Warton Farmhouse, Snitter

Has been described as a Certain Bastle

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains

NameWarton Farmhouse, Snitter
Alternative NamesWorton
Historic CountryNorthumberland
Modern AuthorityNorthumberland
1974 AuthorityNorthumberland
Civil ParishSnitter

The chief inhabitants of Warton lived in bastle houses, which are not mentioned in the list of Border towers. In the diary of Mr John Tomlinson referring to a visit to Warton on 26th August 1717, is the entry, 'several old towers thereabouts for defence against the invasions of the Scots' (Dixon 1903).

NU 00740285. A large farmhouse towards the west end of the village of Warton, contains a fragment of very thick walling which belongs to a preceding structure. Its presence is noted by the much older appearance of the stonework in the north gable and of the house, and a doorway out through this wall at ground level gives a thickness of 1.5m. The full extent of the thick walling cannot be ascertained. The outside west wall, which is of similar construction, roughly-fashioned stone, and possibly the corresponding east wall, though now 0.7m in thickness, may be thinned down walls also belonging to the earlier structure. Against the south side, a rectangular two storyed structure has been added. It is designed in the Rennaissance style. Further additions to the north and east sides are modern.

The house stands upon a ridge of farmland, overlooking the Coquet valley to the south, and undulating ground to the north (F1 ASP 19-FEB-1957).

Condition unchanged. No further information was obtained about the house, but it seems reasonable that it incorporates remains of a bastle. All other buildings in Warton are completely modern (F2 RE 19-AUG-1971).

Warton Farmhouse, grade II listed building. 17th century refronted in early 18th century. Reroofed and extended to rear c.1855. L-plan (Listed Building Report). (Northumberland HER)

Gatehouse Comments

While this is now just one farm with a farmhouse possible containing some fragments of a bastle this does seem to have been in the early C18 a settlement with several bastles in close proximity - all were most probably of the simple pele-house type and possibly of late C16 date (no mention of fortifications is made here in the various C16 surveys - although the simple pele-houses may not have been considered as recordable in those surveys).

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law

Historic England Scheduled Monument Number
Historic England Listed Building number(s)
Images Of England
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceNU007028
Latitude55.3196716308594
Longitude-1.98988997936249
Eastings400740
Northings602850
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing) p. 174-5
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 361
  • Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p. 347
  • Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 169
  • Dixon, D.D., 1903, Upper Coquetdale Northumberland: Its History, Traditions, Folk-lore and Scenery (Newcastle-upon Tyne: Robert Redpath) p. 319-20 online copy

Journals

  • Christopherson, R., 2011, 'Northumberland bastles: origin and distribution' Medieval Settlement Research Vol. 26 p. 21-33 (listed in appendix)
  • Hadcock, R.N., 1939, 'A map of mediaeval Northumberland and Durham' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser4) Vol. 16 p. 148-218 esp 182