance to the north of the pele there are the turf covered foundations of a medieval shieling with an associated enclosure 15 metres square to the north. On the eastern side of the barmkin are the remains of a second shieling measuring circa 16.5 metres by 8 metres with its long axis aligned north-south. About 50 metres to the east of the complex of pele tower and shielings are the remains of a corn drying kiln associated with these structures. It survives as a circular stone-lined hollow measuring circa 7 metres in diameter with a splayed stoke hole on its south side. The kiln has been dig into the hillside and its presence indicates the existence of small scale arable cultivation in the area.

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NY57347526 Braes. Remains of a Medieval pele tower, 30ft square over 5ft walls, with a small forecourt or barmkin to the
south. To the east are the overgrown foundations of a house, to the north is a rectangular partitioned enclosure, 125ft by 48ft and to the northeast is a corn-drying kiln. (1)

Situated at NY5734 7529 on a gentle south facing slope between two narrow streams and above the steep slopes of a gulley to the south the turf covered remains are basically as described by Authority 1. The remains of the pele ('A' on 1:2500 survey) are visible as low rickles of stone on the north, west and east sides with a steep scarp 1.6m high forming the south side. The remains to the north appear to be more those of another possible building with a separate rhomboidal shaped enclosure to the north formed of rubble walls 2.5m wide and 0.5m high, rather than those of a large partitioned enclosure. The remains of the kiln referred to are visible as a rubble lined, turf covered hollow in a steep south facing scarp.

Surveyed at 1:2500. (2)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) H G Ramm, R W McDowall and Eric Mercer 1970 Shielings and bastles

Page(s)52

( 2) Field Investigators Comments

08/12/1977

(3) Scheduled Monument Notification

11/07/1997

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