BOUGHTHILL

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DESCRIPTION

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Bastle, probably late16th century in date, with later farmstead forming another wing. Beside the buildings are two D-shaped enclosures, set within a larger and more extensive field system.

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"To the west (of Burnbank) beyond the Tarset Burn, can be seen high up on the hillside a grey pile of stones, all that is left of the
tower at Boughthill". (1)

NY 7873 8719. The remains of the Pele were indicated to the Investigator by Mr J S Spencer, Greenhaugh Hall, owner of the land.

The site is upon an east facing slope of moorland, and commands the valley of the Tarset Burn to the east and south east. It is overlooked by higher ground to the west.

The remains consist of the foundations of a strongly built rectangular building, 10.0m long by 6.8m wide, with walls 1.2m thick, and a smaller building (probably later) adjacent to the east end, sub divided into two compartments. The foundations stand to a maximum height of 1.5m, the whole is ruinous. (2)

As described. Surveyed at 1:2500 (3)

Boughthill was visited by RCHME in August 1997 during the course of its Kielder SAMs Survey in order to provide a comparison with similar sites recorded during the survey. No measured survey was undertaken.

The remains are those of a bastle to which a farmstead has been added. The dimensions of the bastle are as noted by authority 2. The south-eastern end of the building is poorly preserved having been robbed for its stone. The farmstead is a long rectangular building 4.2m wide internally with two rooms, 2.5m and 6.9m long, within walls 0.9m wide. The smaller of the two rooms is adjacent to the bastle and appears to have been accessed through a doorway from the bastle itself.

Immediately to the south-east and the south-west of the buildings are D-shaped stock enclosures defined by stone and earth banks up to 1.2m high externally, 0.4m high internally. These enclosures are joined to a larger and more extensive field system radiating from the bastle.

`Boughthill on Tarset' is mentioned in 1552 in the Order of the Day Watch for North Tynedale (4a) although it is uncertain whether this implies that the bastle had been built by this date. (4)

Listed by Cathcart King and by Dodds. (5,6)

SOURCE TEXT

(1) edited by Madeleine Hope Dodds 1940 A history of Northumberland, volume fifteen : the parish of Simonburn, the parish of Rothbury, the parish of Alwinton

A history of Northumberland15 vols (1893-1940) Hope Dodds, M (ed), 1940. A History of Northumberland vol 15. Newcastle upon Tyne: Andrew Reid (249). vol.15 Page(s)249

(2) Field Investigators Comments

Alan S Phillips/9-JUL-1956/OS Archaeology Field Investigation

(3) Field Investigators Comments

D Smith/22-JUL-1970/OS Archaeology Division Field Investigation

(4) General reference

Amy Lax/10-AUG-1997/RCHME: Kielder SAMs Survey

(4a) General reference

Nicholson, W, 1705. Leges Marchiarum or Border Laws. London: Goodwin (261).

(5) Dodds, JF 1999 Bastions and Belligerents: Medieval Strongholds in Northumberland

Page(s)294

(6) David J Cathcart King 1983 Castellarium anglicanum : an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the Islands. Volume II : Norfolk-Yorkshire and the islands

Page(s)357

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