The Crew 2

Has been described as a Possible Bastle

There are no visible remains

NameThe Crew 2
Alternative Names
Historic CountryCumberland
Modern AuthorityCumbria
1974 AuthorityCumbria
Civil ParishBewcastle

At a little distance northwards from this tower {The Crew is another building, now partly in ruins, which has probably been an ancient fortress. The cement with which this fort has been erected contains charcoal and pieces of burnt clay, and several of the stones resemble those used in Roman masonry. (Maughan 1854)

Jackson thinks that the bastle 'to the north' described by Maughan could be either Crew Crag NY 574 780 where there are foundations of a small building, or Crew Pasture NY 571 781 where there are foundations. (Perriam and Robinson 1998)

Gatehouse Comments

Jackson suggested sites may well be post-Medieval stack stands (PastScape 12883). Gatehouse considered that Maughan's possible 'ancient fortress' was a precursor house on the site occupied the modern farm called Crew at given map reference which is 150m north of Crew Castle (i.e. "a little distance northwards" which, in the context of Maughan's paper is likely be a distance less than 400 yards.). Given that in the 1604 survey The Crew appears to have been the residence for 4 adult men of the Noble family (with their wives and children) it may well be this was part of a complex of buildings all serving the same farmland. Although The Crew does seem to be a fortified building of basically the peel-house (bastle) form it is not marked on the Aglionby Platt so either post dates 1583 or was too modest to be recorded. The building Maughan saw could well have been a peel-house as the description of it being mortared suggests a building of some quality but again either post-dates 1584 or was too modest to be recorded on the Aglionby Platt. Is there any evidence of old buildings at the Crew farm?

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceNY567780
Latitude55.0945587158203
Longitude-2.67860007286072
Eastings356790
Northings578000
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 49
  • Jackson, M.J.,1990, Castles of Cumbria (Carlisle: Carel Press) p. 50

Journals

  • Maughan, John, 1854, 'The Maiden Way, section III - survey of the Maiden way through the parish of Bewcastle' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 11 p. 222 online copy

Primary Sources

  • Sanderson, P.R. (ed), 1891, Survey of the Debateable and Border Lands Adjoining the Realm of Scotland and Belonging to the Crown of England, Taken A.D. 1604 (Alnwick) (1604 survey)